Plan M

Fittingly for the leader of the pack, the Lead Investor was stern, wide-shouldered and covered with scars of the battles won. The scars included a platinum Patek Phillipe, silver-gray temples and deep lines across the high tanned forehead. The Lead Investor knew it all looked great against the foreground of a floor-to-ceiling window and the skyscrapers beyond, ghostly in a sudden January snowstorm.

The Lead Investor squinted across the spotless conference table at the Inventor. It almost seemed that the Inventor’s fire-red mop of unruly hair burned Lead Investor’s eyes, but the Lead Investor simply believed that squinting helped him think better.

- So, anything at all? – asked the Lead Investor in a professionally neutral voice.

- It is a magic wand – the Inventor licked his lips. – No limitations, in theory. This is just a prototype, you understand…

- Yes, yes, I got it – interrupted the Lead Investor. – Let’s see the demo.

The Inventor carefully unwrapped a bundle of yellowing paper towels and got out a rod, long and slender like a thick stalk of grass. The rod was full of slowly moving glittering specks, and even in the brightly lit room it was hard to tell if the rod was black with silver sparks, or polished silver dissolving in places into deep cosmic black.

The Inventor lifted the rod like a conductor’s baton and made a slow circular motion. Quick sparks traced a complicated pattern in the air, pale shadows shifted on the walls and disappeared together with a faint whisper of a strangely familiar melody.

- Here goes – said the Inventor and tapped the rod on the surface of the table.

A fist-sized green crystal appeared on the table before the Lead Investor. The same stardust sparks that danced up and down the rod were now floating behind the emerald facets.

- Candy – explained the Inventor, holding up the now dull rod. – Ran out of charge…

The Junior Investor, sitting to the left of the Lead, picked the crystal up and carefully licked it. His face scrunched up.

- Lime – he said, - Or lemon? Way too tart. Your wand skimps on sugar.

- Out of charge – repeated the Inventor. – Carbohydrates are very energy dense…

The Junior Investor wanted to become a Lead someday – preferably, soon. He cheerfully spun the crystal on the polished table and leaned forward energetically.

- And what market segments are you going to target first? – he asked.

The Inventor rubbed his forehead.

- Segments… Uh, segments. This is a magic wand. It can do anything. What segments? I don’t know... Food? There’s so much hunger…

- Oh, no, no, no – spoke up the Equally Empowered Woman sitting to the right of the Lead. – Food is tough. You’ll still be waiting for permits three years from now. Food coming from nowhere, from thin air – who knows how contaminated it could get? Gene modifications… And the farmer’s lobby…

The Inventor looked at her with hope. She had the embracing, peaceful beauty that immediately brought up thoughts of fairy tales. The Equally Empowered Woman warmly smiled at the Inventor. After MBA, PhD in psychology and several acting workshops a warm smile was a trivial task. The Equally Empowered Woman also wanted to become a Lead Investor, and she knew that the current Lead dated her not just for her beauty and brains, but also to keep a close eye on her. The tall, skinny Inventor attracted her – if only his business plan was just a tad less helpless…

The Inventor cleared his throat.

- Then maybe drugs? I mean, medicine. For developing countries, getting approval there must be easier. Vaccines - AIDS, Ebola, flu?

The Lead Investor leaned back in his leather chair.

- Great idea - he said, – But it won’t work. The market there is segmented and uncertain. There’s no money in Africa, and the little there is has long been divided between the existing players. And this game, it is all about the money, ultimately. How much are you asking for, two and a half?

- Three – replied the Inventor quietly. – I need to tune... scale…

- Even more difficult, three million. Tell me, have you considered weapons? There’s a lot of money in guns.

The Inventor shook his head.

- No, no guns. My brothers have served in Afghanistan. One lost a leg, and the other did not come back at all. I will not do weapons. I was thinking about…

- Now wait a second – interrupted the Junior Investor. – Your stick… Excuse me, your wand. You mentioned scaling – but why can’t it just make itself? You know, replicate?

