"Emmet...Emmet..."

The construction worker opened his eyes at the sound of a mysterious, yet familiar voice calling out to him. But that wasn't nearly as strange as the fact that he found himself standing in a plain white field that stretched out in all directions-seemingly for eternity. There was nothing as far as the eye could see, save for the starlit night sky above him; an empty world that very much reminded him of his journey into his own mind space.

"Emmet...over here..."

The soft, beckoning voice sounded as if it were coming from everywhere, and yet, nowhere at the same time. None the less, the Special spun in a circle; trying to pinpoint the source-all while wondering just what exactly was going on.

...and then, from literally out of thin air, an apparatition slowly materialized in front of him...and his breath caught in his throat when he recognized the welcoming form of-

"Vitruvius!"

Emmet wasted no time in running over to greet his old mentor; staring at the ghost in shocked amazement, "Wow! I can't believe it! I haven't seen you since..."

But both his smile and his voice trailed off when he realized what he was about to say-the memory of the last time he physically saw his teacher coming to the surface. The wizard sadly nodded, "That day...I know..." Quickly, he perked up, "...it's nice to see you again as well, my son."

Regardless of the strange reunion, the construction worker scratched his head in confusion, "But how did you get here? Where IS here?" He glanced around, "Is this another vision?"

"Not exactly..." the wise man waved his magic staff for emphasis, "...my new ghostly powers allow me to enter your dreams."

"My dreams...?" the Special finally looked down for the first time since arriving in this odd world; finding himself wearing his powder blue striped pajamas...and suddenly, the events leading up to his situation came flooding back. He had eaten dinner with Lucy, before settling in on the double decker couch to watch some Scooby Doo reruns. He must have fallen asleep not long after...that, and the polka dotted fish that came swimming through the air and around his head was sort of a big indicator. He sheepishly chuckled, "Oh...right."

Before he could fully contemplate his dream world, he was snapped to attention when Vitruvius began explaining, "You've come a long way since the first time I met you, and I'm very proud of you, dear boy."

Emmet couldn't help but smile and blush at the praise, "Thanks."

The ghost smirked as well, but quickly turned serious, "I apologize for not visiting you or the others much sooner, but in being an apparition, I can't stay in the mortal plane for long. So when I can gather the strength to make visits like this, I have to make it count."

He began floating back and forth, as if pacing in midair, to which the Special kept quiet; sensing an urgent speech coming on. Sure enough, the wizard turned to his protégé', "Important changes are coming to all the realms...and President Business will be at the forefront of those changes. He's a man who wants to reform, but doesn't quite know how to do it." He put a hand over his chest, "He's made plenty of athstetic improvements, but his true transformation must come within his own heart."

Emmet raised an eyebrow, "Um...no offense, but...if it's Business you're worried about, why didn't you go in HIS dreams?"

The ghostly teacher sighed, "I gather that he wouldn't be as excited as you to see me. He listened to you before; perhaps he will again."

Now the construction worker was beyond confused, "Listen to me about what?"

Vitruvius scratched his chin, "The President has been wisely staying out of the spotlight for the past few months, but he can't keep quiet for much longer. The situation is becoming delicate, and these next few days could make or break him. It doesn't help that most, if not all, of the master builders are still understandably unforgiving towards him." He pointed at his student with his wand, "It may very well be up to YOU to be his sole champion and supporter."

"M-ME?" the Special drew back in surprise, "But...what can I do?"

Despite his earlier seriousness, the wizard chuckled, "You're a much better leader than you think. Just be there for him. Keep him on the right path. Man Upstairs knows the guy needs a friend." He tapped Emmet on the shoulders with his staff, in the same fashion as when he told him about the prophecy, "I have every faith in you."

Leave it to the old wise man to speak in riddles. But even though Emmet wanted to ask more questions, he decided against it. If the TAKOS Tuesday incident taught him anything, it was that Vitruvius was most likely right. Somehow, the wizard knew when to give straight answers, and when to leave it up to the student to figure out the problem themselves. So instead, the construction worker took a deep breath; praying he'd make his teacher proud again when he said, "Alright...I'll...I'll try..."

"Very good", the ghost nodded, before switching his staff to his other hand, "I believe it's time I took my leave, though I'm sure we'll speak again...good luck to you."

With that, the specterly sensei began floating away; his body flickering in and out of existence as he started crossing back over to the afterlife. Only then did a thought suddenly occur to the Special, to which he waved up at his old friend, "Wait! One last thing!"

The wizard paused long enough for his young ward to ask, "Speaking of the master builders...do YOU...forgive Business?"

