1999

September 02, 2024

The server brought the bottle of tequila, left the room, and locked the door.

Douglas waited an awkward minute before addressing his friends.

“Gentlemen, please partake of the finest tequila I could acquire on such short notice. As you all take your seat, you will notice a briefcase with a folder on top. Please open the folder and begin reading one of the shortest non-disclosure agreements I could draft on such short notice. If you agree to the terms of the agreement, from this moment on, we are no longer friends, you five are my employees. Please take the time to read it in its entirety. If you do not wish to read the agreement, or sign the agreement, you will be able to depart on your own free will. However, once doing so, you will never be able to meet with or talk to the others in the room today. There will be no exceptions to this singular rule.”

All five read the agreement. Four signed. Howard, the accountant of the group, balked at the language and his friend’s new disposition. He took a shot of the agave’s finest, tried to ask a question, but read the room instead. Upon gathering his coat, he tipped his hat and knocked on the door for it to be unlocked. Friends since 8th grade and it was over in a second. The others sat astonished, but more intrigued. They watched Howard leave. Then they watched Douglas speak.

“Please pass the NDAs to me for review. Perfect. Now please open the briefcase before you. Inside of each is your first year’s salary, paid in advance.”

The other four’s reactions ranged from near heart attack to complete silence. Had it not been for their age (they were all 30 this year), the shock might have killed two of them.

“Gentlemen, before you is one million dollars cash. This is just the beginning of what you will expect as fair compensation for what I expect from you.”

Rudolph, the lawyer, had to reply. “And what do you expect from us?”

“A good question deserves a good answer.” Douglas continued, “I expect you all to make me increase your salary each year. I expect you to see my vision, follow it, and make others see what I see. Here is my vision. I am a marketer. I try to know what people want, when they want it, and how they want it. Up until now, I have used polls, focus groups, coupons, samples, and advertising. As of today, that all ends. Today begins a new day. Today, the people not only will tell me what they want to purchase, but they will pay me to learn this, and they will sacrifice their privacy and rights to do so.”

The group sat mesmerized, but continued listening.

“The Constitution does not permit agents of the government, such as police, to search a house without probable cause or a warrant. However, the government permits the police to purchase data about private individuals from private companies to learn about everyone and what they are doing everyday. My company, your employer, Envision, purchases data from manufacturers, distributors, and retailers and then repackages this data to interested parties, such as the police. For example, it is not enough for a local police department to know that citizens purchase 6 shotguns per day in their jurisdiction. The police want to know what type of shotgun, what gauge, and by whom. They want details and details are profitable. With the advent of computers, modems, cameras, and the internet, the surveillance state is upon us. I can see everyone going about their business. With the advent of radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, I can track purchases and where the purchaser goes afterward. As computers get faster, smaller, and cheaper, they will sell by the millions. Each login will be tracked. Each keystroke will be cataloged. If they use a credit card, we will know. When they make a purchase, we will know. We will tell the public, this is good for them because with this data, we can focus more of the same products toward them to make it easier for them to spend their money. Then, we will sell this information. We will lather-rinse-repeat the gather-sort-sell narrative, increasing our presence among our clients, but never our appearance among the public. Envision will always be just under the radar. Eventually, we will exploit our focus to expand into legislation to back congressmen who will support our purpose, thus expanding our purpose, or candidates who will go against the wishes of an incumbent. Either way, I see the growth of the ability to track, sort, and (eventually) steer the sheeple of this land to think of what we do as necessary, if not vital.”

Douglass wanted to let that last statement rest for dramatic effect.

“By signing on, you have taken the first step in what will eventually make everyone here a billionaire. We have among us a lawyer, a programmer, an engineer, and a copywriter. Include a touch of my marketing, and we should be good to go. Please remember your NDAs before you go home and dream of how to grow that nest egg. You will all meet at my office on Monday morning, 9am sharp, for brainstorming.”

With that, all four rise, clutching their briefcases, and exit through the newly unlocked door.

Only Douglass remained.

That is until the server re-enters.

“I couldn’t help but overhear enough. Got that 5th NDA? I want in. I am an accountant and you seem to be needing one.”

She looked confident, almost resolute in her demeanor. She was gambling.

It was paying off.

“I am moving quickly. What I need is an accountant and a wife. What is your name?”

“My name is Claire, Claire Smith.”

“Too boring. Have you any thoughts about changing it?”

“I might, if there is a briefcase and a ring involved.”

“Please sign the NDA, Claire McCallister.”

Four writers were approaching, and the wind began to howl...except replace wind with bloodletting of words, and ink into veins from these authors blessed and crazed with no other way to let it out, than to put it across a screen, and into our hearts with only pure aim.

Here's the link to the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s3J_TYQqaM

And here are the pieces featured.

https://www.theprose.com/post/828745/king-of-california https://www.theprose.com/post/828053/the-drug-in-me-is-you https://www.theprose.com/post/828235/mile-run https://www.theprose.com/post/828263/the-only-shore

And.

As always.

Thank you for being here.

-The Prose. team