Trish Tilby felt EXTREMELY out of her depth right now.
Hours ago, her bosses over at CBNC had her drop everything.
Absolutely EVERYTHING!
Then she was suddenly on a private flight to an undisclosed location and scanned, tested, guided through security checkpoints and given a list of warnings and…
Now she was here, in a bedroom with some of the most advanced medical equipment she'd ever seen.
Interviewing one of the most reclusive, wealthy, and controversial old men who ever lived.
Jeremiah Wickles, sole owner and founder of infamous Wickles Industries.
She was here with no cameraman, although the recording equipment here was FAR beyond what she would have access to anyway. No support staff, although the small army of beyond beautiful women somehow managed to handle all her needs with astonishingly high competency and speed.
All recording and actively streaming this old business tycoon's first, and potentially ONLY recorded interview.
To say that she felt slightly overwhelmed was putting it mildly… But more than that, her professional pride at being chosen for this was close to bursting.
She gave the best smile she could towards the theoretical audience. "Good afternoon! I'm Trish Tilby of CBNC news, here live for a very special interview with one of the more respected titans of industry, THE Jeremiah Wickles! As many of you already know, he rarely if ever makes public statements or appearances, so the one man who foundationally altered the world of business as we all know it for decades has always been shrouded with mystery."
Without glancing, she kept awareness of both Mr. Wickles himself and the oppressively competent woman, Lady Clearwater, who had become the face of Wickles Industries over the years… Good, neither seem to have an issue with how she was handling this.
Turning to the older man, her smile didn't fade a bit. "Thank you for seeking us out for this chance, sir. Especially considering the recent rumors about your health… I see your arm is injured?"
And the surprisingly affable man gave a nod. "Happened during my actual medical event, yes. As for this little get together… I considered contacting several agencies, even a few that I supported financially in the past... But decided to work with a your organization as it is publicly acknowledged for their unbiased and fair reporting. Especially considering how unusual this particular interview will likely become."
Oh really? The way he phrased that… "Is this to be more of an announcement situation then?"
The old man hummed. "I… I suppose it is." He nodded. "Then instead of focusing too much on my massive and honestly repetitive list of past activities or blabbering on about potential legal cases, perhaps I shall make a more impactful statement. The interview can cover the scope of all this, how it will affect my company's practices going forward, and the general reasoning behind it all."
She kept her shock from showing.
Just having a chance to 'ooh and aah' over him reminiscing over his own life would have been enough to rocket her career beyond the stars, but some sort of 'impactful statement'!?
This could be world rocking!
The worn grandfather-like figure stared directly into the camera… And sighed. "As of this morning, a number of corporate policies and procedures have been enacted within ALL of those organizations and businesses under Wickles Industries. Over the next few months, all our various subsidiary companies will similarly fall into line or alterations will be made. And in the future, these policies or those with a similar nature will be mandatory for other organizations that wish to partner or operate with our corporate family."
Her mind went blank.
…This was a global company. Some even whispered rumors that Wickles Industries had contingencies in place to go BEYOND global should it ever become possible.
This one moment could literally redefine the laws and policies for entire NATIONS, as the largest employer of said locations had just decided to set a hard line while also being WAY 'too big to fail'.
Wickles Industries dominated MANY markets… An 'impactful statement' indeed!
She felt a pad of paper and pen be handed to her and she started writing down questions immediately without hesitation even as she forced herself to stay calm. "That certainly sounds VERY impactful', sir!"
And the god of finances snorted. Actually snorted! "Ms. Tilby, I've found that when you reach my age and have achieved what I have, almost everything I do can be considered impactful."
…Well, he wasn't wrong. "Well, I must admit that I am VERY curious about what said policies would be…"
He waved it off. "Oh they are extensive and likely need to be adjusted, these sorts of things always will be, but I'd like to focus on the main three that are likely to be most controversial if we could. The full list has been provided to your news organization as of… Now. And you, of course, will receive a personal copy for when you part from here. The public in general will have to wait until a couple of hours after the end of this interview, when our public servers will be updated with the published material."
Whatever CBNC had paid for this opportunity, they hadn't paid enough. "That is very much appreciated, and I admit I am beyond interested by this point… What are the three 'controversial policies' then?"
Mr. Wickles adjusted his one cast covered arm and hummed. "I'm sure all three will infuriate a large number of people, but I find that some people will object to any change, no matter how large or small, how innocent or nefarious… So I may as well go big!"
He held up a finger. "From what I assume will be from least controversial to most: Reasonable Work Shifts; More Accountability; No Discrimination."