There was an awkward pause, and for a moment, Emmet wondered if he'd hit a nerve. It's hard to stay civil when one gets decapitated. But eventually, Vitruvius spoke, "...for the most part, yes. It's unwise to harbor hate...and in becoming a ghost, I've since gained a much larger perspective on things."

The way he was talking, it sounded like he knew more, but didn't want to reveal just what it was. The Special tilted his head, "What do you mean by that?"

Vitruvius gave him a rather strange look, before answering, "I'll explain another day...when the right time comes..." He then evaporated into the starry abyss-moaning a not-so-scary, "Wwwoo00oo00ooo..."

For a full minute, Emmet simply stood there; trying to soak in and contemplate everything the wizard told him. How was he supposed to succeed when he didn't even know just what exactly he was supposed to do? He wanted to think it over more, but found it difficult, considering the entire world was starting to fade away from under his feet; the distant buzzing of his alarm clock rousing him into consciousness. What a fine time to start waking up. But just before he left the land of nod entirely, all the Special could mutter was, "Note to self-no more Scooby Doo before bed..."

.

.

.

"Mr. President?"

Business was so engrossed in the paperwork he was filling out, he didn't even hear his secretary come into his office. He paused mid signature to glance up at Claire, who was carrying a stack of documents that was double her height. She winced at the weight of it, "Uh...more building permits for you to sign."

The world leader suppressed a groan. And just when he thought he was finished with the FIRST stack...his hand was going to hate him by the end of the day. A heavy sigh escaped him, "Thanks...you can set 'em right there."

He motioned to the skyscraper of forms still waiting in his inbox. As Claire added to the pile on his desk, he shook his head; not taking his eyes off his work, "We really need to hire more staff."

"I'm doing my best, sir...the number of people looking for jobs has been pretty slim..." the red head shrugged, "I DID interview a couple hopefuls. One of them's an engineer...though I had to tell her we don't really have a robotics division anymore..."

The President shot her a peculiar look, to which Claire awkwardly smiled and tried to save face, "But I mean...I told her her skills could still be very useful. She said she'd think about it."

Business was on the verge of blurting out the word 'acceptable', but restrained himself at the last second and tried a smirk, "Nice work. Thank you."

Claire couldn't tell if he genuinely meant that compliment or not, but wasn't about to chance questioning it. She merely nodded and began to take her leave...

...until her boss suddenly added, "Have fun at the office party tonight."

Instantly, she froze midstride. She was so sure her and the others in Accounting had kept pretty quiet about their little shindig. How did he find out? And surely he would've figured out he incidentally wasn't invited. The only word she could form was a nervous, "Um..."

Knowing she was about to 'correct' her 'accidental' oversight, the politician waved her away; his voice casual, "You guys enjoy yourselves. I got too much work to do."

Well, he wasn't exactly lying. She took the cue to heave a sigh of relief; muttered a 'thank you', then promptly left before the moment became even more uncomfortable. After that, the office was completely quiet for a very long time-the only sound coming from Business' non-stop scribbling. It got to a point where he was just barely skimming over the forms-signing each one as quickly as possible to make the mountain disappear. He couldn't help but grumble; he never had to worry about this stuff back when his robots did all the work...and the fact that everything pretty much stayed the same helped. No need to get a permit to make a weird building that wasn't allowed to begin with. Now, however, orders were coming in non-stop, from all across the realms. He almost forgot the days when he was stuck in a cubical-pushing papers for the previous president...funny how life came full circle.

One after another, the requests became exponentially outlandish. A fancy saloon in the old west...a dragon pen for Middle Zealand...a slew of castles for the Princess world...when did it all end? Only when he came across a permit from the Ghostbusters asking about constructing a new containment unit for their captured spirits did Business finally throw his hands up. He had enough ghosts haunting him as is. It was time for a break. After a quick stop at the nearby water cooler, he flopped back down in his desk chair-sipping the cup of water as he stared out the wall length windows for a long moment.

From the high vantage point, he could gaze down at every square inch of Bricksburg-the city he once held in an iron grip, and was now lucky he was holding it together at all. Granted, it looked much better than it did a few months ago, but there was still no ignoring the damaged areas dotted around. Ironic how he used to have eyes and ears everywhere-seemingly on top of every last activity going on in his city...and now suddenly, everyone and their mother was watching HIM instead. His fast talking 'car salesman' act of winning people over wasn't going to work anymore.

...it was VERY tempting to don his power suit once more...and every day, he had to resist the urge; telling himself what he did was wrong. He didn't have to be mean to get what he wanted...never the less, it was hard not to wish things were back to the way they once were. At least then, he knew exactly what to do.

