From the Ashes: My Ted-Fu is Strong
Synopsis: Ted Kord pumps himself for important business meeting that he has deemed critical for Coast City’s future and his plans for it.
——-
This was not a date. Totally not a date. It was a plan. It was a mission. It was the future. At least that’s what Ted himself. Typical Ted fashion he began to work on mockups making sure that an idea was more than just that an idea. He wanted to see this through. He had a vision and ensure that a vision became a reality he had to take steps that would make the vision less abstract and more concrete. He was sure that he could partner with Wayne Enterprises to be a partner in the revitalization of Coast City, but it needed to be more than that it needed to be a rebirth and in order for that to happen there was an important piece that needed to be secured.
Calls had been put in and emails sent to Timothy Wayne to make sure that they would be meeting soon to discuss plans for Coast City, but at the moment Ted was going over what he was going to do with his first meeting, well not exactly first meeting it was the most important meeting in his mind as he moved through his hotel suite. He had caught the red eye earlier this morning and had been prepping for his meeting.
He was actually quite surprised he hadn’t thought of it before, but he actually took the time to breathe and not rush in. He had proposals, and most of the time he was known to rush in shouting for someone to do this and that, but this was something entirely different. He took the time and effort to come up with a plan, a road map, items that weren’t always brought with him, because Ted could be pretty free wheeling when he got in front of people.
He had a plan, he tried to stick to the plan, but sometimes he lost people when going through the plan which led to him shaking things up to varying results. However, given where he was at in his life he thought he was on the right track.
He had to admit to everyone he spoke with that he was inspired when he was catching up on what was going on. He thought the time was right for a Coast City revitalization. They couldn’t allow it to become a scar upon the earth. It deserved better, the people, the city, all the hopes and dreams that were extinguished that night when the light went out.
It wasn’t about trying to ride coat tails ore be apart of something just to say that I was there, and this is what I did. It was about it being bigger than any one person. It was about offering a hand up, not a hand out. It was about inspiring people to rise up from one of the darkest moments in recent history and showing that there truly was a tomorrow and that it could be better if they worked together.
Egos would have to be checked at the door, but Ted had to admit he was pretty psyched at the moment which lead to a few minutes of him enjoying his latest inspirational song. It was probably a good thing that no one was around to see the ‘awesome dance moves’ that the inventor broke out. It was something for the history books for only time would tell if they were good moves or bad moves…or terrible moves.
Still it was good to get the adrenalin up while he went over what he was going to say during the meeting. This wasn’t the first time that he took action like this, but he had to assure other members of the company and the board that it was the right direction. It wouldn’t be cutting into their market share instead it would be allowing them to capitalize on it while allowing other areas of the company to focus on other sectors of the tech market.
Even more it would allow them to have a foot print in Silicon Valley, which some members of the board had wanted for quite some time. True, some wanted Ted to uproot the company and shift it away from Chicago, but Chicago was home to Kord Industries. Branching out was one thing but abandoning the city of its birth was out of the question. If they were going to make a move, then it was going to be done the way Ted wanted it. He spent years undoing all the damage that his uncle had done, and he wasn’t about to let the company fall to the whim of a few individuals that wanted to play ball in an area of California that was over saturated with tech firms.
If he was going to do that Ted might as well rent out a few floors in some tower in Metropolis. Sometimes you needed to make people come to you. There were things that Kord Industries was doing in Chicago and other areas of the region that would be impacted if they pulled up the stakes. They cultivated talent and kept the market afloat in the area. They helped reshaped the area, and with all the recent contracts they secured business was good, but it could always be better and right now they had a golden opportunity to do what no other company beyond Wayne Enterprises had considered, but right now Ted was taking it a step further.
Now it is not to say Ted was completely oblivious to the fact that this would allow Kord to get on the ground floor of a project that would have a major impact in that area of the world. He was counting on it. However, before too many individuals began staking out claims and trying to guide the direction of the city he wanted to see what he and a few others could do to ensure that the city not only looked to the future but embraced and celebrated its past.
No, this wouldn’t be a money and land grab situation this is going to be a movement. A movement to show the world the best humanity had to offer. From it’s darkest hour something great would emerge. From the ashes of the old something new and inspiring would rise and become a beacon of hope that if they could weather this then there was not anything they couldn’t accomplish.
All these thoughts and more poured through Ted’s mind while he got ready which was good. It allowed him a moment to organize them and take that all-important breath. He needed to pace himself. He needed to take it one step at a time. This was the beginning, which was neither the middle nor the end. This is beginning of the journey. He continued to tell himself. The more he told himself that the more prepared he became.
By the time he exited the hotel suite his talking points were in order, and he felt good about what he was about to do. He knew there was a potential that he could be rebuffed, but this was not the time for negative thoughts. He knew that he could not Pollyanna his way through this. It was not that what he was proposing was radical and out of the ordinary, it was that it was going to require a lot of trust, some definite maneuvering, and hard work. Ted had it all to spare, but he needed to know that he would have a partner in this venture. They would need to work together it this was going to be successful.
It was as much about re-forging a legacy as it was about securing the future. Stepping into the elevator he pressed the button for the lobby while smoothing out his clothes. He stared into the reflective metal surface, one last spot check before he stepped off. A turn of his wrist told him that he was right on time. Breathe and take it one step at a time.
“You can do this,” he assured himself just before the elevator doors slid open. Stepping off he couldn’t help but bop his head a bit to David Bowie’s Let’s Dance which began to play through his head. He could feel the corners of his mouth twitching, because he wanted to laugh. It was an interesting song selection. He could appreciate the contrast to Heart’s Baracudda which he used to warm up to in the suite.
“Put on your red shoes and dance the blues. Let’s dance, to the song their playing on the radio. Let’s sway, while color lights up your face. Let’s sway, sway through the crowd to an empty place.” There might have been a bit of a shuffle to his feet while Ted made his way to the restaurant.
“If you say run. I’ll run with you. If you say hide. We’ll hide. Because…”
Just before he could continue he was tapped on the shoulder.
“Mister Kord?”
Freezing in his movements Ted turned towards the man that tapped him the shoulder.
“Yes.” It was the maitre’d.
“Your party has arrived and is waiting for you at the bar.” The maitre’d thought it best to escort Ted there rather than have the rather animated guest dance his way over there. It was not that kind of a hotel. Escorting Ted to the bar he cleared his throat.
“Miss. The other half of your party has arrived.” The dark-haired woman at the bar turned towards Ted offering him a polite smile, while giving him a measured look.
Ted could only offer a smile in return before extending his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to finally you meet you person, Ms. Ferris. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to meet with you about turning possibilities in realities.”
He offered a smile and despite Ted’s best effort he couldn’t help the few verses of Let’s Dance that continued to play through his head. He was definitely ready to talk business.
“I do have one question. Karaoke. Yes or yes?” Ted grinned.
My name is Ted Kord and my Ted-Fu is strong.