The Society Ch. 06

"No, I think I'll stick it out, it'll probably get more interesting soon."

"How's Alyssa doing?"

"Oh, she's great. She's really recommitted herself to the work and hasn't missed a deadline yet."

"That's great to hear. Well, it looks like we're about to get started. I'll be seeing you. And congratulations, Mr. President. The return of your father must be a glorious occasion."

"It's really a miracle. Thanks, Fran. See you." Ethan knew he would have to keep his eye on her for the rest of the night.

As the time drew near, Marshall quieted the crowd, and Ethan spoke to them.

"Okay, thank you again everyone for coming. Now, here's how this will go: There are five microphones set up in a line in front of the podium. Our agents have already talked to those who will be asking questions and given each of you a number. One by one, a number will be called, and that person will be able to ask Marshall their question. For those of you who weren't able to sign up to ask a question beforehand, there will be a free section where questions can be answered by raising your hands and being called upon, on a first come first served basis. This free section will have 3 questions. After that, the conference will be over. Everyone understand?"

The crowd collectively nodded and said 'yes'.

"Look at my son, still dictating order even at an event like this. He's a chip off the old block, that's for sure." Marshall said as the crowd laughed.

"Okay, let's get started with the first question."

A woman walked up to the microphones:

"Hello, sir..."

"Please, call me Marshall. Now, what is your question?"

"Well, I just wanted to know, since you were gravely ill before, how do you feel now? Are you still sick?"

"No ma'am, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling better than ever. I might even beat some of you in a race now." He replied as the rest of the crowd laughed.

"That's great to hear. Thank you."

"No, thank you."

The rest of the predetermined question segment followed the tone of that first woman's question, with trivial and lighthearted questions being asked, and Marshall giving even more lighthearted answers. The Society and its agents made sure to keep the questions this way, in order to control the tone of the conference and reduce the possibility of any civil disobedience. It was commonplace for conferences and public events until recently, and also exactly what Ethan was expecting.

He knew that it also explained why the free question segment was limited to 3 questions, while the other segment was allowed to have many more questions. It was about controlling their image, Marshall's image, and completely remaking his reputation, just as Ethan thought.

He was patiently awaiting the free question segment, and 45 minutes into the conference, it was about to begin.

"Alright, everyone, thank you for those wonderful questions, and let me just say, it's great to see so many of our citizens doing well and in good spirits. It's exactly what I wanted the Society to be, what I always want it to be." Marshall said as he glanced over at Ethan.

"Now, as my son explained before the conference commenced, we will now be having a free question section, where anyone from the audience may ask me something that they couldn't think of or was not predetermined by the agents. We didn't want the rest of you to feel left out. Now, if anyone has a question, please raise your hand and our agents will point you out and tell you to come to the microphone."

A ravenous sea of hands waved in the air, and the agents were having trouble selecting someone. Eventually, they chose a young man, who actually was a mechanic.

"Hello, sir- I mean Marshall."

"Hello son. Thank you for your service in the mechanics division."

"Of course. Being that we deal with the technology on the space station, including the shuttles, I wanted to know, what did you think when you heard about the girl who snuck onto the space station? The Earth shuttles were your idea originally."

Ethan wasn't surprised that a question about Kodi was being asked. In fact, he expected it, since Marshall probably had heard about her by now, either from someone in the past two days, or from the people he was working with. But he wasn't expecting the nature of it, calling into question his own decisions and their consequences.

"Well, I have to say, I just heard about this terrible incident and was horrified when I did. The Society is supposed to provide the safest, cleanest and most orderly environment ever for its citizens. So, when someone from Earth compromised all of that, it was a horrific beseeching of the reputation, the legacy of the Society, and I would do everything in my power to make sure it wouldn't happen again. As for the shuttles, I understand your concern about the girl's use of the shuttles, which I found even more troubling. I will only say this: the day we allow one woman to dictate which technologies we use and how we interact with technology on a day-to-day basis, we have lost."

"Thank you, sir."

"No, thank you." The crowd clapped and clapped. Ethan actually found that answer to be quite funny, hearing Marshall compliment and take the side of technology, something he knew little about and didn't like.

"Okay, next question, anyone?"

"I have a question!" Alyssa screamed over the roar of the crowd attempting to get chosen to ask a question.

"Oh, okay. No, it's fine everyone, go ahead and escort her to the microphone."

Alyssa walked up to the microphone, wearing her all white uniform with her dark red hair in a ponytail. She didn't look as nervous as she sometimes did. There was an...air of determination that Ethan picked up on.

"You're Ethan's assistant, aren't you? I've seen you in and out of his office quite a bit."

"Yes I am." Alyssa was perturbed by the fact that Fran and the General had kept a secret from her, even though she somewhat understood why. She glared at them both before continuing to ask her question.

"Well, thank you for helping my son with his difficult job. He may act like he knows it all, but everyone needs some help from time to time."

"No problem. The question I wanted to ask really is how are you alive? People just don't come back to life, not that I've heard of. How did you do it, were you really dead?"

