Videodrome: Days of O'Blivion Read Free Page A

was
designated based on your expertise.”
    Barry laughed. “I began
my career as a lens grinder.”
    “Well, within this
building you’re now known as Barry Convex.”
    “What about me?” Brian
asked.
    “Your security name is
Spectrometer. For all Consec matters you will be recorded as Brian
Spectrometer.” Brian looked at his name badge. It had a picture of
him that looked recent that was taken in the street. A spy shot.
“There’s a formality to go through of fingerprinting and
photographing, then we can proceed to your meeting.”
    Barry was back to
grinning. He looked like a kid enjoying his secret-agent game.
“After you, Mister Spectrometer.” He held his hand out to gesture
the way but Brian was not so comfortable. This was wrong. There
were too many unanswered questions. He didn’t even know where they
where or how to get back to civilisation. They were in a strange
concrete building, surrounded by men with guns, in a world where
fake names were the norm.
     
    ----- X -----
     
    The Consec building was
a barren landscape of smooth concrete walls and red carpets. Their
meeting room was a grey, Orwellian cell with a surveillance camera
above the door. The only effort to brighten the place was a large
plant in the corner of the windowless room. Cue Ball introduced the
people at the table. “This is Marilyn Bricks, financier, Steven
Watercolour, operations and Mister Harpoon of security.”
    “Nice to meet you,
gentlemen.” Harpoon said.
    “Likewise,” Brian
mumbled.
    “I suppose we should
start by laying some cards on the table,” Harpoon began. “My role
within Consec is to look at future threats from emerging technology
and we believe that your Veraceo project represents a substantial
threat to North America.”
    “A threat?” Barry
quizzed. “How is it a threat? It’s an advertising tool.”
    “It influences
decisions,” Harpoon replied. “It could, for example, swing an
election. What’s to stop someone embedding a Veraceo signal into a
political broadcast? What if a foreign state, a rogue state, used
Veraceo technology to subvert a democratic vote? If abused, Veraceo
could influence the opinion of North Americans against their
government and that makes it a credible threat.”
    “Those things won’t
happen,” Barry said dismissively.
    “But it could happen,”
Cue Ball replied. “The threat potential is significant.”
    Steven Watercolour
spoke next. “Our fear is of Veraceo, or related technologies,
slipping behind the iron curtain. Right now, legislation is being
prepared in America and Canada to classify Veraceo as a munition
and subject to military export restrictions.”
    “What the fuck?” Barry
stood up. “Seriously?”
    “This new legislation
will be completed before your thirty-day lockout ends.”
    “You fucking conned
us... Didn’t you?” Barry paced the room. “You already had this
twisted idea in your head when you offered the lockout money. Well,
fuck you. We’ll take the project to Europe and develop it there if
we have to. Hell, I’d take it to China, we’ll work out of Hong Kong
if we have to, but understand, there is no way in hell you’re going
to stop us from earning our ticket on this.”
    “Mister Convex,” the
woman said. “Please, this meeting is going to be in your favour. I
promise. You won’t be angry when you hear what we would like to
offer you.”
    The room went still as
they waited for Barry to return to his seat. “Go on,” he said.
“Impress me.”
    “We would like you to
continue developing Veraceo. We can offer you an unparalleled level
of support and financing. Our concern is not that you don’t work on
Veraceo, quite the opposite, we want you to work on it and we
expect you to earn everything that you would have done had you gone
to the private sector. Our concern is for the security of our
continent and we need to ensure that Veraceo never ends up in the
hands of our enemies. Or if it does, that we have