Seven Deadly Sins - Greed
"Cam, delighted to see you again!" Duncan gripped Cam's hand firmly as they shook, and patted him on the shoulder. "How is the profile piece going? Returning for some background detail I take it?"
He motioned Cam to take a seat then walked over to a Tantalus behind the desk. He grabbed two crystal tumblers and placed a single ice cube in each. He glanced over his shoulder, raised a glass and rattled the ice cube. "Scotch?"
"No. Thank you" Cam replied as he opened his briefcase and took out some notes.
"Your loss" Duncan chuckled as he opened a bottle of Laphroaig, pouring a large measure.
"Who is she Duncan?"
He raised the glass to his nose to savour the earthy aroma. "She who?"
Cam turned on a voice recorder and placed it on the desk. "Rosebud."
"She’s a sledge if I recall my Citizen Kane." He replaced the stopper and turned, gently swirling the burnt amber liquid. "You never struck me as one for the classics." Duncan sauntered over to the desk and slid into the imposing leather chair, and took a sip of whisky. "Are you sure I can't tempt you, it's quite excellent."
Cam shook his head. "Rosebud. Who is your Rosebud Duncan? I know that you’re gathering information. I know you're looking for someone. So who is she?"
Duncan slowly lowered his glass and leaned back in his chair. His slate grey eyes narrowed as he studied Cam's face. He couldn't tell if Cam had stumbled across something or was making wild guesses. "Go on."
Cam pulled out a notebook and flipped through the pages. "Duncan Saunders, media tycoon. Owner of Global News & Media, the world's largest media conglomerate. Publisher of national and international broadsheets, tabloids and freesheets in over 100 countries. Majority shareholder in a multitude of news and entertainment channels in Europe, Australasia and the Far East, and the second most popular network in the USA. Film distributor, recently branching into mobile and satellite telephony, and sole owner of the world’s most popular search engine and webmail."
"It's like you read my entry in Who's Who."
"What do all these have in common?"
"You mean aside from the fact that I own them? What can I say, I like entertaining people."
"Cute. No, the common thread is information. You're gathering information from everywhere. No detail is too trivial. I've uncovered the network of phone taps and data intercepts that you’ve set up."
Duncan knocked back the last of the whisky in one. "Fascinating."
"So, why do you need this information? You have journalists on every continent, access to governments, people in the media, science, arts. It's total dominance of the media, but you've gone beyond that. You have people harvesting personal information from e-mails, websearches, phone calls, the smallest crumbs of the most mundane lives. Why? Where does the information go, who is analysing it, and for what purpose? There's something you're looking for. Someone you're looking for. You never married. I think you're carrying a torch for someone, someone from your past, someone you don't know how to find, and all of this, your entire life and business is a means to finding them again. That's your Rosebud. The one thing you could never get. The one who got away."
Cam threw his notes down on the desk triumphantly and sat back in the chair. "I think I'll have that drink now."
Duncan leant forward, a slight smile creasing the corners of his mouth. "No, I think you've had quite enough." He reached across to the voice recorder and pressed the stop button. "An entertaining little story there Cam, sadly just a little off the mark. You're quite right, I am gathering information." He picked up the notes and the voice recorder, reached into his pocket, and brought out a key. He unlocked the top drawer of the desk and dropped the notes into it. He pulled the memory card out of the recorder and returned the unit to Cam, slipping the memory card into his own pocket.
"But I'm not looking for someone. No, the explanation is the simplest one. Information gives me control, control gives me power, and power… power gives me money. It really is that simple. If I know everything about people, then I know what they want, often before they do. And out of the blue, I'm in the position to give it to them. So they choose my papers, my TV channels, the search results I tell them they are looking for. With the tools and information I have at my disposal I can tell people what to watch, what to buy, who to vote for, what to believe. And they will. Because I know so much about them, it is as if they came to these decisions themselves. They don't even notice I'm doing it."
"So… it really is just all about money for you?"
Duncan laughed. "Of course. What else?" He paused. "You realise that you will never get this story published, don't you? I won't allow it. Of course, if you were to keep quiet, I'm sure I could find you something quite… rewarding to do…"
The offer hung in the air, and Cam remained silent, considering the options. Publish and be damned? He'd be damned without even being published. Take the offer? Be just a mouthpiece for this man? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t…
Duncan stood up, and led Cam to the door of the office. "Think it over. I'll hear from you tomorrow." He closed the door behind Cam and smirked. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the memory card, turning it over in his hand. He had to admit, Cam was good. Nobody had ever noticed what he was doing before. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. He’d need to keep Cam very close now. But what an asset, if he could find all that out on his own…
Duncan returned to his desk, opened the top drawer and dropped the memory card into it. His eyes were drawn to a small photograph in the drawer, partially obscured by Cam's notes. It was worn and slightly faded from the passage of time, but the eyes of the girl it captured still shone brightly. Duncan sighed, and closed the drawer…
He motioned Cam to take a seat then walked over to a Tantalus behind the desk. He grabbed two crystal tumblers and placed a single ice cube in each. He glanced over his shoulder, raised a glass and rattled the ice cube. "Scotch?"
