Vivarium

The announcement wasn’t subtle. The election of a senator, that first speech, wasn’t something hidden from the public. The announcement itself wasn’t subtle, but most people weren’t going to hear everything that was said. They wouldn’t understand what it meant. They didn’t have the background for it. What did it matter that the new senator thanked a company that helped fund the campaign? What was wrong when the senator mentioned how much the company had changed in the past three years, and how their help showed commitment to protecting the environment they once damaged. The senator wouldn’t have been elected without them. He had every reason to thank this simple tech company; there was nothing wrong with it.

If the company really had changed, Morgan David wouldn’t have seen anything wrong, either. It was true that in the past year Marston's Tech had pulled back on their mining campaigns. No longer were they doing anything that crossed onto conserved land; the board still wanted the raw materials from that land, though. Gold as cheap as that was hard to pass up on. The board always did like cutting costs.

So, Morgan was out when she saw the announcement; she watched the speech in a cafe. The room was far from full, and the resulting quiet was what let Morgan hear the speech as well as she did. The smile that spread across her face was just as bitter as the coffee she was sipping on; Morgan preferred to drink it black. She liked this place for the warm atmosphere and the decent selection they offered, but none of that softened this blow.

She had put so much work into gathering evidence on the company that first time. It wasn’t as though she really expected to take down the company as a whole, to stop the board; Marston’s was a goliath in the industry for a reason. She had just hoped that she could change them, prove that their corruption wasn’t worth it. Morgan should have known better. Senators could influence environmental policy, so why wouldn’t Marston’s just buy a senator? Morgan tossed her cup in the trash before leaving.

The air outside was crisp, and the wind was constant. Not many people had places to be at this time of day. Morgan’s nose filled with the chilly air, and she had to stop, leaning against the wall of the cafe. Her jaw tensed and her eyes closed, and she knocked her head on the brick behind her. All of that effort, practically ruining her own life just to do something good, and for what? If this was the result, then she didn’t accomplish anything. Where did all this even leave her? Forcing herself to relax- to let go of that overwhelming frustration- she opened her eyes.

Five crows on a powerline were joined by another. They cawed incessantly at the newcomer. With their cries ringing in her ears, Morgan pulled herself up. She had places to be, calls to make. If nothing else, by leaking the type of information she did, she had associates with connections.

Call her impulsive, but Morgan had a trip to arrange. Rich people just loved having remote mansions.

------

There were far too many trees here. Looking around, it felt like the woods: deep and dark. The illusion never got past that, too much noise from the buildings surrounding this courtyard. It was large for a terrarium, but the size didn’t change what it was.

Morgan refused to be insulted when her meeting was relegated to this courtyard. Yves Royer may have just been being petty, and if that was the case, Morgan was not going to be affected. She had enough patience to compile years worth of evidence to knock a peg off of Marston’s Tech; enough patience to release her reports at just the right time to make the biggest splash- for all the good it had done. Being sent out into the courtyard instead of anywhere proper to meet and then made to wait was something she could handle. If nothing else, the animals were enough of an interesting sight to keep her from being bored.

There was a surprising mix of creatures here. Morgan noted seven crows in the distance, chattering to each other. Movement claimed the ground; a plethora of small animals, from lizards to various rodents scurried around. They avoided the path where Morgan waited. Many of the creatures had to have been transported from different parts of the world. The owls among that count, and these were some of the most eye-catching animals there.

Barn owls weren’t truly rare in the region, but these ones were. Tasmanian masked owls weren’t from around here. They were big. American barn owls were big, especially when compared to their European counterparts, but they weren’t as big as these. These perched on their branches, impossible to count, and they loomed. They looked strong, as if all that difference in size was due to muscle. These didn’t look as regal as American barn owls, in spite of how refined they were. Tasmanian masked owls were the largest barn owls in the world, and they didn’t belong here.

Morgan wasn’t so captured by her surroundings as to not notice when Yves drifted towards her from a different path. He took his time, as if every step needed to be considered. His eyes fell on one owl after the other, not even glancing at Morgan herself.

“So glad you could finally make your way here, Mr. Royer.” Morgan wasn’t going to play nice or pretend she wasn’t as angry as she was. There was no point in putting on airs here.

