Chapter 20: A New Weapon
Elias Thorne stared at Arthur. His face was a mask of confusion and panic.
"The sword?" Elias repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "Arthur, what are you talking about? This is a disaster! Clarkson is going to bankrupt Boeing! That means we are bankrupt! Our landing gear company is worthless. Our entire plan... all that money... it's gone!"
Daniel, the young researcher, was still standing by the door, frozen. He looked like he had just delivered a bomb and was waiting for it to explode.
"Elias," Arthur said. His voice was so calm it was frightening. It cut right through the panic in the room. "Sit down."
Elias looked at Arthur, then at Daniel, then back at Arthur. He was breathing heavily, but he did as he was told. He sank back into his chair.
"Daniel," Arthur said, turning to the researcher. "You did a good job. A very good job. Now, I have a new task for you. It is more important. Go back to your sources. I need to know the exact, total value of Boeing's loan from National Metropolitan Bank. I need to know the principal, the interest rate, and the due date. I need it by the end of the day."
Daniel just nodded, his eyes wide. "Yes, Mr. Vance. Right away." He practically ran out of the room, relieved to be escaping.
The door clicked shut, leaving Elias and Arthur alone.
"Arthur, have you gone mad?" Elias said, his voice low and desperate. "Why does the loan amount matter? It's over! Clarkson has won. He is going to destroy the company just to prove he is the king."
"Yes," Arthur said. He walked over to the small whiteboard he had installed in Elias's office. He picked up a black marker. "He is a king. And he is doing what kings do. He is making a show of his power."
"And what can we do?" Elias said, throwing his hands up. "We are just... gnats. He is a giant."
"We are not gnats, Elias," Arthur said. He drew a simple diagram. He drew a box and labeled it "NMB" (National Metropolitan Bank). He drew another box and labeled it "Boeing." He drew an arrow between them.
"This," Arthur said, tapping the arrow, "is the loan. Clarkson, at NMB, sees this as a weapon. He is using it to threaten Boeing."
"We know this!" Elias said.
"But he is wrong," Arthur said. "He is an old-fashioned banker. He is emotional. He is angry. He thinks this is about power and respect. He is not a 2025 analyst. He is a 1940s bully. And because he is emotional, he is making a mistake. He is forgetting what this arrow really is."
Arthur looked at Elias, his eyes cold and clear. "It's not a weapon, Elias. It's an asset. It's a piece of paper. It is a 'promissory note.' And like any asset, it has a price. It can be bought."
Elias's mouth opened, but no sound came out. He was beginning to understand, and the idea was so big it terrified him.
"Buy... the loan?" Elias finally said. "Buy the entire Boeing loan? From Clarkson? That's impossible!"
"Why?"
"First, he would never sell it to us! He hates us. He would laugh in my face."
"Correct," Arthur said. "He will not sell it to us. He will sell it to a 'private investment group' that wishes to remain anonymous."
"Second," Elias said, "we can't afford it! That loan must be worth... I don't know... two, three million dollars! Our entire bank is only four million dollars! We would be spending everything on one single asset!"
"It is a good asset," Arthur said. "In fact, it is the most valuable asset in the world right now."
"It's the worst asset!" Elias almost shouted. "The company is about to go bankrupt! The loan is worthless!"
"Elias," Arthur said, and his voice was patient, like a professor explaining a simple, core concept. "You are still thinking like Clarkson. You are thinking about today. You must think about tomorrow. We know the B-17 is a revolutionary machine. We know the war in Europe is getting worse. We know the U.S. Army is going to build a giant air force. They are going to need thousands of those planes."
He tapped the "Boeing" box. "This company is not on the verge of bankruptcy. It is on the verge of becoming the most important company of the next decade. That loan is not 'risky.' It is the safest investment on the planet. It is backed by the full power of the United States government. Clarkson is just too blind and angry to see it."
Elias was pale. He was seeing the future that Arthur saw.
"So," Elias whispered, "Clarkson is holding an asset he thinks is worthless... but we know is priceless."
"Exactly," Arthur said. "He thinks it's a 'problem loan.' He is angry that it is not being paid. He is angry that it makes his bank look bad. He is using this rumor to scare Boeing, but his own board of directors is probably nervous. He would be a hero if he could get rid of this 'problem' without a loss."
Arthur put down the marker. "So, we are going to help him. We are going to walk in there and offer to take this 'terrible, risky' loan off his hands. We will offer him 100 cents on the dollar. Cash. Today."
"He will be... happy," Elias said, his mind racing. "He gets all his money back. He gets to clear a bad loan from his books. He looks like a genius to his board. And he still thinks Boeing is going to fail! He gets to solve his problem and watch us fail! He will love it."
"Yes, he will," Arthur said. "He will take the deal. And in that moment, in that single transaction, the gun he is holding to Boeing's head... it becomes ours."
A slow, shocked smile spread across Elias Thorne's face. The fear was gone. It was replaced by a look of pure, cold admiration. "My God, Arthur. You are a pirate."
"I am a banker," Arthur said. "Which means we need a new department. We have Research, to find targets. We have Capital Raising, to build deals. We have M&A, to create leverage. Now, we need the sword."
He walked to the door. "It's June 1940, Elias. It's time for Continental to build its Sales & Trading Division. Their job is to buy and sell assets. Stocks. Bonds. And corporate debt."
"Who will run it?" Elias asked. "We don't have anyone who can do this. This is not a job for a lawyer. This needs a Wall Street shark."
"I know," Arthur said. "And you are going to hire him. I've read the files on the men you considered for the Capital Raising team. There was one man you rejected. You said he was 'too aggressive' and 'too much of a gambler.' A young man named Sal Marto."
Elias looked surprised. "Sal? He's a pit trader. He's loud. He's... not our style."
"He is exactly our style," Arthur said. "He is not part of the old-boys' club. Clarkson will not know him. He is hungry, and he is fast. He is the man who can walk into National Metropolitan and not be afraid. Call him. Hire him. Pay him whatever he wants."
"And what do I tell him?"
"You tell him," Arthur said, "that he is the new head of Sales & Trading. And he has one day to complete his first trade. He is to go to National Metropolitan Bank and buy the entire Boeing loan. Pay them in full. And do it today."