At The Top

“What’s the problem with having a renaissance fair area?”

Kidney’s sharp tone made the employee quake. Even knowing he was far from the type to shoot the messenger, Carol found herself clutching her bags tightly as she stood in front of him delivering the news.

“Well… Lord Dash… Dansuhonva- Lord D called our department…”

“Your department? Why on God’s green Earth didn’t he come to me himself? Cowardly bastard.”

“He… found out about your idea for the next main expansion after The Project. Someone you talked to at that GPOA meeting last year must’ve mentioned it to him recently.” She spoke only as softly as she could get away with, keeping a professional tone. “He said… well, he called it plagiarism.”

Kidney cursed to himself. Stupid Park Owner’s Association.

“There are millions of renaissance parks out there. He’s got it in for me because he knows I’m the only one who could compete with his.”

“Y-yes, I’d say that’s the case sir.”

Kidney laughed.

“I should have all the world sued, by that logic. He and everyone else have copied my theme park recipes since before this planet became one in and of itself.”

“Very true, sir…”

“Tell him he should feel lucky I need him to keep this amusing world of mine alive. We won’t be putting a whole area on the shelf for some cosplaying Brit’s sake.”

“Yes, sir.”

Carol escaped, excited to go back to her managerial position where she could be the one to intimidate young workers.

Kidney sighed. Nothing changes. Nothing ever changes unless I make it happen.

The old-style rotary phone Kidney kept on his desk for more professional inquiries rang. He lifted it promptly.

“Hello?” He respected those he worked with, though not enough to keep up his corny persona around them. Or maybe he respected them more, from a certain point of view.

“Yes, Mr. Kidney sir. This is the local construction team for The Project.”

But he was so happy with this caller in particular that he nearly slipped into it anyway, unlike his poor communications division manager Carol.

“Yes! How can I help you? It’s going well, I hope?”

“Well” is one way to… uh, it’s great, sir. Honestly, I didn’t believe you when you first said we’d have the largest human construct done by 2013, but here we are. It’ll probably be done sooner than you even expected. March at the latest.”

“Spot-on! So, what’s the issue?”

“It’s… well, you know, sir. It’s the logistics team again.”

“Tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m afraid not, sir. They’re back with more complaints. And a few old ones they say they’ve started to prove.”

“They couldn’t prove a single one of those crackpot theories if they tried.”

“But they did try, sir. And after a lot of calculations, I think they’ve shown a few things.”

“Give me an example.”

“You know those cables we’re using? The ones to hold it down, the really, really freaking strong… like, unbreakable ones you added?”

“The ones I added specifically to comply with their demands?”

“Yeah, those. They do not like them anymore. They say they’ll just… I mean, in the event of an emergency, they won’t be able to break off, with how far into the moon we drilled ‘em down.”

“Yes? That’s the point, isn’t it?”

“That’s what I thought. Suddenly they say that’s a bad thing.”

Kidney groaned.

“I couldn’t keep up with those labcoat-wearing maniacs needs if I had all the time in the universe… which I do.”

“Not according to them you don’t.”

“You know what? I don’t want to hear it.”

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“Just forget it. Fire them all of you have to. What do they know? I molded their lives with my own two hands. They wouldn’t be alive without me. Good God. What do they know about creative design?”

“I’d expect not much, sir. They are scientists. But-“

“I need to destress. Tell them I’m no longer in need of their so-called “services.”

“Yes sir.”

“Thank you.”

Kidney hung up.

Is this the price I pay? He thought to himself, looking out at the same view of the park as always.

I guess it’s worth it… for all this.