Chapter 5: The Opening Move
Marcus sat in his office staring at a blank screen.
Three hours since the council meeting. Three hours of Victoria sending him financial documents he barely understood. Three hours of trying to figure out how to get Jackson Morrison's attention without looking desperate.
He had nothing.
"This is useless," Marcus muttered. He stood and paced to the window. New Seattle stretched out below, millions of people going about their lives. None of them knew the Thorne Family was eleven days from collapse.
[Host stress levels elevated. Recommend: Stop attempting to solve problem through pure cognition. You have access to resources. Use them.]
"What resources?" Marcus asked. "I can't just call Morrison's office and ask for a meeting. That screams desperation."
[Correct. However, you can create circumstances where Morrison contacts you. Question: What does Jackson Morrison want that he doesn't currently have?]
Marcus thought about it. Morrison controlled the Americas. Massive territory, huge population, incredible wealth. What could he possibly want?
Then it hit him.
"He wants to stop Kasparov expansion," Marcus said slowly. "But it's not just about territory. It's about something specific the Kasparovs are doing that threatens him."
[Accessing Morrison Alliance intelligence files...]
[Analysis: Jackson Morrison has been tracking Kasparov rare earth mineral acquisitions in Pacific Northwest for eighteen months. Kasparov Dynasty is building supply chain for advanced weapons manufacturing. Morrison Alliance currently lacks domestic rare earth sources, depends on imports from Chen Confederation. This creates strategic vulnerability.]
[Thorne Family controls mining rights to three sites in former Alaska with confirmed rare earth deposits. These rights are considered worthless by creditors because extraction costs exceed current market value. However, with proper technology and Morrison Alliance backing, sites could become highly profitable and strategically critical.]
Marcus felt his heart rate pick up. "We have something Morrison needs. Something the Kasparovs want. And nobody realizes it because the extraction costs look prohibitive."
[Correct. Recommend: Make Morrison aware of Kasparov interest in these specific mining rights. Create impression of competitive situation. Morrison will investigate, realize strategic value, contact you to prevent Kasparov acquisition.]
"That's basically manipulation," Marcus said.
[That's politics. Do you want to save your family or do you want to maintain moral purity while it collapses?]
Fair point.
Marcus sat back down and pulled up the mining rights documentation. Three sites. Alexander's father had acquired them fifteen years ago as part of a larger deal. They'd been sitting unused ever since, considered worthless assets that couldn't be sold because nobody wanted them.
Except now Marcus knew they were valuable. He just had to make Morrison realize it before the Kasparovs did.
"System, can you access Kasparov communication networks? See if they're actually interested in these sites or if that's speculation?"
[Accessing...]
[Confirmed: Kasparov Dynasty has conducted three geological surveys of Thorne mining sites in past six months. Surveys were disguised as general resource mapping. Internal Kasparov communications indicate interest in acquiring sites as part of Thorne asset acquisition. Strategic priority: Medium-High.]
So the Kasparovs did want them. They just hadn't made it obvious because they planned to get everything in the buyout deal anyway.
Marcus smiled. First real advantage he'd found.
"Okay. Here's what we do. Victoria needs to 'accidentally' mention the Kasparov geological surveys in her next communication with Pacific Trade Journal. Not as fact, just as interesting rumor she heard. Trade Journal loves that kind of industry gossip."
[Strategy sound. Pacific Trade Journal is read by all major family leadership. Morrison will see it within hours of publication. However, Victoria Thorne will question why you want to leak this information. She will suspect manipulation.]
"Then I'll tell her the truth," Marcus said. "She's brilliant. She'll understand."
He called Victoria. She answered immediately, her face appearing on his screen. She looked tired.
"Tell me you've figured out the Morrison approach," Victoria said. "Because I've run the numbers eight different ways and they all say we're screwed if this doesn't work."
"I've got something," Marcus said. "But you're not going to like it."
"Try me."
Marcus explained the mining rights situation. The Kasparov interest. The strategic value for Morrison. The plan to leak information through trade press.
Victoria was quiet for a moment. "That's sneaky."
"Yeah."
"I like it." She grinned. "It's exactly the kind of move Dad would've made in his prime. Playing two rivals against each other while acting innocent."
"So you'll do it?"
"I'll make the call right now," Victoria said. "Pacific Trade Journal owes me a favor anyway. I gave them the exclusive on our last quarterly report. This'll be easy."
"Make it sound casual," Marcus said. "Like gossip you're sharing off the record, not something you want published."
Victoria's grin widened. "Amateur. I know how to work the press. Give me thirty minutes."
She ended the call.
Marcus leaned back in his chair. First move made. Now he had to wait and see if Morrison took the bait.
[Probability of success: 73%. Morrison Alliance monitors all trade press for strategic intelligence. Information about Kasparov interest in rare earth deposits will trigger immediate analysis. Estimated time until Morrison contact: 18-36 hours.]
