A BGC shortfic by Jeanne Hedge
(stupid writer tricks at the end)
* * *
The old woman and the little girl made an attractive picture,
huddled together as they were over a worn and dented storage case
brought down from the attic of the family home. They bore a strong
family resemblance.
"Grandmama, what's this?"
"I don't know, honey. Let me see," her great-grandmother
replied, reaching for the dog-eared magazine the youngster at her side had
removed from the chest. The silver-haired woman paged swiftly through
the volume, coming to a sudden stop about a third of the way though.
"Well, I'll be..." she muttered under her breath.
"What _is_ it, Grandmama?" the little one at her side repeated,
trying to climb into the lap of her family matriarch.
"Well, Ingrid, it's a magazine interview that I gave a long time
ago," she answered slowly, eyes scanning the pages of the interview.
"Oh, cool!" the girl enthused. "Read it to me, please?"
"You should be able to read it for yourself. Aren't you learning
English in that school of yours?" the woman replied, all the while settling
her great-granddaughter more comfortably in her lap.
"Aw, Grandmama, I just started and it's so _hard!_ Why can't
everybody speak easy languages, like Swedish or Japanese?"
"You should ask your mother or father to help you, then." At the
downcast look on the child's face, she relented. "All right. Here's what
it says--"
"Read it in Swedish, Grandmama," the girl ordered.
"I'll do no such thing, Ingrid Olafsson. You need the practice,
so I'll read it in English. Now then. It says....."
* * *
Music-Media / September 2080
42
In this issue, "Music-Media's 10 Questions" are answered by
one of the music industry's most surprising success stories of the century.
Thirty-five years ago, a little known singer in MegaTokyo purchased an
abandoned garage and converted it into a recording studio. From those
humble beginnings, AI Unlimited has grown into a highly diversified
multinational entertainment conglomerate, with annual earnings
surpassing the GNP of some countries.
The driving force behind this phenomenal achievement lies
within one woman. It was her over-riding vision that led to AI's place as
one of the top five corporate giants in the world today. Now approaching
seventy, Priscilla Asagiri-Olafsson, President, CEO, and Chairman of the
Board of AI Unlimited, recently announced she will be stepping away
from the day-to-day operation of AI at the end of the year. Never one to
talk publicly about her private life, she nevertheless agreed to this
interview about her life and the founding of AI, her first interview of any
kind in fifteen years.
10 QUESTIONS
an interview with Priscilla Asagiri-Olafsson
Music-Media's Peter Fontana recently met with Ms. Asagiri-
Olafsson at her modest, almost spartan, apartment in the hills overlooking
Tokyo Bay. A child of the apocalyptic streets of MegaTokyo in the 20's,
turned multi-media mogul of the 80's, she is also well-known for her
continuing support of charitable organizations, such as her own
foundation for the rights of children, Shining Knights.
After an exchange of greetings, Ms. Asagiri was asked what it
was like growing up in MegaTokyo in the years after the Second Great
Kanto Earthquake (2025).
PA: It was pretty bad. I lost my entire family in that quake. Well, I
wasn't the only one, thousands of kids were orphaned that day. The city
was almost flattened. What I remember most was how hard it was to
breathe. All the smoke from the fires, and all the dust and other things in
the air from building collapses. Of course, the city government was gone,
and things were just too overwhelming for the police or fire departments
to cope. Assuming they had anything left to do their jobs with. By the
time the national government got help in, the gangs had almost taken
over. Total chaos. It was years before the police were able to put the
gangs under some sort of control. (pause) Of course, that's all said with
the benefit of hindsight. All I knew at the time was that I wanted my
parents and couldn't have them.
PF: And this terrible experience led you into music?
PA: Like most of the kids, I ended up in a _very_ overcrowded
orphanage. At first there were so many of us, and so little in the way of
facilities, that we lived in tent camps. Each group of tents had a
counselor of sorts assigned to it, one person for about thirty of us. The
counselors were responsible for us, seeing that we stayed out of trouble
and didn't get in the way while recovery was going on.
At first, all of us were so shell-shocked that we just sat around
all day and did nothing but cry. After some time, we started getting into
fights with each other. Can you imagine, thousands of kids going through
all this grief, and no constructive outlet for any of it? Now, can you
imagine an entire _city_ doing the same? They were very edgy times.
Anyway, the counselor for my group came in with the relief
force, and she brought a guitar with her. Whenever she wasn't chasing us
down for one thing or another, she would sit outside her tent and play.
I'd learned to play the piano a little, because my mother wanted me to,
but I'd never known anybody who could play the guitar. I was
fascinated, and she knew so many songs.... Whenever she found the time
to play, I was right there. I guess she became my idol, because I just
followed her around and tried to do things for her. Then one day she
showed me how to play a couple chords, and then a simple song, and I
was hooked.
PF: So how does a twelve year old guitar newbie become an eighteen
year old retrothrasher?