With that thought in mind, the President reached over and unlocked a special compartment in his desk. The only contents of the dusty drawer was a single, framed photograph. He contemplated it for a long moment-staring at himself...his younger self, that is, judging by the lack of grey in his hair. But what really drew in the politician's gaze was the brown haired lady sharing the photo space. The picture, of course, remained silent, but smiled up at him as if saying, "come on, Pres-cheer up!"

But said world leader could only frown at a past long behind him, to which he mumbled out loud, "I'm sorry..."

"I know you are."

Business practically jumped ten feet in the air at hearing another voice in the room. He swiveled in his chair to find a familiar construction worker standing awkwardly nearby. How long was he there?

"Emmet?! I, uh..." the President was too startled to form words. He quickly scrambled to shove the photo back in his desk, before fiddling with the piles of paperwork; playing it off like he wasn't surprised, "Uh...what are YOU doing here?"

The Special rocked on his heels; appearing as innocent as ever, "Well, I...was just in the neighborhood, and...thought I'd check up on you, and...just see how you were doing."

His less than confident answer caused the politician to eye him up and down suspiciously. He then glanced around his office; wondering if there was more to this unexpected visit...or if someone else was accompanying the master builder. Either way, Business continued to shuffle the documents on the desk with a sigh, "I haven't put on the helmet and cape again, if that's what you're asking."

"Yes..." Emmet blurted out, before backtracking, "I mean no! I mean sort of...I, um..."

The construction worker bounced where he stood; acting as if he had ants in his pants, to which the President rolled his eyes, "What do you want, Brickowski?"

His tone didn't come out accusing or overly mean-more like he was desperate to get straight to the point. To that end, the Special cleared his throat and tried again, "Um...do you wanna'...get an overpriced coffee or something?"

Business blinked at such an out of the blue offer...and then, for the first time that day, he half heartedly laughed, "Still following the instructions?"

Emmet chuckled as he shrugged, "Old habits die hard, I guess."

The world leader shook his head, "If you only knew..."

The master builder felt it safe to finally approach the President; coming to stand next to him. The two took to staring out the windows together for a long time-both sitting in a companionable silence. The construction worker drew in a breath of awe at the scenic view of the city; a vantage point he never noticed before...

...it was also impossible to not notice just how quiet and empty Business' office was...he pondered just how lonesome it was up at the top, in more ways than one.

The atmosphere seemed frozen in time...which reminded Emmet of a certain something, to which he eventually gathered the nerve to ask, "So...how come?"

His companion glanced over at him; unibrow raised, which made the Special continue, "How come you wanted to freeze everything?"

Business stared blankly at his visitor, both in surprise and slight confusion. He hadn't been expecting such a question-one that, strangely, he was never asked. Though then again, when one staffs the entire building with robots, no one second guesses their leader; they simply respond with the answers they were programmed to give. He thought about how to word his response; his shoulders sagging as he realized with a pathetic sadness that the more he contemplated his master plan, the more dumb it sounded in hindsight. But at long last, he answered, "Things can get dangerous when you're constantly changing everything. I just thought that...everything would be better my way...safer...I just wanted to create a perfect world..."

But he learned the hard way that nothing could ever truly be perfect-not entirely...but it was a little too late for THAT revelation. He slumped in his chair in defeat.

...until Emmet replied, "But it already WAS perfect."

The world leader perked up as the construction worker said in an honest tone, "You know...Octan DID make some really good stuff." He shrugged as he explained, "Sure, some of the builders thought it was bland, but at least it was practical. And between you and me...I don't think all your rules were that bad. I always liked waking up and saying good morning to everyone and greeting the day with a smile...I still do...and I think others do too." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Just, you know...it's kinda' better to give people a choice than to force them."

Business took a moment to soak in the builder's words, before biting his lip-his expression utterly mortified, "I took things too far, didn't I?"

Emmet winced, "...kinda', yeah."

There came another awkward pause, until the Special coughed, "But, uh...word on the street is that most people have actually forgiven you. I think everyone just wants things to go back to normal."

The politician was grateful for his companion's optimism, yet wasn't completely fooled by it, and scoffed, "Really? And that includes the master builders?"

"Uh..." the construction worker couldn't worm his way out of THAT question.

Recalling the 'Think Tank Island' incident, Business shook his head and spoke rather frank, "You don't have to sugar coat it...I know what they think of me; what they say about me..." He folded his arms, as if even he was disgusted with himself, "...and they're right."

