That's Business - Chapter 2
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Scott smiled at the Tracy Industries secretary as she opened the barrier for them without question and wished them a good day. Perks of having your own company.
He and John were scheduled to have a meeting with the board before flying home this afternoon. Since their father had gone missing, Scott had found it difficult to see the board in person. The members had been understanding about the need for video calls at first, but the missing dad excuse seemed to be wearing thin, and Scott was going to have to show face more often.
Luckily, they'd managed to schedule this one to coincide with John's exhibition. Two birds, one stone. He and John shared most of the Tracy Industries responsibilities. Scott had tried to shoulder it on his own for a few months. It wasn't long before he'd started crumbling under the workload of CEO, IR commander and first responder.
John had been a lifesaver; his brother could analyse data and file reports at a ridiculous pace. They worked seamlessly together. Scott dealt with the public image and the board members while John supplied him with all the data he needed.
The meeting today should allow them to finalise objectives for the new quarter. Most of the work had been done in late December but the board wanted a concise overview of the action plan for the coming year. He and John had put together a presentation that would hopefully see them through the next quarter without needing any more face-to-face meetups.
John tapped away on his tablet as they traversed the halls and made their way towards the elevator. The board room was on the top floor of course, a corner room with two walls covered by floor to ceiling windows. The view of New York was spectacular. Not as good as the view from One of course but that was a tough act to follow.
The elevator dinged, both brothers content with their own thoughts as they silently made their way into the room. The meeting wasn't due to start for another 20 minutes but there were a lot of people milling around already.
John put away his tablet as they did the rounds, making small talk with the board members. Although Scott didn't miss when his brother casually placed a pair of glasses on his face. Glasses that he didn't need for vision. Of course, John had brought his savvy new invention along with him. His brother was extremely skilled in the art of multitasking. Scott was pretty sure he did it in his sleep.
The rest of the board trickled in and they finally all took their seats at the large oval table. Scott was at one of the heads with John sitting closely to his right. His brother pulled out his tablet again and a screen rolled down from the back wall while the light in the room dimmed slightly as the windows tinted.
The room hushed to a mummer at the change and Scott took his opportunity to catch everyone's attention.
"Thank-you, everyone, for joining us today. I hope your travels were smooth." He began.
"John and I have prepared a presentation on the upcoming quarter and a brief outline of the outcomes we're looking for the remainder of the year also. If there's no objections, I'll jump straight in and then we can open the floor up for discussion."
At the nods of confirmation, Scott began. John controlled the slides for him as he ran through the action plan, expected outcomes, potential concerns. He picked up on the nods of agreement and pleased look on most of the boards faces. They clearly hadn't been expecting such a comprehensive plan.
It was safe to say their relationship with the board members ever since their dad's disappearance had been rocky. And if Scott was honest, he understood the apprehension. Share prices had nosedived in the weeks after the announcement. Some of the board members had even decided to cut their losses and leave.
Scott had to admit he hadn't been fully on top of everything in the beginning. How could he? Their father had just disappeared. His priorities had been with his family. With Johns help though they managed to get back on track and fall into a good routine. The past year had been much more successful, although, their face-to-face time with the board had still been scarce. Scott was hoping this meeting would help solidify that they were more than capable of filling their fathers' shoes.
There would always be the sceptics of course. The members who would question every decision. Scott had grown to hate the phrase 'Your father would've…'. He heard it far too often and it grated on his nerves. Like these men knew his father better than he did.
Of course, they did have some different viewpoints. As much as everyone liked to compare him to his dad, he wasn't a carbon copy. He and John had plenty of ideas, they wanted to make their own mark. In the first year it had been a fight for every change. The board saw their proposals as reckless instead of calculated risks.
Scott knew it was because they were both so young. There was at least a 10-year gap between him and the next youngest person in the room right now. Experience was extremely valuable, and Scott appreciated most of the contributions and advice they got from the board, but sometimes old habits got in the way of innovation.
