Robert Wilson and the Invasion from Within Read online

  Since the end of 2026, Robert has essentially stopped his acquisition spree, apart from buying an American 24/7 news channel, Headlines Now, in early 2028, focusing instead on fully integrating all the new businesses, boosting internal business investment, and launching his great towers project. Now, in November 2028, the projects are done, and it is time to show them to the world.

  Mark and Chris walk into Robert’s office on the seventieth floor. The space is sleek and relatively modest, with grey carpets and a glass desk with three steel-framed chairs. On one wall hang several TVs showing various news channels, and behind the desk stands a bookcase, where several photos of key moments over the past thirteen years are scattered.

  Robert turns to greet them, happy to see his friends and partners. “Morning, guys. Mark, is everything all set downstairs?”

  Mark responds, “Yes, boss. We’re ready whenever you are, but I think Chris has some finance stuff for you to go over—”

  Chris quickly chimes in, “Yeah, nothing major—it can wait until after the events this morning, but there are some questions over the material costs for the buildings.”

  With a knowing hand gesture and unable to conceal a subtle smile, Robert can’t help but ask, “Let me guess. It looks like we bought more steel and concrete than needed to build structures as tall as these?”

  Chris says, “Yep, and beyond the excess billing we’d expect from the construction industry, given their standard graft.”

  Robert nods. “Okay. Let’s talk about it this afternoon. It seems you, like just about everybody, are too focused on how tall they are and not what’s underneath them. Frankly, I’m a bit disappointed it took you this long to question the numbers. You’re getting a bit lazy, Chris!”

  All three knew of course that Chris had a sense the numbers didn’t quite add up for some time, but these towers were funded by the dividend payments Robert declined, and Chris never worried as much about that spending. As far as he’s concerned, it’s Robert’s money anyway, and if he wants to waste it or keep its purpose secret, that’s his business.

  Together, the three founders take the elevator back down to the lobby. Robert checks his appearance in the mirrored walls. He’s wearing a slightly different outfit to Mark and Chris, who wear suits with no ties. In the early days of the company, Mark suggested to Robert that he use his wardrobe to develop a personal brand, pointing out how other visionaries like Steve Jobs, with his trademark black turtleneck, could better ingrain themselves in the public consciousness this way. And so, as with every major product launch and company announcement, Robert is wearing a white t-shirt, black suit jacket with an American flag lapel pin, and dark jeans. Even though at first he’d found the whole show annoying, Robert has come to recognize the performance art necessary in his role and appreciates the wisdom of Mark’s advice, even if he has grown weary of the t-shirts. He’s now thirty-one, and his frame has filled out since leaving Killjorn. His hair a bit tamer and trimmer, and his eyes betray a man contemplating deep thoughts, even if few of those thoughts are ever revealed beyond his close inner circle.

  The lobby, as in each building, is a grand five-story atrium, mostly open to the public with the latest games and consumer products on display for test trials. And at the center stands a magnificent oak tree, basking in the natural light from the surrounding window facades.

  Robert is scheduled to begin this morning with an interview on the leading business channel. He’s prepared for a wide array of topics, from the purpose of these buildings, to last week’s Presidential Election.

  Congressman Nick Neverian has taken the political world by storm, bringing the opposition back into power. While his victory seemed likely in the closing stretch of the campaign, his forty-state romping with nearly 60 percent of the vote surprised nearly everyone. While Neverian helped Arbor Ridge secure its first government contracts over a decade ago, he had campaigned on cutting defense spending, given a world at peace, and made implicit criticisms of the company’s growing size. Arbor Ridge shares are down around 7 percent in the past week, wiping out nearly $900 billion in value. It has been an interesting time.

  With Mark and Chris in the background to cheer him on, Robert takes his seat under the hot, shining lights across from morning anchor Jim Storks, a fair interviewer Robert had spoken with countless times before. After a handshake and quick hellos, the red light flips on; they are live.

  Right on cue, Storks speaks into the camera. “Good morning from 111 Park Plaza in Jersey City—Arbor Ridge’s new global headquarters. We are lucky to have on with us today Robert Wilson. Morning, Robert. We’ve been touring around the building earlier, and I must say, it’s magnificent.”

  “Thanks, Jim. It’s a pleasure to have you and your crew here this morning as we formally open this global headquarters and eleven regional ones.”

  “Now, Robert, I know you’ve addressed the issue quite often during construction, but now that this project is complete. What does it show? Was it worth the twenty, twenty-something—”

  “Twenty billion dollars, not twenty-something. Just twenty billion,” Robert interjected.

  “Sure, Okay. Twenty billion dollars. On budget and on time, we know! But was this an investment worth making?” Storks asks.

  “Absolutely, Jim. A luxury of being such a closely held company is that we can think for the long term, a luxury most public companies lack. And we’ve shown to be good long-term planners. The mere existence of these buildings, frankly, with their stunning purple spires, will lift the Arbor Ridge brand, particularly overseas where we are still less well known. In a sense, part of the expense can be justified from a marketing perspective. More importantly, we are centralizing operations across departments to create a cross-fertilization of ideas. Most of management will work in these buildings, which we hope will become innovation centers. Lastly, from each building, employees can easily travel to key manufacturing facilities. In fact, this building has two key factories within five miles. You’ll see operating performance improve; I guarantee it.”