Yet, that didn’t stop Yves from putting on a polite smile of his own, in spite of the sigh in his voice, “Hello Miss David. I don’t believe we’ve met. As you might imagine, I wasn’t expecting company.”

“So you leave me waiting outside?”

With a chagrined look, Yves replied, “I don’t typically host meetings when I’m on vacation, let alone at this property. My apologies for not being as hospitable as I should have been today.”

“It’s the least of what you should be apologizing for,” seeing Yves’ reaction only made Morgan glare harder. “You were supposed to be making things better, weren’t you? How many headlines said ‘Yves Royer, new CEO of Marston’s Tech, vows to fix the company’? And how well have you lived up to that?”

“I have no idea what you mean,” and Yves really did sound confused; the board must have liked that. One of the owls screeched from behind the man.

A harsh bark of laughter escaped Morgan before she could stop it. “Either you’re a failure or a liar, maybe both.”

With her glare broken, Morgan was able to see a bright color slither across the courtyard’s ground. Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, venom lack. Much like the owls, this wasn’t a coral snake’s natural habitat at all. The snake was far from the path but still worth tensing over. Morgan’s eyes briefly went wide in surprise before she regained herself.

Yves faced Morgan fully. “I’m afraid that doesn’t elaborate on your point. If you would explain...”

“What needs explaining? Both you and I know that Marston’s is no better than before I released those reports,” the woman picked up where Yves left off.

“Is this about your whistleblowing?” Yves walked a bit down the path. Some of the owls kept their eyes on him; others had noticed the snake just as well as Morgan had. The crows had fallen silent. “You did a great thing then, and Marston’s did change. We stopped mining on conserved land. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

A sneer crept onto Morgan’s face. “Don’t act stupid. They plan on restarting the mining again, and you’ll be the face of it. I imagine you’re already writing new directives about it.”

“Well, yes, we do intend to start mining operations again. However, Marston’s Tech has no intention of damaging conserved land ever again. It was wrong in the first place, and much of the company is grateful for your reporting.”

“Don’t try to flatter me.” It was a wonder that Morgan wasn’t yelling, yet. “Of course, the company has no intention of damaging conserved land again. Why would they bother to buy a senator otherwise?”

“Once more, you’ve left me baffled.” Yves even went so far as to blink in shock.“Marston’s hasn’t done anything along the lines of buying a senator. It’s a laughable thought.”

“Really? What else would you call funding his campaign only to encourage him to enact policy that favors you? Policy like removing conservation status on lands that just happen to contain large amounts of unmined gold.”

A smile slid home onto Yves mouth. “Donating to a good campaign is common practice, as far as I’m aware. We have no way of knowing how he’ll act outside of his campaign promises. It’s simply that his goals align quite well with Marston’s new ideals.”

“I’m sure,” Morgan spat.

The man nodded earnestly. “Trust me, we’ve been striving to live by those ideals ever since you forced the company to do better. Why, when I became CEO, all I wanted to do was set Marston’s on a better path, like you did.”

Morgan took a deep breath through her nose at that. She shook her head and took note of the still distant snake. It seemed to be preying on a lizard, not noticing the owls that had their eyes on it. She forced her shoulders to relax; it only helped so much.

“I would appreciate it,” each word sounded like it was being forced out of her mouth, “if you didn’t compare yourself to me.”

Yves’ sympathetic expression melted away. “It saddens me to hear that, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

The words burst out of Morgan. “That’s why I said you were either a failure or a liar! At least now I know you’re definitely a liar.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Acting like you don’t know exactly what the company’s going to do with that senator. Like you don’t know how little what I did has actually fixed anything. Like you care about my comfort.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.” Yves’ remorse returned. “I don’t consider myself a liar. We can’t just control a senator, and Marston’s isn’t going to break the law again.”

“That’s semantics.”

“But it’s the truth.”

Morgan laughed again, joined by the hissing of the snake behind her. “There were such high hopes for you. The kind new CEO, optimistic and going to do right by everyone. Where did all of that go?”

“I meant every word I said when I got this position.” Finally, something seemed to affect Yves; he was defensive. “I do what I can. I listen to the board, and I do what I can.”

