Waking up to a blue horizon (Sal)

After having recovered after his intense battle with the soul reaper, Zamoreus had quickly returned to the hectic pace of his life before the incident, the short burst of healthiness in his body being washed away in a stream of work, stress and a to certain others a disturbing amount of contempt in his view regarding any personal weaknesses. One thing in particular had been made incredibly clear by his return to service, this company could not operate without him, it was both disappointing and uplifting at the same time and left an even greater level of motivation for him to do his work. His return became clear enough so quickly after it had begun, the company's sales going upwards after merely a week after having undergone a drop through the entire time he had been absent, if he wanted to go deeper into spiritual affairs he knew he had to find capable people to take care of things for him rather then the incompetent idiots he apparently had left in charge of his company. Although Zamoreus had been working almost every hour, he still ensured to take time as of late to investigate all the numerous rumours circling throughout his particular circles, having been left utterly suspicious ever since his encounter with the organization known as BWF, having sought to see what people exactly had crossed him in such a manner yet he was left with nothing on the matter but more smoke and mist. What he had found however was another, less mysterious organization that still felt off to him for reasons he could not really explain, a company called the Blue Horizon Corps. For the moment however, Zamoreus was hardly worried about dark rumours, having one of those rare moments where he would be able to relax, working alone at night in the massive tower of glass and steel that formed the heart of his wealth.

The Command team were currently seated in the briefing room of the Submarine Damocles, Commander Decker has only recently received a top priority communication from their mysterious overlord the Benefactor. The run down had been boring thus far, giving a character profile of the high rolling CEO of a company called Nebulous.

"We were watching them decades before this," He flicked over a page on the chart. "Zamoreus Nebulous took over."

"Why would you be watching a private company?" Sal asked, obviously missing the point some where along the line.

"Mankind has been on the verge of busting through to the next stage of technological evolution for over Eighty Years. Do you know what would happen if some private R&D division attached some weapons manufacturer came up with a working Spirit Particle Drive?" Devlin Garik responded, his English accent clashing with the majority American around them.

Sal didn't answer, he knew all right. They wouldn't apply it to sustainable energy, or clean cars, no they'd make it go boom and then they could kiss the planet goodbye.

"Its part of our mandate to keep tabs on those that are on the right path." Garik added.

"Smart Man," Decker said, continuing his briefing. Sal hated any description that began with those words, smart men often found the most ingenious ways to be a pain in his ass. "This Zamoreus. More so than his father, he's pushed the boundaries of his Research further than anyone we've came across."

The Commander turned to the viewing screen, the blueish holographic projection showed a picture of Zamoreus and then flicked to a spinning suit, mechanical by the looks of it.

"This is when our attentions really peaked. This suit, is the closest thing we've seen to our own T.E.S armour. It utilizes similar features but so far it appears to be a prototype and our informants indicate that he hasn't gone into production." Sal watched intently now, a Human without the aid of Seireitei had come up with that. The wheels began to turn when the hologram shifted to what he could only describe as a Mechanical snake.

"Here we have the Nebulous Interactive Universal System. This a genuine Artificial Intelligence and because those brainboxes down at Nebulous were too busy splicing cow DNA with rats to watch a Sci-Fi movie they never once stopped and thought about it going rogue." Decker cursed.

"I know I'm still quite new to all this...but where exactly is this going?" Sal asked.

"He's light years ahead of his time. If he decides to weaponize his armor and stick a machine in the drivers seat, what do to think will happen? We're already fighting a war on two fronts here, we don't need god damn machines coming at us." Decker tossed a manila file across the table to Sal.

"We've already bought 30% of his company under various names, he owns the rest. We are left with two choices, bring him on side or terminate him." The words hung in the air heavily as they considered the latter implications. Killed because you were ahead of your time, it wasn't exactly grounds for murder.

"The former would be beneficial, the Benefactor has urged you to do your utmost to secure his cooperation. With the rebellion brewing and our numbers in tatters after that last dust off, we're in dire need of a cash flow injection and also some facilities."

