<<<Next week, next month… what’s the diff?? ty, DD>>>
aWLoN!prt.2
starts here!
By David C. Daoust
Elma awoke in a huge plush bed, pink blankets and silk sheets nestled her in their warm embrace as her head sunk deep into the folds of excess pillows. The canopy above matched the piled blankets and pillows that entombed her. The pastel walls reached to a domed ceiling that was intricately carved, its grooves and expertly curved lines culminating into a huge star at the very apex of the room. A room that was located on the very highest floors of one of the highest skyscrapers protruding out of the vast oceans, to overlook the watery moon of New Runnymede, the very capital of the entire Trade Consortium. Even with all these riches to provide such comfort, the young girl’s eyes snapped open with a rigid empty feeling, one that she had grown accustomed to.
Elma lay perfectly still, unwilling to move until the feeling passed. She was, at one time, a beloved actress, a ‘child star’ that had filmed more films than most. Now, she was subject to so many random objections to her appearance, she found her life to be a nightmare. People grow, especially children, it’s like, the only thing we do! That tiny, perfectly cute, girl that the Onion had grown to love, was now a gangly preteen form, too long of limbs- like I had a say in their length before!- Chest was ‘not big enough’- Not big enough? It was nonexistent before!- Stop looking at me! Lately they’d claimed her bangs were too short… I like my bangs! ‘Not like they won’t grow out…
She sat up on the bed, pulling at her bangs… She heard the television on in the living room. She was not sure what to expect, the smell of last night’s gathering hung on the air. Her mother loved to entertain, to fill the house with these strange people, all wannabe actors like her mom- A mom who mostly just loved that her daughter was a famous actress that people threw money at, or did; Elma’s stomach was like a hollow pit, she suddenly reached up and pulled at her bangs again before sliding off the bed and grabbing her robe.
As Elma opened her bedroom door, the young girl was greeted by the stale smell of alcohol excreted from last night’s guests. She scrunched up her nose in disgust, mostly that she recognized the smell. She found herself in the middle of a flophouse. Sleeping people throughout the room, it was not unusual for her mother to throw these shindigs. ‘She was probably passed out in her room, not to be awakened until well past noon.
Elma reached up to the small hovering droid, which followed her around, and grabbed the TV remote; some silly infomercial was trying to sell these burnouts a new set of knives on the television.
She climbed the back of the couch and squatted between two passed out forms, one suddenly moved.
“If you touch me, I’ll claw your eyes out!” Elma didn’t actually say this out loud, but she thought it, really hard, as she glared at the passed out man, practically falling off the far arm of the couch.
Elma flipped the channel.
The SBC1- Swan Broadcasting Channel 1 News Reporting! ‘Channel-screen’ flashed for a moment and gave the option to skip the incoming advertisement. Elma quickly hit skip, and the familiar face of Viceroy Kathy Starfront filled the screen, mid-report.
“…all of which culminated into news of a solargate blackout in the very same system … could only raise even more questions about the leaked video revealing corruption throughout the corporations of the Trade Consortium and their willingness to make a buck off damn near anything…”
Joining us now, is Dr. Hen, a noted colleague of the whistleblower, to give us more insight into the life, and work, of Dr. Dakota Sun…”
Ug, as if we haven’t heard enough about this stupid Dr. Sun! Elma suddenly flipped the channel.
The TWC5- Trade Winds Channel 5 News Reporting! The new ‘channel-screen’ flashed with a countdown to an ad, which Elma, quickly, without even thinking, skipped…
“…solargate Black-out on Neo Vir’ees only adds allegations to the outrageous claims of corruption in the single business entity of the Otomo Corp. An outstanding member of the Consortium, known for, not only the production and distribution of the life saving drugs that halted ‘Goldilocks’ ataxia’; A disease that had the entire Solar System locked in dread for more years than we can count…” Newscaster Carol Denver reported smart and smoothly, though was suddenly interrupted by the flashy smile and giant white teeth of her co-news anchor, Jim Curtain.
“Well sure, Carol, wasn’t their former CEO lost to that degenerative disease?” Jim added as though the info added something to the story.
“Indeed Jim, a disease now held in check thanks entirely to the Trade Consortium!” Carol answered, on-message, to help clarify.
“The Trade Consortium is so wonderful, Carol.” Jim said with his toothy smile.
Oh my god, he’s such a ditz! Elma thought as she snickered.
“…And, now, years later,” Carol, with a barely noticeable eye roll, got back to the news, “Otomo Corp stands on the very edge of the battle against the ‘Black Tide’ infection.”
“The lung infection which first appeared on the Fractured City-Station, Dori 5,” Jim continued off Carol’s intro, “reached new heights this week- as the tide continues to swell!” the male newscaster announced forbiddingly as a graphic appeared on screen to emphasize, ‘Black Tide’.