So, that’s how it was. Corruption made that mask, and the world reported on what they saw from Yves. This mask of kindness, of goodness, of change for the better. Except, the owls had masks, too, not as a disguise, but to hear better. To help them hunt prey. Barn owls may have had some of the best night vision out there, but with a face like theirs, they could hunt blind. How long had Yves been closing his eyes?

“So you make false promises, and the board that you listen to uses them to look better. To get away with what they want because no one has their eyes on the company anymore. And you just let them.” The realization didn’t make Morgan happy. She should have known already.

Yves was affected by this even more than Morgan’s previous statement- his voice becoming harsh. “I do what I can with the authority and power that I have. I do what I must to make sure I can still provide my best for Marston’s Tech.”

“Do you really?”

“Of course I do!” The man looked surprised at his own response, but he didn’t rescind it.

Morgan’s sneer was back. “So, you aren’t just clinging to a position just so you can indulge in the benefits?”

The crows suddenly began to caw, bringing more over. Eleven crows ended up sitting above the proceedings.

“That’s not true.” Yves vehemently denied, “I wouldn’t just have this position out of greed. I am not that kind of person. And there are consequences to leaving.”

Morgan did believe that last statement, at the very least. Even when she had released the reports that she did, Marston’s as a company didn’t take the full blame. They suffered their fair share of fines, rebukes, and boycotts, but the previous CEO ended up losing a fair bit of money and was fired. With the board better prepared this time, Morgan could imagine what troubles would find future whistleblowers or- in this case- a wayward CEO. Jail time would have probably been threatened; the board wasn’t above framing a man.

So, Morgan conceded at that point, “the board wouldn’t leave you unscathed; that’s true enough.”

Yves seemed so relieved for her to believe him. “Then you understand. At least when I’m in this position, I can try to do the right thing. I’m not corrupt, just backed into a corner. Anyone else in this position would be.”

Morgan didn’t say he wasn’t corrupt. Tasmanian owls didn’t usually spend much time around people. They’re not territorial, but the birds have been known to attack humans who they saw as threats. When a bird as big as that attacked, most people learned to leave it alone. Yet, here they were. The only way so many would be here was if someone brought them here; someone kept them here. All the trees capable of hosting a nest that grand must have been chopped down. All of them, except for those here.

Yves wasn’t innocent. He caused plenty of harm on his own, board notwithstanding.

“I’m sure you think that,” Morgan said.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s just,” she began, “you do live in a mansion. Your vacation home, this home, has a courtyard that’s at least an acre, likely more.”

Yves did what had been done to him; but then, the owls didn’t really have quite so many luxuries.

“And what does it matter?” Accusations like that must have been familiar to Yves; he seemed to pull himself together when hearing it. “Wouldn’t it be more strange if I wasn’t paid for my position? Besides, not all of this came from my current job.”

Morgan frowned, “No, but I imagine that the board is encouraging of bonuses whenever they want something less than tasteful done. Isn’t that right?”

“The board will do as they please, they confer among themselves,” the CEO became more flippant with every word. “I do what I can, and the board makes whatever choices they see fit. I don’t have a say in that.”

“Just like you can’t control the senator’s decisions, right? It’s all the same.” Morgan’s disdain was palpable.

Suddenly, one of the birds that had been eyeing the snake launched itself off a branch. The barn owl was swift, deliberate, and accurate. It easily tore into the coral snake, startling Morgan. If it had had the chance to bite, it would surely have taken down the owl. It didn’t get the chance. While the owls seemed to have traded some grace for bulk- strength, their elegance was still clear in flight for all their deadliness. The snake was small and probably young; it wasn’t hard for the owl to swallow it whole. The venom didn’t matter anymore.

The sight was a brutal one. Just like that, something dangerous was consumed by the owl. Morgan gasped, maybe not in horror, but something unsettling filled her. Morgan had never seen anything quite like it. Even when the snake was eating the lizard, the lizard still tried to get away when it was alive. Against the owl, the snake didn’t even know it was already beat.

Yves spared a glance at the owl that was lazily returning to its perch, but he didn’t care nearly as much as Morgan. “Just like we can’t control a senator. Tell, Miss David, what did you expect to get out of this conversation?”

It took a moment for Morgan to process the question, “I expected to find someone who could actually do some good, but it looks like I didn’t.”

“Did you really?” Yves questioned, “Is that why you came here all ready to accuse me? You wanted to find someone who would do something?”

