The following evening at 4:21, Tenenbaum and the girls walked into the Barton Repair Shop, where they saw Jack fiddling with something against the nearby wall. Whatever it was was covered with a large drop cloth. Jean and Dick were still at work.
"Ah, Dr. Tenenbaum, glad to see you again. And it's good to see all five of you too." Dick greeted as Tenenbaum nodded and smiled.
"Herr Mycroft, Fraulein Rothschild." Tenenbaum greeted with a smile and nod. The girls happily gave smiles and waves to the two.
"Jack, your family's here." Jean said. Jack poked his head out for a second.
"I'll be right there." He signed just as the door opened again. It was Julie and her father.
"Well-well, Dr. Stein, it's been a while since I've seen you in here." Dick said as Franklin smiled and nodded.
"Well everything you fix tends to stay that way Dick. You'll put yourself out of business if you keep that up." Franklin laughed.
"Father, allow me to introduce, Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, Jack's friend and nanny for the girls here." Julie introduced as Franklin extended his hand to the German scientist.
"Fraulein Doctor Tenenbaum." Franklin greeted, surprising Tenenbaum.
"Ah, you speak German?" She asked in German.
"I was an army psychologist during the war. I treated soldiers from both sides. I had to learn German out of necessity. It is a nice language though." Franklin explained, also in German.
"Your German is very good." Tenenbaum replied.
"Thank you." Franklin said before noticing the confused looks from the others present.
"What?" Franklin asked innocently.
"Anyway, father, these are Jack's girls. Brigid, Masha, Amelia, Suzanne, and Rebecca." Julie introduced as each of the girls curtsied politely.
"Is he your daddy, Miss Stein?" Brigid asked as Julie nodded with a smile.
"Yes, Brigid, he is." She replied as they heard a loud metal clang come from the covered machine as Jack came out from underneath the drop cloth.
"Alright, that's that." Jack signed after wiping off his hands and approaching the group of people.
"Jonathan Ryan, this is my father, Dr. Franklin Stein." Julie introduced as Jack and Franklin shook hands.
"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Ryan. I've heard much about you." Franklin signed.
"Call me Jack, and I've heard much about you too, sir. Oh and you don't need to sign on my behalf. I can hear you perfectly." Jack signed as Franklin nodded understandingly.
"Very well then." Franklin replied.
"So what is it that you've invented Jack?" Jean asked as Jack smiled.
"I'm glad you asked. Doctor, would you read this aloud?" Jack signed and handed Tenenbaum a written message on a notepad. Jack took his place next to the covered machine. Tenenbaum then started reading aloud…
"Ladies and gentleman, it is with great pride that I introduce to you all, the result of several collective lunch hours of work. A new source of income for the Barton Fix-it Shop. I introduce to you-…Herr Ryan are you serious?" Tenenbaum asked as she turned and glared at him. Jack simply grinned devilishly and nodded.
"Alright…" she muttered turning back, "…I introduce to you, the very first…Circus of Values."
With that, Jack ripped the drop cloth off the object revealing an exact working replica of Rapture's Circus of Values vending machines. Only thing missing was a speaker on the clown's mouth and the lack of music coming from the machine.
"You built that?" Dick asked in amazement.
"Well that's certainly impressive." Franklin said with an impressed nod.
"What's it do?" Jean asked. Jack flipped the page on the notepad and pointed at it for Tenenbaum to read.
"It is largely built from a disused cigarette dispenser, several scrapped machines including a refrigerator, a car engine, and a record player. For a flat price of twenty five cents, you can purchase any item as listed on each of the knobs or four items for a dollar. It is fully stocked with pep-bars, powder coffee mix packets, boxes of bandages, packets of Tylenol, assorted candies, and even the daily newspaper." Tenenbaum read off.
"A vending machine. Huh, I'm impressed." Dick said as Jack shrugged.
