I know, I know, it’s actually Week 15. And I do have a throwback story for this week. But this was finished for last week, so I’m back-dating it — my blog, my rules 😉
Anyway, this is a character study I did to try to introduce myself to my big Baddy for the don’t-call-it-a-novel I’m writing. You might remember Mitch from back in October during the 31 Ghosts – he was the one killed by the Google Bus in “One Dead in SOMA“. You’ll be happy to learn he’s been a good Nerd Herder in the meantime.
One last thing, I actually recorded a podcast of this story as a proof of concept and hopefully I’ll get that online tomorrow — fingers crossed! Okay, on with the show…
Mitch emerged from the “Staff Only” back area of the Buy More onto the showroom. An hour past closing, the store was deserted except for staff re-stocking and straightening up, and most of them had already left. Crossing in front of the bank of flat screen TVs all tuned to the same station, he stopped suddenly when all twenty televisions filled with a face he knew as well as his own.
Dave Wisniewski.
Mitch stopped, stepped closer to the televisions and sat down heavily in one of the pleather recliners set up for customers.
“Guy’s worth like a billion dollars,” said the kid in the blue and yellow Buy More shirt plopping down next to Mitch. – *
“More like two billion,” Mitch said.
The kid whistled in awe. “David Wise… brilliant guy…”-
“Who?” Mitch turned to the kid.
“What do you mean, ‘who?’ David Wise — right there on the TV.”
Mitch suddenly remembered. “Oh, right, Kyle… I knew him as Dave Wisniewski. We called him ‘Newsy.’” Mitch smiled at the memory.
“What? You know him?”
“Knew him. A long time ago. We were business partners. Started Argon International together. You’re right — he’s brilliant. But he couldn’t sell shit. He built our first machine by himself. I mean, I did help code a little, but he was the brains — I’m not afraid to admit that anymore. He was the brains behind all of our models — the Aegean, the Caspian, the Baltic… He had absolutely no business sense…” He glanced over and saw Kyle staring with rapt attention. “Naming the machines after seas was my idea, but the guts of the things? All Newsy. But we had a falling out — it’s inevitable when you’re making that kind of money, you know? He cashed out. I stayed on another five years until IBM bought us out, then it was my turn to cash out. I took my money and went the VC route, while Newsy… he said he went to find himself. Changed his name — David Wise, like you said — lost a good 50, 60 pounds, lost the nerd glasses… Started his new company, PrestiDigital…” Mitch drifted off in thought.
“That’s amazing,” Kyle said.
“Yeah, it’s quite a story…”
“I mean, the way you could recite the story of Mitch Desner and David Wise just off the cufff like that. Really well done. Did you practice that, Mike?”
Reality crashed into Mitch like, well, like a Google bus in SOMA. He wasn’t Mitch Desner anymore. He was dead. He worked as a Nerd Herder – the fix-it arm of the Buy More. And people kept calling him “Mike.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Not bad, right?”
“No, not at all. You sounded pretty convincing there. I like the part with the seas – I mean, that’s a kind of detail that no one gives a crap about but it totally sells it.”
Mitch shook his head. “What’s up here with Wise?”
“60 Minutes interview looks like.” He pulled a remote out of the front of his apron and turned the volume up.
“Do you always carry a remote with you?” Mitch asked.
“Shh…” Kyle pointed to the screen.
“…of course we’re concerned about child labor, Scott,” Wise said, a genial smile crossing his neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard and mustache. “PrestiDigital is deeply committed to making sure our work force – both internationally and domestically – is properly compensated and well taken care of. It’s the least we can do as good global citizens, right?”
“Ha!” Mitch scoffed.
“Problem, Mike?”
“Newsy doesn’t give a shit about his employees. In fact, I told him he’d better get his Shenzhen manufacturer in line before regulators came down on him. I mean, you know, everyone uses underage labor – just be discrete about it. He told me to fuck off! Now look! They’re gonna rake him over the coals.”
“Still roleplaying, Mike? Gotta appreciate that commitment to character, for sure…”
On the television Wise laughed at a throw-away question. Mitch was impressed – even though this was a fairly softball interview, Wise was coming across as friendly and inviting. That last time he had talked to Wise the man was practically a stranger compared to the man he worked with…
“Nice place,” Mitch said, looking around the spacious office. “I thought Facebook had this section of the tower. How’d you get this floor, Newsy?”
“My real estate agent can be… persuasive. And, Jesus Christ, don’t call me Newsy. We’re not twenty-fucking years old anymore. We haven’t even worked together for fifteen years…” naked annoyance creeping into his voice. “What the fuck do you want, Mitch?”
