Kade had met Mr. Chu a few times, but wasn't sure if Mr. Chu would remember him. The local business man interacted with a lot of people. Tanjoban on the other hand had done a few jobs for Chu and was on good terms with him.
"Stay here," Tanjoban said, standing up and walking to the back.
A moment later, Tanjoban emerged from behind a thick door and waved Kade to follow him. Kade stood up and looked around nervously before heading into the back of the coffee shop. Together, they walked down a long and narrow hallway until they approached another thick door. Tanjoban pounded on it and looked up at the security camera.
Proximity sensors scanned them and sent the information to whoever was on the other side of the door. Seconds later, a green light appeared on a panel by the door followed by a clicking sound. Tanjoban pushed open the heavy door and made his way to the centre of a small room.
The entire back wall was one giant high-res digital display that an artificial view of a jungle. The image was so clear, it looked like they had entered through a portal into the Congo.
"Mr. Chu," Tanjoban said, "This is my friend, Kade."
Mr. Chu stood up from behind his desk and walked over to greet Kade. In a coarse voice he spoke. "I believe we've met once or twice before if I'm not mistaken. Or perhaps I've seen you in passing."
"Yes, you are correct, sir. Thank you so much for meeting with me today, especially on such short notice."
"I always welcome company," Mr. Chu said with smile. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"
"Kade needs your help," Tanjoban said.
"Perhaps more advice than help," Kade corrected.
"Please, come and have a seat."
Kade looked at Tanjoban who gave him a reassuring nod. They both took their seats and were offered coffee.
"No, thank you. We had some earlier," Tanjoban said.
"Very well then. How can I be of assistance?"
"I've been given an offer for which I see no plausible reason to accept. I've rejected the offer, but now I fear the consequences for me will be worse than had I accepted."
"May I guess this offer is from Saigon?"
"Yes, sir."
"Can you tell me more about this offer?"
"He wants me to go to Tri-City to deliver a package."
"I see. And how much is the compensation?"
"Ten canisters."
Mr. Chu nodded as if he understood more than he was letting on. "And you refused this offer because making the trip is dangerous?"
"Correct."
"And since refusing, you fear your life may now be in danger?"
"Yes, sir."
"I believe I understand your predicament," he said like an old wise man.
"Is there anything I can do?" Kade asked.
Mr. Chu exhaled and spun around in his chair to gaze out at the fake view that was in front of him. Kade looked over at Tanjoban who gave him another nod of reassurance.
"This is my favourite part of the loop," Mr. Chu said. "Everyday around this time, the monkeys come out and play. It amuses me every time," he said with a chuckle.
Kade sat patiently, giving Mr. Chu the benefit of the doubt. It occurred to him that perhaps old age was starting to catch up with Mr. Chu and he was losing his mind.
After watching the monkeys descend from their digital trees and roll around in the tall grass, Mr. Chu spun his chair back around and was ready to deliver his King-Solomon-esque wisdom.
"Understanding the precise predicament you are in, I have given it some careful thought. Perhaps with more time and deliberation, I would arrive at a different conclusion entirely."
There was a pause.
"You are a delivery driver, correct?"
"Yes."
"This is how you make a living?"
"Yes, sir."
"You enjoy this line of work?"
"It's all I know."
"And Mr. Saigon is one of your main employers?"
"Yes."
"It seems to me you have three options — two of which are not advised. Your first option is to run and hide. This may sound simple, but I assure you, in such a world in which we live, it makes this option extremely difficult. Your digital footprint will alert anyone motivated enough to find you of your exact location the moment you step outside your door.
"You could of course move to another city, one that Saigon doesn't have a stronghold over, but in a twist of irony, the only city I know worth living is the one place for which you refuse to travel.
"Continuing with this thought, there's also the question of employment. By cutting off your main source of income, in this case life-supplying oxygen, you would need to find some other means of providing for yourself. But, you seem like a smart guy, I'm sure you find land on your feet with whatever you choose.
"Nevertheless, I think you will agree that this option is not an acceptable choice given the situation."
"I agree."
"Now, option two I'm afraid offers an equally unfavourable outcome. This is the choice that you have currently made — refuse the offer and go about your daily life as if nothing has changed. I can assure you, Mr. Saigon is among the most petty of men and will do everything in his considerable power to destroy you. In the history of his rise to power, there has only been one man to successfully defy Saigon and live to tell about it. And that man is sitting in front of you."
"How did you do it?" Kade asked.
"It's a story for another time," Mr. Chu responded. "The short version is, you must have a considerable army, which I don't suspect you have."
"No, sir. My army is sitting beside me."
"Very well, as I had suspected. That leaves us with the third, and final option."
"Which is?"
"You make the delivery."
"I was afraid you would say that," Kade said, sinking lower into his chair like he had been deflated.
"What's your biggest concern about making the trip?" Mr. Chu asked. "Often the fear of something is greater than the reality."
"My biggest concern? I can think of about a dozen."
"Let's start with your biggest."
"Okay, let's see..." Kade said, taking his time. "There are transports that make that journey, but they travel in packs and are heavily armoured and weaponized. If I were to go, there's a limit to what I can carry."
"So your biggest concern is your load capacity?"
"Sorry, no... I was just..."
"Take your time."
"My concern is that I will be a team of one, which will not be enough to defend myself from an attack."
"Okay, so any given day, you could potentially get killed by any number of things, would you agree?"
"I would."
"But this doesn't prevent you from leaving your apartment. You sitting here is evidence of that. The reason you do not fear death on a daily basis is because the odds are quite low. But now your life has approached a crossroads of sorts — you may choose to stay in this city and face whatever consequences may come to you, or you can travel to Tri-City and face those consequences. Which do you think offers the highest probability of avoiding death?"
"Neither."
"Then it is up to you how you wish do die."
"Wait, that's it?" Kade responded. "That's your advice?"
"I have given you my advice, which if you recall was to make the trip. You can analyse all your fears and calculate the probabilities of each of those outcomes becoming a reality, factoring in unknown variables of course."
"I'm sorry, I'm not too quick on my feet. Can you please repeat what you said in simpler terms?"
"Traveling to Tri-City comes with risk, right?"
"Yes, I'm with you so far."
"Each of these risks is not guaranteed to happen, but come with a certain probability of happening."
"Okay."
"So, my advice to you is to choose the path in which you can control the most, and do whatever you can to mitigate the risks. Stack the odds so to speak so that the probability leads more in your favour."
"What do you mean? I mean, I understand what you're saying, but what do you suggest I do?"
"You mentioned weapons and transport are among your top concerns, did you not? I can help you with both."
"Help me how?"
"Faster bike, bigger weapons, accompaniment, whatever you need."
"You would do this for me?"
"As I'm sure your friend here has mentioned, I'm quite resourceful. If there is something you need, I can procure it for you."
"For a fee?"
"Of course, I'm not a charity," Mr. Chu chuckled.
"What kind of fee?"
"Depends on what you need from me."
"Okay, I appreciate that."
"So then it has been decided, with my help, you will travel to Tri-City."
"I guess so. I don't really feel like I have much of a choice, do I?"
"No, you don't," Mr. Chu laughed again. Kade wasn't in the mood for humour.
"So when can I see you again?" Kade asked.
"If I could give you one other piece of advice, I would suggest you get in contact with Mr. Saigon as soon as possible and let him know you've reconsidered his offer."
"I will. Thank you so much, Mr. Chu."
"It was my pleasure."
"In return, you will owe me a favour. When the time comes, I will collect."