Chapter 229: The old man will act again

It had been a month since Henry Wu was executed. Although this seemed like a small event, however, it had repercussions around the world. It was convenient for the Reiden to have a scapegoat to pin all the blame on; but now that Henry Wu was gone, the raiding attacks had become even more intense. The population wanted to see the multinational disappear. And with the disappearance of the company's major shareholders, the Reiden soon went bankrupt. This was bound to cause a financial meltdown. While no one seemed to care, the Reiden employed an insurmountable number of people. When it faced the inevitable bankruptcy, many would remain unemployed, resulting in an alarming rate of unemployment. It wasn't just the job market that was at risk. Although the Reiden senior executives were gone, many people had created actual capture teams. Private detectives and professional killers were unleashed. Even if the shareholders had fled in time, it was unlikely that they would survive long, and even if they did, they would no longer be able to sleep soundly. As the Reiden collapsed piece by piece, the other multinationals threw themselves like hawks on the sectors previously controlled by the company. Now that a power vacuum was being created, everyone wanted to go and occupy it. The market was in a frenzy. "If I were still young, I'd probably be on the stock market right now" John Hammond grumbled as he looked at the graphs in the newspaper. The old man had grown even darker than usual after Wu's execution. Even though the two didn't appreciate each other, Hammond still didn't want to see the dead scientist. Wu was a brilliant person and had been his most important collaborator for a long time. Hammond had come to regard him almost as a friend. Even though they hadn't spoken to each other for years, the loss of him had caused a void in the tycoon's heart. "This world is literally going crazy" Hammond muttered. "Look. The scientific community is delirious. The market is collapsing in all sectors. The multinational that seemed invincible is one step away from bankruptcy. A brilliant man goes crazy and creates a... I don't even know how to define it, something that makes animals intelligent. Animals that, among other things, seem to be the only ones who behave rationally" While the human world was in chaos, the dinosaurs didn't seem particularly nervous. Unlike humans, they were doing pretty well. Hammond kind of envied their way of life: it was so damn simple, quite the opposite of the chaotic and crazy society of human beings. "Who are you talking with?" Hammond jumped when he heard Jocelyne's voice behind him. The girl was still a guest in his mansion; although Jocelyne had often offered to move elsewhere, the old tycoon was pleased to have her in his house. She reminded him of the good old days, when Lex and Tim were young and running around his mansion screaming 'grandpa' loudly. "Nothing, nothing. I was talking to myself" he replied, realizing that he had expressed his thoughts aloud. He was really getting old. "Excuse me, you will think that I am stupid" "Don't worry. Even my father speaks to himself sometimes. I think I do it too, I just don't notice it" Jocelyne replied with a smile, then sat down in the chair next to him. "How are you? I mean... because of Henry" Hammond sighed. The child's intuition surprised him more every day. "I'd be lying if I said I'm not feeling down. Even though I know it wasn't my fault, I still feel responsible. If I had been able to hold the reins of Ingen years ago, Henry would never have gone to work for the Reiden..." "If you want my opinion, Mr. Hammond, there's no point thinking about it" Jocelyne interrupted. "I also have regrets. We all have them right now. But we can't dwell on it. Was it Henry's fault? Was it the Reiden's fault? Was it capitalism's fault? Was it the fault of the entire human race? I don't know and I don't care. What matters now is the present". She leaned towards the old man: "Until a few weeks ago my nation was on the verge of collapse, but I had the courage to go forward and look to the future. We must do the same now too. Talking and arguing about who is to blame is useless. Here we must act" Hammond became serious; with a movement of his hands he closed the newspaper and put it away. "What are you asking me to do?" "I'm asking you what you are disposed to do" Jocelyne replied. "And if the answer to this question is 'anything to save other human lives', then I ask you to save the human species" Hammond let out a sad laugh. "What do you expect me to do? Look at me. I'm just an old man who has only been separated from the grave for a few years. Save humanity? I'm seriously starting to believe Ian's theory. We aren't a species that can save itself, much less a single man can save everyone" "Ian's theory, huh? Is humanity condemned to extinction by its own hand? Well, I don't believe it!" Jocelyne's face suddenly hardened. "Are you asking me to look at you? Well, then I ask you too. Look at me, and take a good look at who I am. I am a girl born in a country where women are considered the waste of society. Since I came into the world I have been looked down upon by any person just for