The Convention
The Darkest Depths
Sawyer then goes back to Tony and they begin their rounds of the floor. Tony and Sawyer, with their thralls in tow, tour the halls, keeping an eye on the new groups. Some may grow into dangerous foes; a rare few may become trusted allies; most are just in need of a box of condoms and an extra hotel suite. Minor controllers challenge each other to staring contests and chess games to flaunt their strength and skill. Thralls perform exotic dances, stripteases, and sexual acts in the various booths to demonstrate their master’s control over them and perhaps lure incautious strangers, or engage in various competitions to show off more specialized skills. One of the most intense is the memory recall contest.
“Well, I’ll be! A Northern State jock’s ridin’ that thrall!” Sawyer exclaims, looking at an auburn-haired young woman in a Bulldog sweatshirt- Tanya Clark, better known as TC Trivia, one week of taping away from the Jeopardy record. She’s going up against Morgan Walsh from the Tangerine Twelve. Their controllers lurk in the background, at least as much as naturally domineering people can lurk, but all eyes are on the woman behind TC Trivia in the #17 jersey of Northern State, who holds her head up proudly, daring anyone to challenge her.
“Surely an assistant coach grasping for one last shot at glory because she cannot see that her playing days have finished. The active athletes have a tendency not to think of anything beyond sex unless it has to do with their sport,” Tony says sarcastically.
“Sure are raisin’ ‘em young, then. If she is outta school, she must just barely be. Maybe they do learn something from that new-fangled mind control and manipulation major they offer down there. Here’s hopin’ she never leaves school like most of that ilk do,” Sawyer says. “Will you listen to that girl? I don’t think she’s said one thing that isn’t in the form of a question!”
Tony shakes his head. “They’re sixty questions in and well past quantum physics. Lancaster’s memory bank thrall has won this contest four years running- an amusing use of her abilities.” He watches more closely. “That is Kerry Longmire, a junior on their women’s basketball team. She would be better known as Ker-eee L- spelled with three terminal Es and an accent on the L. Anton has taught her well, starting at the beginning with the tithe incoming athletes must pay for room and board at Northern State. This... TC Trivia—” he speaks the nickname with distaste- “can dominate a simple television program on her own, but this contest needs more than mere knowledge. The questions have moved beyond human comprehension, and yet this college junior is giving Sarah Lancaster, the mistress of the Tangerine Twelve and one of the strongest minds I have ever met, an even battle. I fear that whatever the former assistant in Indianapolis does, this girl will be colder and crueler. Make note of her. Be sure I already have.”
They turn away and continue their patrol. Their circuit takes them past the ethics booth, where two ravishingly beautiful young women in argyle sweaters are handing out leaflets and free downblouses. Sawyer ogles and Tony nods a solemn greeting as they continue on. A few spaces down, in front of a booth with a banner reading, “Channel 1-Just you watch, you’ll see!” they break down laughing, unable to continue on. The dark-haired man in the booth takes their stoppage for interest and summons his two sample pieces, a blonde man with the blank look of the truly mind-wiped and a mocha-skinned beauty who’d be more than happy to blow anyone’s brains out... with her high-powered assault rifle.
“My word, another political kook? These clowns are more entertaining than all the pretty girls here stripping at once!” Sawyer exclaims, not bothering to hide his amusement.
Tony puts on a more serious face and addresses the man in the booth. “Pray tell us, Mr... O’Reilly... how does your system differ from the would-be dictators here?”
“I’m not a dictator and I don’t much want to run a government,” O’Reilly replies. “I’m a media man. Why rule the world with guns when you can do the same thing with entertainment? Take Kristen here-here, have a look at the documentation, all from my own experiments. She was a carefree, sleep with anyone- and I do mean anyone- type, so I sat her down in front of my special movies, and four painless episodes of primetime television later, she knows everything there is to know about war and will follow any order immediately, without hesitation. Not really my thing, you understand, but that’s only because of my contract with the government. You have to give them what they pay for, you know.”
Tony nods and “mmm-hmmms” his way through O’Reilly’s speech. Encouraged, O’Reilly continues, “In the future, I hope to have a contract with a movie studio and create stars you can’t say no to. I’ve already started working on how to make the icons attractive and media friendly. Just look at Todd here. You might have seen him on the news when he, oh, captured Saddam Hussein! The poor boy still doesn’t know why he got invited to the White House and given a medal for beating a video game- but the Medal of Honor is real. Bite it if you’d like!”
“You’re out of your gourd,” Sawyer declares, not letting on that O’Reilly’s demeanor sets off a few alarms, though he doesn’t know why they do.
