Alt Future Inc, Book 1, The Plan

Prologue - two months and one night ago

Dan Castillo knew you had to play Silicon Valley like a board game. If you were smart, you conserved your money, time and talents, and only spent them when you knew you'd get a return. He had come to California with a plan.

So how the hell had he ended up here?

A glance around the inadequate, cluttered office told him he was the only one consumed by doubt tonight. Eiko was typing in her cubicle, Al was listening to music, hunched over his keyboard. And Chip... well, Chip, as usual, was nowhere to be seen. Even if this whole thing had been his idea.

Dan arched in his seat to try to ease the ache in his back, his gaze drawn to the window beside him. His old Honda was visible in the parking lot below. He could reach it in less than a minute and get out of here.

Escape.

But he was too far into this mess to run now.Don't mix business and friendship, wasn't that the saying? Yet he'd gone all in with his buddies and left behind a promising startup to chase Chip's big idea.He had been sucked into the project in a series of private game jams. Nothing formal that would have twigged his spidey senses, just hanging out with his friends. Having fun. Hacking on Chip's big idea until it had become too big to walk away from.Then Mahdy came along with a valuation, funding and validation that they weren't just wasting their time. Everything accelerating. 

It had all seemed so promising just six months ago. Now Dan wasn't sure.The Honda drew his gaze again. He could hear the gentle click clack of Eiko typing in her cubicle, Al's music still audible from underneath the big ear muffs the team had insisted he wear. Dan knew he could slip out of the office without anyone the wiser.

Disappear.

But that meant giving up on a talented team. His friends. Eiko and Alistair were world class talents, working with people at his own level was addictive. Chip... well Chip had at least come up with an idea that was worth caring about. Even Dan had to admit that wasn't nothing. In an industry where thirty is over the hill you only got so many kicks at the can. And despite everything else Dan knew this was a can he wanted to kick.

He wasn't ready to give up yet.

Which meant he'd better get back to work.He had promised Chip he'd code up Al's new UI tonight. Three more hours at least before he climbed into the back seat of his car and tried to get a couple hours of sleep. Then get up and do it all over again, some kind of meeting the next morning with Mahdy that Chip had been sweating.Was it worth it? 

Was this the mountain he wanted to die on, the moment he pushed all of his chips into the middle of the table and swung for the fences with everything he had?

It had to be, Dan decided, and reached for the last cold slice of pizza from the pile of empty boxes.