the fact of being female. For all of them my purpose was just to get married and procreate someday. My will and my abilities were not in the least taken into account. At twelve, I was kidnapped, beaten and almost forced to marry a man against my will, and every day I thank God that a kind dinosaur was nearby that day and stopped that bastard from raping me. I witnessed a carnage with these eyes, I lived in terror that something would come and eat me alive for I don't know how many days, and when I finally got home I suffered from psychological disorders. I still suffer from it now, despite all the treatments. Even if I don't show it, I can't help but look over my shoulder all the time and being alone outside my house terrifies me. Then at the age of fourteen I was forced by circumstances to intervene in a meeting of the most dangerous people in my country, I made myself a lot of enemies, I was forced to work as an ambassador to a herd of talking dinosaurs and I had to to squeeze my brains like never before to be able to find a solution that works for everyone. And once I finished the job I couldn't even go back to my house, because I know that someone would kill me, and every day I pass here I see nothing but violence, anger, blood and people being executed. Tell me, John Hammond, am I not the first to have the full right to believe that humanity is hopeless?" Hammond found himself unable to answer. He didn't expect such an outburst from the girl. Ever since she had hoste in his mansion, she had always behaved like a kind, loving and optimistic person. Although Hammond was aware of her story, he didn't expect that girl to carry so many scars in her soul. Suddenly he felt a little guilty: what right did he have to complain about his life? Because everything hadn't gone the way he wanted, and now he was old? However, he still had money, a comfortable life, the love of his family and he didn't have to fear for his life. What right did he have to complain to a girl who at fourteen years old had experienced one suffering after another? But Jocelyne wasn't done. "I don't want to believe it, okay? I don't believe it! I don't believe in Ian's theory! Because this world may be full of assholes, but it's also full of kindhearted people, supreme examples of loyalty, love, forgiveness, compassion, friendship... I could go on for hours and I couldn't list all the beautiful qualities of which many people can boast that when put together they make all the darkness we are subjected to every day pale. For this I refuse to give up. I keep fighting, day after day, because this is my duty! I have a duty to resist for the sake of my nation and my people, even if they have hurt me! I can't give up. If I did, then I might as well shoot myself in the head here and now, because this world would be doomed regardless of my choices. But I want to believe I can do something instead! I want to believe that humanity can still be saved! But I can't do it alone. Now I don't need the old grandfather who smiles at his grandchildren and spares no expense, I need the man who once ruled one of the most important multinationals in this world! I need John Hammond!" Jocelyne jumped to her feet as she said those last four words. Her eyes mirrored Hammond's and stared at them with unparalleled determination. The old tycoon found he was incapable of doing anything; he couldn't move a muscle, speak, or think. All he could do was look the girl in her eyes, eyes full of pride and self-confidence; the eyes of someone who would stop at nothing in her life. It took Jocelyne a few seconds to realize she had risen to her feet; when she saw it she blushed and sat down again. "Sorry" she murmured. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that. I'm a guest and..." "Don't apologize" Hammond stopped her immediately. To Jocelyne's surprise, the old man stood up, took the newspaper, tore it up, and then stepped on it. "You are right. We must not give up. Let all this darkness consume us means that we lost from the start. Do you want John Hammond? You will have it". The man sighed deeply and stared at her intently. "Fuck the global crisis, fuck the dinosaurs and also fuck Ian and his theories. Am I an old man ready to go to the grave? Well, it means I have nothing more to lose. I still have money, a company and a clear head. Tell me what you want from me and I'll do everything to make it happen" Jocelyne for a moment seemed to not believe her ears. The slow, feeble old Hammond she'd grown accustomed to had in a second transformed into an energetic and resolute man who seemed to have forgotten the ailments she always complained about. But in a way, she was not to be surprised: even though she had only seen the face of her loving grandfather, Joceyne knew how to judge people and had soon caught the true spirit of John Hammond, a spirit that was just waiting to be awakened. "I don't know how to thank you" "You don't have to. What do you have in mind?" Jocelyne got up and walked over to him. "As you know, at the moment to safeguard the survival of our species is to keep the peace with the dinosaurs, and to do that we have to stabilize our economy. I'm talking about food and energy. I have already planned something for my