here every morning when I come in. Was there anything in place of my desk?”
“No,” Adam lied, not wanting to discuss the contents of the boxes with Nate or anyone else. “Just an empty desk.”
“Ah,” his former boss said shrewdly. Adam felt Nate knew he was lying. As if providing him a chance for honesty, Nate asked, “Well, what was the memo about?”
“Ever heard of Ensyn Energy?” Adam asked. “It was something to do with a presentation. I never found out if we were giving a presentation to Ensyn or about Ensyn. I never even saw the actual memo.”
Nate shrugged and gestured to a stack of papers at the far edge of his desk. “Tell me about it. I’m pretty sure some of the memos on the bottom pre-date your tenure at Adaptech. It’s hard to keep up sometimes.”
Adam chuckled. “Even worse as a manager, as I’m sure you know,” he said with a wink. “I just had to check it out. Sorry to bother you.”
“Not a bother at all, Adam,” Nate said. “Thanks for coming by. Don’t wait so long to visit next time.”
They shook hands and Adam went to room 4C to begin his workday.
In the week after the election there were scattered riots, most of them small and spent within a period of several days, but the newly elected government had not marked the end of civilization, contrary to the most dire predictions of the loser’s supporters. Eleven months, gone in a blur, had put the Regions in more precarious positions. Cascadia Corp’s CEO started his third term and continued the aggressive expansion east that had been the hallmark of Cascadian policy for the past two decades, in sharp contrast to the Cascadian Charter goals of “Peace and Prosperity through Unity”.
The Confederacy had ousted its president, an elderly, devout man who had spent the last three five-year terms focused on religious doctrine, setting up what he believed to be the dominoes that would one day fall and lead to the return of his warrior deity. While he focused on scripture and prophecy, the citizens of Arizona voted by an almost four-to-one margin to adopt the Cascadia Charter and escape the dismal economy brought about by the President’s lack of fiscal responsibility. The remaining voters in the Confederacy had approved a rising star from the business class, a bespectacled man whose squinting eyes suggested a shrewd approach to governance. The would-be preacher-king had been replaced by a smooth-talking, smiling suit who promised prosperity through increased dealings with the Cascadia and Metra Regions. The United States had continued their economic free fall, ceding more territory to their geographic bookends on each coast, reportedly pulled under by the costs of their social programs and fiscal mismanagement. This stood in stark contrast to the prevailing attitude in the Corp Regions, where financial solvency was the primary goal, along with the acquisition of profit, the poor viewed as inconvenient baggage. The consensus in the Corp Regions was that the poor deserved their lot in life due to bad decision-making and laziness, at least according to the media. Otherwise, why would they be poor?
The newly elected CEO of Metra Corp, Tim Montery, had formerly been the head of operations for TeleVice, a media conglomerate with holdings in all Four Regions. Mister Montery was one of the people who lived squarely in the middle of the intersecting spheres of power and influence in the continent’s society. He was rumored to have an influential voice among the other media powerhouses. There were no rules demanding financial disclosures or barring conflicts of interest, and Montery hadn't freely offered any information. An outspoken advocate for corporate expansion, Montery said the fiscal irresponsibility and religious fervor of the United States and Confederacy, respectively, were impending dangers to the citizenry, dangers that could only be protected against by
“No,” Adam lied, not wanting to discuss the contents of the boxes with Nate or anyone else. “Just an empty desk.”
“Ah,” his former boss said shrewdly. Adam felt Nate knew he was lying. As if providing him a chance for honesty, Nate asked, “Well, what was the memo about?”
“Ever heard of Ensyn Energy?” Adam asked. “It was something to do with a presentation. I never found out if we were giving a presentation to Ensyn or about Ensyn. I never even saw the actual memo.”
Nate shrugged and gestured to a stack of papers at the far edge of his desk. “Tell me about it. I’m pretty sure some of the memos on the bottom pre-date your tenure at Adaptech. It’s hard to keep up sometimes.”
Adam chuckled. “Even worse as a manager, as I’m sure you know,” he said with a wink. “I just had to check it out. Sorry to bother you.”
“Not a bother at all, Adam,” Nate said. “Thanks for coming by. Don’t wait so long to visit next time.”
They shook hands and Adam went to room 4C to begin his workday.
In the week after the election there were scattered riots, most of them small and spent within a period of several days, but the newly elected government had not marked the end of civilization, contrary to the most dire predictions of the loser’s supporters. Eleven months, gone in a blur, had put the Regions in more precarious positions. Cascadia Corp’s CEO started his third term and continued the aggressive expansion east that had been the hallmark of Cascadian policy for the past two decades, in sharp contrast to the Cascadian Charter goals of “Peace and Prosperity through Unity”.
The Confederacy had ousted its president, an elderly, devout man who had spent the last three five-year terms focused on religious doctrine, setting up what he believed to be the dominoes that would one day fall and lead to the return of his warrior deity. While he focused on scripture and prophecy, the citizens of Arizona voted by an almost four-to-one margin to adopt the Cascadia Charter and escape the dismal economy brought about by the President’s lack of fiscal responsibility. The remaining voters in the Confederacy had approved a rising star from the business class, a bespectacled man whose squinting eyes suggested a shrewd approach to governance. The would-be preacher-king had been replaced by a smooth-talking, smiling suit who promised prosperity through increased dealings with the Cascadia and Metra Regions. The United States had continued their economic free fall, ceding more territory to their geographic bookends on each coast, reportedly pulled under by the costs of their social programs and fiscal mismanagement. This stood in stark contrast to the prevailing attitude in the Corp Regions, where financial solvency was the primary goal, along with the acquisition of profit, the poor viewed as inconvenient baggage. The consensus in the Corp Regions was that the poor deserved their lot in life due to bad decision-making and laziness, at least according to the media. Otherwise, why would they be poor?
The newly elected CEO of Metra Corp, Tim Montery, had formerly been the head of operations for TeleVice, a media conglomerate with holdings in all Four Regions. Mister Montery was one of the people who lived squarely in the middle of the intersecting spheres of power and influence in the continent’s society. He was rumored to have an influential voice among the other media powerhouses. There were no rules demanding financial disclosures or barring conflicts of interest, and Montery hadn't freely offered any information. An outspoken advocate for corporate expansion, Montery said the fiscal irresponsibility and religious fervor of the United States and Confederacy, respectively, were impending dangers to the citizenry, dangers that could only be protected against by
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