  In the background, Robert sees Chris cringe; he was never supposed to promise or “guarantee” better financial results, but he can never do these interviews without annoying Chris, if only for the fun of it. And as he sees it, most of his promises were later proven right. After several more business questions, the interview shifts towards politics.

  Storks asks, “So, Robert, I have to ask about last week’s Presidential Election. As has been your norm, you stayed silent on the election. Given the beating your stock has taken, was that a mistake? Are you worried about President Neverian’s impact on Arbor Ridge?”

  “Jim, everyone makes mistakes, and unfortunately for the people who sold Arbor Ridge’s stock post-election, they did just that—”

  Storks interrupts, “So you think the eight percent drop isn’t warranted, despite Neverian talking about opening up the defense bidding process to diversify contracting work at the Pentagon?”

  “Yes, I feel as optimistic about my company’s potential as I did two weeks ago. We have the greatest employees on the planet, so we’ll continue to win day in and day out. Listen, I’m not going to get into politics. That isn’t my job, and I don’t want to mix any personal views with my professional responsibilities to my shareholders and to my employees. Here’s what I will say. We got a foothold in defense contracts for two reasons. First, we had the best technology. Second, there was a competitive process, thanks to pushes from members of Congress like the President-Elect, to pick the best products, even if they came from small companies. I want today’s entrepreneurs to have a fair shot, which I think is what’s being proposed. There won’t be a diversity of suppliers for the sake of it, and I’m happy to have a competitive bidding process because frankly, we still have the best products and most innovative technology. Our work in defense shields, on the moon, and in space travel are without parallel.”

  “But is tha
t still true?” Storks asks. “Some competitors are trying to increase the use of drones and pilot-free fighter aircrafts while you still require pilots. Are you missing something?”

  “No. We think computer-operated crafts can handle logistical work and other tasks, but in combat, I firmly believe in the human element. Because computer programs will always choose the optimal choice, they actually can be predictable. The unpredictability of the human element, the occasional misstep, can actually be an asset in battle. I want our future to be in the hands of trained Americans, not a computer company, and I’m prepared to bet our combat aircraft program on that belief,” Robert says.

  “Okay. Speaking of human pilots, I’m told you have an announcement for us?”

  “Umm, yes, we do. As you know, Galactic Flyer is the most popular VR game in history with over 250 million active users, and our most recent adaption, Invasion, released in August, offered a competition. The ten best players of ages eighteen to twenty-five, who could lead their squadrons in our multiplayer universe, would get a one-year paid internship here at Arbor Ridge. I’m happy to introduce you to our winners, who come from all around the world.”

  Robert gets out of his chair, with the camera panning as he walks over to greet the ten winners—six men and four women. Within the group, there are four Americans, Mike Murphy, Anna Small, Jerome Smith, and Angela Perez; one Englishman, Adrian Murray; a Russian, Dmitry Ivanov; a Brazilian, Paulo Cruz; an Australian, Samantha Sharp; a South Korean, Kim Ji-Yoo; and a German, Karl Muller. Each is introduced on camera, with their proud, beaming families behind them.

  Returning to the interview, Storks continues, “Very cool moment, indeed. I’m sure they are very excited to begin their internship here. Finally, Robert—one last question. There’s been a lot of attention paid to your acquisition of Headlines Now earlier this year, particularly given your stated apolitical nature. Why’d you buy it if not to drive a political narrative?”

  Shrugging, Roberts replies, “Jim, don’t be silly. The news operation is run entirely separately, and we play no role in its coverage. Why’d I buy it, apart from its nice profits? Well, I was told billionaires are supposed to buy newspapers and sports teams, and so I bowed to the social convention, assuming the same was true of trillionaires, and figured why not buy a news channel? But don’t worry, Jim, you’ll still get exclusive interviews!”

  And with a quick handshake, Robert is off-camera. Tailed by Mark and Chris, Robert begins greeting all of the Arbor Ridge employees arriving for their first day in the new headquarters. Shaking hands, taking photos, and making small talk—this is among Robert’s favorite parts of his job. After nearly an hour of this, it is time to get on with the day and finally address Chris’s questions.

  Chapter 3

  Jersey City, NJ

  November 15, 2028

  Robert, Mark, and Chris walk back into his office. Before settling into his chair, Robert pours himself a glass of water, offering the same to his friends with Chris accepting. Chris takes a big gulp before settling into his seat. Clearly uncomfortable, Robert notices him shooting Mark a nervous look. Undoubtedly, they had been gaming out this conversation for days. Even though they’ve known each other for over a decade, Chris hates asking pointed questions. Robert never liked being backed into a corner, and they’ve grown accustomed to his secrecy. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to lie if they didn’t know all the real answers, and problems always seemed to find a way of working themselves out in the end for Robert, at least so far.

  Chris begins, or really, stammers, “So, Robert, these per unit numbers don’t make sense.”