country, but if we want humans and dinosaurs to coexist we must make sure that all nations never need the resources of other continents again. For this I need someone who is respected, a very rich tycoon who can take control of the global market. I think that man could be you, Mr. Hammond. You understand the problem and you know how to solve it. All you lack is the right capital" "And how should I get it?" "Buying the Reiden, now that it's bankrupt" Hammond looked at her questioningly. "Buy the Reiden?" "Of course. By now its value on the market has dropped to the point that a few million will be enough to buy the entire company. Billionaires all over the world are waiting for him to go bankrupt to grab his shares at the most discounted price ever, but I tell you that instead you have to buy it now" "And why on earth should I do that? So I would take on all their debts..." "Of course. That's exactly the point: if you buy now, you get the full package" Jocelyne explained. "What matters now is not the Reiden's current stock or market value, but its properties. Very soon the world will need energy and food. And who is it that at this moment has all the infrastructures and resources necessary to produce tons of synthetic meat, or to build solar panels, wind turbines, biodegradable fuel and so on and so forth?" Hammond was confused for a second, then his eyes lit up. "Are you saying...?" "That the Reiden is a potential gold mine? Yes" Jocelyne replied without letting him finish the sentence. "At the moment the company is in disarray because all of its shareholders and executives have fled or been arrested. Administration is entrusted to rookies who have no idea how finance works. And the rest of the market is waiting for it to go bankrupt, so they can get their hands on the Reiden properties without taking on its debts as well. But if suddenly a new boss arrives, one smart enough to fully exploit the potential of the Reiden properties, well... the music would change" Hammond's mind immediately set in motion. Even though he was old by now, he was still a financial magnate, and his talent had certainly not wiped out over the years. "I could make several contracts with governments in less than a month. In a year I would earn enough to pay off all the debts of the company. The multinational's shares would skyrocket in a minimum time..." "Whoever buys the Reiden now will have a chance to become the richest man in the world" Jocelyne confirmed. "He'll just have to change the company logo and give it a new name. I would also suggest helping the police investigate to prove to the world that the Reiden has a new boss, this time an honest one. Of course, for this eventuality to occur it would be necessary for this man to be an expert in finance, skilled as very few others at juggling the market, that he did not let himself be put on his head and that he was not afraid to dare..." Jocelyne had thought about that plan for a long time and knew it would work. The only reason the other billionaires weren't buying the Raiding was because they were afraid. Even if there was the possibility of becoming the richest men on the planet, there was also the real possibility of losing everything. This made the tycoons prefer to take a step back and wait for the Raiding to simply fail. But Hammond was different; if rightly motivated, he would have never lacked the courage to act, and he had all the talent to lift the company and skyrocket his shares. Hammond had also made the same argument. "If you had offered it to me twenty years ago I would have refused. Maybe even ten years ago. I would have told you it was too risky. But as I said, now I have nothing to lose. This old body of mine won't last long, so we might as well throw ourselves and not look back" "I knew I could count on you" Jocelyne said. "If you are successful, the world will be economically safe. However, if we really want to avoid a conflict with the dinosaurs, we must also work to change people's mentality" "How?" "Very simple. When you get rich enough, shell out some money to create a movement for coexistence between humans and dinosaurs. Choose respectable and charismatic people and put them in charge, and give them the necessary funding. Make sure that the ideology of coexistence between humans and dinosaurs spreads, and that the people are convinced that it is the best choice" "A sort of peace movement, then" "Either against racism, or for the environment, or all of this put together. The important thing is that it attracts people" "I understand. Ok, I will. I'll have to get to work right away" Hammond said, walking towards the door. Before leaving the room he turned: "You know, Jocelyne, you have an extraordinary mind for your age. I don't know if I'm more admired or more scared of you" "Can't you be both? If there is one thing I have learned in life it is that it is appropriate to be admired, but it is also worthwhile to be a little feared" Jocelyne answered slyly. Hammond smiled, then he walked out the door and closed it behind him. "I wonder who she'll become in five or ten years... no, something tells me that I won't have to wait so much to see it" he thought as he went to his studio, ready to enter the business world once more.