The New Hire: An Interlude
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immortalstoriesPart One
PART TWO
OOC: All characters are mine, except the following. The Lothbrok clan ("Vikings" property of Michael Hirst/History Channel) and Cassandra ("Highlander: The Series" property of Davis/Panzer Productions)
Three months later
Theo had settled in at the Ranch well. He got on well with the other men, and it hadn’t taken them long for them to see that while he was more laid back than Andy, he was just as serious about doing the best job possible for their boss.
He spent most of the day learning how the Ranch operated, getting to know the men, and about Hsu’s various operations across the world. The evenings were spent learning how to sword fight, but Hsu was rarely there to teach him or explain much more about Immortals. On the first evening he had given Theo a run down on the basic Rules and the Game, warning him that even though Hsu didn’t believe in the Game, plenty of others still did. Hsu had guests who agreed to train him, an entire family of Immortals and Vikings. It wasn’t that Hsu didn’t take an interest in his new employee, insisting on regular reports on his daytime training and watching on in the evenings. It was just that he firmly kept to his practice of not taking on an actual student.
Instead, Theo got to learn to use a sword against different opponents as on any one night he could face Bjorn Ironside, Sigurd, Lagertha, Floki, and even Ragnar Lothbrok himself. With trying a variety of swords as well, he got to experience a wide range of skills and weapons. A much more comprehensive education than most other young Immortals. He was a fast learner and could at least start to hold his own with a skill that a few months ago he never thought he would need. Once Theo reached a competent level, but who still needed a lot of more practice, he decided on his preferred sword, a cutlass.
Before he really got started on his training, and less than a week after he’d arrived, Hsu introduced Theo to most of the family. It was arranged that everyone should meet at the bank for a catered luncheon, and Hsu accompanied by both Theo and Andy arrived at noon precisely. Naturally, everyone else had been told to arrive earlier, so they were already gathered when Hsu and his top men walked in.
Without bothering with anything but the most perfunctory of greetings, Hsu got down to business. “I want to introduce you all to the man who will continue MacDonald’s work once he retires. Theo Garnon, and as you can sense, he is immortal too, so the intent is that he will be around for quite some time.” He gestured to a tall, slender woman with light brunette hair with grey blue eyes. “This is my mother, Cassandra Grant. We were separated for a very long time until a few decades ago when we found each other again. She has been invaluable with helping to raise my children.”
“Your mother?” Theo shook hands with the elegant woman, unable to get over that fact. It might have been easier if his head wasn’t still reeling from sensing so many immortals in one place.
Cassandra smiled. “Adoptive, of course, but Danmei has always been the dearest child to me out of many I’ve raised. Pleased to meet you, Theo, and welcome. I know we can all be quite daunting.”
“This is my son, Daniel and his lover, Benjamin Phillips.” Hsu continued as they moved along.
Theo shook hands with the two handsome young men, with a smile. He’d been told a little more about Hsu’s children since that first meeting, just as Hsu had told him more about himself and his past. That had not done Daniel justice. He was dressed casually, but he could see the outlines of a very muscular body. “Good to meet you.” He was straight, but Daniel was possibly the most handsome man he’d ever seen, and Benjamin wasn’t far behind. “I take it, from your dad, that you’re still at Uni?”
Dan suppressed a grin that Theo called Hsu his dad, not the much preferred father. That casualness appealed to him. Perhaps Theo would be a lot easier to deal with than Andy. “ Yeah, both Ben and I are in graduate school.”
Moving him along in order to finish the formal introductions, Hsu came to his daughter, who was accompanied by a tall, blond man. “And finally, my daughter Danika.” Although he left it unsaid, it was clear he meant he’d saved the best until last. Their relationship was still mending and those in the room who knew Hsu well, could tell he was treading lightly around her. “And Sigurd Ragnarsson, her lover.” There was the slightest of pauses between the last two words.
“And nice to meet you!” Theo shook her hand and then Sigurd’s, not realizing then that he would be sparring with him soon. She was as beautiful as her brother was handsome. Her eyes as blue as her father’s and her long, dark hair tied back into a neat ponytail. There was something in those eyes, a buried wound. Hsu had told him that she’d been kidnapped a couple of years ago but not much more than that. “And you ride horses, am i right?”
There was a bubble of brief, light laughter. “Yes, I own a stables and stud and compete in eventing competitions. Do you ride?”
Theo shook his head almost in horror. “Er, no. I prefer two wheels than four legs.”
Her groan made him chuckle. “You and Andy, both of you heathens! Men these days!” She grinned to make it clear she was teasing. After all, she and Daniel were of a comparable age to him. Even so, while Daniel was a good rider, he also preferred a steel horse to the real thing. For that matter, so did her much older boyfriend.
“Not many horses where I grew up, but maybe I’ll get a chance to learn.” He grinned back, and for the first time since accepting this job, felt pretty happy with his decision. It was easy to see why Hsu was so serious about security, and worried about his children, grown though they were. They really seemed like good people.