Luckily a few early breakthroughs meant that they had a lot more credibility now. The new TracySpace centre had been one of them. There was a stigma that space innovation required acres of land for launches and testing or even an office in orbit. Hardly unusual these days, but also extremely expensive.
Of course, they hadn't needed that. They hadn't been proposing that Tracy Industries start manufacturing rockets. There was no market for that. Space innovation was much more specialised nowadays. They proposed commercial, space-related technology and tools that they could market towards the aforenoted offices, as well as hotels, bases, and recreational travel companies. John talked them through the idea of zero gravity containers for testing.
It was a long 4 months of debate. They answered questions, dispelled concerns, and fought tooth and nail. Finally, it was approved. And it was hugely successful. The fastest growing start-up department they'd ever created. TracySpace had been online for 14 months now and they had a number of clients and contracts maximising profits.
"Thank-you Scott." Sanders nodded when he'd finished. "Let's open this up for discussion now."
Sanders was their in-house CEO. She had been working at the company and with their father since he'd been a toddler. She'd seen the dips, the highs and knew the company inside and out. She was the person Scott coordinated with from the island. He never would've managed without her support.
"I've sent a summary of the presentation through to each of you." John followed-up.
The tablets uniformly placed in front of each member around the large table all lit up as the file came through. Some picked it up to have a read through while others looked ready to jump straight into conversation. Scott re-took his seat at the table as the windows un-tinted and light flooded the dim room causing a few people to squint at the sudden change.
"It was really encouraging to see such an in-depth plan of action boys, thank-you." Started Henry Young, one of the people whose opinion Scott valued a lot. "I do have a question regarding the…"
An in-depth conversation began, and Scott couldn't help but notice it was much more of a civil discussion than the interrogation-like environment they'd had this time last year.
"I'm still concerned about the lack of face-time you boys have here at the company." Mr. Litchwell brought up, as Scott knew he would. The man was definitely one of the more traditionalists here on the board.
"Human interaction at all levels of the company is an important step in building a reliable workforce. Not to mention the publicity gathered when you boys are here in New York, that can't be ignored."
"With all due respect Mr. Litchwell, we may not be here every day, but we do work closely with each of the departments. John personally supports the new TracySpace department almost daily, my brother Virgil works with the engineering team every time he's in New York and takes regular support calls." Scott defended. "Besides, what we do with International Rescue gathers good PR, we can't just abandon our responsibilities there."
"Well therein lies another issue Scott, because it's not always good PR, is it?" Litchwell arched an eyebrow. "What about when it's not a happy ending? Shares tank, buyers get nervous. It's reckless that our business is so closely tied to such an unpredictable organisation."
Scott had to stop himself from clenching his fists. "We try our best, Mr. Litchwell."
"And" John jumped in. "Public opinion of International Rescue is positive majority of the time."
"Listen, I know you boys try your best. I know you're not to blame for any tragedies that may occur. But the media vultures will always swoop in." He clasped his hands on the table. "Our statistics are by far the most volatile on the market. I'm sure you have a chart on it somewhere John?"
His brother pursed his lips but nodded and the tablets all bleeped again. Scott glanced down at his own, the man wasn't wrong, the sharp dips were rather erratic. Scott knew John would be able to match each of them to a rescue gone wrong or some other scandal his family happened to be part of at the time.
He wasn't going to crumble to a little volatility though.
"You're not wrong about the fluctuations." He began. "But the overall picture is an incline. The fact is the stories spun by the media never last long. It doesn't leave an impact in the overall scheme of things."
"But unpredictability makes investors skittish."
"What would you propose we do about it?" Scott asked genuinely.
"Pick one." The man said simply. "This one foot in each world act can't go on forever."
"Out of the question."
"Scott-"
"No." Scott shook his head. "I'm not giving up International Rescue so we might as well drop this."
"Then maybe it's time you took a step back from the business."
And that was the blow. That was what Litchwell had been building towards. What he ultimately wanted. He'd spent the last 2 years trying to undermine his family. Criticising every decision, casting doubt into the eyes of the other board members.
