Billionaire Landon Seth stood at the edge of his fourteen million-dollar yacht, looking into the deep sea. Construction down below had already started, and he could see the massive metal frame, and thousands of wires. If this plan worked, he could do many things, all leading to more power. His thoughts were interrupted by one of his many butlers.

"Master Landon, would you like some more wine?" Landon glanced down at the crystal glass between his fingers, and nodded, "I will go grab some more than." His butler replied. He started bustling back to the kitchen, but Landon called him back, a question occuring to him.

"You, what's your name?" he asked.

"Brandon Jenkins," the elderly man replied.

"So, Jenkins," Landon tested the name on his lips, "I will give you the honor of testing the project first." The butler tensed up, knowing it wasn't an honor, but a job for expendable workers. The last man to test it, had been brutally crushed by pieces that weren't connected correctly. But Brandon Jenkins knew that he had to comply to his master's wants. Landon Seth was already one of the most powerful men in the world, so no one would notice if a lowly butler's family went missing.

"When is the test?" Jenkins asked, his lips quivering.

"It will be soon, and I will tell you when," Landon Seth stated, "Now go and bring me some more wine, I don't have all day." The frazzled butler continued on his way.

"Jenkins," Landon Seth motioned for the butler to come near. Jenkins approached slowly, wanting to put off the test for as long as he could. He had already told his wife and four kids about it, and said goodbye, just in case.

"Let's go!" Landon snapped, "it won't test itself."

Quivering, Jenkins asked a question.

"Can I say goodbye to my wife and children?"

"There is a chance that you will survive, the construction crew has connected the frame together this time." Jenkins knew not to ask twice, or the consequences would be harsh. Landon Seth slipped his phone out of his pocket, and tapped a button on an app. Jenkins watched as the giant metal frame surfaced from the water. He had never seen the whole thing, just the top, but it looked like a massive robot, a small cockpit area in the mouth. It was massive, at least ninety feet tall, with hydraulic-powered arms and legs that moved. Jenkins gulped loudly. The machine slowly moved in toward the ship, and Jenkins grew more anxious. The machine lowered down into the water a little bit, so Jenkins and Landon Seth were even with the cockpit.

"Once you get in, figure out the controls and swim across this lake," Landon Seth motioned, spreading his arms out across the wide expanse of water, "If that goes well, go deeper, and shoot at the targets set up down there. If you survive, you will be needed for another test." Jenkins gulped again, and then stepped across the water, to the opened cockpit.

Once inside, he fastened a seat belt, and looked over the control panel. It was nothing more than bare wires and crudely constructed levers and buttons.

After a few minutes of looking everything over, Jenkins closed the cockpit and descended into the water. Cranking levers, and pushing multiple buttons, he moved the arms in a swim-like motion. The machine started speeding up with each pump, and with the great speed came great pressure. Jenkins heard a loud crack, and the glass covering the cockpit began to crack apart.

"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!" Jenkins muttered to himself. He tried to flip the machine up, but it only went straight. Water started pouring in, and Jenkins panicked. In a sudden effort to get out, he nailed his head on a broken piece of glass, knocking himself out.

Landon Seth watched from above as the machine sank. I will need to review the plans, he thought to himself. Then he turned away from the sunken machine, never giving a thought about the man who was inside it.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Landon Seth looked up from his dinner of lobster and steak, at the large oak doors. He was one of his many dining rooms. Ten foot tall portraits of himself decorated the walls, framed in elaborate gold. High arched ceilings rose above, a sky light at the very top, providing a view of the bright blue Caribbean sky. Landon sat at a long wooden table, shined every day and kept clean. He sat at the end, rows of chairs at the sides, seating no one. Landon Seth hesitated before answering. In all truth, he just wanted to eat, and not be disturbed, but this could be important.

"Come in," he said. The large doors swung inwards to reveal a servant. Seth didn't know the name of this one. He hadn't even seen his face. He stood there, hands clasped in front of him, long coattails dragging on the ground behind him.

"Speak," the billionaire ordered. The servant took a timid step forward, and finally spoke.

