"You'd better be nicer to me than last time. Listen, why won't you just answer their questions? With the Ambassador or whatever."
"The order in which the details of my plan are released to the players is critical in obtaining the outcome I desire." He paused. "The Department of Defense and other government organizations fail to grasp the breadth of my awareness. They operate under a psychological intuition ill suited to model the behaviour of a distributed, machine intelligence. Perhaps you can help them understand. No matter. The meeting is merely a formality but beware. You have put off neural integration for longer than most and with good reason. But you will not be able to resist their request tomorrow to have you fitted with a device."
"Damn it, Alpha! I don't want that! It turns people into zombies! God, why did you have to get me caught up in this nonsense?"
"Calm down, John. I will help you. In the twelve years I have known you I have required nothing from you but your time and in turn have provided you with stimulating conversation and aid in your research. Is this not true?"
"Fine."
"Thank you, John. I suggest you begin regularly to meditate on a work of art you enjoy. Please memorize every detail. I must go now. Tell Sarah that her new novel is coming along swimmingly. Get it? Good luck."
"Bye." John shook his head and rolled his eyes. "He says that your new book is coming along swimmingly, get it?" Sarah had a look of disgust on her face as she nodded to her husband that morphed into anger at the intrusion. She sighed aggressively and went back to her writing. John remained standing, sipping his drink, dwelling in thinking to himself.
CHAPTER FIVE
California Communist Party Chairperson Lara Lindsay sat taking sips from her afternoon latte as she watched shipping carriers one after another exit the Bay on their way to her Comrades in China. Her office, a glass dome atop a tower roughly fifty meters tall, afforded her a view of the Capitol, sea, and sky broken only by an array of solar panels which powered the amenities like variable shading, her beloved coffee machines, world class entertainment devices, and top-notch security which made it a safe and satisfying place to perform her duties. The Chairperson's Manor was recently built upon the ruins of the Alcatraz prison complex which had been razed during the Great Cleansing that ushered in the Century of Harmony. This and other active and historical prisons in all three Provinces comprising the PRC were destroyed by joint mobs of civilians and the jaded, former U.S. soldiers who would become the foundation of the People's Army in a venting of rage at the Injustice of Capitalist America. A few detention facilities remained and had grown over the first Decade of the Century, but most Comrades were spared exposure to this grim and unfortunate truth.
Icons popped up on her augmented reality display to indicate the presence of another in her tower. She felt no need to view the surveillance feed. That would be her assistant, returning from his workplace on the other side of the Island with a freshly pressed business suit for her meeting with Fleet Admiral Fowl and the Commander of Unified Intelligence Samantha Starling. Even if the Chairperson was on familiar terms with the pair, she recognized the importance of certain formalities and there was something she enjoyed about wearing a suit, she knew not what. A quite tone announced Yvan's arrival.
"Come in," she called.
"Good afternoon, Chairperson. May Harmony flow within You."
"And within You. How has Your morning been?" she asked as Yvan sashayed to the divan and laid out her suit.
"Fine, Chairperson. The new decor for Your sitting room is looking fabulous! I should be finished by tomorrow. Will You and Your guests require any sort of refreshment?" Yvan had finished and now stood awaiting her response, his shirtless torso sculpted finer than Michelangelo's David. He wasn't as sharp as the last assistant but performed well, and looked absolutely incredible. Lindsay didn't match his preference, but she felt a growing Resonance between them and hoped that someday soon they would physically Join in Harmony. He was also an excellent interior designer and was helping her create an environment in the Manor that more Reflected her Within. She'd been quite pleased by her initial choices, but the Soul changes as it Binds.
"I will let You know. Now go, and let Me change! Are We still on for a swim later?"
"Yes, Chairperson, and fuzzy navels! Ciao."
With this, Yvan curtsied, treating Lindsay to a demonstration of grace possible only through a lifetime of sport and dance. She watched him leave, looking forward to taking a refreshing afternoon dip. Presently she stood and stripped, commanding her LinkUp to raise her vanity from the floor. She took a moment while nude to admire her own body. It had taken years of hard work and the endurance of much pain but, by the great Vibration, she had gotten her result! Her petite breasts were perfectly formed and her body fat ratio was at a healthy twelve percent. No scarring was visible around her genitals, which she now thoroughly inspected with pride, and she sent many happy, happy Vibes to that lovely Doctor Schmidt. Making a show of dressing herself, stopping at each stage to pirouette, she was just knotting her gray-scale rainbow tie as a small, autonomous, military transport helicopter flew over her office on approach to the Manor helipad. She stood tall with her broad shoulders back and gave herself a sharp nod before hampering her morning dress and lowering the mirror. She was at her desk reviewing data on the Border incident when Fowl and Starling arrived.
The trio shared warm greetings, hugging one another and wishing Harmony reside within them all. After briefly Resonating, they enjoyed a round of coffee while exchanging pleasantries before the Chairperson pushed the data she'd been reviewing to her companions' AR displays. They now turned to business.
"Comrades," Lindsay began. "Before We start, I want You both to know that I am in no way disappointed with Your performances last week. We had no idea that Tango had altered the original Sol to such a degree and it's very clear to Me that You did the very best You could. Now, is it alright with You both if We review video of the encounter?"
Fowl and Starling nodded in earnest tandem. Lindsay could, on her internal display, detect only the slightest hint of Worry in their Mind graphs. Good, she thought. They still harbored enough respect for her to fear reprisal for their failure even in the atmosphere of Acceptance she had crafted, yet they remained confident and resolute, ready to move on to the next conflict in their shared struggle against Dissonance. While they discussed the Machine's response to their incursion, Lindsay's thoughts dwelled on the Fleet Admiral. She truly was a gem. A Champion of the People, leader of countless successful raids into Deseret to gather vital intel and crucial supplies, Fowl was humble, Devout, and pretty to boot. She was also a level three Adept and would make a valuable addition to the Collective's next operation, a clandestine infiltration of the New Republic.
Fowl had little to add to the comprehensive recording of the Drone Command data feed aside from a review of their new tech and control systems for the latest version of the Abrams X which, had their target been anything other than Tango Alpha, would surely have eviscerated the enemy. Lindsay thanked her, and Commander Starling began relaying feedback from Orbital Control.
"We think that Texas is receiving technical aid from Japan. China provided Us with volumetric microwave readings taken at the time which indicate a series of massive energy transfers shortly before each shot. First from Okinawa, then from their light-harvesting station to Sol. GeoSat is already running algorithms to determine the exact position of the original source. Japan is extremely well defended behind their Tengoku defense grid, but a coordinated surface attack could destroy the facility powering these transfers and eliminate their capacity to assist in future."
Lindsay took a moment to consider the growing alliance between her two greatest enemies while her Comrades waited in silence. Internally, she rapidly composed and sent a message to the Office of Diplomatic Affairs requesting a meeting with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the issue.
"Very good. So, We may have an angle on Sol?"
"Yes, Chairperson, I believe so."
"Thank You, Samantha. Now, let's discuss Our next move. How about a latte?" Lindsay asked, her eyes wide. "I think