London was a nice surprise. The air was fresh and clear, not foggy and gray like in the movies.
Zane, Victor, and Condy had arrived late the night before. The BBC (the big British TV company) had put them up in a super fancy, five-star hotel.
The BBC was really showing off how rich they were. Not only were Zane and his team in fancy suites, but the other team from Wald Pictures, who had been in London for ten days, was also staying in the same fancy hotel. The BBC was paying for everything.
"Wow," Zane remarked over an amazing breakfast. He pointed at all the fancy pastries and food. "They're not being quiet about their money, are they? It feels like they're trying to impress us."
Victor nodded, sipping his tea. "It's a power move, boss. They want to show us they're the 'big bosses' before we even walk into the room."
"It's more than that," Condy added, cutting his food. "They're the old, famous company, and we're the new guys. This is just their way of acting high-and-mighty."
After a nice meeting with their own lawyer, Martha Hopkins, the four of them went to the BBC headquarters, ready to talk.
The meeting started out very friendly. Everyone was smiling, shaking hands, and being polite. Then, it was time to talk business. And the BBC showed its teeth.
Their offer was simple, and it was also very mean.
They offered a single, one-time payment of 1.5 million pounds (which is like dollars) for the Teletubbies idea, forever. No sharing in the profits. No extra money later. Just a small, one-time payment.
Zane almost laughed. He knew this show would be a huge hit. The money from toys and backpacks alone would be worth hundreds of millions.
"We can't accept that offer," Condy said. His friendly smile was gone.
The BBC's main negotiator smiled a fake, nasty smile. "Mr. Blackwood, you need to understand. We are the BBC. We have lots of money. We could just make the show anyway and fight you in court for the next five or ten years."
It was a mean threat. They were saying: Take our tiny offer, or you'll get nothing.
Zane leaned forward. He wasn't angry; he just wanted to be clear. He even smiled a little.
"And you have to understand my side," he said, his voice calm and friendly. "You think a lawsuit scares me? A few weeks ago, I made over eight million dollars in a single day playing the stock market. I have plenty of money and plenty of time to wait. I'm not here to be bullied. I'm just here to make a fair deal for a great idea."
The mood in the room changed fast. The BBC team looked at each other, shocked and worried. They thought they were talking to a small, new company from America. They had no idea they were in a room with a super-rich millionaire who wasn't scared of them at all.
Condy saw his chance and jumped in, but he was still smiling.
"And just one more thought," he said in a friendly, helpful tone. "My client is a very rich and, more importantly, a very popular young American. If the BBC, which is paid for by the people here in Britain, was seen in the newspapers 'stealing' an idea from a young visitor... well, the newspapers on both sides of the ocean would have a field day. That would be a very big, very embarrassing story for you. A real headache."
That did it. The BBC did not want to look like the bad guy in an embarrassing news story. They couldn't handle that.
After that, the meeting went very smoothly. The BBC team became much more friendly and helpful. They knew they had lost all their power.
The final contract was a huge win for Zane!
He got a 1 million-pound fee right away.
He got 10% of all future sales of the show to other countries.
He got 15% of all the profits from DVDs and videotapes.
He got 8% of all profits from toys and other merchandise.
With the deal signed, Zane felt great. He quickly thought about trying to find a writer named J.K. Rowling, but his schedule was just too busy. It was time to go home.
...
At the London Heathrow Airport, Zane, Victor, and Condy were waiting for their plane in the first-class lounge.
Suddenly, they heard a loud noise from the main terminal. A young man was chasing a slightly younger, more playful-looking man through the crowd.
"Jonathan, get back here!" the older one yelled. He sounded annoyed, but also like he loved his brother.
Zane normally wouldn't have cared, but that name, "Jonathan," and the older brother's face... he knew that face. He had seen it before, in his old life.
He was looking at a young Christopher Nolan, chasing his brother.
===============================
100 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter
Send me some powerstone.
https://www.patreon.com/c/kapa69
In it you will get all my fanfics.
Want to read 105+ chapters ahead? Support me on Patreon! And here by donating powerstone
for every 100 power stone I will drop a bonus chapter.