SW10/HCC: Superhuman World 2004: Big Business #1 of 2: Quadrangle

[Scott Eiler]

Author's Note:

This is an old story, which I've polished to better match my modern 
writing skills.  So I'll claim it for a prize in a modern contest: 
"Working Class Hero".  I've taken the parts which best match that 
contest and put them here.

Within this story there are many, many links to other stories.  Please 
don't make me reproduce those here.  The original is online at 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2004/business.htm .

This is from Wyatt Ferguson's diary.  It's what Wyatt had to do as a 
working class hero in the summer of 2004.

---

What Has Gone Before:  Hillary Rodham is U.S. President, at a time of 
increasing crisis...  Ellipsis is supporting worldwide breakups of 
national governments.  The Aleutian Islands have seceded from the U.S., 
and Southern states are plotting to do likewise after the assassination 
of the Governor of South Carolina.  To prevent Latin American 
secessionism, Argentina has invaded the Chilean half of Tierra del Fuego.

Wyatt Ferguson is running the Freedom Engineering Research Group (FERG), 
a company of adventurers who consult for governments.  So he's been 
busy.  But he's about to get a new recruit.

---

Superhuman World 2004:  Big Business

---

Part 1.  Quadrangle.

July 2004.

I suppose I should have known at the time, this story would eventually 
shake the universe to its roots.

You see, my ladyfriend is leaving my business to go work for the world's 
most powerful superhuman - the same one who sparks a lot of those crises 
the UN is worried about. And it's not that I hold a grudge, but now that 
same superhuman's wife is leaving his business to come work for me! Oh, 
shit, he probably does hold a grudge.

-   What's this about my ladyfriend leaving me?  ... My friend Judy 
hooked up with me, looking for adventure. And it's not that she's had 
too much adventure, otherwise she wouldn't be defecting to the world's 
leading privately-owned superhuman combine. She's decided she just 
prefers a more organized approach to adventure than what I offer.

-   What's this about my ladyfriend being hired by superhumans? ... Judy 
came with me to visit the headquarters of the Total Conversion 
Foundation in Greenland last month. And she got just as much quality 
time with the leadership as I did. It seems they've decided they could 
use another competent medical technician.

-   What's this about Super-Wife leaving her husband? ... Stephen and 
Julie Wolcott, co-leaders of Total Conversion, have been the world's 
most devoted superhuman couple up until now - except Stephen is the 
superhuman Ellipsis and Julie's not a superhuman at all. And she doesn't 
like Greenland; she's been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder. 
And she has some other reservations about the way her foundation is 
doing things... like her husband's worldwide power plays, one of which 
is blowing up right now down in Tierra del Fuego. So they're having a 
trial separation.

-   What's this about me hiring her? ... Well, she came to me one day 
and talked her way into a marketing job. She said she'd work entirely on 
commission for six months, and get the FERG six major new customers, and 
if she isn't worth a six-digit salary plus stock options by the end of 
it, she'll have done something wrong and she'll take the blame.

-   What kind of work can Mrs. Wolcott find us?  ... I have to admit, 
she does have connections throughout the superhuman community. None of 
us including herself are real superhumans, but that just makes her more 
qualified. Besides, she's noticed the FERG taking jobs with governments 
from statehouses to the United Nations, with aliens, and with that 
anti-secession mass march on Atlanta.... so, she figures she'll have 
something to work with.

So yes, I now employ *the* Julie Wolcott. And it's definitely a culture 
shock. Kind of like bringing Lois Lane on the payroll, fully knowing 
she's Superman's wife, and never knowing if Superman is watching.

-   I've put in some anti-telepath dampeners at the FERG's headquarters 
and residential hotel. Julie is known for her mental communion with her 
erstwhile spouse, and he might still be interested in making contact, so 
her safety from same is now my responsibility. So far, Julie hasn't 
complained, so she isn't obviously a double agent.

-   There've been some other changes at The FERG Hotel. Julie wants a 
nice sunny office, but all the best sunny rooms are taken by my friends 
from Bangalore. So she's grudgingly working out of my nice cool 
northward-facing corner office. And so am I. It's like living with my 
bossy little sister again.

-   For example, one Sunday afternoon, I said hello to my friends in the 
hallway, as they took their households down to The Hotel's pub for 
dinner. (Pub and your own bed in house! You bet that's just two of the 
FERG's benefits! And it makes us some money during tourist season!) But 
no, I had to go clean out my office, because Julie left the windows open 
and the bees got in.

So yeah, things could be strange for the next six months. (26 July, 1 
August 2004)

Twice before this, in support of Plan Joab and the Silly Days Parades, 
I've actually traveled the world as part of a Master Plan. And I think I 
might have actually changed the world. That is to say, there was a 
movement within the United States to declare the terrorist strike a 
national holiday (really!), but the Silly Days now happen that same time 
of year and are getting more publicity. That may be decreasing North 
American paranoia right there.

Then, I had mind-controlling microtechnology (no, not nanotechnology, it 
was the size of blood cells because it was blood cells) within my body. 
Now, I just have a PR specialist who nags me into it. Can I still help 
change the world again? My guess is, Julie Wolcott thinks so, or else 
she wouldn't be here.  So I'm doing a lot of travel now, even more than 
usual.

-   At Julie Wolcott's urging, I actually made it to my long-threatened 
high school reunion... with her as my consort. If nothing else, it was 
fun to see people's eyes bug out when they see I'm with the wife of 
Ellipsis. But she figured she could do some marketing there too. (15 
August 2004)

-   I got a chance to see what's become of the Nevada Power and Light 
experiment. After massive court wrangling, they've set up their solar 
grid on neutral ground in northwestern Arizona near Hoover Dam, to 
verify that their nano-scale absorbers can actually respect a boundary 
line. California and Nevada have staked out bits of the testing ground, 
as has Arizona... and what's New Mexico doing here? (15 August 2004)

... To Be Continued!

-- 
(signed) Scott Eiler  8{D> -------- http://www.eilertech.com/ ---------

When you *are* the leader... whatever goes wrong... whether you did it
or not... *you* are held responsible. - Barack Obama

I know. - Archie Andrews

- from Archie #617, March 2011, scripted by Alex Simmons.