Microstory 180: Basil Ploutos

This is an experimental Bellevue Profile microstory. The introduction can be found in Microstory 101. More to follow.

Basil Ploutos came out of a notoriously dysfunctional family. Ploutonic Enterprises was one of the largest and most powerful companies in the midwest, with major locations in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. Many economists and other researchers complained that there was no clear vision, or focus, of the company. They had their hands in a number of different fields, including auto manufacturing, toy fabrication, medicine, military equipment, and even education reform. The founder, Basil’s grandfather, commissioned the building of a hotel in the middle of nowhere Missouri during a time of limited development. The company was already rather successful at that point, having disrupted many industries with innovative ideas. And so, the people around him just believed that he had some insight into the future of the region. He must have known that people would soon flock to the area, and that a perfectly placed hotel would be overrun with business. But then Leon Ploutos Sr. kept altering the plans for the building with strange ideas. The ballroom became the unusual focal point, with a seemingly pointless room coming off of it. There was what appeared to be a laboratory behind the kitchen. There was neither a front entrance, nor a lobby. And the dimensions of the ballroom prevented there from being a practical second floor. The project was ultimately abandoned before it was complete, and the reputation of Ploutonic Enterprises suffered for it. The company retained a healthy profit year over year, but experienced no significant amount of growth, and was no longer looked to for hints at where the future was going. The family’s legacy was apparently forever stained with labels of insanity and fantasy.

Leon Jr. took over the company upon the death of his father, and continued on the exact same path. His first born son, Rowan was a bit of a party boy, and used his riches mainly to get into clubs and attract one-night stands. Basil, on the other hand, had an amazing business acumen, and some interesting ideas for how to turn the company around and make it great again. Upon the advice of Adam Nicks, the hopeful founders of Bellevue approached Basil Ploutos with the hopes that he would fund their endeavors. They worked out a way for him to illegally funnel money from his company, and supply resources to Bellevue so that it could provide support for its members. Without this backing, potential recruits would have no incentive to leave their old lives behind and start something new. They set up shop in that infamous abandoned hotel. It was perfect for their needs, having been constructed away from the prying eyes of the public. And those unconventional designs proved useful on a number of unpredictable occasions, almost as if Leon Sr. could see the future. Basil grew prouder of his contribution with each day that passed, and though he had no special ability of his own, helped make the organization what it was destined to be. Ploutonic Enterprises was shut down not long after his death, but from its ashes rose a new company, one that used anomaly-inspired scientific breakthroughs to change the world for the better.