The old man sighed. "I've benefited for years from the way the market is set up… Designed from the ground up to 'subtly encourage' people to work harder and longer for no recompense with the hope of potentially benefiting from it later on through promotion or kickbacks."
He gestured at the woman to one side, who silently stood proud. "I've discussed this with Charlotte, and from now on the work hours per position will be defined, paychecks adjusted to properly COMPENSATE such work and assure it to be something that our people can live on, and issues like routine overtime or excess work roles will become an issue of the past. Hopefully."
Trish blinked at that… "But what if that isn't enough to get such jobs done?"
He snorted. "Then the job isn't being managed properly! You need more people? Hire them! You need more equipment? Get it done! The process is too inefficient or complicated? Report it so we can get it fixed! Exploiting my employees to artificially boost profits or show better numbers is a sign of managerial incompetence, not 'good business sense'. Found a bast…" "Language sir." "...Oops."
The quick wince and awkward cough was kind of adorable in an odd way. "Anyway, I found a… Person of low moral standing, shall we say, who decided that firing people at the last minute would be the best way to get promoted. After all, if he got the new job in a different division then the impact of basically DESTROYING his prior responsibilities would fall on some other poor schmuck, right?"
Mr. Wickles grumbled. "Idiot. Heck, if anything we're likely going to SAVE money by finding out which teams are actually working at a loss if we can get all this paperwork and number 'nudging' tossed out! Oh, and if we DO get rid of some service or product line or whatnot, we won't be scrapping the people working there either! I've got PLENTY of things that need doing, and I've already invested in these people, I won't let them go so some other company can snap them up for a quick profit. My people are the best and everyone knows it by now,.. Where was I? Charlotte?"
The professional woman didn't miss a beat. "The second policy, accountability."
He snapped his fingers! "Right, see how that ties into the first bit? I've found a number of people who think they are clever by 'following the rules' in creative ways to deny opportunities or push numbers or what not. I'd rather have a dozen people who were honest and giving it a good ole try than the smartest smuggest jerk who tries to use his abilities to shove everyone below him off the promotional ladder. But putting that into policy is HARD, which is why we are aiming for the third and MOST controversial policy, sad as that may be."
She felt her pulse racing. "That would be 'No Discrimination'? I must admit, it almost sounds as if…" No, don't just assume here. "Could you perhaps go into detail on that one?"
He hummed. "I'd like to make a brief side step first, if we could? Skip ahead a little into the 'Why' first, so you'll have context about all this."
She nodded, trying to subtly add the three additional questions to the papers in her hands.
The man gestured at the medical equipment and his arm. "You mentioned health rumors and I talked a bit about me having a medical event, but do you know what caused it all? What sent me into a heart attack out of pure rage, what had me on the operating table for nearly eighteen hours?"
Her eyes went WIDE at that sort of operating time…
He hummed. "I saw two young women on the television, who had just saved some poor people out of a burning building. They were tired, they were weary, and they were just trying to save someone from literally burning alive."
…Alright? What… Where was he going with…
"Those girls were mutants, and my heart gave out in rage that they were being treated as heroes."
Her pen froze mid word, and the room stilled.
The old man chuckled. "Crazy, right? Two people I've never met, out doing something objectively good, in a place I may never actually visit, was enough for me to biologically fall apart. Oh, at the time I had all sorts of 'good reasons' to feel that rage… Mutants were hurting our society, they were diseases on our people, the cause of all problems, and so on and so forth…"
She cleared her throat. "It does… Seems to be a bit of an extreme reaction?"
He sighed. "Back then, to me? Not extreme enough. Back then, any mention of certain groups or people, of mutants or ALL SORTS of 'lessers' and those not American enough… It was like my mind melted with anger! Undirected, illogical anger… Pure rage of the most uncontrollable sort. Could be due to my advanced age causing my mind to slip, or just the people and messages I had been slowly exposed to over the years…"
One hand tapped towards Ms. Clearwater. "I'm sure the only reason my growing personal issues didn't cause any harm to my empire is due to the calm and wise leadership of my successor, Charlotte. She stood by me when my mind began to unravel, when my logic began to fray, and kept me from making MANY mistakes I would have regretted were I in a more sane state."
Trish spoke softly. "And this changed?"
He nodded. "I was in surgery for over eighteen hours. My chest cut open and emergency actions were being taken constantly by a talented team of doctors and specialists with the highest quality care possible in this world. Do you know what happened to me there?"
She shook her head.
"I died."
…What? "I'm sorry?"
A gesture had a document passed to her. "While I was being operated on, I passed away. Not just once either, I died and was resuscitated seven times."
A glance over the paperwork showed a full listing of all the medical issues this man had managed to somehow overcome, a series of failures, and… Hold on.
