Page 83 of Crocodile Tears

“You’re risking the company’s future just as much if you don’t modernise.”

“Listen, Alex.” Noah leaned in, a grim expression on his face. “You’ll start at the bottom, work in all the departments, and you’ll learn this company inside out, the way I did. One day, if you work hard, I’ll give you a seat on the board and let you make suggestions, but until then, I suggest you bloody well shut up. Understood?”

“Of course.” Alex gave a sardonic salute. “You know, I feel at home here already.”

“Don’t give me any of your crap.” Noah gave him a withering look. “Now come with me, and I’ll show you around.”

“I have been here before…”

“Not as an employee,” Noah barked, striding towards the door.

The Lytton AV workers shot Alex little glances as his father led him on a tour of the factory and offices. He’d been here many times before, but not since the accident. Where once they’d smiled and waved at him, now they looked at him with hostility, and it hurt. He’d always felt at home here, but not anymore.

He tried to be interested in everything his father was saying, but he’d heard it all before. The only part of the operation that he cared about was the design studio, which Noah seemed to be leaving until last.

“And here is the boardroom.” Noah opened the door to a room containing an imposing black table surrounded by a dozen or so chairs. The walls were a clinical white, offset only by a row of neatly ordered old photographs. In one of them, Alex’s grandfather stood outside the brand-new Lytton AV office with his hand on the shoulder of an indentured servant. Both of them were beaming at the camera as they posed with the first Lytton Classic duck.

“Is that Will Tyler with Grandfather?” Alex studied the photographwith interest, remembering his conversation with George Tyler at his graduation.

“Yes,” his father said shortly.

Alex peered at the photo. “They look happy here – like they’re good friends.”

“They were – the best of friends. Dad didn’t exploit Will, regardless of what George Tyler says – he’s a liar. Now, come on – I still have a lot to show you.”

Taking Alex around the rest of the company, Noah introduced him to far too many people to remember. They even peered into the accounts office, where Neil was staring owlishly at a spreadsheet. Glancing up, he gave a little wave, which Alex ignored.

“You must also see Lytton Village – it’s an important part of who we are, as a company,” Noah said.

He took Alex to the housing estate next door, which boasted row upon row of tidy, well-kept apartment blocks that backed onto a large communal lawn.

“The younger, single indentured servants start out in the dormitories, and if they work hard, they earn the right to their own apartments, and then they can get married, if they so wish,” Noah said proudly. “We feed, clothe, and house our servants to the highest standard – they want for nothing. If they’re ill, our medical insurance ensures they receive the best possible care.” He spoke passionately, and Alex knew this was a cause close to his heart.

“We keep them safe here.” Noah waved a hand at the high gates surrounding the village. “Do you have any idea how many jobless, un-indentured people out there are the victims of violent crime? Of sickness, homelessness, and poverty?”

Alex shrugged. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Do you even read the news?” Noah snapped. “I know you have a good brain inside your head – have you never looked at the world around you and seen the terrible lives so many people lead? We can’t save them all, but we can bring as many as possible into the fold and take care of them here. If someone is prepared to work hard at Lytton AV, then we make sure they have a good life here. Their childrenreceive an excellent education, and we lay on social events and excursions for the entire village. Everyone here is happy.”

“Okay.” Alex glanced around. It looked nice enough. It was clean and tidy, and he could see a little bunch of children playing happily outside their nursery.

“Since the Rising, everything in this country is built on such fragile foundations,” Noah sighed. “I’m proud of what we’ve achieved at Lytton AV. That’s something you must continue when you take over, one day.”

He moved a step closer and spoke in an undertone. “I’ve heard reports… they’re suppressed, of course, to prevent unrest, but I’ve heard of rioting in the Quarterlands. The government is doing its best to clear those places out and persuade those that live there to leave and join the IS scheme, but we have to do our bit, too, Alex, or this country could end up like large areas of Europe – completely lawless, with scavengers running riot all over the place. I don’t think you realise how lucky we are, or how thin the divide is between civilisation and total anarchy. It could all fall apart in a heartbeat.”

“Do you really think that?” Alex asked, startled by his serious tone. “I mean, they’ve started building these floating cities now, and if they’re a success, then surely the land crisis will be solved soon?”

“We’ll see,” his father replied dourly. “I’m just trying to warn you – don’t take any of this for granted.” He waved his hand at the neat rows of apartments.

“We have to do our bit to keep things stable, to stop people from taking to the streets, to prevent them rising up and anarchy sweeping the land. That’s why we must treat our IS employees well, in addition to common human decency. Don’t ever forget that.”

Taking him back to the factory, Noah finally showed Alex the design studio. He’d spent hours here as a child, but now he noticed that the designers were all middle-aged, stolid-looking people. That probably explained why they never produced anything exciting or innovative.

“Could I start work in here?” he asked eagerly.

“No – you’ll start on the factory floor, like I did.”

“Look, I have ideas; I think I could impress you, if you let me.”

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