"I'll do what i can..." Sal said and left the briefing room. A transport awaited him in the hanger, prepped to take him to New York. The flight was boring, mundane even, but Blue Horizon didn't scrimp on details and so Sal devoured everything he could about the man and his company.

They arrived in good time and Sal soon found himself at the base of dark monolith that was Nebulous Head Quarters. He reached into his pocket and retrieving his phone dialled the extension number Decker had provided. If the man was in his office, which according to his profile he usually was, then they'd be chatting soon.

The phone began to ring...

Surprise caught him as Zamoreus heard his actual phone ringing, he had forgotten that due to the late hour his secretary would not be in and any calls would be directed to him instantly, not something he had needed for quite some time but now that he experienced it he was uncertain of why he avoided it so, it seemed far more convenient to decide himself whether he wanted the call or not since after all he would be able to make the decision faster then any secretary could. Considering this entire matter had taken a little time before he finally realized the phone was still ringing, clamouring for his attention before he finally answered it, a simple press of a button.

"This is Nebulous. Both the company and the man. May I ask who it might be that would be calling me at this hour?" It was quite a curiosity really, he worked during these hours almost everyday yet never had he been called during them, the fact that one would left him uneasy, especially after the BWF incident.

Sal hated waiting. The phone rang and rang...and eventually he was about ready to just cut the front of the building away and yell 'Answer your fucking phone!' when a voice answered abruptly.

"Sal Norongachi, Blue Horizon Corporation. Sorry about the late hour but we need to have a chat." Sal said just as quick and just as smooth and then he heard a faint crackle in his ear piece. The building security had been hacked and disabled by the Red Dawn Techs.

He pushed open the large glass door and approached the elevator. "I'll be up in a few minutes. See you soon." With that he hung up and entered the elevator, the dark black jacket clung to a white shirt. This was about as respectable as Norongachi could get. He hummed along to elevator music as it ascended and then he stepped off the lift as it approached Zamoreus' floor and with memories of the building plan moved down the corridor and gave the office door a triple sharp knock.

Within the mere second of time it took for the caller to respond Zamoreus was already tensed up by what he had heard, blue horizon, a company that he merely hours before had contemplated over having given him an eerie feeling similar to what he had experienced from the certain other economic space intruder. He was unable to even properly respond before he was told that the man was coming up, checking the terminals he saw that the entire system had been opened for whoever was coming up to see him. There was little he could do by now, he would have to face whatever was coming and in preparation he activated the large gauntlet on his left arm, keeping it hidden in case it became needed.

"NIAS... Prepare something to drink, one of everything. I have a feeling that whoever this is I would be smart to greet him properly..." And now he was simply to wait for whatever it was that fate had brought to him, fittingly enough for a person such as he, Zamoreus found himself weary of waiting despite how little time he had actually spent waiting, the frustration manifesting itself as he drummed his fingers against the desk.

Sal waited outside the door for as long as he deemed polite, which wasn't long at all, and then reached for the handle and let himself inside. He gave the room a brief glance, noting the plush work space that the CEO had for himself and then fixed his eyes and a smile on the man himself.

He pale, sickly looking even, his face gaunt and his hair raven black with eyes that were as hard and cold as diamonds staring across at him. Sal moved into the room and positioned himself in front of the man's desk.

"Mr Nebulous," He began and sat down in one of the seats facing the Desk. "I apologize for the intrusion." He lied. "As i said on the phone, my name is Sal Norongachi. I represent Blue Horizon."

In his preparative state, Zamoreus had completely forgotten the fact that the man was still standing outside which was of course something quickly reminded to him when the door opened and the man entered. The man, Sal as he called himself, certainly looked impressive, not excessively tall by any stretch but obviously formidable, it was rare to see any organization he met represented by such a specimen. Outside of the army that is, another curiosity. At first he had simply scratched the surface of Blue Horizon, fairly insignificant from first sight but the very lack of anything noteworthy had caught his attention which had forced him to dig further and revealing just how many connections they truly had. And now here came a man obviously fit for fighting to represent them, he had to learn more.