Hsu interrupted. “He’ll be busy learning everything else first. Both his job and how to fight other Immortals. But first lunch.” They all helped themselves to the array of finger foods provided and sat at the conference table, and the conversation was easy as Theo learned more about the Hsu family, and in turn they did about him. By the end, Hsu was satisfied that Garnon would indeed be a good fit as Security Chief for his family. The man was more easy-going than MacDonald, and far more than himself, and that would take some time to get used to, but by the way he was chatting so easily to the twins, he would get along with them well, and just perhaps they would chafe less with him than they did with MacDonald.
PART TWO
OOC: All characters are mine, except the following. The Lothbrok clan ("Vikings" property of Michael Hirst/History Channel) and Cassandra ("Highlander: The Series" property of Davis/Panzer Productions)
Three months later
Theo had settled in at the Ranch well. He got on well with the other men, and it hadn’t taken them long for them to see that while he was more laid back than Andy, he was just as serious about doing the best job possible for their boss.
He spent most of the day learning how the Ranch operated, getting to know the men, and about Hsu’s various operations across the world. The evenings were spent learning how to sword fight, but Hsu was rarely there to teach him or explain much more about Immortals. On the first evening he had given Theo a run down on the basic Rules and the Game, warning him that even though Hsu didn’t believe in the Game, plenty of others still did. Hsu had guests who agreed to train him, an entire family of Immortals and Vikings. It wasn’t that Hsu didn’t take an interest in his new employee, insisting on regular reports on his daytime training and watching on in the evenings. It was just that he firmly kept to his practice of not taking on an actual student.
Instead, Theo got to learn to use a sword against different opponents as on any one night he could face Bjorn Ironside, Sigurd, Lagertha, Floki, and even Ragnar Lothbrok himself. With trying a variety of swords as well, he got to experience a wide range of skills and weapons. A much more comprehensive education than most other young Immortals. He was a fast learner and could at least start to hold his own with a skill that a few months ago he never thought he would need. Once Theo reached a competent level, but who still needed a lot of more practice, he decided on his preferred sword, a cutlass.
Before he really got started on his training, and less than a week after he’d arrived, Hsu introduced Theo to most of the family. It was arranged that everyone should meet at the bank for a catered luncheon, and Hsu accompanied by both Theo and Andy arrived at noon precisely. Naturally, everyone else had been told to arrive earlier, so they were already gathered when Hsu and his top men walked in.
Without bothering with anything but the most perfunctory of greetings, Hsu got down to business. “I want to introduce you all to the man who will continue MacDonald’s work once he retires. Theo Garnon, and as you can sense, he is immortal too, so the intent is that he will be around for quite some time.” He gestured to a tall, slender woman with light brunette hair with grey blue eyes. “This is my mother, Cassandra Grant. We were separated for a very long time until a few decades ago when we found each other again. She has been invaluable with helping to raise my children.”
“Your mother?” Theo shook hands with the elegant woman, unable to get over that fact. It might have been easier if his head wasn’t still reeling from sensing so many immortals in one place.
Cassandra smiled. “Adoptive, of course, but Danmei has always been the dearest child to me out of many I’ve raised. Pleased to meet you, Theo, and welcome. I know we can all be quite daunting.”
“This is my son, Daniel and his lover, Benjamin Phillips.” Hsu continued as they moved along.
Theo shook hands with the two handsome young men, with a smile. He’d been told a little more about Hsu’s children since that first meeting, just as Hsu had told him more about himself and his past. That had not done Daniel justice. He was dressed casually, but he could see the outlines of a very muscular body. “Good to meet you.” He was straight, but Daniel was possibly the most handsome man he’d ever seen, and Benjamin wasn’t far behind. “I take it, from your dad, that you’re still at Uni?”
Dan suppressed a grin that Theo called Hsu his dad, not the much preferred father. That casualness appealed to him. Perhaps Theo would be a lot easier to deal with than Andy. “ Yeah, both Ben and I are in graduate school.”
Moving him along in order to finish the formal introductions, Hsu came to his daughter, who was accompanied by a tall, blond man. “And finally, my daughter Danika.” Although he left it unsaid, it was clear he meant he’d saved the best until last. Their relationship was still mending and those in the room who knew Hsu well, could tell he was treading lightly around her. “And Sigurd Ragnarsson, her lover.” There was the slightest of pauses between the last two words.
“And nice to meet you!” Theo shook her hand and then Sigurd’s, not realizing then that he would be sparring with him soon. She was as beautiful as her brother was handsome. Her eyes as blue as her father’s and her long, dark hair tied back into a neat ponytail. There was something in those eyes, a buried wound. Hsu had told him that she’d been kidnapped a couple of years ago but not much more than that. “And you ride horses, am i right?”
There was a bubble of brief, light laughter. “Yes, I own a stables and stud and compete in eventing competitions. Do you ride?”
Theo shook his head almost in horror. “Er, no. I prefer two wheels than four legs.”
Her groan made him chuckle. “You and Andy, both of you heathens! Men these days!” She grinned to make it clear she was teasing. After all, she and Daniel were of a comparable age to him. Even so, while Daniel was a good rider, he also preferred a steel horse to the real thing. For that matter, so did her much older boyfriend.
