Chapter 157 Hit Piece

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

1211 Avenue of the Americas, Sixth Avenue, Manhattan (News Corp. Building)

An aging man in his early 70s reviewing sales numbers for Fox News' many different outlets such as tv, magazines, radio, and print.

Roger Ailes had served as the CEO of Fox News for almost twenty years and was savvy enough in modern politics to eventually join Donald Trump's campaign staff.

Among all the news stories today, China's vast and momentous announcement of its involvement with SpaceX's Lunar Mission was the most impressive. The trending topic garnered millions of shares on Weibo and other social media platforms.

All things considered, it was a good day for him and Fox News, as many people consumed its regurgitated content, thereby increasing advertising value and profits.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Roger's happy grin turned sour after reading the latest text message he received on a corporate-issued mobile phone.

He quickly tidied the documents on his desk before pressing the intercom button and saying, "Lynda, notify my driver. I'll be out for an hour or two for a business lunch meeting."

-------

A middle-aged man enjoyed a glass of red wine while reading the latest issue of the Wall Street Journal in an exclusive restaurant bar.

JP Morgan Chase's CEO, Jamie Dimon, had been busy picking up the slack from his subordinates and concocted various solutions to force Vince Dalton to capitulate and extend Bitcash credit to his bank.

The executive banker even spent time and money verifying the value of the Bitcash network and found the results seductively tempting.

Future Tech kept most Bitcash-related information in highly secure data banks in satellites, but the Bitcoin blockchain ledger was public by design.

It was reasonably easy for Jamie's financial analysts to pinpoint the most active blockchain addresses, which were naturally the primary wallets utilized by Future Tech for its Bitcash operations.

Each address processed millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin in each blockchain cycle to support minting and exchanging Bitcash, proving that Future Tech was Bitcoin's biggest buyer and seller.

Jamie's staff found the maximum daily trading volume of Bitcoin was only around 5 million. It was well documented that all 21 million BTC had already been mined by the rapidly growing crypto farming industry.

Using the process of elimination, the JP Morgan Chase financial analysts believed that, most likely, the biggest player in the crypto market, Future Tech, owned the rest of the Bitcoin supply.

Most consumers didn't save and sit on Bitcoin like in Vince's previous life because Bitcash was more convenient to use, so it was a reasonably sound assumption for the financial analysts to conclude.

Jamie Dimon was now further compelled by greed to prevail against the insolent boy and claim his new-world wealth.

A few minutes later, his business acquaintance arrived and sat comfortably across the dining table.

Roger impatiently asked in a hushed tone, "What do you want now, Jamie?"

The bank executive took a sip from his wine glass and amicably replied, "It's good to see you too, Roger. How's your family doing?"

In annoyance, the Fox News CEO said, "Cut the crap, Jamie. You and I both know you don't give a shit about my family."

Jamie chuckled and replied, "You're smarter than I thought you were. I assume you've read the recent headlines."

Roger responded, "Of course, it's about China's involvement with the SpaceX Lunar Mission. What of it?"

Jamie seriously explained, "Future Tech has been too friendly with China in the past years through their partnership with Alibaba Group and the China National Petroleum Corporation. I feel like the honest citizens of our nation should be warned and wary about Vince Dalton's wavering allegiance to our way of life."

Roger gave Jamie a concerned look before asking, "You want Fox News outlets to publically label Vince Dalton as a communist?! Are you fucking crazy?! I'll have slander and libel lawsuits up my ass if I do that!"

Jamie quickly replied, "Hmph, you're telling me Fox News has never slandered anyone on national television. Let's be honest. You have no choice in this matter unless you want your dirty laundry all over New York. Do you remember an intern named Sandra Newman? Tsk, tsk tsk. I can't judge you for availing sexual favors from your unwilling staff, but she was only 16 if I recall correctly."

Roger began sweating profusely before asking, "How did you find out about that?"

Jamie honestly replied, "Come on, Roger. Don't be so surprised. You could have avoided it by paying the settlement through a Swiss or Cayman Islands bank account, but you chose to pay using your JP Morgan Chase account instead to save money. A few private investigators later, and now here we are."

Blackmail, the Wall Street classic. Roger found himself cornered by a rabid animal and had no option but to comply. A few hours later, Roger Ailes could be seen directing tomorrow's headline about Dalton's ties with Communist China.

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Thursday, September 12, 2013

It was a pleasant morning on the outskirts of the Austin Tech Campus, where Future Tech's private airstrip and hangars were located.