“Whoa, Newsy, err, Dave… I heard your new company got this floor and I was in the building meeting with Benioff already. I decided to stop by. You know, let bygones be bygones, bury the hatchet, one businessman to another…”
“Fuck off, Mitch,” Wise stood up from his desk and stared out through the panoramic window overlooking the bay.
“I guess I deserve that… What have you been up to, Dave? You cashed out and just… disappeared.”
Wise crossed to a small bar, poured several fingers of Scotch into a rocks glass and swallowed hard. “Like you fucking cared…” he said quietly.
“Yeah, I was busy running the company you walked away from.”
“This again?” Wise bit the words off.
“Again?”
“Aways you!” he bellowed, his voice echoing off the dark wood-lined walls. “It’s always about you! Always!”
The explosive outburst genuinely surprised Mitch who held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Dave…”
“It’s David, you son of a bitch,” Wise slammed the glass down hard enough on the table to make amber liquid slosh out. “David Fucking Wise. Not ‘Newsy’. Not ‘Dave’. David Wise!”
“David. Fine! David Wise, okay!”
“It’s not okay! I’m not your goddamn lap dog anymore, Mitch. I built this company! My company!”
“I know, I know!” Mitch started. “And it’s impressive as hell, David. My VC company was interested in funding your next round—”
Mitch’s explanation was cut off by Wise bolting across the room more quickly than Mitch thought humanly possible – certainly faster than he’d ever known the big man to move. In a heartbeat, Wise had grabbed Mitch by the front of his jacket and slammed him against the opposite wall with a strength and ferocity that chilled Mitch.
His face inches from Mitch’s, Wise started, “You stay the fuck away from my company. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah, yes, sure,” Mitch muttered.
“You want to know where I was, Mitch? After my wife left me? You remember that, right?”
“No, I didn’t—”
“Yeah, you didn’t know, you asshole. You didn’t care. Yeah, she left me. Took the kid. Haven’t seen them since. I was in a pretty dark place, Mitch. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Mitch? I was going to kill myself,” he moved his face even closer to Mitch’s, his voice a cutting whisper while his grip held Mitch like iron. “I had the gun to my head, Mitch. Then I saw you. You. On CNN. Sold the company. Smiling. You made a fortune. I realized then I couldn’t kill myself. No, I wanted to build something myself. I wanted to beat you, Mitch.”
Mitch felt fear now, as his former friend appeared completely unhinged. “And, look, you totally have…”
“Shut up, Mitch.”
Mitch complied.
“I left my house in the Marina and just started walking. I didn’t know where I was going. Didn’t care. But you know what I found? Know what I stumbled into Mitch?”
“Bar Crenn on Fillmore? They’ve got an incredible wine selection—”
Wise slammed Mitch against the wall again, cutting him off. “Shut up, Mitch. No, I found magic.”
“Magic?” Mitch asked, now terrified that Wise was unhinged and crazy.
“Magic.” Wise said, his eyes practically glittering. He released Mitch and stepped back. “Magic, Mitch. That’s what this is about,” he spread his hands wide. “That’s what made all of this possible… Prestidigitation!”
“Magic, ah,” Mitch nodded trying to straighten his jacket, “Makes sense now – Prestidigitation, PrestiDigital. Cute.”
“More than cute, Mitch. Unstoppable!”
Mitch had recovered himself enough to know he had to get out of there. “Whatever, psycho,” he said with as much bravado he could muster and started walking deliberately towards the closed door leading out of the office. Behind him, he could hear Wise laughing a high giggle.
“Oh, ye of little faith!” Wise called after him.
Mitch held up his middle finger without looking back.
“Mitch,” Wise said just as Mitch put his hand on the door handle.
“What?”
“We will meet again,” Wise said coldly. “And next time… I will kill you.”
“Whatever, Voldemort,” Mitch said as he hurriedly exited, closing the door behind him, relieved to have the door between him and Wise. He took in a sharp breath, but found his forehead wet with a cold sweat. The words echoed in his head, “Next time… I will kill you.”
“Jokes on you, bitch, I’m already dead,” Mitch said aloud.
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Did I say that out loud?”
“…A number industry analysts have taken apart the cooling system of your PD1 server and, well, they’re baffled!” The interviewer on television leaned forward conspiratorially. “What’s your secret?”
“Well, Scott, I designed the cooling system myself. It’s the reason our server uses a fraction of electricity of our next competitor. That savings just multiplies as these machines are stacked. Google is licensing this for their server farms. Jeff Bezos, too. Do you want to know the secret?”
“Of course!” the interviewer beamed.
“Magic!” Wise said, and both men on television laughed.
“Jesus Christ,” Mitch said as his blood ran cold.
“You okay, Mike?” Kyle asked.
Mitch stood up and started towards the Nerd Herd corral. “Not even close,” he said over his shoulder.