“Yes, that’s what I came here for.” Morgan’s hackles began to raise at the questions. Where was Yves going with this?

Yves waved her off. “It’s just that you don’t seem to have a plan right now. That’s all.”

“And how would you know what plans I have?”

“I wouldn’t, of course,” Yves turned his attention to the Tasmanian owls again, “All of this just seems a bit aimless, impulsive if you will.”

More crows must have gathered when Morgan was distracted; thirteen total lingered. “I’m not acting aimlessly.”

“Are you sure about that?” Yves sighed, “Because I can’t see you getting anything out of this.”

“You think there aren’t people who would listen when I reveal this to the world? People trust me to tell them the truth about Marston’s Tech, about you.”

Yves spread his hands. “Look at where I live. You don’t know how expensive a place like this was. While not all of my wealth is from my time at Marston’s, this place is. I can afford it because of the board.”

“A real statement you’re making with your little vivarium.”

“The owls are my favorite; I brought them here because they’re always interesting,” Yves continued.

Morgan snorted, “Well, not everyone is a fan of owls. Some of us have no need for them.”

“True,” allowed Yves, “I only have them because I’m in the right place to have them. For all that it’s the wrong place, that’s just how it is.”

“Such a corner you’re backed into.”

Yves shook his head. “Miss David, Morgan, what’s the point in all this?”

“I told you my point,” she bristled. “And it’s not Morgan to you.”

“If you say so,” the CEO turned to look Morgan in the eyes, “You’ve come here to find someone who could do something. You say you’ve failed. Even me, in my position, can't do anything.”

“You enjoy your position too much to do anything.”

“Say I do, untrue as it is. What’s next? Are you going to bring this to more reporters, like you did before? They’ve been making the same accusations you have for a while. Admittedly, you’re a lot more specific about what you have a problem with, but it’s all the same. Do you think it’ll actually change things this time?”

“People know I can be trusted when it comes to Marston’s.”

“You’re acting like the board doesn’t expect you. You did what you could when you were a whistleblower that first time, but you played your hand. I can’t do anything as CEO, what hope do you have?” It was strange to hear Yves almost imploring, “I have all of this, with all that it costs at the whim of the board. It didn’t cost them anything. You say they bought a senator. Can you afford to fight them? They can certainly afford to fight you.”

It suddenly hit Morgan: this wasn’t about temptation; the owl eats the snake.

------

Morgan’s coffee was long cold by the time she had finished. Not as nice as the stuff from her favorite cafe, but she hadn’t been there in a while.

Her desk wasn’t particularly messy; the same couldn’t be said for her computer screen. Tab upon tab and file upon file filled the screen. All of it said what Morgan already knew. Marston’s Tech had started their mining operations again, this time legally. Their kindly CEO had assured the public that they weren’t going back to their law-breaking ways. People trusted the vision of the new CEO enough to have faith in Marston’s Tech.

Yves Royer was well received by the public, masking the flaws of the past with his genial face. Even the articles that accused the company of bribing a senator couldn’t dent his public image. Morgan’s own voice was drowned out by the board saying she was well-meaning but paranoid.

Morgan knew all of this. Part of her had feared it ever since she saw the senator’s speech in that cafe. She wasn’t prepared when she met with Yves; she simply didn’t bother. Then again, how would preparation have changed anything? The board was far smarter this time, and Morgan lost to it.

Still, she kept on.

She pulled up more articles on Marston’s, looking for any little detail that she could. Aiming to unearth more of their corruption. She took more notes and sent more emails. Morgan hadn’t been wrong about what the company was doing. There were those who believed her- or at the very least wanted a big story.

So, Morgan kept on. She researched and talked and recorded everything, only to be interrupted by the crows cawing outside.

Morgan’s coffee was cold by the time she finished it. She got up to refill the cup, still having more work to do. As she did, the birds that had been distracting her took flight, all

thirteen of them.

Morgan would find something, and she would be the one to do something once more. It was time to start working again; the owls didn’t belong in that vivarium.

____________________________

For reference: From nursery rhymes “One for Sorrow” and “One is a message”: five crows mean money, six mean large amounts of money either lost or gained, seven mean a secret, eleven mean a secret revealed, and thirteen mean the end of things.