A man finds himself in a white room with another man sitting at a nice desk, wearing a nice suit, and sitting on a chair that looks rather similar to a throne.

"Ah, Mr. O'Brady."

"Hello!"

"A pertinent ques. . .hey, don't you want to know where you are and why you're here?"

"I like to live in the moment. Oh, hey, a button!"

*pushes the button repeatedly, looking around the room to see what happens*

"Hmm. Is this thing important? What the heck does it do?"

"Oh, you see Mr. O'Brady every time someone presses that button someone else dies."

"Great sprinkled cupcakes! I must have pressed that thing at least 10 times."

"50, to be precise."

"Naw, I'm pretty sure it was 10."

"You pressed the button 50 times. I counted. I was sitting here the whole time, remember?"

"Yeah, whatever. You know, I don't think this button really kills people."

"Oh no?"

"No. I mean, how could it? Unless you've put a bunch of people in another room and set it up that way, but you don't look like the kind of person who would do that. You'd basically be a murderer every time someone pressed the button before you could explain what it did. If people were murderers every time they accidentally killed someone I'm sure we'd all be guilty."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Well, now that you know what the button does I want to make you an offer. I'll make sure that your family never has any trouble for the rest of their life, but in exchange you have to press that button."

"I already pressed it!"

"Yes, well, forget about that. I want you to press it one more time."

"No, I already pressed it a bunch of times. I'd like to donate the rest of my family favors to some of my friends. . ."

"Are you listening Mr. O'Brady? The deal is you press it one more time and then you get your reward."

"And I told you I already pressed it a bunch of times, and I should get my reward anyway. How did those people die?"

"They all had accidents."

"Well, if you can make a button that causes people to have accidents then you can make a button that gives rewards."

"That's not the point Mr. O'Brady."

"No, you're right. I think you NEED me to press the button with the knowledge that I will be killing someone, otherwise you wouldn't want me to press it again now that I know."

"I suppose you're right. Here's the key to the door."

"Wait, you locked me in here?"

"Of course."

"What kind of crazy person are you! I'm gonna make sure you can't kidnap anyone ever again!"

*O'Brady beats the living crap out of the man in the suit with his stamp, grabs the key to the door, and walks out*

A woman appears in the chair.

"What happened to you?"

"Long story. Listen, don't press that button. . ."

I wrote this short story in response to a short film with a rather 2 dimensional tragic hero. Here is the short: