Harrison Hamill is running from something.He runs through a dark wooded area and looks over his shoulder. Something is chasing him and gaining ground.Harrison falls. He looks up as it leaps at him from the shadows.He struggles with it and flips it, now seen as a man, onto his back.Harrison throws back his fist to attack, but stops. The attacker looks like him. Harrison's eyes grow large as he looks at the man looking at him. It is him.A phone rings somewhere.Harrison wakes in his bed, dripping with sweat and breathing heavily.Harrison runs his hands through his hair and looks down at his ringing phone.“Morning Jason. Yes yes, I’m fine, just overslept. What? Now that is disappointing. Call a meeting for nine. I’ll be there in twenty. Thanks,” he says into his phone.Harrison throws down the phone and walks towards the shower.Harrison Hamill walks through the halls of Phoebus headquarters with an air of pride. He knows he's the CEO. The people he passes know it as well. He loves that about his job.His long blond hair hangs over his custom tailor-made suit. Walking beside him is Jason, his personal assistant.“I’m very disappointed with this news. I hope you have informed everyone I’m not happy?” Harrison says to Jason.“I have...” Jason says.“And does anyone have a plan on how to fix this?” Harrison asks as they continue through the hallway.“It is on the agenda of your meeting at nine...” Jason continues as the CEO approaches the water fountain, distracted by another conversation.“Forget it. You worry too much. Hamill is a pussy cat. If you can’t get it finished no sweat, just make up some story...” one executive comments to another.The executive notices the CEO and tries to quickly change the subject. “That's what he told me anyway, I sure didn't believe him,...oh, good morning sir,” the executive says to Harrison, offering his hand to him.The CEO doesn’t respond but walks into a nearby men's room and closes the door, leaving Jason on the other side.The CEO walks in and splashes water on his face, before looking at himself in the mirror.“They think you are weak... a pushover,” he speaks to his own reflection.“But I’m the CEO of this corporation. The boss...” he replies.“Only by name. If you want respect, you have to show strength....” he says.“People respect me. They...” he says.“They respect you?” He says laughing. “Like those fools outside. They think you are nothing and why not. You act like nothing,” he says.“Time to man up. Take control. You’re their leader. Act like it. Surround yourself with winners, nothing less. If you want something take it...” he shouts at himself.“Sir, are you OK?” Jason shouts in from the other side of the door.The CEO studies his own image. His expression and posture slowly changes. He smiles and tilts his head slightly.“Sir...” Jason shouts as he pushes open the door.“Just a moment,” Harrison replies as he pushes back the door, hitting Jason in the nose.“Great things await you. The only way to get respect is through fear. You need to stop acting like a loser!” The CEO says.The CEO stares at himself for a couple of seconds before opening the door and charging past Jason.Jason looks inside to see who the CEO was talking with. The bathroom is empty.He looks at the sink. The water in the sink is boiling hot.Jason struggles to keep up. The CEO’s pace is now much faster, as if he's a man with a purpose.The CEO pushes through the main doors to the meeting room and holds the doors open as he observes the room. The door handles melt under his grip. Melted metal drips onto the wooden floor, burning it on contact.The CEO walks in, but everyone appears to be oblivious to the fact that the boss has entered the room.People of various nationalities and genders sit at a large oak meeting table. All continue with their own conversations.A row of screens on a far wall show other business leaders from various locations around the world.“Could someone be so gracious as to tell me where I can find our head of acquisitions and mergers?” Harrison shouts.The room becomes immediately silent.The CEO walks rapidly to the head of the table.He grabs hold of the table with both hands and takes a long deep breath.He looks around the table. All eyes are on him. Everyone looks around at each other and back at the CEO.“Anyone? Mr. Lee are you with us?” he asks.One particularly nervous executive catches the CEO’s eye and draws his attention to one of the teleconference screens on the wall.Harrison almost runs to the wall, and when he gets to it, he looks into the screen and smiles.“Mr. Lee?” he asks.On the screen, Mr. Lee nods and gulps loudly.“You’re fired!” Harrison screams as he grabs the screen on the wall with both hands.The surface of the screen begins to bubble and crackle as it starts to melt. Within a couple of seconds all that remains of the screen, is a mark on the wall and a pile of melted material at the CEO’s feet.The CEO wipes his hands together and walks back to the head of the table.He takes a long deep breath and sits down.“Now. I figured I had surrounded myself with the best and the brightest. Until I turned on the news this morning to learn that Olympus corporation has somehow managed to acquire amajority share in the world's biggest technology company...” he says.He gazes around the table at the collection of still nervous executives.