He practically deflated like a balloon, and made a move to lean against his desk...only to accidentally disturb the stacks of forms he had yet to sign. The skyscraper of paper toppled over-upsetting the other stacks like a domino effect, and soon, all his hard work was mixed up and scattered across the floor. It took everything in the politician's will power to not throw a tantrum. Doing so would only throw more fire on his already ruined reputation. So instead, he nullified his anger to just a few muttered curses, before circling around the desk and bending over to pick up all the documents.

The master builder made a move to assist, "Here, let me hel-"

"-it's okay. I got it", the President held up a hand to stop him, "I made the mess. I'll clean it up."

Emmet didn't want to make him even madder, so he took to just watching Business in a sad silence as he started organizing the papers into neat piles; his face half frustrated, half desperate. While he refused to look up, eventually he spoke; more to himself than to his visitor, "That's kind of how all of this is, really...it's the only reason I haven't stepped down as president."

For someone who loved being in control, such a blunt admission caused the construction worker to be taken aback. The President added, "I don't wanna' saddle anyone else with the job of fixing the mess that's my responsibility."

He carried on with separating the documents...until a hand reached into his line of vision and swiped a few forms. He finally glanced up to find the master builder had bent down and began organizing the forms. Every few seconds, he'd peek at the politician's own piles-making sure to straighten them exactly like his. Business couldn't help but be impressed at Emmet's tidiness and attention to detail...so much so that he wasn't even upset that the Special hadn't asked his permission first.

They carried on for a few minutes, until Emmet interrupted the quiet, "You can't keep doing all this yourself."

The Special motioned all around him, and the President realized he wasn't just referring to the stacks of papers. The builder continued, "You're the one who said 'everything's cool when you're part of a team', and 'everything's better when we stick together'."

The world leader rolled his eyes at his own theme song being used against him, "Sure...but what team would possibly wanna' help ME?"

Emmet scratched his chin as he thought. There was really only one idea he had in mind...and it was either going to be his greatest plan ever, or his stupidest one. He could only pray for the former as he answered, "I think it's time for a business meeting..."

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.

.

"Rubbish! Pure, unadulterated rubbish!"

Emmet instinctively ducked his head as Shakespeare threw a feathered quill pen at him like a dart. It lodged itself in the podium the Special was standing on, making him groan out a sigh. This crowd was going to be harder to convince than he thought.

With the help of Lucy (and some e-mailing carrier pigeons), the construction worker called on as many master builders as he could to gather at Bruce Wayne's house (seeing as how the new Dog was still being built). The sheer number of builders had doubled over the past few meetings, to the point the billionaire's mansion could no longer contain them all. So they all had to make do with assembling on his front lawn. At first, everyone was more than happy to answer the call-curious as to what the guy who saved the world had to say. And in that respect, Emmet now found himself in the strange position of having to fill in for Vitruvius as leader of the meeting. He had to wonder if the wizard's faith in him was misplaced-all seeing ghost or not. But for the sake of the future of the realms, the Special was determined to try his best. Although, he also thought it best to not tell anyone that a spirit visited him in his dreams and told him to do this. People would believe he was crazy...

...but it didn't much matter...because when he revealed the reason for the gathering, everyone proclaimed him a lunatic regardless. Understandably, no one was excited to discuss the topic of the President, and just the suggestion of helping the ex-villain was enough to cause an uproar.

"Why should we help him?!" an old prospector from the Wild West scowled, "What did that varmint ever do for us?!"

Everyone within his earshot yelled their agreement; their protests so loud that the construction worker couldn't get a word in edgewise. But before things completely spiraled out of hand, Unikitty, who was standing next to him, went red in the face as she screamed into the microphone, "GUYS!"

Instantly, the crowed clammed up. They knew better than to be on the wrong end of her outbursts. She sucked in a breath before continuing in a normal tone, "Come on, everybody! We came all this way. Can't you just let him talk for a sec?"

The audience respected the Princess and calmed down. Only then did she pass the mike back to Emmet, who tossed her a look of thanks before clearing his throat, "Look guys...I've been talking with Business, and I really think he wants to do better. He's been trying to make changes, but he can't do it himself...if someone doesn't support him, he might have a relapse."

"And why be it our problem?" a Middle Zealand knight scoffed, "How do we ascertain that his path is now straight?"

"Because he could've Kragled me and the world when he had the chance, but didn't! He could've kept quiet about the second Think Tank, but didn't!" the Special insisted; his arms spread, "Doesn't that count for something?"