  Robert interjects, “Let me interrupt, Chris. We used at least a third more concrete than was needed, twenty-five percent more steel, twenty percent more of other products, and that isn’t even accounting for some confusing figures around the cost of the spires.”

  Chris says, “Well, yes that all sounds roughly correct. The reason we are raising this is…”

  Seeing his opportunity to focus the conversation, Mark jumps in, “Listen, Robert. Neither Chris nor I care about the exact particulars. We are just making sure that project costs aren’t being spread across different projects. Neverian has made clear he plans on cracking down on defense contracts, looking to see if excess cost is being added to baselines to boost profits. Because defense still provides the base cash flow for our operating budget, we just want to be sure we aren’t exposing ourselves here to other accounting issues and contract repricing.”

  Robert gets out of his chair to look out his window where he has a spectacular view of Lower Manhattan, contemplating how he should respond.

  Chris adds, “The other thing is that Neverian’s likeliest nominees to the SEC and Department of Justice have talked about accounting scrutiny. I think this is code for digging into our massive capital expenditures and whether we need to write down the value of our assets, given it’s unclear if they are generating any new cash flow. There will be questions about ‘Project Ridley.’”

  Project Ridley had been a secret investment program under Robert’s exclusive purview. It had been up and running for five years and consumed most of Robert’s time the past two years, coinciding with the end of his acquisition spree of other companies. Over the past five years, over $750 billion had been spent on the project with spending continuing to accelerate. Aside from $20 billion on the buildings, Chris and Mark didn’t know what Ridley was about. In fact, Robert didn’t think Chris or Mark had ever even mentioned it by name to him before.

  Turning with a wry smile, Robert deadpans, “If you wanted to know what Project Ridley was, you could have just asked.”

  “Well, we’re asking now. And come January twentieth, which is the President’s Inauguration Day, we won’t be the only ones,” Mark says.

  “I know,” responds Robert, who then pulls the book Great Expectations off his bookshelf behind the desk and presses a button behind it. The bookshelf opens like a door, revealing an elevator. “Come, I think you’ll find an accounting probe is really the least of our problems.”

  The three men get into the elevator and Robert presses the button marked “Basement 12.”

  Chris says dryly, “These buildings are only supposed to have seven basement floors. I guess we know where the extra concrete went.”

  “Well, Chris, you’re not as dumb as you look,” jokes Mark, to which Robert chimes in, “It’s not as if you figured it out either, Mark.”

  Finally, the elevator doors open—they’ve reached Basement 12, more than 150 feet below ground level. They walk onto a cavernous, buzzing factory floor. Mark and Chris recognize the basic layout as similar to that of the fighter jet factories. There are four assembly lines, each with several planes in varying stages of production. The planes must look oddly familiar, though Mark and Chris wouldn’t quite be able to place them as being a known product. Their wingspan must be thirty-five to forty feet long, with what appears to be a single seat and a single engine. The planes look to be entirely black except for two gold stripes down the end of each wing.

  The factory is buzzing with robots and human labor alike, there are at least a hundred workers in navy-blue jumpsuits—how they got here is a mystery to Mark and Chris. As they continue across the factory floor, two long tunnels laid with railway track come into view. As they walk, the workers continue about their jobs, which strikes the two co-founders as surprising. Normally, Robert’s presence ground a factory floor to a halt as workers tried to talk to him. It is clear to them that his presence is routine around here.

  They’ve now reached the end of the line, standing next to a nearly completed plane. Robert turns to them and says, “So now you can see where those extra building materials went. Money well spent I think.”

  “I’m guessing we built twelve of these, didn’t we?” asks Chris.

  “Oh at least. There’s one under every new tower, perhaps a handful scattered elsewhere.�
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  “And those tunnels,” Mark points.

  “Well, how do you think we get the men and supplies down here each day? As you know, I made sure every tower we built wasn’t just near a major city but also within a few miles of existing factories. That way we can funnel the product through those factories and down here. Everyone at the factories just thinks there’s a separate project going on, there’s no need for them to know the extent of it,” Robert responds.

  “Okay, so I see the money we spent on steel and concrete went to use, but what about all the money building the planes? What are we getting for that?” Mark asks.

  “I was waiting for you to ask. Come.” With that, Robert gestures to an open elevator bay that a finished plane is being rolled onto. They hop on alongside it, and the elevator begins to lower.

  A puzzled Chris can’t help himself. “The only thing I don’t get is how you built these while building the towers and no one noticed.”

  “That’s simple, Chris,” a beaming Robert boasts. “This was all built before the towers, and we just put the towers right on top of them with only a single elevator bay connecting them, from my private office in each building. Much more discreet that way, don’t you think?”

  Mark and Chris can’t help but chuckle to themselves. Having travelled at least another thirty feet underground, Robert is pleased to see the stunned looks on their faces as they see dozens, maybe even a hundred completed planes.

  Knowing what they were about to ask, Robert jumps in, “So there are seven storage floors, each housing 108 units. We have just stocked up five floors. That’s 540 jets. Across the twelve towers, we should be nearing 6,500 with a smattering elsewhere. We’re on track to complete this stage of the program by March first, 2029, just in time, I’m hoping.”