Back when THEY, the corrupted board of directors, ruled Blue Light Technologies, they created a saying, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” THEY created the saying after realizing that Lucas Lite and Simon Darkk, the co-founders for BLT, were at war. Lucas wanted to protect the Gate of Eden while Simon wanted to destroy it and all of Creation. With the two leaders “debating,” the board took control. Over time, the saying became one of THEY’s favorites.
The board liked this saying because it meant more money and power for them. When one problem, conflict, or antagonist was defeated, another would take its place like some never-ending hydra. (Even if sometimes THEY had to “push” the result.) Never-ending conflict meant more stories for BLT to publish, which mean a richer THEY.
Even after they were vanquished, THEY are right. After THEY came the Shadow Government. The Shadow Government was always there, but it was the defeat of THEY that brought them to the forefront.
But now, the Shadow Government has been broken. The remaining members are on the run from global authorities. Their resources have been confiscated. They once manipulated leaders, controlled governments, and influenced public thought. Now they can’t even buy a microwave burrito.
In the power vacuum created, the Coalition formed. It would one day become a force that destroyed all social media platforms and make indie creatives an endangered species. Oh, and extinguish privacy. They would succeed where many others failed: the near subjugation of everyone on Earth.
But that was later, now they were only starting.
The Rumor Mill, which existed alongside the Vinyard of Viewpoints and the River of Data, polluted the River with thousands of gossip bits a day. The polluted water would feed the Vineyard creating infected Grapevines.
Inside the Mill, the Gatekeepers, and their basilisk pets, met around a large table with a man dressed in a white and gold robe sat at the head. As for the other Gatekeepers, they wore gold and black robes.
Their leader, the man at the head—named Ringleader, moved to the next name on the list.
“Jeffery Brown,” said Ringleader.
“Blackball,” said a Gatekeeper.
“Why?” asked Ringleader.
“He said my fashion designs were ‘last season.’”
“Is that really reason enough for us to blacklist him?” asked another Gatekeeper.
“Yes!” said all the present Gatekeepers.
The Gatekeeper who asked the question smiled with glee. “Just checking.”
Ringleader declared, “Jeffery Brown from this point on will never have a meaningful job, friends, or a love life. All will ignore him. So speaks the Gatekeepers.”
“Cancel! Cancel! Cancel!” the Gatekeepers chanted while banging the table with their fists.
“So shall it be.” Ringleader nodded to a servant. The servant left for the basilisk stables. The servant would milk venom from the basilisk. That venom would then be mixed with the water in the River of Data. Within hours, the blighted water will infect a Grapevine within the Vinyard. Jeffery Brown’s life will never be the same.
Meanwhile, the Gatekeepers moved on to the next name.
“Rebecca Gladstone,” said Ringleader.
“She agrees with our choice for mayor of New Miami,” said a Gatekeeper.
“Viral! Viral! Viral!” chanted the group.
Ringleader inhaled a breath that said, “Aren’t I wonderful?” “So it shall be,” he said. Another servant left to make a basilisk concoction that shape a grand life for Rebecca Gladstone.
Ringleader spoke in a commanding voice that left no room for interpretation on who the boss was. “Who is next?”
“How about yourselves?” said a sweet, yet unsympathetic, feminine voice.
A man and woman stood at the entrance to the Rumor Mill. The glow from the River of Data highlighting their features and making them even more attractive. Both looked like they belonged on the cover for some gated community magazine. Both had the physique of star athletes and the faces of movie stars. Both dressed as if they walked out of a 1950s’ sitcom.
The man wore a sweater vest and jeans with a polo shirt tied around his neck via the sleeves. A pipe rested in his mouth, but bubbles came out instead of smoke.
The woman wore a modest mini skirt (ending exactly just below the knees), blouse, white evening gloves, and a pearl necklace.
The man’s hair was cut short, but not too short, and the woman’s hair was done in a tidy bouffant. Both sported blond hair and bright, blue eyes.
Ringleader left his chair, resting his hands on the table as he glared at the intruders. “Who do you think you are entering here?”
The woman covered her mouth in mock shock and shame. “Oh my! Where are my manners? I am Karen,” she pointed to the man, “and this is Karl.”
“No relation,” both quickly added.
Karen stepped further into the room. Karl followed, closing the door. “We represent a group that can move you from this,” she ran her gloved finger across a nearby ledge then looked at the dust gathered on the glove, “quaint…mill to a castle more deserving of your stature.”
Ringleader raised a suspicious eyebrow but allowed her to continue.
And continue she did. “The basilisks were once the most powerful creatures on Earth, second only to Medusa. Their venom can kill or rescurrect anyone. They are so terrifying that a single glance could turn you to stone. Now they’ve been nerfed into…pets…in a rumor mill.”
Karen slid closer to Ringleader. “And you were once the Gatekeepers. You decided who became famous; you decided who got published; you decided on kings, presidents, and chosen heroes.” She smiled perfectly white teeth. “Now, you are masters of cancel culture.”
She playfully ran a finger along the back of the nearest Gatekeeper. “And do you know how you’ve fallen from grace?”
She stopped long enough to meet the eyes of each Gatekeeper. She lingered on Ringleader’s. “The indie community and the Algorithm, an AI based on a human.”
Karen started walking again, letting her hand drift across the backs of each Gatekeeper. She delighted in each one’s shiver or sigh. “Thanks to platforms like MyVideo, PostBook, Spasm, VIBE, and SoapBOX, creatives can bypass you. They’ve even made friends with the Algorithm. The Abyss of the Shadowban doesn’t exist anymore.”
Karen finally reached Ringleader. She locked eyes with him. “With us, you can reclaim your former glory. Maybe even improve it.”
Ringleader narrowed his eyes. He didn’t become the ringleader by jumping at every promise of power. “And what do you get out of it?”
“Strength in numbers.”
“HA! The real reason.”
A curt smile spread across her lips. She didn’t know if she liked Ringleader more because he challenged her or hated him for challenging him. “Access to the basilisk venom. Gatekeepers are one of the few that can get near them…” she ran a hand across the scar on Ringleader’s face, “with little damage.”
She quickly withdrew, letting Ringleader stew (or at least that’s what she believed) and walked slowly to the door. She looked over her shoulder momentarily. “We would only need two things for you to show your loyalty.”
Ringleader crossed his arms and gave her a hard stare. Karen was not impressed. “And?” he said.
“The tide of popular opinion turned in the favor of our soon-to-be-released social media platform, and something that will turn everyone against the current platforms.”
Ringleader waved his hand. “The first is no problem. We do that all the time. The second will take more time and planning. Platforms like MyVideo are more well known than some random guy in Texas or a new service.”
Karen stopped near Karl. She smirked as she raised a shoulder. “The Coalition has waited this long…”
Joe Rover 