For a few seconds, the builders all glanced at one another. The fact that the President backed down from his master plan couldn't be denied. None the less, Al Lusion, the magician, adjusted his top hat as he voiced his concerns, "Maybe...but the chap hasn't exactly shown his face. Dash it all, even that policeman who used to chase us is doing his part to remedy his mistake. Just how exactly does the President plan to fix this mess if he cares so much?"

Emmet was dreading this cue since the start of the meeting. But it was now or never. He took a deep breath, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

And with that, the construction worker took a huge step aside...revealing President Business standing behind him.

Immediately, the audience let out bursts of shocked gasps at the sight of the ex-villain in their midst. Michelangelo (the ninja turtle, not the sculptor) whipped out his nun-chucks defensively, "How did HE get here?!"

The politician recoiled at the sheer uproar of him simply being there, at the same time that Emmet threw his hands up to prevent a riot from starting, "Everybody calm down! It's okay! I invited him here!"

His exclamation drew many people aback. How could he have the audacity to bring their worst enemy HERE? Thankfully, the crowd didn't go on the attack, though less than friendly criticisms were mumbled in hushed tones. But the Special ignored their reactions. Instead, he pointed to the podium and tried to give the President a reassuring smile-echoing what Vitruvius once said to him, "Go on, sir, you got this."

Business begged to differ; letting out a gulp. How he ever agreed to this was beyond him. But he wasn't about to be a total wuss either. He attempted a brave face while slowly making his way to the mike. As he did, Lucy leaned in and whispered to Emmet, "I hope you know what you're doing..."

The construction worker held his breath, "...so do I."

Meanwhile, the world leader continued to trudge his way to the stage. For the first time in his life, he was beyond nervous to speak in front of a crowd. He tried his best to keep his line of sight focused on the podium ahead of him...yet, he couldn't help but shift his glance to all the master builders he once locked up. Every last one of them stared down at him with either apprehension, confusion, or outright loathing. It made him wish he had his platform boots, but he quickly realized that even if he wore them, he'd still feel miniscule under all the glares. He might as well have been walking up to a guillotine rather than a microphone.

He stopped only once to stare back at Emmet; still questioning if showing up to this meeting was a wise idea. The Special nodded and motioned for him to keep going. To that, Business sighed...

...only to turn around and run straight into Wonder Woman, who faced him with her arms folded; a disapproving eyebrow raised. He jumped in surprise-eyeing the golden lasso in her hands suspiciously, "Uh...hi?"

The superhero narrowed her eyes; looking like she was trying her hardest not to punch him, "Hold it. You have sneaky ways of twisting your words. We need to make sure you're telling the truth."

Without hesitation, the Amazonian Princess whipped the magic rope around the President's ankle-ensuring both his cooperation and the inability to escape. She kept him in his place as she asked, "So...why are you REALLY here?"

The world leader was nervous enough as it was to be amid all his enemies (or former enemies, technically). He didn't need to be put on the spot like this to add to his anxiety. Emmet invited him-wasn't that enough? He almost had half a mind to give her some snarky response...

...except at that moment, the lasso began glowing with its mysterious energy, and his usual barriers broke down. His only compulsion then was to speak his true thoughts, and he answered rather frankly, "To apologize."

Wonder Woman tapped her foot; not completely convinced, "And are you truly sorry for what you did to us?"

Normally, the politician would've wanted to answer with something more vague or witty, to try and save some face, but what came out of his mouth was a meek, "Y-yes..."

The superhero lifted an eyebrow in surprise, as did a few others. To say his admission of guilt was unexpected was putting it mildly. Never the less, the Princess had him in a position where he couldn't hide or lie, and she was going to savor this moment while she could. She leaned in and nearly smirked, "Tell me...are you afraid of us?"

"Yes...and a tiny bit jealous..." Business pouted; having no choice but to give voice to things he otherwise would've never said aloud, "...but I also always kinda' liked you..."

Well THAT threw the Princess for a loop. She pointed at herself, "Me?"

The President nodded, "You're so pretty and amazing and...and..." His face turned beet red as he sputtered out, "...and sometimesIwearyourcostumeunderneathmysuit...!"

Despite him muttering it quickly, both Wonder Woman and anyone within earshot could do nothing but stare blankly at him for a few stunned seconds. Not liking the silence, he whined, "It makes me feel strong!"

Lucy did a face palm and groaned, "Ookaaay...too much information there."

Although she was beyond weirded out, the superhero replied with a hesitant, "Uh...thank you?"

By that point, many of the master builders gave one another awkward glances. A good many of them, for years, dreamed of the day they could sit and watch President Business squirm-a small, but well deserved payback. But now that it was actually happening, to see how small he was without any of his technology, his pitiful moping wasn't even satisfying-it was just pathetic. All the more for Emmet to butt in with a sigh, "Come on, can he PLEASE give his speech now?"