“Not many horses where I grew up, but maybe I’ll get a chance to learn.” He grinned back, and for the first time since accepting this job, felt pretty happy with his decision. It was easy to see why Hsu was so serious about security, and worried about his children, grown though they were. They really seemed like good people.
Hsu interrupted. “He’ll be busy learning everything else first. Both his job and how to fight other Immortals. But first lunch.” They all helped themselves to the array of finger foods provided and sat at the conference table, and the conversation was easy as Theo learned more about the Hsu family, and in turn they did about him. By the end, Hsu was satisfied that Garnon would indeed be a good fit as Security Chief for his family. The man was more easy-going than MacDonald, and far more than himself, and that would take some time to get used to, but by the way he was chatting so easily to the twins, he would get along with them well, and just perhaps they would chafe less with him than they did with MacDonald.
An Interlude [Final Part]
Date: 2018-06-19 06:57 pm (UTC)He also learned from things told to him or snippets that he heard and could put together, that his daughter’s kidnapping had caused Hsu to reevaluate much of his business and investments. The driving force of that was that despite being an extremely wealthy man, so much of that wealth was tied up, took time liquidate, which he just couldn’t do to if he was to pay any cash demand for ransom. Given what he already knew of his new boss, Theo didn’t think he was the type of man to give in to a kidnapper’s demands and revenge himself on them.
“The priority was to get Danika safe.” Andy explained to him over a working lunch when Theo brought the topic up. “If that meant paying up, the Boss was prepared to do it, if he’d had the liquid cash. After she was back with us, that’s when he would have gone after and slaughtered those responsible for taking her. As he didn’t have the cash -- and who does have five billion dollars in cash just lying around? -- we had to plan to free Danika and take out the bad guys at the same time.”
So Andy told him that Hsu had liquidated or reallocated a good amount of his personal wealth, selling off his collection of high-performance cars. “I think the only one that he had a hard time parting with was the Bugatti Chiron.” Theo whistled, impressed. That car was worth a cool two and a half million dollars alone. Andy continued. “He kept the Veyron as it was one of the first off the line and a favourite of his. A real collector’s piece now.” And nearly priceless as it cost well over a million dollars in the twenty years since it was made. “He hardly ever drove most of them anyway. Then back when the twins were teenagers, he bought an island just off the coast of Grenada for them to enjoy in private, he’s sold that now. And the one sale that really hurt him even more than the Chiron washis yacht, ‘The Edelweiss’, and he’d owned that since I first joined the organization. Other than that, he’s sold a lot of his real estate and other business interests he had a stake in. Of course, the bank and his Asian and Colombian businesses are still going strong. And he has expanded other stuff, like he’s bought three more planes now the twins are doing their own stuff now, another chopper, and he’s got more men on protection duty.” Andy shrugged. “Though that’s a bit of a waste as Danika tends to eschew them in all but a few occasions.”
“Yeah, I noticed that.” Theo nodded as he took a bite of his cheese and pickle sandwich. “I was surprised the Boss is okay with that, but I suppose with her and Sigurd together most of the time, it’s like she has a bodyguard. And Legrand and the other guys at the stud are there as well.” Danika’s stud manager and grooms were all hired and trained by Hsu.
“Dani didn’t give him much of a choice, but yeah it sits better with him that Sigurd’s there, and when he’s not, she’s usually hanging out with Danny, so his detail watches out for her.” Andy gulped down a mouthful of coffee. “And honestly, don’t tell the Boss, but I would put her up against any of our guys and have my money on her, too.” At Theo’s puzzled look, Andy explained. “After she came back from the Lothbrok’s, where she trained with them as well, she was determined to be able to be able not only to defend herself but fight back and win. You should see her in action.” He chuckled. “I’m sure she’d spar with you if you ask.”
Was it wrong that to Theo’s ears that sounded totally hot? With a silent sigh, he privately agreed that it was wrong indeed, and more importantly not something he should admit out loud. “Uhm, perhaps one day.” Andy’s answering grin didn’t make him feel much better.
“Anyway, back to the restructuring.” It was a working lunch after all. “Hsu’s also sold some of his real estate.” Including some property in San Francisco that he’d owned since the gold rush and the North Star estate on Long Island. Even though he had Danika and that property still stood rather than being razed to the ground as he had done Before, Hsu had always carried the memories of beheading his baby daughter and had never returned there or rented out what was an otherwise hot property. It was past time he got rid of it, so after retrieving the stone bench where he had killed his Before Danika and bringing it to Switzerland, the estate went on the market and sold within days for a sizable profit.
Theo nodded along. “So, really he just has the Ranch, the penthouse in Zurich, and that chateau I’ve heard about in the south of France?”
“Yeah, he still has a few scattered properties, but none of them hold that much monetary value and he has his own reasons for keeping them. The Chateau de Revel he’s owned for centuries, the place is basically a museum with all the stuff he’s collected.” With their lunch winding down, it was time to turn back once again to going over the perimeter security measures for the Ranch.
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