Mad Worlds Collide Read Online Free PDF

promised, but now the fun was gone.  Someone had pulled off Santa’s beard and nothing Santa could say would put it on straight again.
    Robert was one of a handful who had Gill’s Global Positioning System Pager (GPSP) code. Robert could pinpoint Gill to within 5 meters anywhere in the world and page him for emergencies, anytime.
    That afternoon Robert sent the emergency page. Gill replied shortly: " OK-MO-2:30-10 min," which meantOK, Meet me at My Office at 2:30, you have 10 minutes of my time.   
    Robert walked in circles around the MicroIntel Campus mulling over options.  Keep it simple, he thought.  Don’t let him talk you into working anything. And don’t go to Japan.  You’ll never get back.
    Robert paced, repeating his lines.  As he passed a recently planted flowerbed of purple tulips, he envisioned a wonderful vineyard of succulent purple grapes in a sunny California valley. He saw oak barrels holding his special Davichi Wine label. The picture vaporized as Robert entered into Gill’s office suite.  He smiled at Gill’s personal secretary, Betty,a blonde dressed in cheap designer clothes.
    "I have a 2:30 with Gill," said Robert.
    "I know, he’s been waiting—please go in," said Betty, not looking up from her computer.
    Robert opened the overly large redwood doors. Gill stood, gazing out a window overlooking the wooded MicroIntel Campus. He turned as Robert entered.
    "Hi Rob.  Take a seat, and before you say anything please hear me out." "I’m listening."  Robert sat on a black leather couch, and picked up a chocolate from a tray.
    "First---you did a killer job with AD.  Man did we get some press coverage!   We’re hot!"
    A large black crow landed in a tree near the window. The bird stared at Gill.  Gill stared back.  It shit, and Gill watched the excrement drop to the ground, missing an employee by a foot or so.
    Gill frowned. "Gotta get rid of these damn birds, all they do is shit.  Anyhow, when Japan goes online and we prove it works, the Pentagon and US will install it too.  But first, and please don’t forget this Rob, first  Japan has got to go smooooothly.  Got it?  Smoooooothly."
    Robert puckered up his lips after swallowing the chocolate.  "It’s not going smoooothly, no not smoooothly, because you guys did some fucked up shit while I was on vacation. You sent over the Big Blue plans without my permission."
    "Oh come on Rob, we’re buddies, right?"
    "Yeah we’re buddies but I’m fucking burnt.  I’m not going to go this time."
    "Now Robert…it’s not that bad.  You just came back from a two-week vacation."
    "First time in four years," Robert sat up straight, "and every time I go, the
    company does fucked up shit.  I can’t even leave for a long weekend."
    "We need you to go.  We’re fucked without you.  Just one last time."
    "I am not going." 
    "Robert, we’ve been pals for twenty years. The board would vote to fire you.  They need this."
    Robert raised his eyebrows. "No they don’t--- you do. And it doesn’t really matter, I’m going to quit MicroIntel anyhow and start a vineyard and make wine."
    "You’re going to what?"
    "You heard, I want to quit, like leave, do something different.  It happens all the time for most folks at MicroIntel."
    Gill looked stupefied.  "Jeez, I didn’t know it was that bad!"
    "It’s that bad. You keep selling shit to people that I have to fix, and this time you sent Tokyo the AD plans without my knowledge.  You even sent the Big Blue server too!"
    "You were away on vacation, and I made this deal with HeiwaZuki I had to keep things moving."
    "HeiwaZuki? Who the hell is that? That’s a park name. Never heard of him at MicroIntel Japan."
    "He’s their emperor.  Didn’t you read the news?"
     
    The news report that Robert had not read said Japanese Emperor HeiwaZuki had signed a countrywide software license. By the stroke of an aging Emperor’s pen, all software on the Japan Net was to be from MicroIntel.  Translated