After all this time, Ethan was shocked no one had asked that question yet. It was like the elephant in the room, but no one wanted to shake things up and ask it. However, based on what Ethan was putting together, Alyssa was in a unique situation and possibly had reason to be upset.

"Well, Alyssa, that's actually more than one question, but I understand based on the complexity of the situation. I'll address your concerns, and probably the concerns of many of you. I was gravely ill at one point, with the source of the illness still unknown to this day. Before I died, I was transported to the one thing that could save me: a special form of cryogenic technology known as a cryogenic pod. It is a pod that serves two functions: to preserve the body, and, over a long period of time, nurse the user back to health. Now, I'm sure you all are wondering why I'm just telling you this now, instead of back then. Well, frankly, the cryogenic pod is an experimental technology, so there was a tremendous risk. Telling you all would only worry the Society's citizens even more, and potentially let you all down. I didn't want to tell you anything until I came back, until I knew it had worked. And it did."

The crowd erupted into applause, the loudest of the night. Ethan couldn't believe what he just heard. The cryogenic pod was much riskier than just 'an experiment'. He had resorted to the most desperate of measures to save his life and stay in the Society.

"Thank you, sir."

"Thank you, Alyssa. And thank you all for being patient with me as I nursed back to health. Okay last question?"

"I'll take it, if everyone doesn't mind." Ethan said as he got up and started walking towards one of the microphones. The crowd validated this choice with a collection of approvals, but Marshall locked his blue eyes with Ethan's, smiling but with a look of disgust.

"But of course, my son, feel free to ask me whatever you want. Although, you should know me better than anyone."

"Well there's always more to learn."

"Of course there is. Now, what is your question?"

"My question is, did you tell Fran and General Miller about this long-term plan of yours, to come back? I only ask because, back when you were President, those two were your most trusted advisors, and even friends I believe. What did you tell them?" Ethan asked in a deep calm, relaxed voice.

Fran and the General looked back at each other swiftly, then back at Ethan and to the podium. Ethan and Marshall maintained the same dispositions, understanding the importance of remaining unfazed.

"Thanks for your question, my boy. And I understand for reasoning for asking. Of course in the Society, comradery between your fellow employees, and even friends is crucial to the longevity and sustainability of our lives and the world we've created. Yes, Fran and Jack were aware of my plan, and kept it a secret in order to respect my wishes and do what was best for the Society in the long term. To be honest, I couldn't have done it without them, without their help, guidance, and confidence in me. They could have just let me die, and taken over themselves, but they didn't. They stood by me, when I needed them the most."

Ethan knew for a fact then, that it was Fran and General Miller who had done this, brought Marshall back. They weren't just aware, they were the ones who came up with the idea with him. He also hoped that the lying and betrayal would make the three of them look bad, and remind people of the horrors that Marshall had committed.

"And how do you think the r-

"And now that you mention it, Ethan, there is one more thing I wanted to discuss with all of you today." Marshall said as Ethan's microphone was suddenly shut off, and his father's microphone drowned out his voice.

"I have talked to many of you since I came back, and have been happy to hear about your lives. However, many of your stories, and stories about what has been happening in this space station has deeply troubled me, so much so that I have difficulty sleeping. There seems to me a lack of order and a chaotic stench in the air that directly contradicts the pillars the Society was built on. Being the Society's first President and a loyal citizen as well, I am finding it increasingly difficult to stand by and do nothing."

Ethan stood by, with widened eyes, knowing that an impulsive reaction would only intensify the situation.

"As you all know, Society Presidential terms are set for 10 years, in order to maintain consistency in leadership. However, we created a special committee for situations where this rule needed to be bypassed, known as the Board of Selection. This board consists of 7 people, who remain unknown to most of us because they're only job is to act on this matter. I have talked to them recently, and, after a vote which resulted in a unanimous decision, they have agreed to approve a special election!"

The crowd erupted in a mixture of gasps, applause, and murmurs of discussion about what exactly he was talking about.

"And I will be running for President! Stay tuned for more information about this unique and delicate process! Thank you all for coming! Agents, please escort our citizens back to their rooms." Marshall said as he gave Ethan an icy cold glare of confidence, which Ethan returned back to him.

Marshall then walked off the podium, escorted by enforcement agents, Fran and the General. Once they were alone, they discussed how the evening went.

"That was great, Marshall! Well played!" Fran exclaimed, hugging him.

"You still got it, I guess." The General said.

"You should've never doubted me, I know what I'm doing. Even when dealing with my pesky ass son. Don't worry though, I'm going to take care of him real soon. He won't be a problem much longer."

"We're with you Marshall." Fran said.

"Good, because I was serious about what I said up there. I'm going to need you two if we're going to do this."

"You can count on us." The General replied.

"Good. Oh, and one more thing, take care of that girl with the red hair."

"You mean Alyssa?" The General said.

"Yes."

"What do you mean, take care of her?" Fran said.

"Fucking take her out, we don't need her anymore, and her presence on this space station threatens our progress. Plus, she's even more annoying than my son. Get rid of her, permanently."