need a corporation to go after."
"We steal from big companies all the time," said Eddie. "What's new there?"
"I'm not talking about stealing from companies. I'm talking about destroying them. Shaking them to their foundations until they crumble, and yes, making a bunch of money for ourselves in the process. If money's your goal, Eddie, then trust me; you'll make more working with us on this than you'll ever see on your own.
Just like I'll make more working with you than I'd ever see on our own. Pooling our resources and focusing our energies through the shadow corporation lets us overcome challenges that are otherwise insurmountable for each individual crew."
"I've heard of Crews going this way," Eddie scoffed, settling back into his chair. "Trying to run a gang like a business, with board meetings and reports and rules of order and all that shit. It doesn't help. It just confuses people and they end up making dumb mistakes."
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not talking about forming a real business with any of you. Not at all. My Crew doesn't run like some goddamned corporation and it never will. To hell with corporate structure. All I want is corporate power for my own damn self. For all of us. And I've got just the candidate in mind for our first victim."
"It's a holding company based in the Caymans but run out of Miami that you've never heard of. Nor do they want you to ever hear about them. They're not publicly traded. They don't advertise. They do control hundreds of other, equally unknown corporations and front companies, and they're in the business of making lots and lots of money by one of the oldest, nastiest methods on the planet. They're in the slavery business."
"You're kidding," said Eddie. "There's no slavery anymore."
"What world are you living in, fella?" Winston chimed in. "It never went away."
Chapter 09
56
"No, it never did," agreed Amelia. "It might go by different names - forced labor, indentured servitude, sweatshops. But it's still very much a problem."
"I'm not sure how it's my problem though," said Eddie.
"It's only your problem if you want it to be, but I would suggest you stop thinking of it in such simple terms.
We're talking about not a problem but an opportunity. A chance to both do some good and make some serious money."
"Ok, I'll try to look at it your way," said Eddie. "Assuming the money really is what you're saying it will be.
What's the plan then?"
"We're not going into any specifics on the plan. We're not going to tell you the name of the company, none of that until we all agree to work together and form the shadow corporation. What I can do is give you a broad overview. This holding company, let's call them Company X, makes most of its money importing people from Southeast Asia and Africa to work in sweatshops here in the states. They charge the workers a huge fee to come over and then pay them so little for their work that it's impossible for them to ever pay Company X
back. The real money of course comes from the employers, who pay money to Company X to provide the so-called "workers," or, to call them by their true names, slaves."
"There's always stuff like this on the news," said Eddie. "What makes these guys so special? And you know, what I never understood is why the people don't get up and leave if the work's so shitty."
"They don't leave because they're locked in and under guard at all times. They're very literally slaves - fed just enough to keep them pro ductive, stored in overcrowded barracks when they sleep, and beaten or killed if they try to leave. Women are typically subjected to rape by the guards or forced into prostitution, and forced to have abortions if they get pregnant.
"As for what makes Company X so nasty, well, there are a couple of factors. First of all, they're very, very good at it. They run slaves into places like Guam, the Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico and other U.S.
protectorates so that companies can use the labor and still put "made in
"We steal from big companies all the time," said Eddie. "What's new there?"
"I'm not talking about stealing from companies. I'm talking about destroying them. Shaking them to their foundations until they crumble, and yes, making a bunch of money for ourselves in the process. If money's your goal, Eddie, then trust me; you'll make more working with us on this than you'll ever see on your own.
Just like I'll make more working with you than I'd ever see on our own. Pooling our resources and focusing our energies through the shadow corporation lets us overcome challenges that are otherwise insurmountable for each individual crew."
"I've heard of Crews going this way," Eddie scoffed, settling back into his chair. "Trying to run a gang like a business, with board meetings and reports and rules of order and all that shit. It doesn't help. It just confuses people and they end up making dumb mistakes."
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not talking about forming a real business with any of you. Not at all. My Crew doesn't run like some goddamned corporation and it never will. To hell with corporate structure. All I want is corporate power for my own damn self. For all of us. And I've got just the candidate in mind for our first victim."
"It's a holding company based in the Caymans but run out of Miami that you've never heard of. Nor do they want you to ever hear about them. They're not publicly traded. They don't advertise. They do control hundreds of other, equally unknown corporations and front companies, and they're in the business of making lots and lots of money by one of the oldest, nastiest methods on the planet. They're in the slavery business."
"You're kidding," said Eddie. "There's no slavery anymore."
"What world are you living in, fella?" Winston chimed in. "It never went away."
Chapter 09
56
"No, it never did," agreed Amelia. "It might go by different names - forced labor, indentured servitude, sweatshops. But it's still very much a problem."
"I'm not sure how it's my problem though," said Eddie.
"It's only your problem if you want it to be, but I would suggest you stop thinking of it in such simple terms.
We're talking about not a problem but an opportunity. A chance to both do some good and make some serious money."
"Ok, I'll try to look at it your way," said Eddie. "Assuming the money really is what you're saying it will be.
What's the plan then?"
"We're not going into any specifics on the plan. We're not going to tell you the name of the company, none of that until we all agree to work together and form the shadow corporation. What I can do is give you a broad overview. This holding company, let's call them Company X, makes most of its money importing people from Southeast Asia and Africa to work in sweatshops here in the states. They charge the workers a huge fee to come over and then pay them so little for their work that it's impossible for them to ever pay Company X
back. The real money of course comes from the employers, who pay money to Company X to provide the so-called "workers," or, to call them by their true names, slaves."
"There's always stuff like this on the news," said Eddie. "What makes these guys so special? And you know, what I never understood is why the people don't get up and leave if the work's so shitty."
"They don't leave because they're locked in and under guard at all times. They're very literally slaves - fed just enough to keep them pro ductive, stored in overcrowded barracks when they sleep, and beaten or killed if they try to leave. Women are typically subjected to rape by the guards or forced into prostitution, and forced to have abortions if they get pregnant.
"As for what makes Company X so nasty, well, there are a couple of factors. First of all, they're very, very good at it. They run slaves into places like Guam, the Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico and other U.S.
protectorates so that companies can use the labor and still put "made in
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