Chapter 39

Just over a week had passed, and Kenzo had already completed his hotel drawing. Karl was back for a day. Last night, he reached out to me with what he referred to as bad news. I asked if he could make time for a meeting, letting him know we could adjust our schedule to accommodate him. He agreed but couldn’t specify a time.

This morning, Leo walked into our room as I was waking up. “Karl can only meet this morning. He sent me ahead to ensure you'd be ready. He apologizes for the short notice," Leo said.

“Tell Karl it's fine. I understand how much stress he's under. Let's hold the meeting in the cafeteria's annex in about twenty minutes." Leo nodded and left.

'Kenzo, can you hear me?' I called out.

'Yes, Sir,' Kenzo replied.

'You have twenty minutes to prepare. Meet us in the cafeteria's annex with everything needed for your proposal. Karl is here today and can only spare this morning. If your designs impress both of us, you'll oversee the project alongside Harold, who is to finish the hotel. Time is short, so gather a few men to assist you. Your leader will ensure that anyone you need will be there.' I instructed Kenzo.

'Yes, sir, I'll be there in fifteen,' Kenzo responded.

“Jesse, wake up! We need to get ready—Karl only has this morning for our meeting." I made sure he was awake and understood.

'Ursus, get Harold and any men he picked for the hotel. We meet in less than twenty…'

'…minutes, We know. Leo informed us,' Ursus replied.

“What's the meeting about?" Jesse asked, now awake and ready.

“Since Karl is here, we'll review Kenzo's hotel ideas together. While I wanted to see them first, doing it this way means we can start right away if Karl approves. My impression is that Karl's goal is to get his team focused on the hotel as much as possible. Since they're miners, not builders, my approach could reduce some of Karl's stress while also involving our growing population in a project that benefits the Oasis." I explained my reasoning to Jesse.

Jesse and I entered the cafeteria, and a few men looked up when they saw us. Upon realizing we weren't there for them, they quickly returned to their breakfast. As we entered the annex, I noticed Grey and Paul setting up some equipment. Grey, seeing us, said, “Kenzo wanted this setup, and Cetus asked me to help him. Since I'm not very good with hardware, I enlisted Paul."

“It'll be ready in a few minutes," Paul said as he connected wires from the projector to his speakers and other equipment.

Kenzo rushed in just then. “Man, this place is hard to find! I got Cetus to bring me here just in time."

Dressed in a suit, he looked serious. “You're taking this seriously—good. Did you forget your drawings?" I asked.

“Nope! I got a digital drawing tablet a few days ago, and I work faster on the computer. I imported everything into this new software on the computer Grey gave me. Thanks for preloading that, Grey; it's amazing!" Kenzo exclaimed.

“What—" Grey began, but I interrupted.

“I had that installed for him," I said. 'So, did you help Kenzo out? Did you guys find this software, or…?' I asked the two Omegas.

Fen and Cetus admitted, 'We found a few free open-source programs. You know how we are with the internet. When Kenzo got his assignment, Fen and I combined the software and improved it a bit.'

'I expect both of you to release free versions of this online under the name OASISMAN. Be sure to specify which software you combined and give proper credit. If you've enhanced it or made improvements to Kenzo's computer, only release a version that works with computers available today.'

'No, Master, we only changed existing software. We can't build complex electronics, remember?' Fen replied.

'We'll follow your instructions. The software will be online by the end of the day, and the version on Kenzo's computer will go live in a few months, so as not to garner too much excitement,' Cetus promised.

Lost in thought, I didn't notice Karl entering the annex until Jesse pressed against my back. “Keith, snap out of it. Whoever you're talking to can wait—Karl's here,“ he said, breaking my concentration.

Looking at me, Karl remarked, “I see I'm not the only one with a lot on his mind." Before I could respond, he waved it off. “It comes with the territory. I often find myself lost in thought, too. In your position, with all the spirits' voices crowding your thoughts, it's likely worse. “

“Sorry about that, Karl. You're here because of the hotel, I take it?" I asked.

“Yes, I am. I can't find another large contractor willing to come this far. I'm going to see how many of the remaining miners have any construction knowledge. The sub-contractor who was building the superstructure has finished his work, which is fortunate. The original contractor declared bankruptcy and left the job site without refunding the substantial funds I had already paid. This sub-contractor is in a similar situation but has worked with me before. However, he also faces the challenge of suing the main contractor, leading to years of court battles over the financial fallout. He opened his books to show my accountants what he is owed, and my lawyers negotiated a deal he accepted.

Karl explained the reasons for the construction delay: “The other subcontractors have ordered supplies, which you may have noticed arriving over the past few weeks. However, they had side agreements with the bankrupt company and are now requesting payment for those supplies. Unfortunately, they won't return to finish their work because their contracts were with the main contractor, not my company."