"I intended it to be a new way of being able to gain some extra income. I've done the research and the money we make from the machine will be more than enough to replenish the stock and still make a profit." Jack signed.
"Is that before or after your cut of the profits?" Franklin asked as Jack arched a curious eyebrow.
"My cut? I don't get a cut aside from what Dick pays me in my salary. I built it for the shop, not for me to earn an extra nickel." Jack signed.
"Well that's mighty generous of you Jack. Let's see how she works." Dick said as he fished a quarter from his pocket and put it in the slot. He scanned through the selections before choosing a pep-bar and turning the knob. Almost instantly a pep-bar slid down the chute.
"Well, it looks like it works." Jean mumbled with a chuckle.
"Well done, Jack. It's a success." Julie said, giving Jack a kiss on the cheek with a smile. Jack did his best to smile back.
A month later…
It was Christmas time in Barton and Jack's Circus of Values machine was a hit. People were starting to come in specifically to purchase something from it. As Jack had promised, they were making enough money to replenish the stock and still make a profit. The machine had come in handy several times too, especially when a fender bender occurred outside the repair shop. Jack paid a dollar to get four boxes of bandages to patch up a bad cut on one of the victims. He then started stocking First Aid kits in the machine as a result. The shop however began losing business but not because of the vendor, which was soon the only thing keeping it afloat. Another, repair shop had gone in nearby and people were flocking to it and there looked to be no end of the declining business in sight. Then it happened…It was a cool December Thursday at noon as a man stumbled into the repair shop, clutching a broken electric heater…
"Merry Christmas, sir. What can I do for you?" Dick asked cheerily as the man put the heater down on the counter. Jean and Jack were sitting, playing cards at their work benches from sheer boredom.
"I was wondering if you could fix my heater. I'm here on a business trip from Raleigh and the hotel's heating went out last night and then this confounded machine breaks on me this morning." The man shivered as Dick nodded.
"Right, I'll put my best man on it. Jack! I've got an urgent order for you!" Dick called as Jack walked up to the counter and took the machine to his desk. His moustache was now more noticeable. The man was shivering something fierce.
"You look like you could use something warm. There's some powdered coffee in that vending machine there for a quarter. I'll let you use our coffee maker." Dick said as the man turned and looked at the Circus of Values.
"A vending machine?" he asked as he stumbled over to the machine and fumbled for a quarter. He put the quarter in and turned the knob for coffee and was dispensed a small packet of coffee powder. The man picked up the packet and looked at it oddly for a moment before turning and looking at the machine curiously.
"How very clever." The man said as he turned and handed Dick the packet, who started to prepare the coffee maker.
"It is, isn't it? There hasn't been a customer yet who hasn't bought something from it since we got it." Dick explained as the man looked at him curiously.
"Really? Where did you get it?" He asked.
"Jack, the man who's fixing your heater there, built it from an old scrapped cigarette vendor and some other parts." Dick replied, surprising the man.
"You mean there isn't another machine like this?" the man asked as Dick shrugged and nodded.
"Not unless Jack's been building and selling them on the side." Dick laughed as he handed the man a mug of fresh coffee.
"Well that might not be that farfetched a notion. You see, I happen to be the vice-president of the same company that produces the Wonder-Puff cigarette vending machines. The same kind that that machine's made of." The man said, causing Dick to pause.
"Uh, we didn't breach any kind of copyright did we?" Dick asked worriedly.
"No-no-no, you didn't. In fact, that's an old model that we've rendered obsolete. We've got dozens of these sitting in a warehouse and we've got nothing to do with them except send them to the dump. If you'd like, we can sell them all to you for only a fraction of their original value which would be less than what we'd have to pay for throwing them out. You could make more of these vending machines and sell them for your own profits." The man explained as Dick arched an eyebrow.
"Jack! You might want to get over here!" Dick called. Jack walked over with the now fixed heater.
"What have you heard of our conversation, Jack?" Dick asked.
"Everything." Jack signed back.