“Now I don’t care if you fill your days talking about golf or whatever reality show you were watching last night. But I do expect you to at least be aware of when our greatest rivalmanages to acquire control of THE most advanced and profitable technology company on the eve of our own exact same announcement!” he screams as he slams the desk with both hands.Harrison raises his hand and Jason runs to his side with a small cup of herbal tea.He picks up the cup and takes a sip. The tea is cold.The CEO looks at Jason with disgust.Jason attempts to take the cup back, but the CEO continues to hold it, refusing to let it go. The tea inside the cup starts to bubble and boil in his hand.He takes another sip and smiles. Jason nods and steps backwards.“Now I was hoping I would get a barrage of suggestions of how we can fix this...” he asks as he looks around the room.“But what do I get? A bunch of rabbits in headlights," he continues. “Okay. Looks like we need to shake things up a little. Everyone at the left of the table please raise you hands."The people on the left of the table look at the CEO and then at each other, as they hesitate before raising their hands.The CEO smiles widely.“You’re all fired. Clear out your desks. If I even see you in the hallway after this meeting, I’ll have you thrown through the nearest window,” he says.The executives on the left slowly begin to stand.“Leave!” He screams before taking another sip of his tea.The CEO takes a deep breath.“Now...” he says as he looks at his watch, “the rest of you have exactly four hours to pull together some ideas, some way of fixing this. Be creative, surprise me...” he says as he stands.“But make no mistake...I want this fixed, or I may forget to the open the window first," he says as he stares at the group of even more terrified executives.The CEO walks quickly from the room, followed closely by his assistant, as they make their way into the hallway.“I need you to move my ten o'clock meeting. I have to dump some of this anxiety,” Harrison says as he enters the elevator, leaving the assistant standing on the other side.The CEO kneels in the center of the room. He is blind-folded and dressed in a white martial arts suit.His trainer walks around him in a circle.“The objective of this exercise is for you to focus without the limitations of vision. To be more at one with your surroundings," the Trainer says as he raises both hands.Three armed attackers run at the CEO.He leaps to his feet and kicks the first against the wall.A second attacker swings a sword at his head and the CEO easily ducks the sword, diving out of the way. He punches the man in the groin, quickly taking the wind right out of him.The third attacker strikes the CEO in the face with a bat, knocking him onto his back.The CEO jumps back up and wipes the blood from his mouth.The man attacks again and Harrison sidesteps and sweeps him.Knocking the man backwards, he grabs the man and snaps his neck before he hits the ground.The trainer looks on, shocked at this display.“I see what you mean. Great lesson. Same time tomorrow?” The CEO asks as he removes his blindfold.The trainer just nods in reply as the CEO leaves.The CEO clenches both fists and bows at his trainer.“Just what I needed. Thanks,” he smiles as he leaves the room.The CEO enters his office. The room is massive and lavishly decorated.Jason follows him inside and Harrison turns to address him.“You know what, I think we need to change this layout. It’s too weak. What do you think?” he asks.Jason opens his mouth to speak but doesn’t get the chance.“Get Phillip to call me on my mobile. I want this room to reflect strength,” Harrison trails off as he approaches the main bay window of the office.Jason continues taking notes and the CEO looks out over the city.He catches his own reflection in the glass and examines himself. Slowly his expression begins to soften.“What time would you like to meet Philip?” Jason asks.The CEO turns and looks at him confused.“Sorry?” He asks with a look of someone who has just awoken from a trance.“You wanted to talk to Phillip about this office...you want this room to...” Jason says as he checks his notes. “...Reflect strength I think it what you said.” Jason continues.“I did...I did. Tomorrow at nine. I think... yes tomorrow at nine,” Harrison replies.The CEO begins to leave the office.“You did plan to meet the board again at ...well now actually,” Jason says as he checks the time.“I did. Okay. Let’s meet the board,” The CEO says as he leaves the office.He enters the main board room and greets everyone with a smile. All the executives look at him with utter confusion.He takes a seat at the head of the table and looks down at the remaining executives who are busy presenting several projects at once.“Please. Please. One at a time....” he says.The room grows silent and one executive raises his hand. The CEO points at him and the man stands to pitch his plan.The CEO sits back in his chair as the nervous executive stumbles through a presentation.The CEO’s eyes move around the room at the faces and nervous expressions of his board of executives.He is unclear of what caused the change, but is happy none the less.He takes a deep breath and whispers to himself, “so, fear is the key...”The End.
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