She went back over it and counted it. And again. "This says you were 'brought back' six times."
The old man had the nerves to chuckle! "After the sixth time I was saved, I died once again… And they couldn't save me anymore. In fact, they were in the midst of calling out my time of death officially."
Wait. "Then how…"
He snorted. "I basically gave Death the slip and logic the middle finger and came back to life ANYWAY! Managed to STAY alive long enough for the doctors to keep me here too, though no one has a clue how I did it. No mutants involved, no miracles of heaven or hell, from what we can tell I just was too ornery to pass away."
That… That seemed impossible. "That's incredible!"
Jeremiah sighed. "It was also the start of my road towards medical recovery… And a long overdue chance to think about my past choices. People say their 'life flashed before their lives' from a near death experience? Try dying seven times! I got a full on doctoral THESIS statement covering my life screw ups!"
His focus bore down on her. "You know what I USED to believe? Back before people told me that mutants were evil, back before some claimed that what party you followed or which group you paid money to defined your worth?"
She shook her head.
He hummed. "I used to believe in profit. Not in a religious sense, but more of making money, of gaining more than I lost… THAT was what I believed in! That was my faith, that was my credo, that was my life's pursuit."
Jeremiah Wickles began to almost glow with passion! "And the reason I managed to FIND that profit was because back in my days, in my PRIME, I found that TRUE profit was not simple short term cash grabs, but mid and long term! I found that honesty was a virtue, a PROFITABLE one, that kindness was cheap and highly rewarding to my bank statements, that you could be a shark at the negotiation table without needing to kill the chickens actually laying the eggs."
He glared at something unseen. "Wasting time on hating people for who they are, their age, their orientation, skin color, or anything else including genetics or political beliefs? That takes energy. Resources. Commitment."
A god of finance towered over the world. "That. Was. Not. Profitable!"
And suddenly he was an old man once more, wired up to medical devices with a broken arm. "I survived death this time, but I won't do so forever. I wouldn't want to if I could, I have many good people I hope to see someday waiting for me, if only to allow them to spit at me for what an ass I've been…"
Jeremiah gestured towards Charlotte. "But if nothing else, I want my policies to help people like her, the future of my company, to not fall into the same unprofitable hatred and rage that I had almost died from. To keep my legacy from contributing towards some of the rot that has been festering such feelings within the workplace."
An unexpected chuckle from him caught her off guard. "And, if nothing else? I'll be able to take the blame and the backlash that will likely come from this. Trust me, I'm used to taking hatred, it's practically how I stay warm in the winter! Heh."
He stared into the camera. "Wickles Industries will no longer tolerate discrimination. Our businesses will sell to anyone with the funds to afford them, we will hire people if they have the ability to work our jobs, we won't persecute existing workers for any such issues, and we will not support other organizations or open new facilities in any location who actively attempts to do otherwise."
…Holy shit this was going to cause chaos. "I… I can see why that would be considered controversial. I certainly know a number of politicians running for office right now with anti-mutant platforms who may have an objection or two at least…"
Jeremiah Wickles blinked. "Really? Charlotte, are there ass…" Cough. "Are there people publicly RUNNING on hate like that for office right now? I thought they were still using euphemisms like 'potential threats' and such? They just flat out state that they hate mutants and want to stop them and such?"
The woman nodded.
The old man seemed stunned. "Oh. I… I suppose I should have expected that sort of thing… How disappointing."
Trish looked at the old man trying to change his life's direction with a certain amount of sympathy… After all, she herself had a front row seat to how dark the world had been growing recently, even as she tried to report the issues to a somewhat distracted public and…
He shrugged. "Well, I guess there will always be assholes running for office. Charlotte, start running some campaigns to get those people knocked off the air. The amount of completely legal and almost unregulated shit I'm allowed to do politically is mind blowing, let's use some of the same tools those bastards are using to collect bribes or try to cheat at the polls and give them a taste of their own medicine."
Wait, WHAT!?
Charlotte hummed. "Will this be an official operation by Wickles Industry sir?"
Mr. Wickles waved it off. "Nah! It's just a few assholes pumping out fear to win an election, I've got enough petty cash to show off all the illegal and immoral shit they do on a constant basis. No need to actually get anyone else involved. In fact, don't bother exposing all the extramarital affairs and 'hidden' alternate families and all that, let's keep it clean here. Just the corruption and lies and law breaking should be enough!"
Trish Tilby once more felt EXTREMELY out of her depth right now! "...Mr. Wickles?"
The man blinked. "Oh! Right, we're still doing the interview… Well, I've said my bit, did you have any questions for me?"
She had SO MANY questions!
