CALLED, Chapter 2

A Nation Built on Broadcast Lies

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This chapter exposes media manipulation at its most insidious. How much of our world is shaped by unseen forces bent on control?

Share your thoughts and let’s unravel illusions together because the search for truth is universal.

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Elysium Centre, Studio A

“Good morning, citizens of the Souvern Conglomerate! This is Toby Jacobsen, broadcasting live from the fifty-sixth floor of Elysium Center. Starting our program this sol, a quick look at the nation’s headlines. Good news out of Agrabhan: The engineering force has successfully completed repairs on the tunnel and restored Expressway service through from Agrabhan to Jericho. The nine thousand terraspan segment of tunnel that spans the lower Elysian range has been out of service for the last few solarii. I know those transports are a lifeline to the souvern Citadels, so I’m sure more than a few Conglomerate top shops will be bustling once again in no time flat.”

Over Toby's shoulder, the video wall showed footage of an Expressway Train pulling into 37-8 Station in Jericho. At the desk, the news anchor faced a rectangular metal frame outfitted with free-movement cameras, lighting panels, and microphone arrays.

Toby's cropped brown hair was so well-styled it nearly glistened in the studio lights. His tailored shirt was a crisp neutral, offset with a colorful tie. He had one of those faces that could make the most tragic news seem relatable and had a strong following among his viewership of all genders.

As Toby shuffled the papers in his hands to indicate the beginning of the next segment, the lights shifted, and the camera pulled back to show Toby's guest, seated on the opposite end of the gentle arc of the broadcast desk.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am moved to be part of this’ol’s conversation. As you well know, this sol marks five solarii since the loss of Chairman JP Stratton II. A vibrant leader, our nation would look quite different without having been touched by his brilliance. As we shift from an era of reflection into one of renewal, I am delighted to welcome current Chairman JP Stratton the Third to share his thoughts with us as we bring a close to the extended mourning period for his late father. He and the Board are also excited to share their new operating plan for what lies ahead for the Souvern Conglomerate in the coming solarii. Welcome, sir.”

Unlike Toby, Chairman Stratton was not what the production staff might call “camera-ready.” His hair defied styling, and his face bore the marks of maturity and the long chrons a role like his demanded. Still, his crooked smile was nice enough, and his voice was compelling. From the moment he began to speak, viewers across the nation leaned in.

“Thank you, Toby. It’s always my pleasure to pop down here and join you in the studio. My father was an inspiration to me and to a great many of you out there.”

“Of course, sir. Your father’s devotion to the Souvern Conglomerate was unmatched and the events being held across the nation only show how deeply felt his loss is even now.”

Behind the two men, the video wall cut to a live shot of formal parade beginning to organize. Scores of Guardians in their bulky chrome suits lined the streets of Elysium, where a hundred members of the executive leadership corps would soon march in tribute to the fallen leader.

“I still feel his loss greatly; however, as the solarii pass, I also feel stirred to take action to honor his great legacy. We cannot linger endlessly in sorrow for the sols gone by—we must reach out and grab our future. That is what this nation was founded on: the collective promise of a better life. The Board and I have been hard at work, devising a new Conglomerate strategy which we are delighted to be rolling out in the next septad.”

“Very exciting things ahead, I am sure. Can you give us any more insights before the Board formally announces the plans?”

“I won’t go too far into detail but rest assured that the Board and I know how far our nation has come. The Executive team and I want to be transparent with you. All we have done to get to where we are now will not be enough to deliver us to a brighter future. The infrastructure my father built across this nation is critical; our citizens depend on the Conglomerate for all their needs. Our population is thriving, and with that boom, many of the systems you rely on are beginning to show signs of strain. The Board and I do not take this lightly, and we are eager to rebuild and fortify ourselves with the knowledge from lessons learned along the way.”

“Sir, I can’t pretend that doesn’t sound a little frightening. So many of our citizens rely on the security provided within the Conglomerate zones. The biospheres and Citadel walls are instrumental in keeping us from the nightmare of the Outside. Conglomerate society provides a safety net for the citizens. You’re not suggesting that any of that is in jeopardy?”