"And if he doesn't contact us?"
[Then we try something else. Strategy is iterative process, not single action. You will fail many times before you succeed. Accept this now.]
"Encouraging," Marcus said dryly.
[You requested honest analysis, not encouragement. However: Your strategic thinking is improving. You identified opportunity, developed approach, and executed without excessive hesitation. This is progress.]
Marcus supposed that was the closest thing to a compliment he'd get from an AI.
His phone rang. Eleanor.
"Hey Mom," Marcus said, answering.
"I just got off the phone with Patricia Morrison," Eleanor said without preamble. "Jackson's wife. We had a lovely chat about charity fundraising and children's education initiatives."
Marcus sat up straighter. "Already? I thought you were going to prepare the ground slowly."
"I was. But then I realized we don't have time for slow. So I called her directly and invited her to lunch next week." Eleanor paused. "She accepted."
"That's great. What did you talk about?"
"Surface level pleasantries mostly. But I planted seeds. Mentioned how difficult it's been managing the family after Michael's death. How proud I am of you for stepping up despite how young you are. How much you remind me of your father in his prime."
"You're making me sound like a charity case," Marcus said.
"I'm making you sound human," Eleanor corrected. "Patricia Morrison is a mother too. She has a son about your age. She understands the pressure of family legacy. I'm building sympathy, which is the foundation for her advocating to Jackson on our behalf."
Marcus hadn't thought of it that way. "That's smart."
"I've been doing this for thirty years, dear. I know how power families work." Her voice softened. "How are you holding up? Victoria said the council meeting went well, but I know Margaret can be intense."
"I'm okay," Marcus said. He meant it. "Tired. But okay. Having people to work with helps."
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear." Eleanor hesitated. "Alexander, I know I said this last night, but I need to say it again. If things get too heavy, if you start feeling like you did before, you come to me. Immediately. Promise me."
Marcus felt his throat tighten. "I promise."
"All right. I'll let you work. But eat something. You're running on fumes."
She ended the call before he could respond.
Marcus sat there for a moment. He had a mother who worried about whether he ate. A sister who trusted him enough to execute sneaky press manipulation. A grandmother who bet the family's future on him despite her doubts.
He'd died wanting this. Now he had it. And he was going to fight like hell to keep it.
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in," Marcus called.
Damian entered, looking nervous but excited. He carried a tablet. "Got a minute? I want to show you something."
"Always," Marcus said. "What've you got?"
Damian sat down and pulled up his tablet. "I've been thinking about what you said in the council meeting. About rebuilding the Thorne reputation. And I realized we've been approaching public relations all wrong."
He turned the tablet so Marcus could see. It showed a social media analysis dashboard with graphs and demographic breakdowns.
"We've been focused on traditional power family audiences," Damian said. "Business journals, political networks, other family leadership. But that's not where culture is shaped anymore. Culture is shaped by the younger generation on social media, and we've completely ignored them."
Marcus looked at the graphs. "Keep talking."
"The average person under thirty doesn't care about family politics," Damian said. "They think it's all corrupt rich people fighting over money. And honestly? They're not wrong. But what if we changed that narrative? What if we showed them a different kind of family leadership?"
"How?"
Damian's eyes lit up. "Transparency. Most families hide everything, right? Private meetings, secret deals, closed doors. It makes them look shady. What if we went the opposite direction? What if we were the family that actually showed people what leadership looks like?"
Marcus leaned forward. "You want to put family business on social media?"
"Not everything," Damian said quickly. "Obviously we keep strategic information private. But the human stuff? The fact that you asked the family for help instead of doing everything alone? The fact that Mom and Victoria and Grandmother are all involved in decisions? That's compelling. That's different."
He pulled up mock-ups on his tablet. "Short videos. Behind the scenes of family meetings. You explaining why you made certain decisions. Victoria breaking down financial strategy in ways normal people can understand. Even Grandmother talking about family history."
"Grandmother would never agree to that," Marcus said.
"She might if you positioned it right," Damian argued. "She wants the family to survive. This could help. Young people who see us as human instead of just rich assholes are more likely to support Thorne businesses, apply for jobs with us, defend us when rivals attack us in press."
Marcus thought about it. It was risky. Showing vulnerability publicly could be seen as weakness. But it could also be seen as confidence. As not being afraid to be real.
"What would we start with?" Marcus asked.
Damian grinned. "I recorded part of the council meeting. Audio only, and I edited out anything sensitive. But there's a three-minute segment where you talked about collaborative leadership and not making the same mistakes Dad made. It's powerful. Real. If we post that with context explaining what you're trying to do, I think it resonates."
"Let me hear it," Marcus said.
