Dead or Alive
Chapter One
"Change in Policy"
Helena Douglas, president of the largely popular corporation known as D.O.A.T.E.C., stood with her hands behind her back, her eyes fixated on the sprawling city just outside her window. Flying vehicles flashed by her window, various colors reflecting off her dress. A large, neon sign towered above the skyscrapers, bright blue letters reading "Fontaine Futuristics" illuminating the surrounding rooftops. Beyond the sign, a blimp floated just below the clouds, a political campaign poster reading "Joseph Bertrand III for Councilor" strapped to its side.
She found it hard to believe that no more than ten years ago, the world had been plunged into chaos as a result of the event that many people had come to call the Great Convergence. Regardless of its title, there was no denying that the event had changed the world. Dozens of realms once thought to be independent of one another unified in a single, heavens-shattering day. Anarchy had reigned for the first year, but a group known as the Alliance stood up amidst the rubble to create a world of peace. Since then, the realms lived in harmony, and many corporations, D.O.A.T.E.C. included, were able to rise to the top once more. But part of Helena longed for everything to return to the way it once was, though she knew that wasn't possible.
The doors to her office burst open, snapping her out of her trance. Helena turned to see a slender, pale man in a white robe stomping toward her angrily. He kept his head low, but his eyes fixated on her. Burn scars covered half his face. A stressed Marie Rose, one of Helena's loyal employees, hurried in after him, "Mister Victoriano, you can't just..."
Ignoring the woman, the enraged man reached Helena's desk, slamming his hands down on the wooden surface, "Douglas! What is the meaning of this?! How could you stop funding me?! This is my life's work! I need that money!"
With a hand, Helena calmed Marie, instead focusing on the man, "Mister Ruben Victoriano, I am very sorry for this betrayal, of sorts, but as the new president of D.O.A.T.E.C., I've decided to begin with a clean slate. Most people questioned my company's involvement with M.I.S.T., and due to your working so closely with Donovan, your S.T.E.M. project and M.I.S.T. have become synonymous. Certainly, you must understand that in order to sever ties with Donovan, I must cease your funding. It's tragic, yes, but necessary. I'm sorry, mister Victoriano, but you'll have to find someone else to fund your research."
"There is no one else!" Ruben exclaimed angrily as two armed guards appeared in the doorway. "Fontaine's too narrow-minded to consider anything outside of his hallucinogenic drugs, and Murkoff went under! I need this funding!"
"I'm sorry, but I've already done everything I can. Perhaps M.I.S.T. will have more. Now please, leave the premises on your own volition, or I'll have my guards escort you," was Helena's solemn response.
Ruben growled aggressively, "You'll regret this, Douglas! I swear you will!"
With that, he turned and stormed toward the exit. Helena's guards attempted to stop them, but the president spoke out, "Let him go! He won't hurt anyone."
Reluctantly, the guards did as they were told, and Ruben shouldered past them before disappearing through the doorway.
With the scene over, Marie tenderly approached Helena, "My lady..?"
"I'm fine, Marie, do not fret. I merely worry for Ruben's sake. But, we must continue. Alert the council, I wish to call an emergency meeting tomorrow morning at seven O'clock," Helena ordered.
"Right away, my lady," Marie nodded before hurrying out of the room.
With a sigh, Helena returned her gaze to her window.
Marie Rose, Miyako, Zack, and a few select others were seated before Helena Douglas in D.O.A.T.E.C.'s conference hall.
Per usual, Helena took her seat at the end of the table, between Marie and Zack. With the loud, confident voice of an opera singer, Helena spoke, "Within the past twenty-four hours, it has come to my attention that word is still spreading about D.O.A.T.E.C.'s change in leadership, three weeks after our official announcement. It is my belief that, before we continue with our arms race, we must ensure that all the world knows that we have severed all ties with the terrorist group known as M.I.S.T. In order to do this, I propose that we follow in my late father's footsteps: we shall run another Dead or Alive Tournament."
Helena took a breath as the small group before her murmured to one another. She allowed her announcement to sink in before she continued, "There are two reasons for this decision. One, the incredibly popular tournament will allow Zack and I to spread the word as far as Helghan. Second, continuing my father's tradition will assure our official business partners that despite this change, we are, in fact, the same D.O.A.T.E.C. they signed their contracts with so many years ago."