“It's ironic, isn't it? You hire a company, they hire another, and you're still on the hook for the second company's losses if the first one doesn't pay. Meanwhile, the second company can simply walk away, claiming they have no contract with you," Jesse observed.

Karl added, “What makes it worse is that I have insurance. However, even that doesn't help until the court settles the case."

“This brings me to the reason for this meeting," I said, gesturing for Kenzo to come forward. “Karl, this is Kenzo, one of our newer members. What makes him…" Karl interrupted me.

“I recognize you from your work. You're that Kenzo from Singapore, right? “

Kenzo bowed. “I'm honored that you know of me, Mr. Karl.“

“Since you're familiar with his work, I assume you appreciate the buildings he designed?" I asked Karl.

“Yes, I do, based on the pictures and articles in architectural digests, I have only seen one personally." he replied.

I motioned for Harold to step up. “You haven't met this man yet, have you? Harold, meet Karl." They shook hands. “Harold is also a newer member and a contractor who has built high-rises in New York and Chicago. With our rapid growth and diverse membership, we've seen many come from the trades. Harold will finish the hotel alongside any available members not assigned to other tasks. I've assigned Kenzo to the project as well, so let's sit back and watch his presentation. It's the first time I'll see it too."

Kenzo moved to the front, and we settled in.

“Mr. Paul, please start the first clip," Kenzo requested.

The screen displayed the original hotel: a fifteen-story, square-shaped building with a large rustic covered driveway in front. It reminded me of the older hotels in Las Vegas. Kenzo listed details that Karl already knew, but they were new to the others in the room. Although I had seen the plans and renderings, some of Kenzo's points were new to me as well.

“I will show you how we can improve the ecological footprint of the hotel, based on my vision from Sir Keith. Mr. Paul. Please play the next clip," Kenzo requested.

“It's just Paul, Kenzo," Paul replied with a sigh.

The same hotel appeared again, but without the finishing details. The front court was missing, replaced by a one-story building surrounding the hotel, effectively doubling its footprint. On top of that, there were three more levels, each smaller than the one below. “Without starting from scratch, I suggest adding four floors around the current structure. Watch the video, and I'll answer your questions afterward. Please, Paul," Kenzo continued.

Exterior elevators appeared, moving diagonally and accessing five floors. A pattern emerged, though I still didn't grasp Kenzo's vision. The new floors were taking shape, resembling Mayan or Incan pyramids. Stairs formed in the middle of the façade, with the first serving as the hotel entrance. Grass covered the roof of the fourth floor, cascading down to the third, second, and first floors. Each floor featured balconies that, instead of mirroring the elevators, created a giant mosaic mask reminiscent of ancient ruins. Some outer balconies even sported dragon or serpent heads supporting them.

As the view rotated, each side of the hotel displayed a unique arrangement of elevators and balconies, forming different mosaics. For the first time, I noticed that on the first four floors, wherever there wasn't greenery, small black pyramids dotted the space. At the very top, a massive pyramid structure loomed, though its apex was missing.

“Does anyone have questions?" Kenzo asked.

Karl responded. “What's with all the little pyramids on the first four floors?"

“There are skylights on the interior of the first four floors, and aside from check-in and dining, it's completely open—a large greenhouse. The pyramid on the roof acts as a light collector, diffusing light into the hotel corridors and using fiber optics we are illuminating the sides of the first four floors that lack direct sunlight. When you enter, you're welcomed by a jungle of the Americas. While we can't sustain tropical plants here in Montana, we can, inside the greenhouse. I didn't have time to render the hotel's interior, but I have concept drawings. Would you like to see them?" Kenzo asked Karl.

“No, I think I'll wait. I don't want to lose the imagery you just showed us," Karl replied.

“Does that mean you like Kenzo's vision of the hotel, at least the outside? I only tasked him with the façade because I knew he wouldn't have time for more. Personally, I like the theme. It's not perfect, but starting from scratch would be a much larger undertaking. He is working with what is already built." I said.

Karl made us wait for his answer. Finally, he spoke. “I have to say it's much better than the original. You could incorporate some ride or attraction that links the hotel to the park. With the additions to the façade, is it possible to build?"

Harold chimed in, “ If the snake or dragon heads are comprised of fiberglass, we could add them with minimal structural changes. The rest—the balconies and mosaics—shouldn't pose a problem. I'd need to check how the top light collector functions and its weight specifications, but I'd say it's doable. One question, though: if the elevators are replacing the originals, the planning and safety department won't accept them."

“They are design features and usable, but the original elevators will still be in place. This also reduces the use of the main elevators if guests only want to move between a few floors," Kenzo responded.

“I say let's go for it. I'll talk to my team and see if anyone will help with the labor," Karl said.