He took all the time he could. The scene now demanded a different kind of work and the opportunity to become part of that effort. He questioned the ambivalent environment in which everything operated; short operations and options were, to him, an absurd fantasy. Anyone who wished to use them—or treat them seriously—was simply an idiot. Betting on games so complicated was, in essence, an adventure. Billy looked over the calculations they had made, numbers that in their own way were simply absurd. For him, what they called a prediction of the future could be restrained by the obvious simplicity of reason.
-For some time now, I've noticed that anyone who tries to ask questions simply pretends to be foolish. It seems everyone believes you're the secret leader of some conspiracy and, well… I told them that doesn't happen with Billy. He's concretely different in every possible way. So, to my misfortune, I talked too much, and they told me I might be the most foolish person they had ever met—and that happened before I conducted a deep and almost ceremonial investigation into what apparently was the symbol. Two information agencies refused to give me anything, and curiously enough, I said I worked for you. They didn't believe me… Tell me, Billy, what do you think happened? - Raimon asked.
He was almost certain that Billy was one of the most capable men when it came to projection and vision. Many times that alone earned his respect. Yet when Raimon carried out that investigation, he had become completely paranoid. The organization hidden beneath the shadows was a place no one wanted to approach; fear filled them with something fragile and uncertain, and he stopped asking questions.
-Masons. And I hope you don't ask further questions. They're people not worth confronting. - Billy replied.
-Masons? - he questioned.
-A different kind. A kind that does not reveal itself to the naked eye, and I believe they simply possess all the information. Organizations that make money beneath the shadows. - Billy answered.
Even Billy himself fell silent when it came to those people—their abilities inconsistent, their motives wrapped in questionable intentions. Reasons he both hated and respected. Billy knew how perverse a man could become when he chose to act, but even in such perversity there remained a deeper truth: the world moves between shadows.
-Who exactly did you get involved with? - Raimon asked.
-I have no idea, and that's what gives me a headache. If I wanted people to give me such an answer, I would simply provide it myself. Perhaps it would be surprising, or perhaps it's merely the ambivalent reality in which I'm becoming a paranoid man. But it's dark, and it's better not to cross that darkness. Though if I can recommend something—information as a form of currency is important, because then you know what you're dealing with. - Billy replied.
In his hands he held, at the very least, a rough understanding of how global politics functioned behind the shadows. Names and answers about who those people were. All of them existed beyond morality. For anyone lacking rational clarity, the system was impossible to comprehend. Billy had only seen the entrance to countless organizations fragmented into factions and positions that eventually converged into two great opposing groups. Each was powerful, sustained by lives easily forgotten and by the consciousness of others.
-So what can you tell me about this group? - Raimon asked.
Billy's eyes lit up like twin bonfires.
-Run from them. They are the worst of the worst. - Billy replied.
They had arrived at Marvel's headquarters. It was the weekend; the filming crew rested on Sundays because of a separate arrangement.
-I'm serious. This isn't a game. Your father—the man you fear so much, the one capable of the atrocities you describe—he's a saint. A man who does good against the demons that inhabit this earth. - Billy whispered.
They climbed the stairs. The commercial complex was finished, and both of them rode the escalators toward an entrance protected by armored glass and a specialized security gate. Below was a parking structure, and clearly it was one of the safest zones in the city—at least to a certain degree.
…
Billy observed Joe Quesada together with Avi. Both were the most excited about bringing Marvel into the world of cinema. Yet unlike any work they had done before, Billy's ability to connect stories had led them to use the X-Men as their first foundation, while simultaneously developing Guardians of the Galaxy and initiating several Avengers films. To anyone's surprise, they were extracting every ounce of potential from the actors on screen.
-It may bother you, or it may be an unpopular idea. - Billy said as they greeted him with an embrace, one that momentarily set aside the entire discussion about making films.
-Well, we had our meeting five weeks ago, but now that we have the creator himself here, it's a good moment to present the entire idea that Lux Animation proposed some time ago. - Avi replied.
How difficult and complicated the process was.
Between twelve and fifteen films were expected for the X-Men series, and afterward there would be a more intimate body of work, perhaps smaller in scale.
Billy listened carefully.
-So the writers now have the idea of making fifteen to twenty films just about the X-Men? - Billy asked, clearly doubtful. After all, films required time to become coherent, and the structure differed greatly.
-We might even be talking about thirty films spread across different periods. Considering the complexity, it's completely eccentric—it may surpass thirty films. The idea, as we understand it, is to create a timeline that isn't entirely coherent. - Joe Quesada replied.
The plan had already been drawn. Action and narrative character were secondary in the search for something larger.
With that slightly arrogant confidence, Billy would use the other studios—those that preferred to work outside the large commercial structures—to create independent films filled with mysterious ideas, while simultaneously enriching the commercial side with depth and stories full of life.
-You should understand that the scripts must be treated according to the circumstances. Unlike comics, here the characters must adapt to their personalities and to their historical moments. - Billy replied.
He canceled the first three projects outright, marking in red every detail he disliked. He partially approved three others, yet even then he forced each proposal to face strict rejection if it failed to meet the standards he demanded. The films had to reach a certain level: triple-S action quality, and a script quality of at least B+, ideally reaching A+.
...