“Don’t mistake me, Toby. When I say the time has come to rebuild, I am not talking about a return to the chaos of the Souvern Republic or the Novarican Civil War.” Stratton's focus on the camera was intense as he promised, “Conglomerate citizens will always be protected inside our walls. The Board and I have no intention of threatening the safety and security we have built in Conglomerate society. Our infrastructure is the envy of the world around us; however, as we sit on the eve of our centennial next solaris, I am challenging our nation to a new renaissance. We have already climbed to great heights, yet there is still further we can ascend. Together, we will build a future my father and grandfather before him could only have imagined.”

“I love the optimism in the challenge, sir. The Conglomerate has proven that uniting the power of the citizens with the engine of industry is a recipe for success. Your announcement couldn’t come at a better time for our nation, with it poised on the edge of our centennial celebration. We have come a long way since the Articles of Incorporation and the dawn of the Conglomerate era. Looking at what the next centad might hold, can you tell us more?”

“I would love to, Toby, but, as you well know, the workings of our nation are complex. From the farms in Agrabhan to the factories of Mecklin, there are far too many details for me to give everyone a comprehensive understanding of what's in store but rest assured—everyone will be properly informed. The Board and I want to ensure everything is clear to you.”

He loosened his focus and smiled slightly. “After all, none of this exists without each of you. The Conglomerate is all of us. Regional Board members will be broadcasting town halls over the upcoming septad that outline the next phases of development for each sector of the country. All I will say now is that these plans represent our great nation's best path for doubling its wealth, position, and standing in the world at large.”

“Powerful words, sir,” Toby's eyes closed reverently.

As the pause lingered, Stratton's smile began to falter; suddenly, the host's eyes opened again. “I know everyone watching this broadcast will eagerly await those town halls. The schedule for your region should now be showing on your screen.”

“Thank you, everyone, for serving the Conglomerate now and in the solarii to come. Building a stronger nation won't be easy, but I have endless faith in our collective power,” Stratton said in closing.

“Chairman Stratton, thank you so much for your time and for joining me.” Once again, the camera drew tighter onto Toby, the lights shifting to leave Stratton's side of the desk in darkness. “In just a few moments, we'll be going live to the streets of Elysium, where the memorial celebrations will begin shortly. As a national observance, this telecast is superseding all available signals, so stick around for our full sol's worth of programming.”

The camera’s light flashed from green to red, indicating the broadcast had moved to the next segment. Stratton rubbed at his eyes and rose from his chair.

Toby held out a hand, “Lovely to see you again, sir.”

“Give it up, Toby. You’re not real.”

It almost sounded like Toby sighed when his head shifted to one side, and he powered down. Toby was pretty sophisticated by now. Before his present incarnation, the same mechanized exoskeleton had been William, Henry, and even a brief stint as Phyllis. At this point, the facial expressions and eye movements were indistinguishable from a human's. The algorithmic programming, however, was too sycophantic for Stratton's personal tastes but the market research showed that most citizens were comforted by the saccharine promise of everything was operating as it “should.”

Toby and Studio 56 would continue to follow the parade to the Stratton family mausoleum and the vigil. Stratton III felt it was a useless lot of pomp and circumstance for someone who'd been dead for half a decennium, but the citizens ate it up. Feeling like they are part of something bigger makes them feel important.

If all went according to plan, the whole of the nation would be abuzz with the announcement of a third RapidReconstruction within the septad. The halls of the broadcast studio floor were lined with murals celebrating the prior successes of RapidRecon as covered by Conglomerate media outlets: ribbon cuttings and dedications of the current network of two dozen Citadels and the terraspans of Expressway connecting them all. Despite the finality suggested by the artists’ renderings, the second RapidRecon was still ongoing, continuously overhauling the Citadels, transforming the rings of Suburbs and Exurbs to better suit the specific needs of the population.

Stratton knew he would get the credit, but it was Board Vice-Chair Hitesh Sanghavi and Comptroller Miyuki Sato who pieced together this particular strategy. The current Conglomerate business model was straining – the system hadn't adapted; it had simply swollen. Operating costs for outfitting a citizen's life rose while profits stagnated.

Stratton’s private lift car arrived, beginning his ascent back to his top-floor office. What would not be included in the town hall presentations was the real intention of the newest RapidRecon: finding the cheapest way to overhaul the current Citadel network into masses of Processing farms.

“JP, we have no other choice.” Hitesh had said when he and Miyuki sat the Chairman down to propose the plan. “The current neural link technology is only compatible with a select genotypic spectrum.”

“I don’t understand why that matters, Hitesh. We don’t need more Processors, do we Miyuki? Is there something you’re withholding about operations down below?”

Tough as she was, even Miyuki Sato blanched when the Chairman threw such a loaded question her way. A third-generation board member, she had only been in service for two solarii. She smoothed her sharply angled hair over her ear and looked at him with her dazzling brown eyes. “Since most of a Processor’s time is spent semi-catatonic, Processing residential units are small. Convert enough of the population…”

“…and we can stop investing in so many bloody benefits,” Stratton finished.

“Exactly,” Miyuki said smugly. “I have some impressive research out of Assyria to show that with a few genetic modifications, more than triple the number of citizens could be made capable of withstanding the demands of Processing.”

“Most citizens spend their whole lives being told they can’t become Processors, imagine the fervor if we offered a Processor’s salary in exchange for a few simple mods,” Hitesh concluded. He was the last surviving second-generation member of the executive team. His dark hair was mottled with gray, and his wiry beard stuck out in two points. Hitesh knew what he and Sato were proposing was the only way forward and hoped he still had enough capital to secure this win.

“I know we need the Processing power but how is it in our favor to pay more of the highest salaries?”

“The salaries are an expense, sir, yes,” Miyuki jumped in. “But where we save are in the benefits. Early on, we needed the benefits as a draw. After the wars and Dissolution of Novarica, people had nothing left. They were willing to do anything they could in exchange for safety and security. Now they’re used to Conglomerate society and they’re starting to ask for more.”

“Rather impudent, demanding more when we provide so much already.”

“Look, sir, without a major upset, there will never be a return to the exponential growth that made all of this possible.”

The lift doors opened on his panoramic view of the manicured pathways bordering the lush canals lining Elysium’s center. The Chairman preferred to shut most of the light, preferring his sanctuary so dim that the few glowing pools of light barely outlined the forms of the sleek-yet-sumptuous furniture.

RapidReconstruction wasn’t only for the good of the nation. Most citizens never put together how it directly benefitted the Stratton family, but the bulk of the infrastructure contracts flowed through Strattonworks. In the two generations since his grandfather’s inaugural term, the family’s portfolio had grown to immeasurable wealth along with the proverbial keys to the whole system. Behind that façade, his grandfather laid the foundation for an empire that Stratton III would soon realize. The business model had been established and fully evaluated, and they were poised to commoditize and expand.

With increased Processing capacity, the Hive could extend to their neighbors to the souf, norf, or even across the seas. Beyond their own borders, Conglomerate services would slowly seep into the fabric of other nations. With greater demand would come exclusivity and pricing to match. His own citizens, rapt in the cycle of service and their virtual lives, would be none the wiser. He and the Board would see profits that exceeded those of the early sols when grandfather had Assumed every business in the territory to flood the national treasury.

Approaching his desk, Stratton was sure the marketing team had already delivered the metrics from his broadcast, but he had no interest. The citizens' feelings about the plan were unimportant, though acceptance would make the process easier and would come eventually. When the citizens were hungry, the Conglomerate had been there to feed them. It went on to teach them, clothe them, and guide them through their lives of service, in exchange for as many entertainments and pharmaceuticals as they could consume. The real value for the Conglomerate lay in the unfettered observation and data harvesting. They had enough information about a citizen to predict, modify, and, increasingly, control their behavior on a grand scale.

A map of the nation hung on the wall behind Stratton III’s broad, honey-colored desk. A bit of trompe l’oeil, the map was actually a free-standing section narrowly offset from the broader wall. Stratton didn’t stop to scan the monitors built into the surface of his desk before he slipped between the panels.

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