Chapter 372: Intentions Bared

With intentions bared and these people not giving much leeway for a way out...

Anyone else at this point should at least be grimacing or panicking.

Then again, this was Alexander and he was as calm as he had ever been.

So calm and indifferent that the gaze he gave off was pretty chilling.

Just about anyone else would have been disconcerted by that but someone like Mr. CIA, whose experience is much more complicated than any, simply shrugged it off.

"If you think I'm joking around, I happen to have damning transcripts." A file happen to be laid out in preparation for this.

"It's not much but it's enough to show your collusion with an Alexey Pajitnov. Someone working at Soviet Union's Academy of Sciences."

"Now I know that it is more on the topic of the so-called Tetris but whose to say that you're exchange isn't laced with treason and deceit." The CIA fellow pretty much hummed in thought as if thinking about it. "That should be about enough grounds to  detain you and extradite you under my whims, is it not?"

"While I'm at it, why don't I throw in that Russian actress and that little girl you've been mingling about?"

"You know, having companions make for a much easier time."

Yet again, another Russian spy innuendo regarding a Jovovich. Alexander found that people just can't seem to get enough of those.

More than anything, it just made him visibly yawn.

Either unfazed, bored, or just plain sleepy... the people in the room honestly can't tell.

However, they found that the chill emanating from the boy got much more prominent...

Prominent that the momentum was not less than theirs...

Be it a reflecting the state of the monitors or something else... an ominous red-green flash was getting more and more notable in the corner of the boy's dark eyes...

And just when the quiet was building up to inexplicable tension...

Mr. Politician voiced with a shaky smile. "Alright, alright. Why don't we all calm down and take a step back? Though I'd have to point out... that the agency's way of doing things is a bit much."

"What do you know?" Mr. CIA snorted and added to Alexander. "My threat still stands, boy. Of course, I can make it all go away as long as you agree. Agree to work for me, that is?"

Alexander could only comment. "Well, that's a weird way of offering employment, isn't it?"

"What can I say?" Mr. CIA just shrugged. "It's an old agency trick."

Comply or else.

Yeah... that seems about right.

Of course, it all just made Alexander doubly sure of his conclusive realization of this turn of events.

To recruit or lure?

Evidently, it's both.

--------

"Haha!" Mr. Politician gave a somewhat signature laugh. "Don't worry much about that, Mr. Creed. I happen to be here to put them in place."

"The president has gotten a bearing of these turn of events and sent me here to adjudicate, you see." As a politician, he's always quite the pleaser. "He's quite a fan of you, by the way. Back to the Future is one of his favorite movies. I'm sure you know that he even quoted it during his nationwide address."

"Of course, he's also quite torn with your highly political Watchmen. It showed an alternate horror where Nixon won but it's quite the commentary on the current nuclear initiative."

"And yeah... Top Gun... that is another topic entirely."

Alexander just shrugged at that.

Reagan's graces and supposed reactions aside, he's quite adamant about not interacting with politics too much.

This Mr. Politician included.

Of course, that wouldn't stop the politician from interacting with him.

"Rest assured, as with me here, this threatening guy won't act on his threat. Not that his threat has any basis in the first place."

"I figured as much. The Pajitnov deal is undoubtedly aboveboard, the Jovovich are relatively harmless, and the gist of this meeting has been pretty much laid out since the handing of the correspondence card."

"Fortunately, you weren't spooked at all. If anything, you kind of spooked me." Especially that stare of silence, he's just a good old politician, after all.

"Well... Mr. Creed, which is still weird to say, but I'll leave it to your discretion. Surely, these guys will play fair."

Then again, Mr. Poltician has his agenda as well.

"Erm... I also hear that you've got deep pockets and I see a great future in your companies. If there's ever a need you want to get done on the political side of things, why not consider me?"

"Haha, all kidding, of course." He laughingly said but a shake was sneakily given.

------

"Ah yes... the laugh and shake... politician's business card." Mr. NSA, who had an obvious twinkle in his eyes, approached.

"You do know what I represent, right?" The man asked.

"More or less." Alexander said so since he really did have a passing knowledge of this organization.

They're all about intelligence and counter-intelligence yet they're no CIA.

If anything, they're probably truly the ones that keep tabs on a lot of things.

As of current, the secret of his identity is pretty much no secret to those that are interested.

Competition knows, so how could this guy not know?

The phone lines which mean that he was probably the one responsible for that intrusive call.

At some point, they should be the ones to blame for the paranoia called 'the government's watching you'.

Data centers and pretty much the threat that led to the existence of the VPNs are probably traced back to them as well.