"No. Thank you" Cam replied as he opened his briefcase and took out some notes.
"Your loss" Duncan chuckled as he opened a bottle of Laphroaig, pouring a large measure.
"Who is she Duncan?"
He raised the glass to his nose to savour the earthy aroma. "She who?"
Cam turned on a voice recorder and placed it on the desk. "Rosebud."
"She’s a sledge if I recall my Citizen Kane." He replaced the stopper and turned, gently swirling the burnt amber liquid. "You never struck me as one for the classics." Duncan sauntered over to the desk and slid into the imposing leather chair, and took a sip of whisky. "Are you sure I can't tempt you, it's quite excellent."
Cam shook his head. "Rosebud. Who is your Rosebud Duncan? I know that you’re gathering information. I know you're looking for someone. So who is she?"
Duncan slowly lowered his glass and leaned back in his chair. His slate grey eyes narrowed as he studied Cam's face. He couldn't tell if Cam had stumbled across something or was making wild guesses. "Go on."
Cam pulled out a notebook and flipped through the pages. "Duncan Saunders, media tycoon. Owner of Global News & Media, the world's largest media conglomerate. Publisher of national and international broadsheets, tabloids and freesheets in over 100 countries. Majority shareholder in a multitude of news and entertainment channels in Europe, Australasia and the Far East, and the second most popular network in the USA. Film distributor, recently branching into mobile and satellite telephony, and sole owner of the world’s most popular search engine and webmail."
"It's like you read my entry in Who's Who."
"What do all these have in common?"
"You mean aside from the fact that I own them? What can I say, I like entertaining people."
"Cute. No, the common thread is information. You're gathering information from everywhere. No detail is too trivial. I've uncovered the network of phone taps and data intercepts that you’ve set up."
Duncan knocked back the last of the whisky in one. "Fascinating."
"So, why do you need this information? You have journalists on every continent, access to governments, people in the media, science, arts. It's total dominance of the media, but you've gone beyond that. You have people harvesting personal information from e-mails, websearches, phone calls, the smallest crumbs of the most mundane lives. Why? Where does the information go, who is analysing it, and for what purpose? There's something you're looking for. Someone you're looking for. You never married. I think you're carrying a torch for someone, someone from your past, someone you don't know how to find, and all of this, your entire life and business is a means to finding them again. That's your Rosebud. The one thing you could never get. The one who got away."
Cam threw his notes down on the desk triumphantly and sat back in the chair. "I think I'll have that drink now."
Duncan leant forward, a slight smile creasing the corners of his mouth. "No, I think you've had quite enough." He reached across to the voice recorder and pressed the stop button. "An entertaining little story there Cam, sadly just a little off the mark. You're quite right, I am gathering information." He picked up the notes and the voice recorder, reached into his pocket, and brought out a key. He unlocked the top drawer of the desk and dropped the notes into it. He pulled the memory card out of the recorder and returned the unit to Cam, slipping the memory card into his own pocket.
"But I'm not looking for someone. No, the explanation is the simplest one. Information gives me control, control gives me power, and power… power gives me money. It really is that simple. If I know everything about people, then I know what they want, often before they do. And out of the blue, I'm in the position to give it to them. So they choose my papers, my TV channels, the search results I tell them they are looking for. With the tools and information I have at my disposal I can tell people what to watch, what to buy, who to vote for, what to believe. And they will. Because I know so much about them, it is as if they came to these decisions themselves. They don't even notice I'm doing it."
"So… it really is just all about money for you?"
Duncan laughed. "Of course. What else?" He paused. "You realise that you will never get this story published, don't you? I won't allow it. Of course, if you were to keep quiet, I'm sure I could find you something quite… rewarding to do…"
The offer hung in the air, and Cam remained silent, considering the options. Publish and be damned? He'd be damned without even being published. Take the offer? Be just a mouthpiece for this man? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t…
Duncan stood up, and led Cam to the door of the office. "Think it over. I'll hear from you tomorrow." He closed the door behind Cam and smirked. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the memory card, turning it over in his hand. He had to admit, Cam was good. Nobody had ever noticed what he was doing before. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. He’d need to keep Cam very close now. But what an asset, if he could find all that out on his own…
Duncan returned to his desk, opened the top drawer and dropped the memory card into it. His eyes were drawn to a small photograph in the drawer, partially obscured by Cam's notes. It was worn and slightly faded from the passage of time, but the eyes of the girl it captured still shone brightly. Duncan sighed, and closed the drawer…
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