PA: Practice. (laughs) One thing about an orphanage: you mix with kids
with upbringings just _slightly_ different from your own. My parents had
liked traditional music. The kids I hung with were into more modern
sounds. One kid got me interested in the metal bands and grunge bands
from back in the last century.
Once I left the orphanage I got involved with a group of people
who were into thrash, and they helped me put a band together, and I
started trying my hand at a bit of songwriting. We were pretty successful
on the club circuit, and came close to signing a couple times, but...
(shrugs)
PF: Stories say Priss and the Replicants were never signed because of
political reasons.
PA: Actually, we _were_ signed at one point, but the company wasn't
really serious about it and it ended up leading to the Reps break-up.
As for politics, I _was_ pretty outspoken on some things in my
younger days. And there were rumors at the time that we were being
actively blackballed by a conglomerate because of my opinions. This
was a different company from the one that eventually signed and dumped
us, by the way. Anyway, at first we didn't care about the blackballing.
Later, though, it caused some problems in the band, and we lost quite a
few people. Who wants to play when it's strictly dead-end?
PF: Did you ever find out who was doing this and why?
PA: Yes. (pauses) Next question.
PF: (pause) All right. You were seriously injured during the last major
boomer rampage of the 2040's. Being injured by a boomer must have
been quite a shock to you.
PA: Well, that was the chance you took living in MegaTokyo in those
days. The only reason I survived was that I was with friends who were
able to keep the shock and blood loss under control until I could be taken
to proper medical attention. A couple of my other friends were killed that
night, so I think I came out of it all right.
PF: You broke up your band and founded AI within months of your
injury. Were the three related?
PA: Yes, but not quite how you might think.
We'd been talking about permanently breaking up Paper
Unicorn for several months. It was pretty obvious we weren't going to
get anywhere either, and I wanted to try some new things by then. I'd
been testing the waters a little as a solo for a few years as well, and had
gotten some nibbles, including an ill-conceived attempt to turn me into an
idol singer shortly after the Priss and the Replicants broke up back in
'34... (laughs) ...but nothing ever really came of it.
When my legs were amputated, I had a long period of
rehabilitation ahead so I could learn how to get along with the prosthetics.
Since I wouldn't be able to perform for a few months, we decided that it
was as good a time as any to go our separate ways. The guys in Unicorn
picked up a new singer and kept at it, and after I got AI going they were
one of the first groups we signed. They did quite well for us too.
So here I was, trying to decide what I wanted to do with myself.
One of the things I had been considering was trying to start my own label
to record on. I had some money stashed away, and had some friends who
were willing to make a risky investment. Another friend was retiring, and
sold me his automotive repair garage as a place to set up shop. After
some pretty major renovations to the facility, AI was in business.
PF: What was the make-or-break event for AI?
PA: We'd been doing OK, getting by as a small label for a few years.
We had several new artists in the catalog, but nobody who had really
broken through. A couple of majors were sniffing around, thinking of us
as a target for acquisition, and I was considering taking the first
reasonable offer made.
One day, word came from San Francisco that Vision wanted to
talk with us. She'd been making films for a few years and had let her
recording career go to concentrate on that. But she'd decided it was time
to try to make a comeback.
This was a make or break deal for us, so two of our Directors
flew over to try to work something out. One had been a friend of Vision's
family for several years, and the other had had some... informal business
dealings with Vision's family in the past.
Two corporate Directors to perform simple negotiations may
have been a bit of overkill, but we felt that we needed to show some
measure of respect for what she was trying to do for us. It worked out
well too. A week later, we had Vision under contract, and managed to
help her revitalize her career. The work we did with her made our
reputation in the industry, and we never looked back.
The only downside to this was the plane our representatives were
returning on crashed in the Pacific. There were no survivors. The
company managed to recover from the loss eventually, but those of us
who knew them as friends still miss them.
PF: What will you be doing after your retirement?
PA: Oh, I'm not retiring, just cutting back a little. Poul and I will be
going back to Sweden for a while, and then we have other plans. (smiles)
And we'd both like more time to enjoy our grandchildren while they are
young. Our oldest son, L.D., will be taking over as President and CEO of
AI, but I'm staying on as Chairman of the Board. And I'm not
relinquishing any of my other corporate responsibilities, so I'll still be
around.
PF: In conclusion, I'd like to ask a simple question. What do you
consider to be the most important thing to happen to you in your life?
PA: (pauses)
* * *
*Oh, man...* the old woman mused, not giving her great-
granddaughter any sign of discomfort, *I remember that little prick
wasted my time asking about stuff that'd been talked about and written
about and had films made about, and all of a sudden he had to ask about
_that_? It's not like he knew the truth, but still...
*The most important thing that ever happened to me, and, like
then, I can't talk about it to anyone. Well, not exactly true, Nene's still
around. Then again, she wasn't there.
*The most important thing....
*I wonder what would have happened if Sylia hadn't run me off
the road that night? If I'd pulled my gun instead of that knife? If I'd
taken a different road toward Genom Tower? How long _had_ she been
watching me, anyway? It couldn't have been all that long, but she never
said, just gave me one of those looks that made me feel about 3 years old
whenever I asked.