"Is he a mute?" the man asked curiously.
"By choice only. He's got a vocal condition that he prefers to not aggravate. He communicates in sign language. I can translate for you." Dick said as Jack nodded with a smile.
"Well, how about it? You can make more of these things and sell them to other companies. You can charge for repair and funnel resupply through you so then you can take a percentage of the resupply costs which makes a profit for you. Essentially you can get a nice tidy income from just a few of these machines. I know some people who would just enjoy having one of these machines in their businesses. I know our factories could use these for the workers, especially with the selection of goods in there." The man said as Jack pondered.
"I'll have to think about it." Jack said through Dick.
"I understand. Here's my card for when you make your decision." The man said handing both Dick and Jack a business card.
"Well, we'll let you know." Dick said as the man nodded and paid for the repairs for the heater before he bid them a fond farewell and leaving.
"Well Jack? A chain of Circus of Values machines all across North Carolina and possibly the entire United States." Dick said as Jack sighed in thought.
"I don't know. I'd need help building and modifying the machines. Plus I'd need to work out the business angles but that aside, it's a good idea to me." Jack signed.
"If ya need help, I'll help ya, Jack. Just show us some schematics and I'll work for ya." Jean said as Dick nodded.
"So would I. You could conceivably become my boss with that. Tell you what, you've got a brilliant mind for business, so you work out what business angles you need to and we'll be ready for what you need us to do. This could become the official offices for Circus of Values incorporated!" Dick declared, earning a laugh from Jack.
"What about the shop?" Jack asked as Dick sighed.
"Look around you, Jack. There're no more customers here and there's nothing but electronic devices that people have just left here instead of claiming them. They've all gone to that new shop down the street. They're faster and have more people and space. Your machine is what's kept us in business this long. I've given thought of closing this shop but this man has given us an early Christmas present…A chance. A chance at a new career and it's more beneficial to you since you've got those five youngin's to feed and clothe at home." Dick said as Jack smiled and nodded.
"You're right." Jack spoke. Slightly surprising the two.
"You do speak!" Jean exclaimed.
"I'm gonna have to. Oh and it's not going to be Circus of Values incorporated. It'll be Ryan Vendors." Jack said as Dick chuckled.
"Fair enough. Well, whaddya say?" Dick asked as Jack nodded.
"Alright. I'll call the man." Jack said as he picked up the phone. It was at that moment that Ryan Vendors Inc. was born. True to his word, the man began selling Jack the obsolete cigarette vending machines and Jack, Dick, and Jean began modifying the machines. By the time the following Thursday rolled around, they had five fully functional Circus of Values machines ready to be sold to prospective buyers. Their first customer was the Wonder-Puff cigarette company who bought one for their local factory and one for their corporate offices, raking in a tidy profit, almost double the amount that the repair shop would make in a month. It became an early Christmas for Dick and Jean who began making more money than they were initially while Jack deliberately kept himself at his initial salary. They soon began to remodel the shop to accommodate the work floor. Jack got Dick's old office and would crunch numbers when he wasn't working on the machines. He finally had to hire Dr. Tenenbaum just to do the number crunching to allow him more time to work on the machines since they started getting more orders for the vending machines. By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, Mycroft's Repair Shop sign had been taken down and was replaced by a neon sign that read, "Ryan Vendors Inc. Corporate Headquarters."
Christmas Eve, 1960…
Jack and Julie were walking to Julie's house to wrap up some presents for the girls that they had just purchased at the last minute.
"Thanks for helping me with these. I wanted the girls to have something. I just didn't know what to get them." Julie said as they walked in through the front door to her house. It was an old yet well maintained two story plantation house dating back to before the civil war.
"Not a problem. I know you care for the girls so it was the least I could do." Jack said as they set the bags and parcels down on the floor in the den, a room surrounded by bookshelves and a fireplace against the wall with a sitting couch and green leather wing back chair.