There was an awkward silence before Miyako, Helena's trusted friend and secretary, spoke uneasily, "Miss Douglas, with all due respect, this will be the first tournament we've run since the Convergence. Are we sure that the Alliance will allow this? It always has been fairly...controversial."
"You bring up a good point, Miyako, but I believe Marie has a satisfying answer," Helena responded calmly, nodding toward Marie.
The young woman stood, pulling a stack of official papers out of her backpack. Slamming them down on the table, she flicked through the papers until she arrived at an article she had flagged with a sticky note.
"According to the Alliance's official decree, section four, subsection 'A', paragraph three, line forty-seven, 'all previously-established and independent traditions amongst Alliance-fairing citizens shall be honored, regardless of notoriety, so long as the said tradition does not harm another being's basic rights without his/her consent'," Marie Rose spoke proudly, a wide smirk on her face. "Should the Council keep their word, it looks to me like the tournament is on!"
"Thank you, Marie," Helena nodded respectfully before Marie neatly stacked the papers and returned them to her bag. "Now then, any other questions or objections?"
"Yeah, I got one!" the always-overly-enthusiastic Zack spoke up. "So, we sorta need an arena to run a tournament, right? Well, we sorta...don't have one."
"This is true," Helena acknowledged him with a nod. "But I'm hoping to purchase an old property down town. It's an old boxing ring, though it hasn't been used in years. Not quite the stadium I had been hoping for, but a few renovations, and we can have it up and running within the fiscal year."
"Oh, ok, and, uh, who's gonna be in charge of renovations?" Zack wanted to know.
Helena smirked, "Well, you are our marketing expert, Zack, as well as a...'Zack' of all trades. I'm sure you'll do just fine."
Zack took a deep, exaggerated breath, "Oh, boy..."
"Will that be all?" Helena inquired, looking to each of her employees in turn. Once she had made it around the table, she stood, "This committee is adjourned."
Miyako walked through the busy park alone, absorbed into her smart phone as she sent her daughter, Kokoro, a quick text to let her know that she'd be home soon. Sliding the phone into her pocket, Miyako sat down on a bench, leaning back to enjoy her hobby of people-watching. Kids ran in the grass, tossing footballs to one another as their parents talked with one another. A young vendor was selling ice cream and balloons. An athletic young woman drenched in sweat jogged past Miyako, hardly offering her a glance.
Several moments past before another woman sat beside Miyako, sunglasses pressed close to conceal her eyes. The fashionable woman was chewing gum as she rummaged through her purse for something.
"I swear, I can never find my chap stick when I need it..." the woman spoke to herself as if nudging Miyako.
"Here, you can borrow one of mine," Miyako offered, handing the woman a stick. "It never hurts to have too many, you know."
The woman smiled, slipping the chap stick into her purse, "So, what brings you here today?"
"Douglas told me she wants to run another tournament," Miyako explained casually, checking her watch.
"Really?" the woman inquired, clearly intrigued. She only glanced at Miyako as she continued, "And let me guess, she wants you to set up a recruiting campaign."
"Well, Zack's going to be busy for quite some time. Douglas has him on construction duty," Miyako explained.
The woman laughed, covering her mouth with a hand, "That idiot's a foreman? Looks sure can be deceiving."
"Tell me about it," Miyako grumbled, lowering her gaze. "And I have my own responsibilities. Kokoro's all worked up over a carnival that's coming up. I need to get my own projects done before I can even think about going with her."
"That won't be a problem, darling," the woman smirked. Standing, she added, "How much time do you have?"
"Douglas wants the tournament ready to go by August," Miyako answered, rolling her eyes.
The woman offered chuckle, "Quite ambitious, that one. Give me a week. Oh, and thanks for the chap stick."
Handing the stick back to Miyako, the woman turned and left her associate.
As she walked, Lisa Hamilton removed her sunglasses, exchanging them for a fancier pair that had a blue tooth ear piece attached to them. Clicking the device on, she looked down at her phone to call a private number.
No more than two rings in, the man picked up.
"You were right. Douglas has put the next tournament into motion. And turns out I'm in charge of recruiting the world's toughest fighters," Lisa spoke, chuckling to herself.
As her associate responded, a chill ran down Lisa's spine. Instinctively, she came to a stop, turning to view her surroundings. When she saw no one peculiar, she took a hat that had been strapped to her back and rested it on her head. With a final, paranoid glance, she continued on her way.