Rise To Stardom - Chapter 220

Chapter 220: Poaching Failed
“Kyle?”

That was the unified thought practically everyone in the stands had as their gazes were glued to the stadium’s massive LED screens.

–

Clearly sleep-deprived, Kyle’s fingers kept tapping on the typewriter, a thwack, zing, ding, clunk and every other mechanical sound attributed to the ancient relic, resounding in the video.

Gradually, the shot zoomed out slowly, showing to everyone in the stadium that Kyle, wasn’t the only individual in the modernly lit-office.

A bunch of other well-dressed individuals in casual clothing, seemingly ignored him as he kept typing, each individually burying their heads in their phones, some documents and a laptop.

–

Evidently, at this point, Ella’s mix of curiosity and confusion had spiked even further as she muttered underneath her breath;

“This is… curious…”

Her words reflected everyone else’s thoughts in the VIP section, as a fair number of individuals present in said VIP stand with her, knew that the people in the office, weren’t just any randos.

Rather, considering Kyle’s explosive rise to fame, and how it affected those closest to him, they recognized them as the people that made up his small team.

And right on cue, their speculations were confirmed.

–

The doors swung open as Oliver walked in, the agent speaking as he pocketed his phone;

“So, Xavier and Cassandra Cage are on boar–”

Oliver halted in his steps, gazed at Kyle for a few moments, sighed reluctantly and then spoke, the concern in his tone palpable;

“Kyle, I know you have reservations about confidentiality on the internet but this… this is a bit extreme, even for you.”

“Extreme? I think not.” Kyle replied impassively, another zing resounding in the office as he moved the carriage with practiced expertise.

–

A light wave of chuckles swept through the stadium at that simple interaction between the two.

It wasn’t the words that the duo exchanged that felt funny to them.

Rather, it was the blunt presentation of the questionable scenario…

…and also the fact that Kyle was subtly making fun of himself for his apparently, chronically offline state, one the internet frequently took to making jokes about whenever he went radio silent.

In fact, one popular internet celebrity had once made a viral tweet captioned; If the zombie apocalypse were to happen today, Kyle Kestis would probably be the last person on planet earth to find out; along with a photo of the young star’s last active date of three months ago on his Mediagram DMs.

“Wait a minute… didn’t he just say Xavier and Cassandra Cage were on board? For what?” a curious Ella soon questioned out loud, drawing the attention of her family, alongside a few others.

That said, the teaser, now in its twenty-second mark, continued playing;

–

“Have you ever considered, maybe, using a laptop?” Gwen who couldn’t pretend to ignore her boss’s shenanigans anymore, twirled with her chair and arched a concerned brow of her own with gestured arms.

“A laptop? What’s that? Is it edible?” Kyle disinterestedly commented, his sleep-deprived eyes, never tearing away from the paper he was typing on for a single moment.

–

A proper wave of amused chuckles, cascaded over the stadium this time, Ella especially giggling in ever-increasing interest as the video continued;

–

“TweetTalk could do wonders, you know? Just leak the info and bam, everyone’s talking about it.” Owen who was seated a few meters away from Kyle, commented as everyone else in the office, acknowledged with agreeing nods.

Yet, instead, something else entirely irked Kyle as he repeated in utter disdain, one that only an old man in his late 90’s should have;

“TweetTalk.”

–

This time, a mix of genuine laughter and hearty chuckles cascaded over the stadium as Kyle’s disdainful delivery of that single line that encompassed all the immense dislike a lot of elderly people had for most social media apps in general.

But the teaser was soon nearing its one-minute mark, with only ten seconds left and a singular, curious question, echoing in everyone’s mind.

What, exactly, was Kyle, inputting onto the typewriter’s paper that had him so sleep-deprived, secretive and at the same time, immensely focused that he never tore his gaze away from it throughout the video, not even once?

They got their answer, literally the next second after.

–

Ignoring his team’s comments, Kyle slid the carriage one last time, inputted a few words and then, compiled everything he had been typing in a single stack, all with rapidly edited video cuts.

And upon placing the last paper atop the stack of papers on the table, the cameras slowly panned over to show the words written on it.

As this happened, Kyle was already out of frame, conversing with his team as their voices gradually got distant while being replaced the snippet of an exciting, adventurous soundtrack.

Then the words were finally shown as everything else within its surroundings gradually dimmed.

And with that, what was originally a simple ink text on a piece of A4 paper, morphed into a technological font of words that evoked a sense of marvel;

[Tech Wiz: Year One].

–

The stadium, at first, went silent for the slightest fraction of a second.

Then it exploded into a feverish haze of unrestrained screams, particularly from the males!

“You show-stopping, scene-stealing, son-of-a-gun!” Mars whom had been watching the teaser from backstage alongside Aiko, Parris and Kyle himself, pat the proudly grinning young man on the back, a mix of admiration, respect and awe, present in his tone and facial expression.