*Linna got the same deal. She was just _there_ when Linna was
at a really low point, made an offer, and Linna grabbed at it. Nene is the
only one who really knows about her situation, but then again, Nene
answered a 'want-ad.' Of course, who knows how many other people
replied to that ad and got rejected. I wonder what happened to them?
*It's kind of funny, though. The first time I saw Vision's "Say
Yes" video I was sure someone had been talking. It was almost like what
happened to me, and Linna had been close to Reika's sister.... what was
her name? Arlene?
*_He'd_ just died, and the cops were blowing it off. Funny, how
the cop at the scene ended up as a fanboy of mine and a major thorn in the
side. Still, we both knew how to play the game, and we had some good
times. Poor Leon... what a way to go. Did they ever find all the pieces?
*The cops... I always wondered how much you have to pay to
get them to cover up an obvious murder case like that. Genom sure had
enough to take care of that though, probably out of Mason's pocket
change.
*I guess I had a death wish back then; I sure wouldn't have
survived what I planned. I probably wouldn't have gotten past the first
security checkpoint. When I saw that red Benz pull up behind me I
thought it was _them_. When I ran.... Who knew a four-wheel street
machine could move that fast.
*That thing rode up on my ass, and I lost it. No excuse... I
shouldn't have. I guess I had other things on my mind.
*I laid it over pretty neatly, and thank God the Benz didn't run
me over. And I hear the wing hatch pops open, but I can't see anything
because of the headlights in my eyes. And when I _do_ see something,
it's this fashion model coming toward me from the driver's side.
*And then she stops, and smirks at me, and... well... I just
reacted. She never blamed me for doing it. She never even said anything
about it ever again. She just did _something_, and next I knew I was face
down on the hood of the Benz, and she's got my knife, my gun, _and_ my
holdout. And then she asks if I'm OK, says I'm not going to get away
with it, and asks if I would go with her for some coffee.
*_Jesus_, Sylia could be so naive about some things, and tough
as nails about other stuff. I could have had her seven ways from Sunday
then. I still have no idea why I went with her. Maybe I just wanted my
stuff back. Maybe I was hurting too much from the wreck, and needed a
ride. Maybe her entire attitude made me curious. She seemed to know
what I was up to, and I needed to find out about that. I needed to find out
who she was with, and how she knew.
*And later, she made this unbelievable offer... I thought she was
nuts. But if she came through on her promise to help me get my pound of
flesh, I could use her and then get rid of her. I've no idea why she trusted
me, that I wouldn't pull something. I never realized I'd still be doing
field work for her fourteen years later.
*Maybe Sylia wasn't so naive about it as I thought. She sure
took me in. In more ways than one.
*God, I miss her.*
* * *
PA: (pauses) The most important? Why, my family, of course.
PF: Thank you for your time, and for consenting to this interview.
PA: You're very welcome.
* * *
The sudden silence was broken by a child's voice. "Is that the
end, Grandmama?"
"That's all there is, sweetie," she replied, looking into the child's
face, into her brown eyes with reddish highlights, just like her own.
"What does it mean, 'enjoy your grandchildren?'" Ingrid asked.
"Do you enjoy me? I'm a grandchildren!"
"No, little one," Priss answered, cuddling the little girl close.
"You're a GREAT grandchild. And I enjoy you very, _very_ much."
* * *
Stupid writer tricks (don't say I didn't warn you):
Well, that's it. Not quite your usual BGC fic, is it? I'm rather happy to
say that in my 3 BGC-universe fics, all featuring one or more members of the
Knight Sabers, I've yet to have an appearance by a boomer, yet to have an
appearance by Leon McNichol :p, and have only had the hardsuits out of
storage once (and not for your typical BGC fight). I guess I'm just more
interested in the character aspect of things than some of the other things
in that universe.
Why did I write this? Well, for some reason people who write BGC fics have
this tendency to do really terrible things to Priss. I'm as guilty as
anyone else, for that matter - I'm the one who had her almost assassinated
by a deranged fan while performing at Hot Legs, remember? Even in this one
I've amputated her legs (I guess I really must have it in for Priss <g>).
But I digress....
As I was saying, people like to do terrible things to Priss, quite often
resulting in her demise. Well, I wondered what would Priss be like if she
not only survived her years as a Knight Saber, but ended up married and with
great grandchildren. (Paraphrasing one of my favorite authors, describing
some of her characters making a cameo appearance in another series set 60-70
years later: Priss is one *old* broad in the framing story. Yeesh, she's a
grandmother already when the interview takes place.)
Hopefully, I've managed to keep the 67 year old Priscilla
Asagiri(-Olafsson), and the 90something version as well, somewhat in character.
Hopefully too, the spacing on this came out ok for all the various e-mail
readers in use on this mailing list ;)
So please, let me know what you think. As always, C+C, public or private,
is welcome. :)
Jeanne Hedge
http://www.accsyst.com/jhedge/
* * *
"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm."
-- Vince Lombardi (1913 - 1970)