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When money was involved, everyone became remarkably enthusiastic.
As for consulting accountants and lawyers?
That step could practically be skipped.
The Hepburns were a large family.
Katharine Hepburn's father had been a physician, while her mother had been a women's rights activist.
The family's emphasis on education, combined with Katharine's financial support over the years, meant that every member had received an excellent education.
By now, the family had no shortage of professionals.
Accountants and lawyers weren't exactly growing on trees—but there were certainly enough of them that one could be selective.
As a result, word of Henry's plan to establish a private fund based on high-frequency trading spread rapidly throughout the entire Hepburn family.
It was no longer limited to the handful of nephews and grandnephews who had originally cornered him for stock tips.
With things becoming this public, Katharine Hepburn naturally summoned Henry for questioning.
"Kid, this isn't illegal, is it?"
Henry answered honestly.
"At the moment, there are no laws prohibiting high-frequency trading.
"And the exchanges collect fees on every transaction.
"Why would they ever ban something that makes them more money?"
Then he added:
"More importantly, once I connected to the exchanges' electronic trading systems, I discovered at least eight other groups doing the exact same thing.
"I'm just the ninth.
"I simply don't know who's behind them."
Cough.
That part was a lie.
Henry had already used his hacking skills to identify every one of those competitors.
Even if he didn't recognize the individuals involved, the legal sources of their funds were crystal clear.
After all, this wasn't money laundering.
It was legitimate investment activity.
Taxes had to be paid.
Money trails existed.
The eight groups turned out to belong to:
JPMorgan Chase
Bank of America
Citigroup
Goldman Sachs
Morgan Stanley
Merrill Lynch
Lehman Brothers
Bear Stearns
In other words, some of the largest banks and investment firms in the United States.
Still, none of that was public information.
Henry wisely kept quiet.
---
After hearing his explanation, Katharine finally relaxed.
"If you're going to do this, make sure everyone's responsibilities and rights are clearly defined.
"I don't want family disputes breaking out later.
"And if Henry wants to keep this confidential, nobody should be talking about it outside the family."
"Understood, Kate."
The speaker was one of Katharine's younger brothers.
"Kate" was her family nickname.
The Hepburns were a remarkably long-lived family.
Several members of Katharine's generation were still alive.
At that point, the project essentially transformed into a family activity.
Everyone became interested.
People began contributing their expertise wherever possible.
The fund's standardized contracts, for example, could largely be adapted from existing mutual fund agreements.
A few revisions here and there, and they were ready to go.
The registration process wasn't particularly mysterious either.
Even if nobody had personally established a private fund before, they knew exactly whom to call.
A few phone calls later, every procedural detail had been clarified.
Had it not still been the holiday season, they likely would've dragged Henry straight to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
---
As fund manager, Henry would naturally receive compensation in the form of management fees.
In exchange, the investors would have full rights to inspect records and monitor operations.
Since things had reached that point anyway, Henry simply opened his laptop and showed everyone his actual trading records.
Not just transaction logs.
He displayed daily reports and monthly reports as well.
Although he had only been running the strategy for a little over a year, the documentation was extensive.
The accountants and financially literate relatives became even more confident after reviewing it.
Because Henry had actually been conservative when discussing his returns.
Suddenly even the younger generation became interested.
Several teenagers wanted to invest their future wedding funds.
Others wanted to contribute their savings.
The returns were significantly better than fixed-term bank deposits.
Who wouldn't be tempted?
Even the family trust established by Katharine Hepburn began considering an allocation.
After retaining sufficient reserves, the remaining capital could potentially be invested in Henry's high-frequency trading fund.
---
Henry had no objections.
He happily allowed everyone else to handle the organizational details.
After all, his primary role wasn't as a business manager.
He was the technology provider.
And an investor himself.
This wasn't like running a corporation where control battles mattered.
If the family wanted to save him work, why complain?
---
The calendar soon rolled over into 2000, the final year of the twentieth century.
The Hepburn Family Private Fund was quickly established and became operational.
Henry built a private website accessible only to verified users.
Family members could monitor returns, add funds, or request withdrawals whenever they wished.
Because money was involved, he implemented multiple layers of security.
Transfers could only occur between pre-authorized accounts.
This greatly reduced the risk of theft or unauthorized access.
Some of the younger children discovered an additional obstacle:
Even if they technically had accounts, any withdrawals still required parental approval.
---
Once everything was complete, Henry returned to his usual routine caring for Katharine Hepburn.
Since Katie now enjoyed daily walks, there was no need to periodically release her into the wilderness as he had done in Los Angeles.
Nor was there anything comparable to Alaska, where the tiger had practically enjoyed unlimited freedom.
As long as she didn't hurt anyone, Henry rarely restricted her.
Although she no longer hunted live prey regularly, Katie had adapted surprisingly well to domestic life.
Her wild instincts had never completely disappeared.
Still, she had become far more manageable than Henry had expected.
In fact, many of her daily habits had begun resembling human behavior more than tiger behavior.
---
The new year also brought something far more relevant to Henry personally:
The Mutant Registration Act had begun gaining political traction.
Technically he was an alien.
But since he spent most of his time hiding behind the identity of a mutant, he couldn't exactly claim the issue had nothing to do with him.
The primary sponsor of the legislation was Senator Robert Kelly.
Until now, mutants had largely existed in a strange social gray area.
Everyone knew they existed.
Few people discussed them openly.
Kelly sought to change that.
He traveled the country promoting the idea that mutants represented a growing threat.
According to his rhetoric, mutants had infiltrated every aspect of human society.
The purpose of registration, he argued, was to identify them and classify the level of danger they posed.
The argument conveniently ignored one obvious fact:
Mutants were humans.
Talking about them "infiltrating" human society made no sense whatsoever.
But Kelly's objective was clear.
He wanted mutants viewed as an entirely separate group.
Something distinct from humanity.
Something other.
---
While watching a news report about the proposed legislation, Katharine Hepburn suddenly asked:
"Henry, if the Registration Act passes, would you register?"
"Of course."
Henry answered casually.
"Why wouldn't I?
"I'm a law-abiding citizen."
Katharine frowned.
"Then why does everything that senator says sound so familiar?
"And why do I dislike it so much?"
Henry answered immediately.
"McCarthyism."
Her eyes lit up in recognition.
"Yes.
"That's exactly it."
Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she added:
"It has that same smell."
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