Truck Driver

Mays Newfield picked up the phone with a swift and decisive motion, without the slightest hesitation. Tom Kalinske instinctively held his breath, his eyes wide and fixed on the beige telephone, as if he could teleport the signal all the way to Maryland.

The call was connected.

"It's me, Mace." Newfield leaned back on the sofa, his tone regaining the control of a producer. "Something came up. I need to speak with Tom Clancy's agent."

There seemed to be something said on the other end of the phone, and Mays's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"No, it's not about the movie." He glanced at Takuya, a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's Sega, yes, the Sega that makes video games. They want to talk to Tom —no, not about adapting a movie, they want to turn Tom's entire world into a game."

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear Tom Kalinske swallowing.

Newfield's expression turned strange as he listened to the response over the phone. He covered the microphone and turned to Takuya: "He asked, 'Do you toy makers even know what a "Christmas turkey" is?'"

This is a colloquialism referring to low-quality games that are hastily released before Christmas, just to make a quick buck and leave.

Tom Kalinske's face flushed instantly; this was blatant contempt.

Takuya, however, remained unfazed. Leaning forward, his voice low but clear, he said, "Mr. Newfield, please tell him that we don't want to be that turkey. We work in the game industry, and we still vividly remember what Atari did after the release of * E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. We won't let that happen again; it would only be a disaster for us."

Mace Newfield was stunned. He looked at Takuya, and for the first time, genuine admiration appeared in his eyes.

He stopped covering the microphone and simply repeated Takuya's exact words.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

So long that Tom Kalinske's forehead began to sweat, and he became restless, shifting his position on the sofa and making soft rubbing noises.

"Next Wednesday, 2 PM," Newfield's voice broke the silence again. "He'll only see you for half an hour. I'll have Bernard give you the address. Don't be late, and don't talk nonsense."

After saying that, he slammed down the phone, the whole process swift and decisive.

Mace Newfield hung up the phone and said to Takuya, "Kid, I have to warn you. Clancy's an old-fashioned tough guy. He doesn't give us filmmakers a friendly look. He's always worried we can't capture the essence of his novels and just throw in popcorn. As for you guys..."

He paused, his gaze falling on the excited Tom, then turning to the composed Takuya, his smile deepening.

"In his eyes, you're probably not even superficial; at best, you're just idle swindlers trying to use his name to cheat kids out of their pocket money."

"We'll prove ourselves!" Tom immediately puffed out his chest, full of confidence.

"I'm looking forward to it." Mace stood up and straightened his suit. "No need for thanks, please accept them out of respect for Bernard. Besides, it's also out of personal curiosity; I want to see what tricks you can pull out of that stubborn Maryland."

He nodded to the three of them, signifying that they were seeing them off.

Mace Newfield saw them off decisively, and only after Nakayama Takuya and the other two left Paramount's archway did Bernard's tense nerves finally relax completely.

Bernard exaggeratedly clutched his chest, "I really thought that Clancy's agent was going to hang up on me, thinking I was a con artist! Takuya, when you were with Atari, I swear, Newfield looked at you differently."

He rubbed his hands together excitedly, his face still flushed. "Got it! Another one! John Hughes, Spielberg, Clancy! God, are we going to wipe out Hollywood in one fell swoop?"

"Bernard, we only got the chance to meet him," Takuya said calmly, looking out the window. "And he clearly doesn't like us."

"That's better than not seeing him at all!" Tom waved his hand. "As long as we can sit down and talk, I'm confident!"

Tom, standing nearby, smiled but remained silent. He knew perfectly well that if it hadn't been for Takuya's soul-searching remark about the "Atari Disaster," things would have been much worse.

Let alone meeting in person, the other party would probably just hang up the phone.

This young man always manages to say the most appropriate thing at the most crucial moment.

Back at the hotel, Takuya called out to Bernard, who was about to return to his room, "Bernard, do you have time tomorrow? I'd like to go somewhere."

"Of course, sir. Where to?"

Industrial Light & Magic.

Bernard paused, looking at Takuya with some surprise.

Industrial Light & Magic ILM) is not a tourist attraction; it's a special effects mecca founded by George Lucas, the true technological heart of Hollywood.

"No problem, I'll arrange it." Bernard nodded in agreement.

On the fourth day, Tom Kalinske was still somewhat bewildered as their car drove into a cluster of buildings that looked more like a technology park.

There is no grandeur of Paramount or glitz of the Hollywood Walk of Fame here, only rows of simple, unadorned factory-style buildings.

"Is this Industrial Light & Magic?" Tom peered in curiously. "It looks like a university engineering Academy."

"The really good stuff is hidden in the toy box," Takuya a smile.

Led by Bernard, they entered a huge photography studio.

The sight inside made Tom shut his mouth instantly.

There are no cameras, no sets, only crisscrossing metal trusses and countless cables.

Several people dressed in black bodysuits covered in small white balls were making strange movements in the central open space. In front of them, a tall man with short, neat hair and a focused, almost stern gaze was loudly issuing commands to a row of monitors.

"Higher elbows! Yes! I want to see the muscles working! Even if it's just a bunch of jagged lines right now!"

Bernard stepped forward and, while waiting for instructions, greeted him, "Jim, it seems your new toy is progressing well."

The man named Jim turned around abruptly, and when he saw Bernard, the tense lines on his face softened a little.

"Bernie? What brings you, such a busy man, to my warehouse?" His gaze swept over Takuya and Tom behind Bernard, finally lingering on Tom's standard business suit.

"Director James Cameron," Bernard introduced them, "This is Tom Kalinske, president of Sega of America."

This is our executive advisor, Nakayama Takuya.

Tom's eyes lit up immediately.

This is a very famous truck driver.