"My father's out on an errand of his own. Patient emergency I think." Julie said as Jack nodded understandingly.
"I imagine the holidays will drive some people crazy huh?" Jack asked as Julie smiled and nodded with a laugh.
"I know, right? I'm going to go get the wrapping paper. Feel free to put some music on the phonograph if you want." Julie said as she walked off into the house. Jack shrugged and walked over to the selection of albums. He started flipping through them until he spotted something that looked eerily familiar. He flipped back to it and sure enough it was the one thing that made his heart sink. The Rise, Rapture, Rise record, still in its sleeve. He slid the record out but as he did, two folded pieces of paper fell out too. After he put the record on the turntable he unfolded the paper and found the two missing drawings. He sighed in frustration and disappointment.
"Why now? Why does it have to be now, on Christmas Eve of all days? I have no choice though. I have to protect my girls." Jack said mentally as he heard Julie walking back in with rolls of wrapping paper in hand.
"Okay, here we go. I've got snowmen, snowflakes, some simple blue with green polka dots, oh and I put the kettle on with some tea in case you want some…" Julie said as Jack simply stood with his back turned to her, facing the record player. Julie got concerned from his lack of a response, "…Jack?"
"Hmm? Oh, I chose a song. Here, let me turn it on." Jack said turning on the phonograph. Julie furrowed her brow for a moment as the opening instrumentation began but the second the vocalist started singing her eyes widened in horror. Jack turned towards her with an angry scowl on his face.
"Jack?" she asked fearfully.
"Why did you steal the record? Why?" he asked, crossing his arms, making sure the Rapture Records cover was facing her in his hand.
"I-..." Julie stammered but she couldn't come up with an excuse, "…-Because I saw it and I thought of what the girls said. I thought that the record cover had nothing to do with the girls' stories but I had to know. But when I heard the record and heard the lyrics I…Rapture is real isn't it? It's as real as this very house isn't it?"
"You had no right." Jack growled, ripping the record off the phonograph and putting it back in the sleeve.
"I was curious! I told you when we met that my curiosity gets the better of me at times!" Julie pleaded as Jack raised the pictures.
"Enough to steal a child's drawing?" Jack roared angrily.
"You kept lying to me! I know how to tell when people are lying and you've lied to me every time we've been together! You've only told me the truth sporadically so I had to find some way of finding the truth! That record is physical proof that Rapture exists and that you've been keeping secrets from me!" Julie replied.
"You don't understand! You don't understand what I've gone through, what I've done to protect those girls! I saved them from a fate worse than death down there and in return they saved my life! If you had any idea what happened in Rapture, then you would do the same damn thing I would have! Rapture is not what its name implies! It's not Rapture, its Hell!" Jack yelled angrily as Julie dropped to her knees.
"Then help me understand! Help me know what happened and let me help you!" Julie pleaded, tears forming in her eyes as Jack threw up his hands.
"How can I trust you? You stole from me! You violated my trust! How can I trust you with anything anymore? I loved you, Julie! I honestly did! I had even given thought to asking your father for your hand! But that's all shot to hell thanks to you!" Jack yelled, grabbing the gifts they had purchased and stuffing the record and drawings into one of the emptier bags.
"Jack, please! Would you kindly just give me another chance?" Julie pleaded, Jack freezing in anger at the mention of the phrase, "would you kindly."
"Would you kindly? Would you kindly? I'm surprised that you don't even know how much I despise that phrase! If you hadn't stolen from me, you might have found out why! What did you hope to gain from learning about Rapture, huh? The location of an underwater city filled with all sorts of things you could use to get rich quick?" Jack asked as Julie started crying.
"No! No I would never-! Jack you have to believe that I'd never tell anyone about Rapture!" Julie pleaded.
"We're done, Julie! It's over!" Jack yelled over his shoulder as he stormed for the door, leaving Julie crying alone on the living room floor.
End Chapter 7.