Damian played the clip. Marcus heard his own voice explaining why he refused to lead alone. Heard the emotion when he talked about not wanting to die like his father and grandfather. Heard Victoria and Eleanor backing him up.
It did sound powerful. Authentic in a way corporate PR never was.
"Okay," Marcus said. "But we do this carefully. I want Mom and Victoria to approve anything before it goes public. And we focus on humanizing, not revealing strategic information."
"Agreed," Damian said. He stood up, practically bouncing with excitement. "This is going to work. I can feel it. We're going to make people care about the Thorne Family again."
After Damian left, Marcus sat alone with his thoughts.
Twenty-four hours ago he was barely holding himself together. Now he had multiple strategic initiatives in motion, family members actively contributing, and something that almost felt like hope.
His phone buzzed. Message from Victoria.
Pacific Trade Journal just published. Check their website.
Marcus pulled up the site. There it was, buried in the industry gossip section:
"Sources suggest Kasparov Dynasty conducted multiple geological surveys of Thorne Family mining properties in Alaska. Mineral deposits previously considered unprofitable may have strategic value for advanced manufacturing applications. Kasparov representatives declined comment."
Perfect. Casual enough to seem like gossip. Specific enough to trigger Morrison's strategic radar.
Now they waited.
Marcus stood and walked to the window again. The sun was setting, painting the city in orange and purple. Somewhere out there, Jackson Morrison was probably reading that article right now. Probably running his own analysis. Probably realizing the Kasparovs were positioning to control rare earth supplies.
The question was whether Morrison would see opportunity or threat.
Marcus's phone rang.
Unknown number.
His heart jumped. Too soon for Morrison. Way too soon. The article had been live for maybe twenty minutes.
He answered. "Alexander Thorne."
"Mr. Thorne." The voice was smooth, confident, with just a hint of amusement. "This is Jackson Morrison. I believe we should talk."
Marcus sat down hard. The system had predicted 18-36 hours. Morrison called in under one.
"Mr. Morrison," Marcus said, keeping his voice steady. "I'm surprised to hear from you directly."
"I don't waste time with intermediaries when something interests me," Morrison said. "And your family's mining rights in Alaska interest me very much. Particularly since it seems the Kasparovs are interested too."
"Is that so?" Marcus kept his tone neutral. "I wasn't aware of any Kasparov interest."
Morrison laughed. "Please. That article was planted. Good play, by the way. Subtle enough to look like organic gossip, specific enough to get my attention. You're smarter than your reputation suggests."
Damn. Morrison saw right through it. But he didn't sound angry. He sounded impressed.
"I won't insult your intelligence by denying it," Marcus said. "Yes, I made sure you saw the information. Because I think we have mutual interests worth discussing."
"Go on."
"The Kasparov Dynasty is expanding aggressively into the Pacific Northwest," Marcus said. "They're positioning to control strategic resources while weakening regional families who might resist them. Your competition. Eventually, they'll be strong enough to challenge Morrison Alliance interests directly."
"And you think a partnership with the Thorne Family prevents that?"
"I think a partnership with the Thorne Family gives you a loyal regional power that can hold territory you don't want to manage directly while denying the Kasparovs the resources they need for weapons manufacturing. I think that's worth more than whatever pennies you'd get from picking over our corpse after we collapse."
Silence on the other end. Marcus held his breath.
"You've got balls, kid," Morrison said finally. "Most people in your position would be begging. You're negotiating. I like that."
"I'm not negotiating yet," Marcus said. "I'm explaining why a conversation is worth your time."
"Fair enough. Here's what's going to happen. You and I are going to meet. Face to face, no intermediaries. Tomorrow, noon, Morrison Tower. Come alone. We'll see if you can back up the confidence with actual substance."
"I'll be there," Marcus said.
"Good. And Thorne? Don't be late. I don't wait for people."
Morrison ended the call.
Marcus sat there, phone still pressed to his ear, heart pounding.
He'd done it. He'd gotten Jackson Morrison's attention. He'd secured a meeting.
In less than twenty-four hours, he'd be sitting across from one of the Five Titans, trying to convince him to save the Thorne Family instead of letting them die.
No pressure.
[Mission Progress: Morrison Alliance Partnership - Advanced to negotiation phase. Probability of success increased to 68%. However, face-to-face meeting with Jackson Morrison is high-risk situation. Morrison will test you extensively. Prepare thoroughly.]
"Yeah," Marcus muttered. "No kidding."
He had seventeen hours to prepare for the most important meeting of his life. Seventeen hours to figure out how to negotiate with a man who controlled a continent.
Marcus pulled up everything the system had on Jackson Morrison. Financial history, business practices, known preferences, psychological profile. He was going to absorb every piece of information he could find.
Because tomorrow, he either saved his family or watched it die.
And Marcus Chen hadn't gotten a second chance at life just to fail at the first real test.