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After Mikhail’s first meeting with Mir Shah he was told to meet him at another address. This was a small suite in an industrial mall---sandwiched between a vacuum repair and an electronics supply stores. The only sign on the windows was a real estate “For Lease” one with a diagonal “Leased” sticker over top. It had been up for a while---.
Mikhi pushed the door buzzer button, and Mir let him in.
The windows had been dirty, but the space was clean. There was an empty, poorly lit show room. Empty shelves lined the walls and an empty counter blocked off a back door that was obscured by a bead curtain. “Come on back. This front is just for inquisitive eyes. We want anyone “casing out the joint” to think that this is just an empty store with nothing inside worth stealing.” He led the way.
Behind the beads there was a steel door with a digital lock. And beyond that, a brightly lit area with some computers, cameras, a green screen, a small sound-proof room with glass walls, etc. It was much bigger than expected. Obviously a lot of money and effort had gone into setting up this studio.
Mir explained: “This is something of an ideal location for our work. This industrial mall has a fair number of private research and technical service businesses. For example, a couple of units to the right there’s a private forensics lab that does work for police forces from all over the world. And on the other side there’s a video studio that does public service ads for municipalities that they then post on YouTube. There’s also a glass blower who specializes in creating one-of-a-kind pieces for scientific research. And a machinist who does prototypes for engineers. There’s also a 3D print shop that makes individual plastic, ceramic, and, metal parts on demand. We fit right in here and even if we are noticed, whoever did would never suspect that we are a little more than just another high-tech entrepreneur trying to become the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.”
He walked Mikhi through the different parts of the lab. “What we’ve done is create a decentralized studio where almost every aspect of what we produce is being controlled by someone else off-site in real time through high speed connectivity. More importantly, we are also connected in real time to focus groups around the world who are being monitored through sensors attached to both their sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve systems.”
“In effect, what we are trying to do is the same thing the consultants did for that one-off Congressional testimony by the Kuwaiti ambassador’s daughter on the eve of the First Gulf War---only on a much more ambitious scale. They needed to find one perfect mental image, that they could project to one type of person (Congress people), that dealt with one specific moment in time (the vote). What we are trying to do is appeal to a broad swath of the public, about an extremely complex issue, and, make the effects “stick” over a large period of time.”
“We have some advantages. First we have modern technology. Secondly, we have almost unlimited resources---both in terms of finances and in terms of human capital. The Old Ones have the support of a pool of some of the most brilliant, self-conscious members of the human race. This isn’t because they have all, or even the most truly smart people---but because we have the largest pool of self-aware, emotionally stable people who aren’t dominated by petty ambition for wealth or power. These sorts of folks can be a real force to reckon with.”
“Just as importantly, we have the facts and morality on our side. There is a degree of accuracy to the aphorism that ‘a lie is half way around the world by the time truth has put its boots on’. But it is balanced by ‘the truth will out’. We know that the Climate Emergency will become obvious to 100% of the human population eventually, we just want to speed this up so we can avoid some of the worst problems and mitigate the rest with a minimal amount of suffering.”
Mir directed Mikhi to a stool in the middle of the set in front of the green screen. He put pointed towards a teleprompter that was set up in front of tripod-mounted camera. Then he told him to put the head phones over his ears. “On the final set we’ll have hidden ear buds, but this will do for a first simulation. The camera shoots through the prompter to limit the visual cues that you are reading.”
“The important thing to understand is that while we will be scripting what you say, we are also going to be making edits on the fly due to the physiological responses of the focus group. This means that the words will change on the prompter as we hone in on the most effective emotional cuing. You will be given a certain amount of direction over the earphones, which you will also have to respond to. I understand that this is tremendously complicated and it will cause problems with your ability to seem relaxed and responsive. Don’t worry about that, we have extremely sophisticated editors and software that will be able to clean up the final product and make it look much better. And there is going to be a great deal of practice before we are able to go on air.”
“From now on, this is going to be your full time job. If you need financial or other assistance to find the time to do this work, just ask. The Old Ones have both the money and manpower to deal with all your personal needs. Just remember that you are absolutely key to pulling off this project. You are going to be the lead representative for the Trials. Everyone else---and there will be a great many others involved---can be edited in and out of the final product. Your job is add the emotional continuity and stability that ties everything together and allows ordinary viewers to engage with the project. If this ever seems somewhat overwhelming, just remember that the Old Ones have specifically chosen you from a myriad of others because they believe that you are the right person, for the right job, at the right time. And I have found that they are never wrong in these sort of assessments.”
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Moreover I say unto you, the Climate Emergency must be dealt with!
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