Truthfully, Wonder Woman didn't want to release him. But knowing it would be impossible for the politician to try anything sneaky as long as the lasso was around him, she nodded to the Special before stepping aside-motioning for Business to get it over with. The President, in turn, straightened his tie, before swallowing his courage and finally stepping up to the podium. For a full minute, he let his gaze travel all across the gathered audience...to all the cameras trained on him...and even more intimidating, to all the hundreds of confused, scared, or angry faces watching his every move...the very same thing HE used to do to THEM...

...it really sucked to have the shoe on the other foot.

None the less, what he was about to say was a speech that was long overdue. It was best to get it over with and finally move forward. With a tap on the microphone to make sure it was working, the politician cleared his throat and began, "Uh...hello...this is President Business. Leader of the Octan Corporation and the world...speaking on matters of great importance. I'm sure many of you already know what those matters are, so...no pun intended, let's just get right down to business."

He tried throwing in a tiny chuckle at his own, weak joke. But one could hear a pin drop for the dead silence that answered him, and he swore he saw a tumbleweed blow by. It was more than awkward being this exposed and vulnerable...but it was hard to be charismatic with a lasso of truth around his ankle. Rather than dwell on the cold response, he pressed on, "As President, it's my job to have the people's best interest in mind...but when I took what I thought were good intentions too far, I wound up trying to force my own personal ideals on everyone. It's only because of Emmet that I saw the error of my ways."

He briefly motioned towards the construction worker, who wiggled in place and blushed at the attention. Business, in turn, threw him a half smile of gratitude, before addressing the audience again, "I've done you all a great disservice...and for that...I'm sorry...really sorry...for everything I did...for all the pain and trouble I caused you."

He wasn't expecting some huge round of applause, and nor did he receive it. But while no one was particularly happy, there still came a few looks of genuine surprise at his sincerity, magic lasso or not-combined with the fact that he had the courage to show up to a meeting of all his (for all intents and purposes) enemies. Perhaps the guy really DID want to change? They got their answer when the President continued, "It's now my responsibility to fix this mistake...and I know years of mistreatment isn't going to be erased overnight, but...I'll try my best to make amends...starting with this..."

His eyes filled with guilt, the world leader reached into his jacket pocket. For a second, everyone tensed up, expecting the worst...but relaxed when they saw it was just a sheet of paper. He held up the document for all to see as he announced, "What I have here is the instructions that I personally signed, making the art of master building illegal. And while I know that you all have pretty much ignored this rule ever since TAKOS Tuesday, I felt it best to make it official."

Taking a deep breath, he held the paper with both hands, "As President, I officially declare...that the law incriminating master builders, and the art there of...is now forever...terminated!"

And in one swift movement, he tore up the document-the pieces blowing away in the wind.

For a very long second, no one said a thing...until it hit them that the paper that kept them imprisoned or in hiding for years on end was suddenly no more...

...and the entire crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.

From all around, people were yelling, singing, dancing...even the ones gifted with magic were throwing confetti and setting off fireworks. For a blessed minute, the master builders let loose their unbridled happiness.

And during that minute, Business finally allowed himself a smile of sheer relief that his former adversaries were giving him the benefit of the doubt.

...well, most of them.

From off on the sidelines, Lucy seized the chance to walk up to the ex-villain; shooting him a harsh glare as she muttered, "I just want you to know this is your ONLY chance. If you screw up again...there won't be another do over...so you better make this count."

There was no doubt in the politician's mind that had the action girl had her way, this meeting would've gone down rather differently-possibly ending with him in the hospital. Her cold stare was all he needed to know to not underestimate her. He stayed silent, but nodded that he got the picture, to which she walked away in a huff.

Emmet, on the other hand, was much more encouraging. He patted the President on the shoulder and smirked, "Nice job, Business...you did good."

And with those three words, even with the whole world watching his every move now, Business felt a large weight lift off his chest. It was a small step, but...perhaps he WAS on his way to having a perfect world after all...

...just not in the way he expected.

.

.

.

True to his word, the President stuck by his promises, and devoted the next month or two to nonstop cleanup duty.

He began by visiting each and every majorly destroyed site personally; taking notes on all the changes and rebuilding that needed done. While any intern or representative from Octan could've done the task and faxed him the info, Business felt it better to do it himself. For one thing, it was a more effective show of good faith and honesty. And for another, there'd be less of a chance of a miscommunication with all parties involved. Naturally, some people were apprehensive around him, but most could see he was genuinely concerned, and by meeting's end, they were happy their plights were being noticed and taking care of.