Scott shared a glance with his brother, the same determination showed in his eyes and Scott took a steadying breath.
"Thank-you for your concern, Mr. Litchwell but I can assure you we're managing just fine. And we're not planning on stepping down any time soon."
"Right. Let's move on shall we." Sanders told instead of asked. Scott could see the lines of tension in her face. She hadn't been happy with the thinly disguised attack either. "Henry, I believe you had a point about the cost evaluation on the R&D expenditure?"
Litchwell had said his piece, he sat back with his hands raised – conceding for now as the conversation was diverted. Scott would need to keep an eye on him.
They broke for refreshments at the 2-hour mark. Apart from Litchwell's criticism the meeting was going in the trajectory Scott had expected. They were getting great feedback as well. He'd been ready for confrontation at the start of the day, but it seemed like the board were finally beginning to respect him and Scott hoped this could be a turning point in how things were handled going forward.
He handed John a cup of tea while he dispensed a cup of coffee for himself. There was a light chatter in the room, so he felt comfortable quietly mumbling to his brother.
"This certainly wasn't what I expected this morning, it seems to be going rather well."
John only hummed at him, and Scott noticed his brother oddly staring into the wall.
"John" He rolled his eyes. "Will you stop working. The board may not be as observant as me but it's not exactly subtle that you're not listening."
"I am listening." John did turn to him this time with just a hint of smugness. "Yes, it's going well."
"Oh, I see. Just ignoring your brother then." Scott rebutted dramatically placing a hand over his heart.
John glared at his him but tapped the side of the glasses none-the-less. "There. Off."
They meandered over to the window, the skies were clear, and Scott could feel the warmth of the sun through the windows.
"I think Henry's proposal regarding the investment portfolio is great. I've already mapped the numbers and can see an increase."
"Great, I'll bring it up in the next segment. Got a visual?"
"Of course."
Scott may be used to John creating data analytics on the fly, but he knew the board would be impressed. If there was any time for showboating, it was now.
The were interrupted by a shuddering thud on the door. Not a knock. A room-shaking thud. They both turned sharply as another thud echoed the room. This time they could see the door bending under an unseen force. Someone was trying to bash the door in.
They shared a grimace and Scott only had a second to take a step towards the locked door before it shattered open. Splinters flying as the hinge ripped away from the door.
His focus was taken off the cloud of dust encircling the door to something rolling along the floor. It was flashing.
"Everybody get down!" He shouted as he practically dragged John to floor underneath him. His initial panic was somewhat alleviated when a hiss of smoke erupted from the pellets instead of the explosion he'd been expecting.
He coughed, squinting as his eyes watered too. There were a number of people entering the room. He counted 4 so far. What drew his attention however was the semi-automatics strapped around each of them. Not good.
"ALRIGHT" Announced one of the men loudly. "You're all going to stay on the floor if you don't want to end up with a bullet through your skull."
Scott glanced around. He could hear coughing along with the shaky breathing of people who weren't accustomed to this kind of situation. Scott didn't exactly like that he was accustomed to not only dangerous situations, that was expected with International Rescue, but also hostile situations. Between his time with the air force and their run-ins with unsavoury characters on IR jobs, he knew how to handle himself.
What put him on edge was a brother or civilians in the line of fire, and right now he was dealing with both.
He started to sit up, but a hand grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him back down. His brother's gaze was clear. Don't be stupid. He got that look a lot. John was the master of disapproving facial expressions.
He sent his own back. I'll be fine.
Sitting up onto his knees, once John begrudgingly removed his grip, he made a clear action of placing his hands above his head.
"What do you want?" Scott spoke, voice clear and unwavering. Find out what they're after. Diffuse the situation. Keep everyone safe. Deal with the consequences afterwards. That was the plan anyway.
He was immediately facing down the barrel of a gun. "Shut it."
"If you tell me what you're here for maybe we can come to an agreement?" He tried again.
The world rocked as the butt of the gun struck his temple and he couldn't stop himself teetering sideways, his vision whiting out.