The camera, that had encompassed them both, suddenly flipped to a close up shot of Carol, as she seriously spoke into the camera:
“Now let me take a break from the normal news to give a little bit of insight into what I like to call ‘Your Opinion’:
“How can they possibly imagine you’d believe some random, lone Anarchist could have access to –highly illegal- military weapons like ‘Battle Drones’ on a broke, dead moon like Twin Crown?” Carol asked ludicrously, “A moon that just happened to be acquired by Red Faction; An industrial entity, pitted at the very throats of all the Consortium! The Red Faction, well known for its extreme views…”
She turned fluidly to the second camera, for an even closer close-up.
“Views that stand in complete opposition of the ‘former’ Trade Consortium population that formed the small ‘corporate-sponsored’ town of Grady!” she practically implored outrage with her eyes.
“Now we’re to believe that this ‘clean slate’ has to do with some random anarchists’ ‘Propaganda of the Deed’?” she ended the statement on a ludicrous note, then paused to compose herself.
“Don’t you think it is far more likely, these communist blowhards are just stepping up their game into an imperial force…?” she told the audience smartly and smoothly, as though they were all too smart and smooth to fall for such manipulations. “This is not even the first sign… How many corporations have been infiltrated by these ‘Commissar’ reps, then months later just to have the CEO suddenly, and uncharacteristically, sign over to Red Faction law? Questionable to say the very least!”
“Well, it is clear for you to see: these bottom-up guys- are clearly more interested in redefining the top-down… which you know, obviously, is just outrageous!” she wrapped up just as the frame encompassed both news anchors once again.
“Outrageous! It fills all of us at ‘Trade Winds’ with outrage…” Jim suddenly chirped in, “Carol, how do you feel?”
“Outraged!” Carol clarified as she tapped her personal screen on the news desk in front of her.
“Stay tuned after these ads to learn just how outraged you should feel about these latest developments!!” Jim finished as he threw to a commercial.
I think I’m outraged enough, Elma thought dryly as she flipped the channel again.
The Comedy Canal- Channel10005- ‘Daily Slice of the Onion!’ channel-screen filled the monitor. Elma skipped the ad, and then handed the remote back up to the small droid that still hovered over her head, content with whatever this channel chose to provide. Elma buried her back deeper in the center of the couch as the young teen pulled her knees in tight and gripped her bangs in her fingers as she watched the screen from between her pulling arms, ever aware of the strangers sleeping to her right and left.
“…wow, what a mess they have out there!” Patty Martins stated dryly as the audience suddenly laughed at his mannerisms.
“Though seriously folks, I think, by far, the most interesting thing to come out of Neo Vir’ees is the hacked feed of this, ‘Dakota Sun’…” He introduced the subject as the small image suddenly appeared to his right, just as the frame pulled back to fit, both him, and the info-graphic on the screen. A small image containing Dakota Sun paused in the most ridiculous place, freezing her in a look of both disbelief and startlement.’
“Clearly, she has something to say!” Patty announced over the uproarious laughter in reference to the foolish image next to him.
“Ok, but try to stay with me here folks. What I’m going to show here is the original feed leaked throughout the Onion of Dakota Sun blowing the proverbial whistle, on Otomo Corp-” he clapped a bit with a hop in his step as he said, “this is so exciting that I get to be the one who points this out.”
The video starts to play, and Elma got an idea of what it was the small blond was reacting to, as the bullets rang out around the doctor…
“Now if you’ll watch…when the camera turns just to the right angle… ok, now pause…” Patty points out in the graphic next to him, as the feed depicted the small dark haired girl in the passenger seat, “you see that…? Those big brown eyes and perpetually cute face… that’s right!”
“…none other than ‘Elma Parks’ ladies and gentlemen!” Patty revealed obnoxiously as he tugged at his lapel and took a step forward and two steps back, and then ended the maneuver with mouth agape and jazz hands.
The shock and awe was apparent from the audience, and even Elma felt her mouth drop open as her bangs slipped out of her grasp.
“Now who can say, really, what a child actress has to do with this horrible ‘black lung’ infection….” after a forced pause and pretending to think for a sec, the host corrected himself, “Oh wait, no, it’s ‘Black Tide’ now! Our creative media decided to dress it up a bit…” Then feigned muttering for all to hear, “I’m sure some ‘Consortium Exec’ gets a fat check every time someone speaks those two words together…”
“Many people calling this whole ‘hacked news feed’ thing- a publicity stunt!” he continued at a normal voice level, “All to raise awareness of the young starlet’s latest role!”
‘Latest role? Elma fumed.
“If so…!” Patty suddenly bellowed, hands thrown out, “Kudos to you young lady! How you managed to shutdown an entire planetary system… just to get some extra press…” he left the idea trailing for the laughing audience to put together themselves.
“Let me just say, ‘we’d LOVE to have you back on the show!” Patty stated before he wrapped up his monologue with his patented reminder, for which the audience practically sang along with him, “there’s always more than one way to slice the Onion!”
“Bastion!” Elma suddenly yelled ferociously, stirring complaints amongst the sleeping lumps scattered throughout the room, though summoned an elderly gentlemen, her butler, who suddenly poked his head in from the kitchen, questioningly, as Elma commanded, “Get my lawyer on the phone!”