Tony shakes his head. “I fear it will never work, my friend. Not enough people will believe you. You could build a nice cult with your device, as described in your literature, but the last thing we would want would be mind-controlled soldiers. In the current climate, they would be more trouble than they’re worth. Full marks for effort, but world domination is not what it’s cracked up to be.” He keeps his voice light until he and Sawyer are well away from the booth, then says quietly to Sawyer, “This is one we must discourage at any cost. I told him it would not work, but much in the same way that critics told Goebbels he could not succeed- and O’Reilly has far more subliminal technology available than Goebbels did. I will arrange for Major Tom to investigate the Special Forces in Washington as soon as I have a moment. I just hope this O’Reilly has not made his pitch to Congress, or else we are all in a great deal of trouble.”
Sawyer shrugs, less interested in the political machinations than he is in the exotic beauties in the other booths.
Another short walk leads them past the auction block, the class 5s who are bold enough to trade work under false pretenses, where Ed Ellis has two of his newer pieces of art up for sale. “Mr. Ellis grows bolder,” Tony murmurs. “Such boldness must be rewarded- in our unique fashion, of course.”
“Don’t we have enough on our plates?” Sawyer says.
“Which means we have barely scratched the surface, I mean you spied Sumis with your daughter, no” Tony reminds Sawyer
“I tried to forget, Lil Miss Behave wouldn’t let me” Sawyer said with an air of doom in his voice.
He and Tony go back out on patrol, soon coming upon the yellow-aproned drones of Smile-Mart selling low-cost subliminal-laced CDs, chemical-laced perfumes, and cheap costume focus objects. “’Cause they just don’t have enough stores to peddle that junk in,” he says, rolling his eyes. Sure enough, an amateur harem master walks over and applies to become a franchisee, giving him up to forty thralls at his beck and call with minimal work on his own, as well as a steady flow of cash from the cheap products Smile-Mart sells.
Tony tsks. “He will soon discover that having a herd of mindless sheep in his headquarters at all hours is less amusing than he would have believed, and Smile-Mart’s home office will provide him little enough support to keep them fed and clothed.”
“Still, I don’t like it.”
“I cannot say I find it pleasant either.”
“You would be well served asking that question to our colleagues at the ethics booth. I doubt they would agree with your assessment. In any case, we have another visit to make before the main event,” Tony says, turning towards the plush orange pavilion belonging to Sarah Lancaster and her Tangerine Twelve. “My dear Miss Lancaster, as always, a pleasure to see you again,” he says with a false smile, lifting her hand and pressing a gallant kiss to it.
“What brings the Hypno FBI to my little corner of the world?” Sarah asks sharply, making no attempt to hide the tension between them.
“I assure you, this is only a social call. I see you’ve taken the opportunity to rotate your stock while in the Windy City, as well as acquire some new toys. A certain Luis Rodriguez came to me, quite agitated, regarding a stolen automobile of his. He seemed unmoved by my stern reminder that I do not handle vehicular theft.” He raises an eyebrow at Tamara.
Tamara replies hotly, “Given what he does, he has—”
“What do you think my reply to him was? A controller who does not understand the rough and tumble of our profession does not deserve to keep his prizes. There are worse out there than you. Ethics are rare enough in an immoral profession such as this, but there was a time when there were some boundaries. Now, I fear, we have been reduced to the bound and the gone. Would you agree?” Tony asks Sarah, his eyes darting to the rest of the Twelve at ‘bound’ and back to Sarah at ‘gone’.
“I don’t like these crazy sportsmen either. I’ve duked it out with Anton more than once about that. I’m a businesswoman first and foremost, and you should know that by now. I don’t need extra devices, unlike Mr. Smiley and his puppet employees and cheap goods. Daphne here can make stuff three times more potent than Smile-Mart’s strongest perfume, and that would still be the light stuff she pretends I don’t know that she uses recreationally back home.” She gestures to Daphne, who grins wickedly.
“Ah, yes, your little thrall port back in New York. How many do you have active now?”
“The normal amount. Candyland downstairs, twenty to a floor through the twentieth floor, and of course, the Twelve. I keep things moving. Only the most accustomed to me remain for more than four years,” Sarah says, voice crisp and manner businesslike.
“My dear Miss Lancaster, I assure you that I have nothing but respect for the higher floors of your organization. Hardly anyone else keeps their headquarters so neat that you have one floor just for cooks. I have never been one of those who considered your operation merely an oversized harem. I know full well that once the numbers are added up, you have quite the fortune- well over a billion now, isn’t it?” Without waiting for an answer, he looks over the members of the Twelve gathered behind Sarah until he finds the young brunette at her right hand. “So this is your apprentice and heir apparent. She doesn’t seem to have the killer instinct, but I have no doubt you will remedy that. And, as they say, in like a lamb, out like a lion. Ignorance is not bliss in this world- it is a calculated risk. Ask Anton about his assistant coach, lest you forget the perils of not watching your back. Listen to your conscience more, before you lose that as well.”
At Sarah’s left hand, Keisha gives a start as Tony’s eyes fall on her. Cara smiles coolly, though her gaze is on Miss Behave’s short dress. Having made his point, Tony turns away and continues on patrol. Sawyer, Syndrome, and Miss Behave take their leave as well, and the air lightens, as if some sort of disaster has just been averted.