The master builders, on the other hand, were much harder to convince. Lasso of truth or not, it wasn't like he was wearing it all the time, and even if he repaired all the realms overnight, they still wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. Still, it was hard to argue with the politician's results, and bit by bit, their general tone towards him shifted from outright disdain, to dislike, to cautious optimism. And Business, in turn, felt the same towards the builders; becoming more safe in the assurance that they weren't going to kill him (figuratively and literally).

However, that didn't change his apprehension when he finally visited Cloud Coo-Coo Land. He came only once, and for someone like him, who craved order and perfection, once was enough. Thankfully, Unikitty seemed to be aware that parading him through the main square where all the people were at was probably not the wisest idea. So she showed him around her kingdom via the sidelines. Her hospitality was more than surprising, and it was hard for the President to get a read on her. If she harbored any hate or revenge toward him, she didn't show it.

...and although Business heard rumor that Good Cop/Bad Cop was spending a lot more time there, they were nowhere to be found when he visited...and he figured, with a sick knot in his stomach, that maybe it was just as well that he didn't run into them. He was NOT ready for THAT reunion just yet.

Only honest Emmet, with the dependability of a Boy Scout, for the longest time, served as the world leader's support beam. Unlike the other master builders, who watched him like a hawk; checking in only to make sure he was being good, the Special visited or called him every week or two- sometimes just to make casual small talk. And though Business wouldn't admit it, he began taking comfort in having someone he could speak to who wasn't always walking on egg shells with him. True, the construction worker was also keeping an eye on him, but at that point, the President didn't mind. He was just happy to finally have a friend...something he realized he hadn't had, and not only wanted, but needed.

This was made all the more apparent when eventually, the strain of having to rebuild Octan from the ground up, coupled with keeping the other major rebuilding projects in check, AND staying in good graces with the master builders, began to take its toll on the politician's already frazzled nerves. And when Emmet's phone calls started to not be returned, the Special rushed to Business' office to see him...discovering the ex-villain huddled in a corner of the room, hyperventilating, with bags under his bloodshot eyes as if he hadn't slept in days...surrounded by piles of paperwork boxing him in like a prison.

Knowing such stress couldn't go on any longer, Emmet recounted the situation at the next master builder meeting. Of course, his plights were met with a lukewarm response. In particular, Shakespeare scoffed, "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?" And Abe Lincoln followed up with, "Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves." Clearly, the builders were still in the mindset that if the President dug himself a ditch, he could escape it himself.

But Emmet, in that odd wisdom of his, was quick to point out that if they were so concerned about the politician pulling a fast one, then perhaps some of the builders themselves could be assigned to be the world leader's personal advisors. That way, they could keep watch over him to make sure he stayed on the straight and narrow, and he, in turn, could receive the help he needed. And once again, the builders couldn't argue the logic.

And so it came to be that Abe Lincoln, Shakespeare, and Michelangelo (the artist, not the ninja turtle) found themselves in the odd position of being elected to be the ones to assist Business. They arranged to meet him once a week, every Saturday, both to lend advice as well as update him on the rebuilding process. The Renaissance man swayed to the artsy side of things; proposing new designs and such, while the 16th President and the poet helped to tackle the mounds of paperwork, and improve any and all speeches to the press. It was a seemingly never-ending task, to which the playwright muttered at one point, "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."

His two partners in crime couldn't agree more...but while at first, their meetings were understandably tense...slowly but surely, the trio began to learn more about Business...his likes and dislikes, his own personal ticks and pet peeves, and most importantly, how he ran Octan. He even gave them a personal tour of the building once (minus the robots and deathtraps of course, which had since been taken out). Admittedly, the trio was amazed at all the various gadgetry and add ons, from a gym, to a swimming pool, to his collection of relics.

There was also no denying the odd feeling that they almost preferred to think of Business solely as the heartless villain. For the more they got to know him, and see him in his day-to-day life, the harder it was to stay angry at him. Clearly, he WAS a smart guy. Even if he felt to villainy, he didn't win the presidency by being dumb. He never let tiny details go unnoticed, and no stone unturned. Perhaps if someone had given Emmet's speech to him years before, a lot of pain could've been avoided.

And consequently, Business was thankful for the builders' help; showing his gratitude with small gestures here and there. A new hat for Abe...new paints for Michelangelo...replacement quills for Will...little gifts of appreciation. He found himself bonding with Lincoln over both of them being presidents, and taking comfort in Mike's art and Will's wise poems. They were far from friends...but they tolerated each other, and for the sake of the realms, that was enough.

