17 Hiring Security (1)

"Have you seen the news? In five states, nobody knows what's happening; infections are spreading, and they seem to have lost control of the situation. We should move; my uncle and I are gathering supplies." Tobias was frantic, sharing information with Dominic, who merely listened.

"It's not as bad as you imagine yet."

Tobias looked at Dominic and said, "But it's going to get worse; experts who are preppers are now isolating themselves from the outside world."

"We need to prepare too."

"There are many more things you need to consider before opening a shelter; it's not as simple as you're thinking." Dominic didn't want to tell Tobias that the city of Los Angeles would be bombed and that they needed to position themselves so those same bombs wouldn't affect them or their shelter.

At least, when he started gathering information about the undead, he realized that the term wasn't abundant in this world. People in this world don't love zombie shows, so gathering his own knowledge, he found one concept that was the simplest for him to survive and discovered similarities with his own reality.

Tobias's intelligence was ideal for the final networks Dominic would establish before awaiting the beginning of the end; of course, he had to explain everything.

"So, what's your plan?"

"I have privileged information about what's going on, and believe me, it's going to get worse; I'm setting up a shelter, but I need your management help to contact a certain group of people." Dominic said, pulling out a USB with the necessary information Tobias needed to avoid making mistakes.

Tobias extended his hand to take the USB and asked, "How do you have something that should be classified?"

Dominic straightened up and, checking the time, knew he had a few more things to do, but before that, there were still things to clarify. "Tobias, I think you have some misunderstandings about how I got that information. But it's better if you don't expose it, or government people will come after you. We need to focus on what's most important."

Tobias stayed silent for about three seconds, as if he were thinking about what to say right now. "How many people can survive in that shelter you're creating? If we assume it's the end of everything, we'll need doctors, surgeons, nurses, dentists, technicians, mechanics, carpenters, blacksmiths, and security personnel."

"If we can access the servers of a nearby hospital, we just need to choose the best doctors and send them a detailed package about their involvement in an end-of-the-world shelter. They'll need some confidential information to believe us; we should send that too, and when the time comes, we'll only send them the location of the shelter."

Dominic stayed silent, thinking about what Tobias had just said. If they did it as he had explained, Dominic needed to have a private security group willing to protect the shelter area for them.

But they had to be very careful; one wrong step, and everything Dominic had achieved so far would be easily stolen by them.

Dominic then thought, What if he's just behind the scenes while an adult takes his place? He would have to find someone to lead him publicly while Dominic remains in the shadows.

"My father has several contacts in private security groups to hire; I'll choose the most suitable one and work out a plan to have them ready. Can you access the servers of any hospital and select the people who will be chosen? At least two of each are needed, and I also need you to prepare a portfolio with all the necessary medicine we'll need."

"I can't do that; it's illegal." Tobias was a bit scared.

Dominic then looked at him and said, "If you can't do it, then I've chosen you wrong; I thought you had what it takes to survive, but I see now that you don't."

Tobias, who feared for his safety, quickly said, "Then I'll do it; I teach an idiot, and his mother is the director of a nearby hospital; I can easily access her computer."

"I'll take care of the private security group; do your part with the hospital and, if possible, also with the police." Dominic needed to create a balance that shifted from side to side.

Knowing he could rely on his friend Tobias to share the load, Dominic headed home to jot down contact numbers to make an approach.

Alicia, who was sitting with her boyfriend, murmured, "What are those two planning?"

"They're friends, although it may seem strange; Dominic has protected Tobias since he entered school, and eventually, they became good friends. Adam, the guy Dominic hit, was really an idiot, so he deserved it."

Alicia watched Dominic rush away and thought, What are those two planning at this hour? It wasn't common for Tobias to skip classes when his grades were among the highest in the group.

...

A few hours later, Dominic found a relatively unknown private security group. He looked through their contact history and knew his father had a certain history with that group.

"It won't work if I do it alone; I'll need a businessman." Dominic searched the internet and found several men who could serve him, so they could do this job for him. Men who deal with important business are hired to close important deals where both parties are satisfied.

Finding one, Dominic dialed the number to see if he was lucky.

"This is Sam Nelson; how can I help you?" A deep voice came from the other end of the call.

Dominic, who used a voice modifier, said in a calm tone, "I've been recommended to you, Mr. Nelson; can you do a job for me?"

"What kind?"

"Close a fairly important deal; if you do it perfectly, I'll offer you more than a monetary reward." Dominic said, checking the time on his cell phone.

Sam didn't understand what he meant, but as an expert negotiator, he immediately said, "I can close any deal where both parties are comfortable; can you mention the details over the phone?"

"Of course, I'll send you an email with what I need you to do. It's a shame I won't be able to negotiate the details, but I'll send you three points I won't back down from." Dominic had a very risky plan, but he knew that if he succeeded, he would have triumphed.