Haven

Chapter Five

Ben slouched in his chair. He hated meetings. And to make things worse he was getting scolded by almost the entire board. Elliot alone has said little. He sat with folded hands at the bar to the side of the room. His usual super-food smoothie resting on a coaster.

"This babbling bafoon cut our potential earnings tremendously with his philanthropic announcement! I motion to remove him from this project, and motion we terminate his contract immediately!"

Spittle flew from Alex Tavish's mouth as he yelled across the table in bens direction. His face was a bright red, veins bulging in his neck, "will another member second these motions? I declare those who would not fools as well. We are in this to make money. Not give video games away for free."

"It wasn't my idea to send me on tv. I don't do well with public speaking. But even with the headset being included for free people still have to buy the game itself. Not to mention the revenue you will get from streaming tournaments. I mean come on! This is going to be the biggest thing in eSports since Fortnights 20th edition! And compared to this that was child's play, " Ben defended himself from this onslaught.

Ben was right. The realism and complexity of Haven allowed for some truly remarkable PvP and co-op game modes that have incredible live-stream potential. As eSports replaced most other competitions in popularity, all the money that used to go to the worlds greatest athletes now goes to the worlds greatest gamers. Sure, there is still football and basketball. Even baseball still has a league in North America. But they simply don't draw the crowds they used to.

"Don't be a smart ass!" Alex shouted.

"Enough!", Elliot rarely spoke at these meetings anymore, let alone raise his voice. The room fell silent as they waited for him to continue.

"Ben was right to lower the initial price point. Not that he actually had the authority to do so, but the announcement was public. Potential players will be turned away if we walk back on this. But! More players means more hours logged. More hours logged is more exposure. And more exposure is more participation in events that will net us large profits for year's to come. Ben stays."

He breathed a sigh of relief. Having Elliot's support meant safety. At least for now. He knows Damian is not really his ally. Alex obviously wanted him gone. But the other board members seem on the fence. They won't side against Elliot.

"Come on Alex. Just relax. Everything is going to be just fine."

Ben's calm demeanor only made Alex's rage flare agaif, "Damn it, child! Don't tell me to relax when.."

Elliot quieted the room again. This time with a raised hand. Then he spoke softly, "I motion to bring this meeting to an end. The price change stands. Let the members vote."

"seconded"

"aye"

"aye"

All members voiced their agreement until finally even Alex choked out a quiet "aye", sounding defeated. Ben quickly got up and headed for the exit, wanting to be as far from here as he could.

"Stay behind Ben. I would like a word with you"
Damn. Elliot wouldn't let him out of here that easily. As the other members filed out of the boardroom Ben stayed put. When the door closed and they were alone Elliot finally spoke directly to Ben. His eyes softened almost immediately.

"Well my boy, you sure ruffled some feathers with your announcement."

Elliot chuckled under his breath. A grimace spread across his face with that. His breath quickened.

"Are you alright Elliot?"

Ben was concerned. While Elliot has been a health nut for a long time, he was still an old man. They had become good friends since Elliot took him under his wing. Ben looked at him like a father. He was a role model to Ben.

"Don't worry about me Ben. I'm an old man. An old man without a lot of time left In this world. You are going to have to start fending for yourself. I won't always be here to save you from the will of the board. And I'm not even sure I could help if you upset the Council itself. So don't piss them off."

Elliot was being far more serious than usual. His tone was grave instead of his normal jovial timbre. Ben knew there was something Elliot was holding back.

"What are you saying Elliot?" Ben's concern was starting to show.

"Just that we won't have many more opportunities to chat like this. And I'm glad we got to meet in this world. I don't have children Ben. So I am glad I got to share some of my life with someone I have come to think of as a son," Elliot wiped a tear away from his cheek and smiled.

The intellectual giant was showing a side of himself to Ben that he would not share with others. It was hard to imagine that Ben had really made that much of an impression on such a renowned businessman and inventor. The man who showed Ben how to see his vision fulfilled. It caused Ben great sadness to think of the world without him in it. Ben stood there in silence, not knowing how to respond to the man.

"Don't talk like that. I think you are being dramatic."
But Ben saw it in Elliot's eyes. He was scared. Maybe that is why he has been working with Ben so often. And telling Ben so much about his personal life. Perhaps he felt the end drawing close, and needed to build a human connection.

Elliot worked so hard most of his life. He didn't give himself time to form real relationships with people. But he finally found a friend in Ben. And he felt honored to be a part of this mans world. If only for a little while. He shook off those thoughts and forced a smile. He wanted to tell Elliot about the stranger who gave him the flash drive, but he could see now was not the time. He hoped they would get the chance to talk about it later.

"Maybe all that kale is starting to make you sick. You just need a steak and a nap. You are gonna be just fine."

Elliot laughed at that, "right you are. Right you are. In any case that nap sounds appealing. You should get out of here for a little while. Go spend time with someone your own age. Meet a girl. There isn't much for you to do only a couple days out from the launch."

The two friends embraced for a moment before ben bid him farewell and made his way back down the glass elevators to ground level. He headed to his office to put on some clean clothes and freshen up a little. Maybe he would go ahead and take Elliot's advice and get out of here for the rest of the day. It was only about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, there was plenty of time to get into some trouble.