And on the subject of gifts...

One day, the President and his new cabinet of sorts were in the middle of one of their weekly meetings; discussing the realms over coffee and tacos, when suddenly, Claire came bursting into the office. She approached her boss with a document in hand; her voice out of breath, "Excuse me, sir! I'm sorry to barge in like this. I know your Saturdays are important, but..."

"Please, madam-calm yourself", Shakespeare shot her a sympathetic look, "What has yon parlor so distressed?"

The secretary took a moment to get a hold of herself, before handing the paper to the President, "I just received this from Accounting. It's urgent!"

Business was quick to take the memo from her; skimming over it in silence. But a minute later, his eyes widened as he glanced up, "The matter banks are empty? In every realm? ALL of them?!"

'Matter banks' was just another term for all the Octan warehouses used to store any and all bricks and other materials for the renovations done around the realms. It was blasphemous for any of them to be empty. But Claire sadly nodded, "Very nearly, yes. When one realm would run out, they'd borrow from the banks in the neighboring realms, and it just dominoed from there. Our most major rebuilding projects have literally run out of new bricks."

The politician spoke as if the answer were obvious, "Well, we can just make more, then. Put an order through."

"Already did", the secretary had a hint of dread in her tone, "The problem is that the process takes time-TOO MUCH time. This is going to set back our progress by weeks...maybe even months..."

Lincoln's expression soured as he finished for her, "And the people can't be left to wait that long..."

There were so many folks still without proper homes, or making do with what they had. To have production set back so far would be devastating. They just couldn't give up; not after all the headway they had made. But as the quintet stood there scratching their chins- racking their brains over how to solve the problem, they could do nothing but draw blanks. They needed materials, and they needed them NOW. Eventually, Claire quietly muttered, "...what are we going to do?"

Shakespeare shook his head, "If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and proper men's cottage princes' palaces."

It took a second for Business to translate Will's old world speech...but hearing that poem made him suddenly remember a similar quote that Emmet once told him...

"What I see are people inspired by each other...and by you. Taking things that you made, and making something new out of it."

...and just then, the world leader was struck with a crazy idea. He glanced all around his office- wondering if what he was about to propose was short of insane...but then again, if this would make the people happy, so be it...and more than anything, he just wanted everyone to like him again.

"Recycling..."

Both the secretary and the master builders all turned to Business when he broke the silence. He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, "We'll take stuff that isn't being used, and make it into something else."

Michelangelo seemed floored that the President, of all people, was suggesting such a thing, considering his usual insistence on everything staying the same. But the artist went along with him, "Good idea...but what do we use?"

The politician spread his arms; motioning all around the room, "How about this?"

It took a second for Claire to catch on, and when she did, she was taken aback, "The...the tower?! But sir..."

Business put a hand up to stop her; a frankness to his voice, "Claire, half of this place was just storage for robots that we don't have any more. There's levels that are totally empty, and most likely will stay empty. These bricks can be recycled for something better. It'll be more cost-effective."

The secretary blinked in shock, "But...but how...?"

"I already took the top off this building once. How hard could the rest of it be?" the President didn't seem too worried, "Emmet's a construction worker. I'm sure he and his pals could figure it out."

His gathered cabinet could do nothing but stare at him; beyond surprised at his decision. This wasn't just a matter of giving up part of his own tower that he coveted so much...he was also, in essence, knocking down the symbolic pedestal he used to sit on by a few thousand pegs.

Nevertheless, Shakespeare wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, and his face filled with a touch of pride, "Yon decision is a most generous one."

"Indeed", Abe nodded, "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

Business' mouth fell open in awe, "Wow Abe...that was beautiful."

Lincoln held up a chocolate bar he had in his pocket and shrugged, "What? I just got it off the back of this candy wrapper."

Everyone collectively rolled her eyes.

...until Claire hesitantly asked, "Sire...are you sure about all this?"

It wasn't that she was against the idea- far from it. She just wanted to make certain that what she was hearing was for real, and she still found it difficult to wrap her head around such a ludicrous plan. Business himself appeared a tad nervous, like he couldn't quite believe it either. But before he had a chance to change his mind, the politician took a deep breath, nodded, and awkwardly smirked, "Sure I'm sure. It's time to downsize."

With that, he whipped out a pen and got straight to work; the others eagerly joining in on the schematics he started drawing up. The building may have been getting smaller...but one thing that WAS growing was his circle of friends (or at least associates)...REAL ones, and not just robots programmed to be. And he found that THAT was a support beam he could lean on.

To be continued...