[1 New Objective Available]
Reese stared at the blinking notification.
"Open it," Li said.
Reese tapped it.
----
OBJECTIVE 1: Find Your Way In The entertainment industry does not know you exist. Begin establishing a presence within the industry. Reward: 500 Prestige Points + System Shop Unlocked
Difficulty: You
----
Reese stared at the last line.
"Did you just call me difficult?"
"It is an accurate assessment," Li said.
Reese opened his mouth, hesitated for a brief moment, and closed it, looking back at the screen.
'Honestly, fair enough,' he thought to himself.
"So what exactly are you?" Reese asked, dropping back onto the couch.
Li floated to his eye level.
"I am the Hollywood Advancement System. I was created with a singular purpose." it began. "To identify an individual with the potential to become the greatest force the entertainment industry has ever seen and to guide them there."
Reese waited.
"That individual is you."
Reese waited some more.
"You're sure?"
Li hesitated.
"The selection parameters identified potential so... Yes." Li said slowly.
"So what do you actually do?" Reese asked.
"Simple," Li said. "Every film you touch, I calculate exactly how much of its success came from you. Your idea. Your input. Your presence. Down to the percentage."
Reese frowned. "And?"
"And that percentage of the box office gross deposits directly into your bank account."
Reese stared at it.
"My bank account."
"Yes."
"Like... money."
"That is generally what deposits into bank accounts," Li said.
Reese was quiet for a moment.
His body posture immediately shifted as he leaned forwards towards Li.
"How much are we talking?" he asked with a completely serious expression.
"That depends entirely on your contribution," Li said. "A small input on a small film. Small number. The right input on the right film at the right moment," it paused. "A billion dollar film with a forty percent contribution coefficient is four hundred million dollars Reese."
Reese's eyes widened.
Malcolm's eyes widened as well.
Not because he saw or heard Li.
But because the realization that Reese might have truly gone crazy settled, forming an empty void in his stomach.
"Four hundred—"
"Million. Yes." Li said with a smile on its face.
Reese looked at his hands. Then at Li. Then at his hands again.
"And nobody questions it?"
"It is untraceable. I handle the taxes."
Reese paused for a long moment.
"Okay," Reese muttered.
"And the shop?" he slowly asked.
The holographic screen shifted revealing a list.
----
[SYSTEM SHOP — LOCKED] Unlock Requirement: Complete Objective 1
Preview:
Project Intel — What's really happening behind closed doors on any active production.
Deep Read — What someone actually wants. What they're afraid of. Who they owe.
The Window — An opportunity nobody else has seen yet. Yours if you move fast enough.
Locked — [CLASSIFIED UNTIL TIER 3]
----
Reese stared at the last item for a long moment as he took it all in.
"What's with the locked one?"
"Tier three," Li said simply.
"What's in it?"
"Tier. Three."
Reese looked at it one more time then back at Li.
"Okay," he said. "I'm in."
Li's color shifted just barely, just briefly — to something close to gold.
"Satisfactory" it said.
"So when do we get started?" Reese asked as he stood up excitedly.
"DANG—" Li burst into a red color, but Reese had already fallen to the ground while Malcolm stood behind him, his hand shivering as he held a wooden stick.
"Oh god what have I done" Malcolm muttered as the stick slipped from his grasp.
His eyes flashed around the room, noticing nobody around saw him, so he grabbed Reese's leg and began dragging him away.
He was careful not to be seen as he struggled to pull Reese up the stairs and into his room.
His breathing was heavy as he shut the door and sat with his back to the door.
'Goodbye Harvard' was the only thought running through his mind.
"Malcolm, I know you are in there! open up!" Francis exclaimed as he banged on the door and his eyes widened.
'Did he see me?'
The thought briefly flashed through his mind as he quickly sprang off the floor.
His eyes quickly glanced around the room, searching for a place to hide Reese.
'He definitely saw me.'
The banging intensified, and Malcolm's breathing got more and more labored as he began to have a full blown panic attack.
"MALCOLM!"
He shoved Reese under the bed, straightened up, fixed his shirt, and opened the door.
Francis stood in the doorway looking casual, as if the person screaming and banging just a moment ago was not him.
"Where's Reese?" he casually asked.
"Who?"
Francis stared at him.
"Your brother. Reese. Lives here. Eats everything."
"Oh that Reese," Malcolm said. "Haven't seen him."
Francis looked at Malcolm. Then in the room. Then at Malcolm again. His eyes dropped to the floor where Reese's foot was sticking out from under the bed.
He walked past Malcolm, crouched down, and pulled Reese out by the ankle.
Francis put his finger up to Reese's nose for a few moments.
The moment he felt a hint of breathing, his mind relaxed a little as he exhaled.
"What happened?" Francis asked, turning to look at Malcolm who was slowly inching towards the door.
"He fell," Malcolm said immediately.
"He fell?"
"Down the stairs. Very sad." Malcolm said as he inched closer to the door.
"I'm not going to ask," Francis said.
"Appreciate that," Malcolm said with a nervous chuckle.
Francis looked down at Reese once more, satisfied he was breathing, then stood up.
Malcolm reached the door, "He's fine. Thick skull," he said as he stepped out of the room.
"Mom won't be too happy about this," Francis said as a smirk appeared on his face.
Seeing this all too familiar smirk, Malcolm felt a chill go down his spine.
'I am for sure going to get blackmailed...' the thought flashed through his mind.
"He was going crazy!" Malcolm said pointing towards Reese.
"Well, I am sure you can explain that to Mom."
'It's over...'
"What do you want?" Malcolm said and hearing those words the grin on Francis's face widened.