* * *

(Two days later…)

Super Bowl 56 was over and yet, for the past few days, it was all TweetTalk could talk about as it had been trending for two days straight.

Sure the championship game itself had been exciting to watch, especially with the last minute touchdown from the Harriers that secured their victory, but, where most of the discussions lay, was in the Halftime Performance and the movie teasers of [Fables & Legends] and [Tech Wiz: Year One].

Queen Galactica, aka Dahlia Pond, now fully employed as the Lead Animator in SpawnPoint Studio, was currently scrolling through the comments section of her viral tweet during her lunch-break while chuckling to herself again.

The post, titled; HOW GENEROUS OF K.K TO LET THE SUPERBOWL HOST A GAME AT HIS CONCERT; had garnered over 10.7K comments, 50.2K retweets, 359K likes and over two million views.

Yet, its analytics only seemed to spike increasingly with each day.

–

Princess Peach: It really is nice of Kyle to let them play football at his concert, isn’t it @Queen Galactica? Hmm? He was actually the one invited to perform at the Super Bowl? Sure, sure. I’ll believe you when mushrooms begin to fly. In any case, Princesses, Princes, Kings, Queens and Esteemed Shrooms, we have a new objective. Mission: Survive till [Tech Wiz: Year One] comes out. Everything after? Fair game. Do as thy please. Hmm? [Fables & Legends]??? What’s that? Is it edible?

Queen Galactica: I see what you did there with that last sentence @Princess Peach! (ᗒᗨᗕ)

WeDoABitOfTrolling: Bro told the Super Bowl he only needed 12 minutes and that they could keep the remaining 3+ hours of his concert to themselves. Bro isn’t the chosen one. The chosen one kowtows to bro.

FryingPansAreWeapons: I can’t with you both @WeDoABitOfTrolling @Princess Peach. Literally fell off my bed while laughing hysterically and now everyone at home’s wondering if their pop’s gone insane.

Wiz Lord: Literally spurted out and nearly choked on my glass of water the moment I saw the teaser’s ending!! Also, naming it [Tech Wiz: Year One] is an absolutely genius move from Kyle and his team, especially since most of [Tech Wiz]’s timeline happens in his college years.

Gaming Overlord: Called it! Abso-friggin’-lutely called it last year under the Den of Nerds post! I’m so hyped! Haven’t been this hyped in years for a movie! And then we have [Fables & Legends] too?! We eating good this year bois!

NFL Lover: Bar none, one of the best Super Bowl in years! The teasers for the two movies though, icing on top! Gotta say though, you guys sure Kyle Kestis isn’t already at his prime?! ‘Cause WTF is with his amazing showmanship?! That shit’s so contagious it had me dancing along from my living room I could almost argue I attended the Super Bowl Halftime Show in person!

BatteringBats: You know, when I heard that Aiko and Mars were gonna be the guest performers, I’d reasoned Kyle would have to put in some serious work to match their energy. How, so, ridiculously wrong I was.

WonkyWilly: I know right @BatteringBats?!  Like seriously, I even had to wonder at some point if Kyle was lip-syncing because damn does his voice noticeably sound better than even the studio produced version of his songs.

Taylor Shrimp: Kyle literally transformed the entire stadium and made just about everyone present a part of such an euphoric experience. Mars and Aiko, did such a fantastic job of maintaining that flow though because wow, the weight of expectations must’ve been crushing. Wicked performance from them!!!

Ella Enchanted: Best, Super Bowl, Halftime Performance, Ever!!! SOOOO much positive, uplifting energy. Did you guys see how happy Kyle was after the performance? I really want to live my life the way he smiles… beautiful, broad and bright. Also, my brothers and I are so excited for [Tech Wiz: Year One]! Hopefully it releases this year alongside [Fables & Legend]!

Peter_Writes_Fantasy: With how Kyle rocked the Halftime show, you can bet that his concert tickets for his upcoming tours are going to sell out within minutes the moment they’re out for purchase.

GooGooGaga: Kinda eye-opening too that if Aiko hadn’t talked about it on Craig’s Late-Night Show yesternight, we never would have known that she actually almost fell mid-choreography and Kyle catching her was all improv.

Kyle’s Girlfriend: @GooGooGaga; Was so stunned to find out too. Love that man! This makes how many times he’s saved a dame from first hand embarrassment, exactly? Twice!! Honestly, if had a nickel for every time Kyle’s saved a dame, I’d have two, which isn’t a lot but still, it’s curious that its happened twice. Hmmm… maybe I can be the third dame?!

WaifuWithARocketLauncher: @Kyle’s Girlfriend: Sigh… I’mma get my rocket launcher.

The Weekday: Something about Kyle’s showmanship just seems to unite everyone man. He better still be alive by the time I’m old enough to attend a concert of his on my own.

Movie Gremlin: [Tech Wiz: Year One] & [Fables & Legend] huh. I’ll busting all the stops to watch both movies whenever they’re out in theatres. Hopefully they don’t clash at the Box Office though. That’d be heavy on my wallet.

