Big Data: A Startup Thriller Novel

Chapter 63

         

Doug was thinking over his situation with glee. He had been made CEO of the world's most powerful company. And he had killed or incapacitated everyone who had gotten him here and everyone who had gotten in his way. Taye, Heath, and Thor dead. Luna killed, though unfortunately not by Gaia's machinations. But dead was dead. Phillip and Alex would follow soon. He considered accelerating those two as well, but he was too curious to see how Gaia's Wrath would accomplish the task. He'd even taken the precaution of entering into Gaia the names of every programmer who had worked on the project.

The Massinos were not happy about Thor's death, and they weren't writing it off as an unfortunate accident, as the press had. But nobody suspected Doug. After all, why would they?

Doug stared at his employment agreement. The Ancien lawyers had initially drafted these same documents for Thor, so when he died, his unvested shares reverted back to the company. The lawyers just changed a few details here and there. Ten percent equity. Add that to the 5 percent Doug had purchased outright with what was left of his fortune after the System Inc. disaster and his total ownership position was 15 percent of the whole company. Twice as much as what he had expected to walk away with. The meek most certainly did inherit the earth.

But his last move had not been meek, had it? He was CEO now. That was bold. He couldn't hide in the shadows anymore. He was exposed. And while it felt great to grab this company by the balls, he had learned his lesson already. He couldn't hold on and squeeze it and twist it, no matter how gratifying that might be. He had to move forward with his plan. He had to get out of the spotlight as soon as possible. If he moved quickly, he could have his cake and eat it too. If he was too slow, everything he'd worked for could fall apart. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

He signed his employment agreement, and then picked up the phone.

"Ni hao," he said.

"Ni hao, Mr. Kensington."

"Everything is now ready."

"We've been watching the news. Things don't look ready."

"Thor's dead. That doesn't change our plan. I'm the CEO now. You will be dealing directly with me."

"Will that not prove to be a conflict of interest?"

Doug took a deep breath. These people were so cautious it made him sick.

"On the contrary. There are now fewer stakeholders, and the IPO is in more jeopardy than ever. I would say that fate has dealt the cards perfectly for our arrangement."

"I will speak with His Excellency, and we will get back to you if he still wishes to proceed."

Doug swore that if the wind blew two degrees off normal, these people would panic. Sometimes he even questioned if this was the right move to make. If his plan still even made sense. Such fickle people. So oligarchical. Handing them the world's most powerful weapon fully loaded had its risks. But the United States had it coming. One way or another, this outcome was inevitable. Rome was burning, even if they didn't know it yet. There was no sense forgoing a little profit.

"Tell him we've figured out how to target individuals."

There was a long pause.

"And it works?"

"Yes."

"We need proof."

Doug thought for a moment. If he lied now, it would come back to haunt him later. They were bound to find out, regardless.

"Thor's death is the proof."

Another long pause.

"And the police don't know this?"

"No."

"You surprise us, Mr. Kensington."

"Good surprise or bad?"

"Both."

These bastards ought to be begging for the chance to pay him double. Doug knew exactly why they wanted Gaia's Wrath. The names they were so desperate to put into his little death trap. Hell, he'd happily type in those names himself. Knock out that final domino. He was tempted. Very tempted. But why do it himself when there was someone so eager to pay him through the nose for the opportunity? Same end, bigger payout.

He only had to be careful that they wouldn't double-cross him. Doug wasn't planning on letting the Chinese do to him what he had done to Thor.

"I've got another buyer lined up, if you've changed your mind."

The man on the telephone laughed slowly.

"You Americans. Always with your power games. You can't make a river flow upstream with words alone, you know. I will speak with His Excellency and get back to you shortly."

The line went dead and Doug put down the phone. The man was wrong. Look at all he had accomplished over the last few years with only his words. With just his words, Doug could make any river swim upstream. Anything Doug could imagine, he could make happen. He knew that now. He knew the secret, too. Let go of ego, and the world was his to command. It was a big ball of Play Doh. History's greatest men had been sabotaged by their egos. Khan. Caesar. Napoleon. Hitler. Now Doug Kensington would join their ranks—except he would succeed where they had all failed. Conquer territories they could never have imagined.

The only thing he had to sacrifice in order to accomplish this was history's recognition. No one would ever know what he did. In the history books, the Chinese would get all the credit for his great work. Only Doug would know the truth. And he accepted that. He reveled in it. The power of the secret was intoxicating. He was unstoppable, precisely because nobody knew to try to stop him. The meek shall inherit the earth.