A Gulfstream G280 business jet was cleared by air traffic control to land before it taxied to the designated area.

High-class private security personnel assisted a middle-aged woman in her 60s and the other passengers in disembarking.

She was Marillyn Hewson, the CEO of the largest United States defense corporation by revenue, Lockheed Martin.

The entourage was naturally welcomed by an equally prominent member of Future Tech, the Chief Operating Officer, Hudson.

Hudson offered a firm handshake and sincerely said, "It's nice to meet you, Marillyn. I hope you find Austin's facilities up to par for the joint project between our corporations."

She amicably replied, "I appreciate the warm welcome, Hudson. Our agreement is worth a great deal, but I'm fine with skipping formalities. It becomes tiring when you get as old as me. I'd like to visit your headquarters and look around while waiting for the scheduled meeting later in the afternoon."

Best

Hudson said, "Of course, I'll be glad to give a quick tour before the meeting. Please have your engineers follow me to the Stingray."

The private security personnel observed the Future Security operators while loading baggage on the transport AV. They considered themselves the most capable and expensive force available from Allied Universal and equipped with the best equipment on the market.

Still, they felt like grunts compared to the FS operators clad in full-body carbon-matrix weave armor while rocking FA-68 battle rifles and employing Dragonfly drones.

It was safe to assume Future Security had quickly taken over the industry's highest class with its advanced technology and professional standards.

A few minutes after everyone boarded the Stingray, it slowly ascended vertically and began flying towards its destination.

During the short trip, Marrilyn couldn't resist asking, "Hudson, what's your opinion regarding today's news?"

The hit piece articles and segments on Fox News and all its subsidiaries calling Vince Dalton a communist had made rounds on various media platforms since morning.

Hudson honestly answered, "No one of us is amused to hear blatant lies about our CEO, but the young man seemed unconcerned. What do kids say these days? Haters gonna hate. We know what's going on, and I can't wait until we rip a smug smile off a piggish banker."

Marrilyn bluntly asked, "You mean Jamie Dimon?"

Hudson was surprised to hear her question before curiously inquiring, "How did you know?"

She openly answered, "He contacted me a few weeks ago offering to extend Lockheed Martin's outstanding debt interest if I could find a way to backtrack our deal with Future Tech. I never trusted Wall Street suits and wouldn't start anytime soon. Besides, the potential profits from a newly designed F-35 would be more than enough to cover our debt many times over."

Hudson felt nothing but respect for the shrewd middle-aged woman while conversing with her during the flight.

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The Stingray descended on the AV pad above the Future Tech Headquarters. The Lockheed Martin engineers and Marrilyn walked toward the observation deck to view Austin's busy downtown area.

Hudson manipulated his Infinity Watch to notify the staff of corporate guests touring through the building before he asked Marrilyn, "Where would you like to begin?"

She casually replied, "Wherever is the closest. I really don't mind."

Hudson nodded in affirmation before leading the group to the closest elevator and finding themselves on the second-highest floor.

The office was a mix of open-floor desks and meeting rooms where the Future Studios developers and designers dutifully operated.

The local staff kindly acknowledged the arrival of the guests as they walked by before returning to their work responsibilities.

While touring the Future Studios floor, Marrilyn noticed a reasonably even split between male and female employees before she curiously asked, "Hudson, I'm surprised to see so many women in this department."

The COO honestly answered, "Vince Dalton had always been proactive with his no-tolerance policy of harassment in the workplace. Future Tech even has a dedicated human resources team that accepts complaints and investigates the issue under Vince's purview. All of my staff understand that even if they're highly skilled and qualified, Vince has no qualms in replacing them if necessary."

As the CEO of Lockheed Martin, Marrilyn understood how difficult it could be to keep staff in line, and seeing such a harmonious workplace raised her opinion of the young man.

Stats last time checked:

Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion

14.5 million BTC (currently trades at $25,000)

$10 Billion cash in Future Tech

105,000+ employees (FT Broadcasting, FT Softworks, FT AI, Future Studios, Future Records, FT Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, FT F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education, Epic Games, 60% of SpaceX, 10% of Tesla, 10% of Koenigsegg)

20,000+ operators under Future Security

Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner, The Longhorn, Flyga

Collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E, Disney, Lockheed Martin, Alibaba)

Numerous subsidiaries under Future Tech Holdings (i.e., Instagram, Twitch, Big Hit Entertainment)