Ch 5: Roles
-“ As per tradition the First Brand, lead by-“, Robert then stopped, to tend to his visibly irritated nose temple-” Samuelll…will provide a script we should follow in our media presences. And once again, I’m the presenter.”
Priya -” I still can’t tell if he likes you, Robert. Maybe he sees you as a strapping, young disciple” teased Priya, knowing just how easily the 4th’s Brand Head gets ticked by this.
Robert -” He likes to chaff around. Make…”, he pauses to take a deep breath “fun jokes. JOSH around me! ” he relayed in the most frustrated and defeated tone possible in tandem with a few seconds of glitches. After those ended, he returned to his normal tone and moved on like he wasn’t just screeching like a rusty cog. ” Fine then, back to business. The next thing to discuss is the novelty of this year. Elina, since this is your patient, please tell us more about this…volunteer C.E.”
Elina -“ Oh, sure. Thank you, Robert, sir. ” As per her consultant’s advice, she ordered an avatar similar in size to Priya, fitted in the latest office outfit- an image completely neutered by her natural, demure voice. Only after swallowing the nod in her throat did she continue: ” The C.E Seventy Four is a remarkably long-keeping C.E, to be honest. It took one year for the processing line to manufacture them, then 25 years of recorded working time, so it’s one of the oldest ones. They worked in 6 departments, for three brands, the longest time being with us, for 13 years now.”
-” Small correction, dear”, intervened Priya. “11 from when I led your Brand, and 2 with you. That is all.”
-” Right, my mistake.” Elina almost snapped the real pen she held by her avatar, as nothing hurt her more than to be corrected over minor mistakes. “Nothing else stands out, though. Most of their work was done by the book, exactly how they were instructed. Never went out of line, they simply did their job satisfactorily. And that’s it. Besides this sudden interest in the competition and their volunteer resignation, they don’t seem out of place.”
Ekapol -“Maybe it is an age thing. We could use them to attract interest in the first few rounds of the competition since they will probably not make it past the second or third round. Which C.T.D did you set them up with?’, asked the man, still scrolling for a good picture to post.
The CEO knew that she would be asked that question, even spent hours repeating the answer. In their presence, though, all of her bravery eclipsed as simply as hiding a lamp with your hand -“We, uhm, well actually decided to go with a theme this year and used one of the older sets-”
Priya -“Oh, did you now? Dear, it’s not a problem to admit that you went for the cheap investment. C’mon, I even helped out here, you can’t hide it from me.”
-“The theme is one of experience”, interjected rapidly Elina – “ They both have years of living through the toughest of times and greatest of moments-”
-“And one is taking part for free, while the other has a cheap entry fee “, remarked Priya.
Elina -“Yes, but you see they both would complement-”
Robert, tired of the cat-and-mouse routine, added his own two cents to the mix; “ To be fair, Priya, it’s not exactly a poor decision on her part. As for you, Elina, they will be the novelty in the beginning, and if you’re lucky, the publicity you will attract might bump your Brand up one, two places on the leaderboard”.
His compliments had a second purpose as well, mostly so that the meeting wouldn’t devolve into a -“pointless, childish, match. I don’t enjoy babysitting and if we bully her too much, this will never end”, thought the bowl-cut leader. “And remember the rules- We each get a favor to alter the competition as we see fit. If the rest agree to it, of course.”
Priya -“ Right. Afterward you can just use your favor in the third round to hinder the patient of the 7th Brand, and just like that you get to remain CEO while the games get a bit more interesting for the public,” added Pryia, after she understood what Robert was trying to do.
Elina -“ Well, yeah, that is the plan, to be honest. I just, I, I wanted, it was all in the presentation…”
Ekapol -“ Ah, don’t let that put you down. Let me tell you something from our olden days. Robert did some similar schemes when he was CEO of the current number 7. They were bumped to number five back then, and I wouldn’t call his then patients ‘winners’, if you know what I mean”. Ekapol didn’t grasp his peers’ intentions, he just was genuinely trying to cheer up Elina.
Robert -“ Ah that… I somehow got an adversary’s cyborg candidate to remove their augments during the race. She was feeling guilty or ashamed, or something. I really can’t remember, but I do recall that she was easy to trick. The girl died afterward, in like, four days, I think”, said Robert mildly as if retelling a passing story. He became a bit more excited as he started to recall other “accomplishments”-” Oh, yeah, then there was that time another candidate got a prototype laser gun and tested it on my guy. They both died in an explosion since it malfunctioned during the first shot.”
Ekapol -“ Anyway, Elina, we played this song and dance before. All of us had to deal with embarrassments, but if they succeeded in boosting a Brand’s name, then nothing else matters. So use the gimmick, but be prepared for all of us to go after your team after the second round.” Ekapol’s advice came more as a threat this time.
The skittish CEO couldn’t say anything as a rebuttal, as every year the CEOs would choose a target for elimination from the last three patients. She was spared when she joined because 6 and 7 were hunted in the last two races, but now it was her time. All she could muster was a simple ” Why?”, in a meek voice to herself.
-“ Always so mature, you two. If you ever get bored by your current work, just let me know, I could use dependent managers like you two”, said Priya, giving them a wink with her maroon eyes. -“ As for why, Elina, well two reasons. Because it’s simpler for us, and because C.Es are built a bit differently from humans. We are, after all, marketing the products to people with spending power, get it? C.Es are tools and tools don’t add value to the Ranking”. Robert and Ekapol quietly gazed at the two and silently agreed with Priya.
The jawed man was getting a bit bored by the direction of the talks so he added a new topic, more interesting to him- “Oh, I understand that there are only two unemployed this year? They usually fill half of the rooster list.”
Robert -“Yeah, me and Alvara were lucky to bind them this year”, replied the avatar a bit miffed. “ It’s just that they get harder to find in the megacity as time passes. I think the trend is to flee the County before a contract is terminated. Become a ghost before security finds you. ”
Ekapol -“ Ehh wonderful, just great. The rumors are that they are daring the wastelands, right? I mean, besides the playgrounds and a few private lands, there isn’t anywhere else they could go. And I can definitely say that all the exits, entrances and any holes are heavily secured, so what gives?” asked a now irritated Ekapol. He exhumed a surprising amount of calmness for the entire meeting, but this was the first time he became volatile.
-” Did you talk with the Family about this? Is the Playground secured?”, the others asked as currently the security contract was still held by Ekapol’s Brand.
Ekapol -” Yes, the Commissar is on it. And to find out more, he sent me one of his sons to act as this year’s mediator for us and investigator for him. If something is going on in the Playground, he will be there to find out and stop it.”
Robert -“ Alright. I also understood from Alvara that Milla’s Second Brand is working on a story to explain this. We will probably use the C.E novelty to distract the viewer’s attention, focus it on the contest a bit, and also say that we are simply trying new formats this year. The rest of the theatrics are in the works, so we shouldn’t worry about it. Now, before we go, do any of you want to try some rehearsals?