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mercifully, the thousands of gallons of flammable diesel fuel that fed the ship's huge engines erupted into a fireball.
    The Azure Dragon was blown to bits.

CHAPTER 5
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE PORTLY

    May 13, 1998, 11:58 A.M.
The newsroom, INN headquarters
Tokyo, Japan

    All dressed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.
    That's exactly how Brian Shimura felt as he stepped out of the elevator and onto the twentieth floor, where INN's suite of executive offices were located. He took another deep breath as the doors closed behind him. Brian found himself alone in a tastefully decorated waiting area.
    The day had not begun auspiciously.
    Nick woke him up in time for a quick shower and shave. Then Brian, clad in his best suit, waited for half an hour, until Nick finished dressing. Brian was stunned when his roommate emerged from his bedroom in blue jeans, a faded shirt, and a blue blazer with matching tie. "Don't worry, Brian, things are pretty relaxed once you've made an impression," Nick informed him.
    Then Nick led Brian to the staff cafeteria, where he gobbled up a hearty meal. Brian, his stomach in knots, fingered his fruit salad.
    "Nervous about meeting Boss Gaijin?" Nick asked.
    "A little," Brian confessed.
    Nick nodded sagely. "Just remember that Superman has his Perry White, Spider-Man has his J. Jonah Jameson, and we've got Everett P. Endicott the Turd - er, Third!" Nick said. "My advice to you is the same I offer to every other rookie who's wet behind the ears! Suck up, defer to Endicott's infinite wisdom, and don't talk back. Do all of those things, and you'll be just fine."
    Brian shook his head dubiously.
    "Look, there's really not much the guy can do to you," Nick said. "The worst he can dish out is a week in the mailroom, then a stint as a fact- checker... and he won't do that to an up-front guy like yourself!" Nick slapped him on the back. "You're in like Flynn, my man."
    After breakfast, Nick led Brian to the personnel office and dumped him there.
    "I'll meet you in the newsroom at eleven-thirty," Nick promised. "You might be done with your paperwork by then. Have fun!"
    Nick trotted off just as a smiling Japanese woman handed Brian a huge folder. "Please fill these out, and I will bring you the rest," she said.
    Two and a half hours later, Brian found the newsroom. The room itself was a maze of cubicles. Most of the desks had computer stations tied to a central information bank. There were dozens of men and woman busily processing bits of information. These items would be used as fodder for INN's hundreds of radio and television outlets worldwide.
    A leather-faced Japanese man wearing a white shirt and a stained tie touched Brian's shoulder. He pointed to a cubicle in the far corner. "Sit there!" he said, then hurried off.
    Brian sat down in front of a desk, a computer terminal, and a telephone. Otherwise, the cubicle was barren. Brian eyed the beige plastic partitions warily. His claustrophobia mounted.
    "Knock, knock!" Nick announced, peeking around the edge of the partition.
    "Hey." Brian said with a wave of his hand.
    "Almost time to meet Boss Gaijin, eh?" Nick asked.
    "I'm afraid I'm gonna call him Boss Gaijin instead of Mr. Endicott," Brian said weakly.
    "Don't worry so much!" Nick replied. "You're here now. He can't send you back home. You'll be fine."
    Brian nodded. Nick was trying to comfort him, but his words had the opposite effect. "Hey, I have to talk to Boss Gaijin - I mean, Mr. Endicott - too. But you better meet him first - seeing me always puts him in a foul mood."
    Just then the phone buzzed. Brian lifted the receiver. "Mr. Endicott will see you now," a woman's voice said on the other end of the line.
    Brian rose, took a deep breath, and turned to Nick. "Wish me luck," he said.
    Nick smiled as he straightened Brian's tie. "Break a leg," Nick said. "Preferably his ." They headed to the bank of elevators together. Nick waited with Brian.
    "I'm going to find Yoshi," Nick announced. "He's the best