The Inventor shrugged.

- Unfortunately, no. I tried, but it only works once. Burns out, sometimes even explodes. Not yet sure why. Seems to need some sort of feedback…

The Equally Empowered Woman put a checkmark in her notepad.

- OK. So, who would you say are your three top competitors? – she asked.

- There is no competition – responded the Inventor gloomily. – Don’t you understand? This is a magic wand. Magic wand. If someone already was making them, we would all know about it.

The sleek conference phone murmured something contemporary. The Lead Investor picked up the receiver.

- Yes. Yes. Sure. – he said. – Very well. Five more minutes.

He hung up and looked at the Inventor as if he was trying to remember who the man was and why he was in the room.

- Very well, - he repeated. – And the last question: what’s the situation with the patent?

The Inventor started rewrapping the rod.

- Patent, - he muttered. – I don’t have a patent. How can you patent magic?

- Excellent – the Lead Investor stood up and held out his hand across the table. – Thank you for a very intriguing presentation. Let us discuss internally, and we’ll be in touch.

- Please think about the market segments! And focus on the competition! – chimed in the Equally Empowered Woman. She liked to have the last word.

The Inventor was at the conference room door when the Junior Investor slapped his forehead.

- Wait a minute! – he exclaimed. – What about money? What if you just made money?

- It is against the law. – responded the Inventor without turning his head.

The door softly clicked shut behind him.

----

The Lead Investor loved the spring. He believed that the weather helped him think better. He especially liked thinking in the park. The Lead Investor slowly walked down the gravel path and thought about his team. The Junior Investor clearly could not handle the pressure. He has been acting more and more erratically lately, jumping from one crazy idea to another, like a child in a candy store. Trying to make the world a better place. Discounted pills for Oceania, affordable housing in Latin America. Orchards for Sahara. Amazingly, some of his bets paid off well, but the Lead Investor knew that such luck never lasted. It was probably time to let the Junior Investor go, but the Equally Empowered Woman was getting a bit too empowered. If he could only figure out a way to fire her without generating too much fuss, thought the Lead Investor, but she hinted more than once that she won’t go quietly…

The Lead Investor felt something tagging at his sleeve.

- Excuse me – said a little girl looking up at him with huge blue eyes, - Excuse me, but you look sad. It is not good, being sad and alone in the park. Here, take my lollypop.

The Lead Investor could not help smiling.

- Hello – he said squatting down – I am not sad. Just thinking grown-up thoughts. Work, you know.

- I know – nodded the girl, sounding absolutely certain. – This is because you don’t have a lollypop. Here. Take it. It is new. I haven’t unwrapped it. Please.

The Lead Investor took the wrapped candy.

- And what about you? – he asked. – Wouldn’t you feel sad?

The little girl shook her head.

- I’ll get another one! There! He’s giving them away! - she pointed to the stand where tall red-headed man has been completely surrounded by a crowd of children.

- Well, thank you – said the Lead Investor. – And what is your name?

The girl took a step back.

- No. Never say your name to strangers! – she said sharply. – That’s what my mommy says!

She turned and ran toward the candy stand. The Lead Investor slowly stood up, watching her go. Like a butterfly, he thought. He unwrapped the lollypop and put it in his mouth. The candy was slightly tart and lightly sweet at the same. Pineapple, he thought. No, peach. No, apricot. The taste was changing, playfully retreating, like waves on a Caribbean beach, only to come back completely changed. Somehow it brought to mind the Sahara irrigation project – not such a bad idea, actually, if done right…

The Lead Investor pulled the lollypop out and looked at it. The wet, shiny dark green candy was mounted on a stick thin like a grass stem. The stick was full of slowly moving glittering specks, and even in the brightly sunshine it was hard to tell if the stick was black with silver sparks, or polished silver dissolving in places into deep cosmic black.