–

Dahlia, having wrapped up her meal, kept scrolling through more and more of the comments as she made her way back upstairs to check on the progress of the trailer that was being filmed.

That was until she had her attention whisked away when Kyle and Oliver, walked into the building.

Behind them were a litany of professionals, hauling what seemed to be a plethora high-tech equipment, cameras and other cinematographic gizmos.

However, what really caught Dahlia’s attention was someone else.

With widened eyes of amazement, the lady watched as Xavier Cage, walked through the doors alongside them.

“Oh hey Dahlia. Lunch break?” Kyle casually called out to her, prompting the lady to walk over as she responded;

“Hi Kyle. Hey Oliver. And Mr. Cage, I presume…”

“Pleasure to meet you. And, Xavier’s fine, Dahlia.” Xavier extended a respectful handshake towards her, one she partook in with a beaming smile while keeping her cool.

After all, Xavier Cage was one of her favorite Directors in Hollywood, even despite his not so appealing track records of Box Office bombs even though all the movies that did flop, were actually really good in comparison to most of the movies today.

Unfortunately, they just weren’t the kinds of movie the general public would find mainstream or appealing.

That said, having reciprocated her greetings, Oliver did the same and immediately after, led both the professionals and Xavier into the Studio’s basement.

“Are they here to complete The Volume?” Dahlia on the other hand, nudged her head in their direction as their backs receded.

“Yep. Need to have it properly installed before I commit fully to the tour. So much to do, so little time.” Kyle explained, hands in his pocket as he released a light sigh in addition;

“Guess that’s what I get for wanting to independently produce a blockbuster superhero movie…”

The Volume Technology in Filmmaking.

To put it simply, it was a visually-enhancing, 3D-controlled space that involved the use massive LED video walls to increase the immersive feel of a scene by using computer-generated backdrops.

That way, a real-time manipulation of the virtual environment in the room it was installed in could easily be tweaked, hence making it easier for actors to interact with what they would typically have to use their imagination to perceive in CGI, thereby giving more authentic performances.

The expenses that went into making it for [Tech Wiz: Year One] though, was something Kyle himself had opted to finance solely from his pockets.

There was already a planned budget for the superhero movie and Kyle was very keen on sticking to that budget.

$250 million dollars. Nothing more. Nothing less.

That said, having discussed with Xavier about many details regarding the movie, one where the Director had made mention of The Volume, Kyle had figured, that although expensive, in the long run, him investing $10 million dollars+ into making it would be worth it.

They were going to be using it across three movies after all.

Additionally, for SpawnPoint Studio, it was a technology that could greatly help during motion capture for their other single player games in the long run too.

So Kyle, upon remembering that his Studio did in fact have a massive mocap basement tucked beneath its building, decided to cut costs and install it there.

Essentially, he was trying to kill two birds with one stone.

In any case, just as Dahlia was about to speak in response to his words, a melodic hum graced her ears.

“Oh! Kyle~!” Sharon hummed cheerily upon seeing the young star as she stepped out the elevator.

“Hey Sharon. You done with the trailer shoot?” Kyle responded with a thin smile.

“Piece of cake.” the lady gave a peace sign and was then about to ask of Kyle and Dahlia what they were discussing when her phone buzzed.

Picking up the phone call, squinting at the unknown, private number for a brief second, Sharon responded;

“Hello. This is Sharon Winters speaking.”

“Good day to you Miss. Winters. It’s Calvin Winchester from Atla-”

Sharon promptly cut the phone call, earning a genuinely proud smile from Kyle who chuckled out loud while Dahlia simply looked on in amusement.

Considering Kyle had informed both his employees and Sharon herself of the situation with Atlas, it was fitting that they were staunchly in support of not playing the entertainment juggernaut’s, power-play games.

Ever since the announcement of [Tech Wiz: Year One] at the Super Bowl and the massive reception it had, they had taken to trying every possible means to poach resources from Kyle’s team to make things harder for them to make the movie.

Not that they had been successful though as literally everyone from Kyle’s side whom the multi-billion-dollar company contacted, didn’t even give them an avenue to speak before cutting them off.

Just as Kyle as told them, the best way to deal with Atlas, was to simply ignore them.

They planned on doing just that.

“Peace and crackers.” Sharon, with a light smile, casually pocketed the device into her back pocket and then asked of Kyle;

“So, how’s the preparations for the tour coming along?”

“Swimmingly…” he replied as he turned on his heel and headed towards the basement as the two ladies trailed behind him;

“…though I’d reckon the ticketing websites are in for it tonight.” Kyle added with a genuinely concerned tone, one that had Dahlia and Sharon chuckling.

Despite not exactly keeping up with everything in the entertainment world, Kyle did know, that the excitement for his tour was quickly becoming a big thing in the music industry.

And that was why, he was very worried for the Armageddon that would follow tonight after the tickets to his Your Odyssey tour were released for purchase.