"Anyways, more often than not, I've got an eye for talent, and although I believe there's no prodigy for the way of coding and computer. You're existence and abilities seem to prove me wrong."

Well, yes an eye for talent. Probably with full discretion of SAT results, medical records, and IQ-testing centers... the NSA sure has an eye for talent, indeed.

At this point, Alexander felt that this guy was some scarred Samuel L. Jackson and he's given the talk to be the next Triple X.

-----

Inevitably, Mr. FBMIB had a go at it as well.

But it was quite unexpected.

As it turns out, he's mostly here to join in on the fun and not be left.

He didn't say much though and just handed out a card.

Probably because there's no door to knock on and shoutingly ask to open up.

Oh yeah... he's been mingling with the girls a lot lately. It's not anything malicious given that he knew decency but aren't these the type of misunderstandable situations that the FBI is known for? As a meme, that is.

-----

Of course, Mr. Eager Scholar had his eager turn.

Admittedly, Alexander tuned most of it out, since the man was too boisterous for his liking.

Then again, this eager scholar was actually representing the one that he was most inclined with.

Not just because he's a fellow computer and coding enthusiast. Or the fact that he's the most amicable in this Chaos-inquisitive bunch.

It's because he's from DARPA.

And Alexander just got an invitation to a project that he's most taken with...

The ARPANET. It's no CompuServe or MicroNet, or the ChaosNet

It's the ARPANET. Quite an essential piece to the greater Internet.

-----

Inevitably...

Mr. CIA approached much later after the huddle of others.

"Don't take my earlier words too personally, boy. Interest in you has just been that high, so I had to do my best gander at it. Especially with the fact that your inexplicable program is just the start of it."

"You're just eleven for heaven's sake, what will be your accomplishments when you grow up."

"Of course, you also shouldn't take my words as just grains of salt."

"My criticism of you isn't unfounded as that game console of yours and that embedded system is just chaos and trouble."

"Your businesses, the businesses of others, and the regular trade seem peachy but in my perspective, it's all a murky mess waiting to topple all over."

"You seem confident that no one is able to crack it and we won't press much harder to know the full extent of the magic behind it. You have hard connections and strong vouchers, after all."

"However, that's not to say that no one else will try their hand at you. If it's not the divergents from my organization or these other guys, then it might probably be some private powers or just powers from overseas."

"That's good to know, I guess." It's not that Alexander hadn't considered these but perhaps he really should speed up his countermeasures.

"Anyways, these little meet is just to sound you out. You'll either join up with those that you're interested in or given your business sense, you'll probably set up some company that handles what you've to realize today."

Mr. CIA seemed stoic but he's really quite wordy as well. He even had another prop to pass along.

"Either way, he's a card from me. Do keep in touch if you want."

Alexander accepted the man's word and his card, but in all honesty, he was still wary of the man.

His recruitment and lobbying method is a bit out there, after all.

However, going by his advice, joining these organizations seems like a hassle.

Forming a military contractor-esque or specially contracted company that allots him to do business with all interested parties doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Since they value his programming skills and talent, why not have them really pay the value of it?

------

With all that was covered, there's actually just one more to go...

Which happens to be the reason why Alexander was calm throughout the whole thing.

The militarial Old Man Pierce.

"You sure are bold to have come here alone, boy." The old man admonished. "You're lucky that this was no entrapment or you would have been wiped off the records by now."

"Uhm... the call did say that this whole thing was of great relevance..." Alexander was a bit awkward as he reasoned. "Also, that my grandfather was also going to be present."

"Then you've been tricked since that Sullivan Creed isn't here, is he?" The elderly admonished again.

"Well, they didn't exactly lie, did they?" Alexander looked at the old man with consternation.

And the old man looked back. "So you do know me."

"In a way, I do know you." Alexander would have called him Mister General or Mister Military if he didn't."

"Oh." The old man was intrigued. "Go on."

"Judging by your uniform and all that plastered stars and honors, one could say that you're a military bigshot. Given your age, you should have been retired but you represented the most Creed-friendly military for a reason."

"And it's just for any reason because you're retired General Pierce."

"There's a lot to cover about a high-ranking general like you but when it comes down to it, I just know you as Lionel Pierce."

"Father of Cynthia Pierce."

"Whom you've disowned for various reasons but I hear it's mostly because she eloped and became Cynthia Creed."

"I just so happen to be Alexander Creed, the son of the departed Cynthia Creed nee Pierce."

"Which makes the presence of my grandfather here being technically true."

Old Man Pierce didn't react much but the silence is consent.

And yes... undoubtedly, he was no Mister General and Mister Military for a reason...

Alexander always knew him as Old Man Pierce, after all.

His mom's father and barring Old Sullivan, he's the other grandfather.