Chapter 36

I anticipate that at least the next month will be hectic. We have already done everything we could to streamline the process of handing over control of the new companies to our CEOs, but there is still a lot to do.

Friday, January 19th, Marc, Jean-Paul and François-Henri are all due to arrive for the weekend. It means that I will miss the opening night for Tremors.

Marc is the first to arrive. At 8:30 pm I am at the airport with Paul and four bodyguards. We watch Marc’s plane land. Since he is flying from the US, the flight is treated as a domestic one, and he doesn’t go through customs. Victoria isn’t an international airport, so if customs is needed, he would have had to land in Vancouver. In any event, it is only another ten minutes for his plane to park and meet us. As I see him come through the security doors, I step forward for him to see me and say, “Hi, How was the flight?”

I hold out my hand, and he takes it while responding, “As good as any, I suppose. I wasn’t expecting you to greet me personally.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. The girls all wanted to come, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you. This here is Paul. He is our head of security.”

They shake hands and greet each other.

When they are done, I say, “Shall we, baggage is this way.”

The airport is rather small, so it is only a short walk. It takes a good fifteen minutes for the luggage to start coming down the conveyor and another ten for Marc to find his. I grab it for him and start to carry it. He looks at me funny then at the four bodyguards. I almost laugh.

“Those aren’t servants. They are bodyguards. We received word that there has been a reward offered for my capture, so Paul has upped my security. Normally he only insists I have two of them follow me around, but since we are at the airport, he wanted to be extra careful.”

“Why would anybody want to kidnap you?”

“I invented a few things that have military applications, and nobody else has a clue how they work.”

We get to the limo, and I put the luggage in the trunk as Paul and Marc get in. Two of the guards get in a leading SUV and the other two in the trailing one. Once we are safely seated in the car, we head off.

I leave the security glass between the driver and passenger compartments down so the driver can hear the conversation. He listens in until he knows where we are going.

“We didn’t get a chance to discuss where you would be staying. I have houses on Langford Lake, which is on the same property as our offices. Jean-Paul and François-Henri are coming in late and will be staying in the same house. There is another room there if you want it or you can have the house next door. It is a bit farther of a walk, but both houses are fully stocked.”

“Staying with Paul and Henri will be fine.”

“A word of warning, in my experience, the French get upset if you shorten their name unless they tell you to.”

“Thanks for the advice. If we are to work together, I don’t want to piss them off.”

“I’m sure you will do fine.”

“Here is a file of people who I recommend that you try to hire.”

He accepts the book from me and opens it to the first page.

“You will see the cover page is just a list of names and contact numbers. Each person has a brief writeup on them, including why I recommend them.”

He starts flipping through it.

“The company is yours to run as you see fit, but you would be foolish not to consider these people. The ones with asterisks by their name, you have to do your best to try and hire. I have given you instructions regarding the fields they need to work in, and some of it doesn’t make sense. All I can say is trust me. They will work out.”

They were all-stars in their field in my first life. I want to give them similar experiences to what they had in the other timeline so that they learn the same lessons.

“I don’t care if you hire somebody to oversee all their work. You need to hire these people.”

The rest of the ride is just small talk. I learnt in my first life that small talk is as important in business as the big stuff. If you make your business associate your friend, he will bend over backwards for you. Don’t, and they will jump ship eventually, regardless of how good of a situation they are in.

We get to the house, and I show him around, ending in the kitchen.

“The fridge is fully stocked. I don’t know if you know how to use a microwave, but the instructions and cooking times are right here. Just don’t stand close to it while it is on and give it 10 seconds after it is done before opening the door.”

Zlata had to remind me to leave them the instructions for the microwave. Most households don’t have them yet, and the tech isn’t perfected. Standing too close to them can still make you sterile. My parents were the first ones in the village to own one. Back then, they weren’t being marketed for the home, only commercial applications, so our microwave was a bit big and bulky. It was only in 1987 when they first started marketing them for the home, and it hasn’t completely caught on yet.

“There are delivery menus by the fridge, and you can eat at our restaurant for free.”

“This is a far cry from working in my garage. I still haven’t gotten used to the perks of working at Oracle, and this is a step up from that.”

“I’m glad you appreciate it, but you will need to get used to a lot more. You will soon be a household name.”

“I’m sure I will make do.”

“I will be taking the car to pick up Jean-Paul and François-Henri, but after that, there will be a car for the three of you to use for the duration.”

Picking up Jean-Paul and François-Henri goes about the same. The only difference is Jean-Paul is a bit more apprehensive when he discovers why I have four bodyguards with us. He asks, “I won’t need that much security, will I?”

Paul answers, “You won’t need any more security than the CEOs of Lockheed or Boeing. We only have this much because of a clear threat. Something like this isn’t likely to with you.”

“Why not,” François-Henri asks.

“You and Trent have the added problem of your wealth, but Trent is also the brains behind many military developments. Once you are up and running, I will assign you a bodyguard, but he isn’t needed by your side at all times. They will assess your security situation and inform me when they suspect a higher level of security is needed. For the most part, they are there as a precaution and not because there is a threat.”

Jean-Paul comments, “And, what happens if your boy deems I need more security, and I don’t want it?”

“Trent will be briefed, then the three of us will discuss the situation.”

François-Henri intercedes, “It isn’t that bad, Jean-Paul. Trent has it worse because he is the face of the operation and the brains. We won’t be in the spotlight as much and will not need much security.”

“The entire bodyguard thing is new to me too, Jean-Paul. I can understand your concerns, but you were always going to need them eventually. Even if you didn’t come to work for us, you are destined for great things. Besides, there will always be people out there like the Unabomber that target the technology industries.”

Until now, I had forgotten about The Unabomber. Studying psychopathic serial killers wasn’t ever a pastime of mine, but I did read Industrial Society and Its Future, his manifesto, and I agree with most of his points. The guy has an IQ of 167 and has spent most of his life in the pursuit of understanding technology and how it affects humanity, so he has a clue about the subject.