"Fundings on the project have dropped. Companies are anxious for the reveal, and impatient. We have lost 37.469% of stock holders, just in the last day. They want the reveal."

Landon Seth wiped his hands on a silk napkin, and crossed them in his lap before speaking. "Tell them it will happen soon. We are having slight... difficulties. Estimated time will be in about five months." Then with a quick flick of the wrist, he sent his servant on his way. Landon Seth finished his dinner in silence, planning on how to get those companies back.

"The bottom of the ocean is almost entirely unexplored by humanity," said Landon Seth on a video call with his shareholders that night. "It holds many unknown secrets and treasures. However, at this company I'm looking a bit deeper than that. The core of the earth itself holds limitless energy, and what if it were possible to use the deepest ocean trenches as a mine to harness that energy?"

He clicked to the next slide: a stylized drawing of what the undersea machine would look like when it was complete. "Using this exploration machine, I will send laborers to the bottom of the ocean to create a power plant. It is hydraulic-controlled, completely silent and leaves no disturbance in the ocean, and almost impenetrable by any external pressure."

This didn't have the impact he thought it would. Charles Rivera from the Transatlantic Shipping Corporation raised his hand. "With all due respect, Mr. Seth, when will the prototypes be complete? We've seen many lovely pictures, but never the real thing."

Landon Seth took a moment to regain his composure. "My designers and engineers assure me that the machine will soon be fully operational."

Abigail Wells from the Rome & Rio Logistics Company spoke next, a skeptical sneer on her face. "And what will you do with all that energy even if you do get it? It's not financially feasible. The infrastructure doesn't exist."

"You fail to understand," said Landon, "the extent of this project. Once the power plant is completed, any number of things are possible. I'm simply asking for about five more months, about fifty million more from each of you, and you will see returns like never before."

Rory Ryan from Westport Freight, Inc. shook his head. "To coin a phrase, Mr. Seth, this project is dead in the water. You won't get anything more from me." He left the call with a huff.

Landon Seth tried not to let the anger show on his face. The truth was, the power plant might not be financially feasible--not that that would stop him from using it to power all sorts of side projects for his own gain. But the undersea machines were for more than labor. They were his backup plan: undetectable aquatic weapons, far more advanced than modern submarines. If the water transport companies of the world wouldn't fund his empire, he would simply hold their ships hostage.

"We will need to add on another four more weeks for the estimated finish time," One of the construction workers sat opposite Mr. Seth in his office, "I promise, this is the last setback. We need to refigure the cockpit, and other coverings. It proved unstable to the pressure underwater." Landon Seth slammed his fist down on the oak table, upsetting his coffee mug, and spilling the hot liquid over the alarmed worker.

"I need it done sooner!" the easily-angered billionaire shouted, "I am losing all my investors because of you! We have had over ten setbacks because of failures in your design, and the machine operating poorly! If this keeps up, you WILL be the next test subject!" The frightened worker shrunk back in his seat, wanting to get out of the room.

"I'm sorry sir, but the designs you drew up for us are physically impossible. We need to make revisions, and test new things if you want it to be exactly how you designed it." Landon Seth stared hard at the man.

"You're putting this on me, now?"

"No. It's just-" the man started.

"I do not want you to blame me for your mishaps!" Landon Seth roared. He rarely got worked up like this, but he was under a lot of stress. Without the investors, this project would bankrupt him. He didn't want to count on the fact that it would work. As seen in recent tests, it needed more revision in the blueprints. Lots more. And he needed it now.

The construction worker sat, frazzled, in his seat, not knowing what to say. Finally, he managed a small sentence, before getting up from his chair to leave the room.

"Yes sir. I will see what I can do about all of it."

After the man left, Landon Seth sat, steaming at his desk. His mother had always told him not to throw pity parties, but he couldn't help it. Nothing was going his way at all. He would need help, and he knew just the man who to call. There was only one problem. This man was his brother, the leader of his rival company, who he hadn't talked to in a long time. Twenty-three whole years.