"Please. Call me Zamoreus." A hint of a smirk could be seen as a faint tug at the sides of his mouth, intrusion certainly was the right word for it when entering without a single true authorization from the owner of the place. "Anything I can offer to drink? I must admit, I know very little of your organization but given the circumstances of your arrival I can only assume it is important." Small lies, necessary to maintain the façade and ensure that the man remained feeling that he was in control, people confident in their position often proved more prone to sharing information.

Sal wouldn't play this game. He was sent here to say what he needed to and then get going, intellectual jousting meant little to him. Alcohol did however, and so he looked over at the drinks on offer.

"I'll have a Whiskey, Single Malt and over 18 years if you have it. Mr Nebulous." He said and looked the man over, watching his face, the calculating eyes that held a smugness.

"You think i'm buying that?" Sal responded, his tone was amused. Anyone with the capabilities to come anywhere close to matching Blue Horizon was more than able to dig up info, no matter how buried it was. "We know about your Armour, we know about N.I.U.S. Anyone with that level of technology has his ear to the ground."

He simply gave a light smirk at the man's order, gesturing his hand slightly to the monitor before a robotic arm left the glass on the table right in front of his latest guest. And then the man simply called his bluff, rather bluntly and with an obvious hint of amusement which once again proved him different then the usual people Zamoreus would be dealing with in his everyday affairs. At first Zamoreus was left in a similar state of mind to the one that Sal had revealed with his tone but that very quickly changed when he spoke once more.

Hearing that they knew about his armour was one thing, because of his father the rumours surrounding that had spread far yet it would only mean something to those knowledgeable in spiritual matters, convenient learning that this was true regarding this man, but what truly caught him off guard was that once again the secret of N.I.U.S had been revealed, if there proved to be more people of spiritual awareness with such financial power he could end up being in serious problems. For the moment however he had to deal with this situation or there would be no point in worrying about the future. "Fine. I'm aware of your connections and of your impressive attempts to cover them. But I assume that's of no concern to you and you simply want direct answers, hm? Nothing vague, no bullshit. That sort of thing? So you know of N.I.U.S. And the nature of my suit. What of it?"

Sal smiled, straight talk he could work with. He was getting tired of all the half answers, the plots within plots and the cryptic riddles he had to deal with on a day to day basis.

He took the drink and allowed himself a mouthful of the caramel liquid, feeling it scorch his throat in a pleasant way before he answered.

"Its simple really. You're a variable Blue Horizon cant account for. In short, 'join us or die.' " Sal said with air quotes and rolled his eyes at the cheesiness of it.

"Dont get me wrong, i'm all for the little guy but when you have tech that can level a city being produced it doesn't pay to have no controls on it. We'd rather be with you than against you. You are light years ahead of your time and a mind like yours would be most welcome in our organization." He finished.

So that's how it was, his inventions had drawn attention from others more invested into the matters spiritual, or at the very least deep enough in it to warrant attention for potential spiritual weapons, but it was the wording chosen by the man that piqued his interest the most. A variable that they could not account for, a very interesting way to put it as he immediately began to wonder just what he was being a variable in, obviously something spiritual but what could it be? Was it the simple fact that if he continued to develop then this technology could go into the public, the power that such weapons and armour held was formidable and considering humanity and its track record considering weapons of formidable power that could never end well.

Besides that however this certainly was an intriguing offer, a mysterious organization appearing from nowhere, revealing knowledge regarding supposedly well kept secrets only to threaten him with an offer to comply or die as well as recognizing his genius, all together this formed into a very interesting direction for his life. "While I've never been one to decline a compliment, I have to wonder what exactly this would mean for me? Would it simply mean I am restricted to providing my tech for personal use and for you only and besides that simply get on with my life. Or would I become a caged scientist having to work in your facilities at all hours?"

Sal was glad he'd done his homework. Despite his rather grim exterior he did have a semi-functioning mind behind the scars and brutish mannerisms.