"Anyone else feeling brave will get the same treatment." Scott heard the man say through the buzzing in his ears. "So, zip it and stay on the floor until we say otherwise."
The feet passed by the front of his face and Scott managed to regain his bearings enough to realise he was back on the floor.
Hands were gently inspecting his head.
"Scott, you alright?" John asked in a hushed whisper.
"Ow." He mumbled.
"Well, what did you expect to happen." John grumbled. "Idiot."
Was John seriously lecturing him right now? Sometimes he wondered if John forgot he was the older brother here.
His head throbbed painfully.
Alright, maybe it wasn't his best decision, but he was never one to sit back and let events unfold around him. Speaking of, he took some deep breaths and raised his head, turning onto his stomach with a groan.
His brother was propped up on his forearms beside him, looking at him with an unusual mix of concern and exasperation that only John could pull off. Something dripped down the side of his face now that he was upright. He raised an alarmingly unsteady hand to his head a pulled back with a hiss. His hand had the tell-tale red of blood.
John quickly pulled off his tie and folded it neatly into a square. Before Scott could protest, he pushed it firmly onto the wound and Scott almost lost balance as his vision blurred out again. Breathing deeply to control the nausea, he glared daggers at his brother when his vision returned enough to actually see him.
John merely gave him a pointed look. It's your own fault.
John never was one for sympathy.
Scott huffed and took a cursory glance around the room. He'd been so out of it he hadn't even noticed the intruders pulling people up to sit at the table.
The smoke was clearing slightly now. The door had been resealed and one of the large desks that occupies the sides of the room had been placed in front of it. Not a grab and run then.
The members of the board were being categorically searched and then forced to take a seat around the table. Henry already had a seat and Scott noticed his hands pulled uncomfortable behind him. Restrained. This was looking more troublesome the further it went.
Their eyes met and Scott could see the man was looking shaken. He tried his best to look reassuring but with John's makeshift compression covering part of his eye and blood still smeared across his face he didn't think he was particularly successful.
When Henry gave his own reassuring look back Scott felt a bit better but assumed that meant he was also looking a little shaken if not just worse for wear.
Then the man who struck him was back, pointing his gun in John's direction.
"Up." He growled.
John grabbed his hand and bent his elbow back to push it against the tie against his head. "Hold that there."
"I said UP." The man repeated, accompanied with a shake of his gun.
John still made sure Scott had a good grip on the makeshift bandage before he pushed himself up. Another man came over to pat his brother down, taking his phone, tablet, watch and almost imperceptible earpiece Scott hadn't even realised his brother had in. These guys knew what they were doing.
His brother was then unceremoniously pushed into a chair before his arms were pulled tightly behind his back and Scott spied the zip ties that must also have been used for the other members of the board.
His brother then bowed his head into his shoulder to awkwardly push up his glasses that had fallen too far down his nose during the shove. Scott had to consciously force himself not to smile. Of course. The glasses. They hadn't noticed. Scott wasn't surprised, they looked entirely real and were custom fitted for his brother's head.
John would already have contacted the island, if not the GDF as well.
Then the gun was pointed at him, and he stood slowly trying to blink away the dizziness. He was given the same pat down treatment John received and then pushed into a chair beside his brother. The tie putting pressure on his head wound dropped to the ground as his arms were yanked roughly behind his back. He felt the dribble of blood slip down his face again with the absence of a compression.
"He needs that." John growled beside him.
"You'll have a matching one soon if you don't shut up." Was the reply.
Scott gave a reassuring look towards his brother. He was sure the bleeding had stopped.
"He needs a hospital." Henry demanded from across the room. "Just let him go and the rest of us won't cause any trouble."
Scott appreciated the sentiment, but he doubted these were the type of men who would bend to a plea for human decency. It didn't matter anyway; he wouldn't be going anywhere without John.
"I'd be tempted you know but unfortunately, as a Tracy, he just happens to be top dog around this table so I'm afraid I can't allow that."
So, this was personal.
At least he could try to keep the attention on himself.
Tbc.