In life he had personally coordinated vast teams of customer service agents, oversaw deals with various companies that required out sourcing to the call centres he worked at. A far cry from what Zamoreus and Blue Horizon did on a day to day basis but still, he knew enough of the ins and outs that he grasped exactly what happened when one refused the mysterious Benefactor.

"I'm far from the brains of this operation. Can you tell?" He said with a smirk and took another mouthful of whiskey.

"On a business level, we only require that you allow us to vet any...super natural based tech before you make it public. You only have to look at your history books to see what humans do when they find a new source of energy, it gets weaponized and shit goes boom." Sal scanned the desk and then found what he was looking for, some paper and a pen.

"Keep talking" He wrote and held it up for Zamoreus to see.

"Add to that what might happen if Shinigami decided to pay closer attention to Earth when its inhabitants are running around with Rieatsu based weaponry and it doesnt make for a happy ending" He scribbled some more.

"Off the record. I don't care what you do. Something big is happening. I need your help."

"If you become part of the happy Blue Horizon family we can promise you two things. We will not stand in the way of your work, in many aspects we will encourage it. We will make damn sure no one else comes near you. Human, or otherwise." He finished with a smile and then held up his latest message.

"Join me. We'll Change the Worlds."

So it was the protect humanity from itself deal that was going on here, from what Sal was telling him at least, screening his designs before allowing them to ship out and what not but then he started to write something then hold it up, was there things he could not say? So it would seem. "Right, that could certainly be problematic, the shinigami I imagine would not be too pleased with humans approaching their level... And I can understand why someone might want to keep an eye on what I create." Looking again at the words written by him, his eyebrow raised slightly, so he was the representative for this organization yet he did not really care for what he did, he only wanted help with something, but he could not imagine that he would be told what it was unless he accepted.

With the last part of the sales pitch done along with the final text, a smirk grew on his face, he was obviously planning something behind the backs of whoever he was working with and that was something that Zamoreus could very easily relate to, along with the fact that the call for help utterly intrigued him as he had a feeling it would involve him learning a whole lot more about the realm of spirits and with this in mind there was only one choice for him to make. "Hell, why not. I could always use the protection."

Sal gave a lopsided smirk and drained his glass, before setting it upon the table. This would work out nicely, his biggest obstacle was the Benefactor and with Zamoreus' brains and technical know how locating and eventually eliminating the all knowing overseer of Blue Horizon would be that much simpler.

The second stage of his plan was now in motion, the third stage may prove to be the most difficult. The game was growing more and more complex, one slip and it would all be over and his dreams would turn to ash.

"Then we have an agreement." Sal said standing. "I'll be in touch and thank you for your time Mr Nebulous" With that Sal wrote one last thing and then slid the sheet of paper across Zam's desk. It was a number and two words.

"Burn Me."

Sal exited the office and immediately dialled HQ. Devlin answered.

"He's on board." Sal began as the life hit the ground floor and he strode across the dark lobby. "Of course i don't trust him, he's human." He exited into the night air and the black SUV that awaited him across the street.

"I'll handle this one personally," The door clicked open upon his arrival and a black clad agent sat in the drivers seat. "He's peaked my interests, what can i say?" With that he hung up and the car drove on into the night.

No one knew what was coming.

A contented 'heh' was the first thing coming out of Zamoreus' mouth after Sal had left, the meeting having left him both incredibly curious for what would come next while also feeling that he had gained something substantial, both things that the man enjoyed immensely. Leaning back into his chair and putting his feet up by the table, Zamoreus was letting himself receive an unusual amount of comfort compared to his usual proceedings but it felt like this was one of those moments when one could deserve some relaxation, especially when considering the implications of what 'something big' might be in a world of ghosts and supernatural samurai with shapeshifting swords and magic fingers.

When considering that he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he was about to step into things far beyond his capacities, considering that it had been already proven that there were far more powerful shinigami then Bishamon and with hollow still being seen as a threat he could not imagine that he had seen the extent of their powers either. So what was it that he was being lead into now, and would he be able to make it out alive? Both things that would probably not answer it until shit has truly gone down, but after all Zamoreus was the kind of cat not to get hindered by the dangers associated with curiosity.