A Turn of the Dial [PAN2014]

The lighting in the room was about as cliche as could be, as were the tendrils of thick smoke wafting through the space above the conference table.

"Near as we can tell, it happened when someone tried to catch themselves as they stood up from the console."

"You mean it was an accident?"

"Yes, it looks that way."

"Well what use are we making of it in the meantime? We can't let this go to waste after all, and this one's a doozy"

"Well for a while we were able to get people's attention off of various issues more were becoming aware of, but we had to back off when some saw how large and quickly the outbreak could grow."

"How'd we manage that?"

"There was a perfectly timed incident in a St. Louis suburb which also allowed for some live fire training for the local units; you know we have to always advance more than one program at a time. We also got a good amount of return and reinvestment in the racial tension index with this event and were even able to tie in some of the incident from Florida."

"We also transitioned one of ours that had been playing the role of an entertainer, you know how much return we get on a-list celebs..."

"Good, good...I hope you all realize, now, why I've been pushing for a separate adjustment for the more deadly diseases apart from the overall health index. With one turn of a dial, this evolved ebola strain which was released has the potential to upset the overall balance.

As you know the agreed upon plan that we had been diligently working for decades on; building up militaries and encouraging religious as well as racial tensions so we could get the maximum return from the Military Industrial Complex."

A difficult silence settles in the room as eyes shift back and forth trying to gauge reactions. A notable portion of those present had been vocal about reducing the seething masses for a while now suggesting a variety of means.

There was even a potential link to the operator who "slipped" as they stood up. There was plenty of suspicion that it was a 'planned accident.'

"Well, what difference does it make?"

"Not much in the long run, but for now we have to make sure we get what we can from this."

"Ok, turn down the general misery index so fuel and food prices fall. That should increase the comfort level and adjustability factor allow us to more efficiently nudge the herds."

"Weren't we going to do that for the elections anyway? "

"Well, yes, but we need to rein things in now. We'll find something else for election season, or manufacture one as necessary."

"We've nearly maxed on the distraction index as it is, what else can we use?"

"There's always Blue Beam..."

Everyone's attention went to the large azure fixture in the middle of an enormous console filled with dials, knobs, gauges, and banks of screens with readouts. Labels indicating different geographic regions which were then further subdivided.

There were controls labelled for nearly every psychosocial segment of civilization discovered and a few not ever considered.

Distraction index included things like sports fantasaicsm, celebrity obsession, and political polarization.

Other than fuel/food price, general misery index included things such as educational efficacy (tuned quite low), societal awareness, and public perception of policy impact.

Each of these was further modified depending on how the different categories intersected; other layers could be applied and a multitude of adjustments possible.

"That didn't work out so well last time. We are still cleaning up the mess from the last reset. Pyramids everywhere, stonework monuments across the globe... It's been obvious to many that what they are taught think of as 'history' does not match up with what's on the ground."

"We have plans that take care of that. We've learned a thing or three about controlling the narrative and the kook factor should never be overlooked."

Nods all around.

"Ok it's settled. Global pop falls significantly from this pandemic, and we get a reset without having to hit the big blue button.

"I know most here would've preferred to have not been pushed into this, but as well all know, our third DNA strand gives us not only the immunity to all disease and longevity, but the right to direct the ignorant apes who think they're so smart."

"What about the outliers? The ones on whom our methods are ineffective? "

"The are always aberrations in any system that will fall outside of controlled norms. For the most part these are easy to marginalize and no matter how accurate they are, the masses don't have a long enough attention span for them to be able to get enough traction.

One of those happens to be picking up on this meeting right now and thinks it's his imagination while writing a story for a forum that attracts similar minds.

Of course, we keep them in line too..."

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Very Well Written! I liked this! Good Job!!!

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Aah, good ending! That made me smile. I've often wondered how sevice budgets were calculated, now I know it's by the GMI (General Misery Index)!

Very inventive and entertaining, good one!

a reply to: beansidhe

And

a reply to: SyxPak

Thank you both very much!

After going back and re reading it, I see a few places that are a bit awkward and could have been phrased a bit better, but I am pleased with the story overall and especially ending.

Good take on this! You've hit so many conspiracies in one story, lived up to your namesake (jadedANDcynical) and left me impressed with the fun weaving together of it all.

- AB

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

That was wonderful! Especially enjoyed the temporal context -- these "controllers" have been calling the plays for at least 5000 years. Very unique twist to this theme, and very well written.

a reply to: AboveBoard

And

a reply to: argentus

Thank you both for the feedback, glad you enjoyed reading this, I really had a lot of fun writing it.

It was done with a fantastic short by Terry Bissom titled They're Made out of Meat in mind.

A most enjoyable and thought-provoking read.....probably closer to the truth than most of us are comfortable with.

S & F!

Ahhh. If only this were true, it would ease my mind to know exactly how things are being done by these controllers.

Loved this read! Very interesting, to say in the least. I would like to read other "stories" with different possibilities on how They go about Their bidding.

a reply to: PageLC14

and

a reply to: FissionSurplus

Thank you both for the feedback! I've had these ideas bouncing around in my head for a while and this wirting contest seemed to be the perfect opportunity to bring them out and show them off a little. I see a bit of polishing that needs doing, but I think I've done a decent job considering I had to post it from my phone.

As to subsequent stories, I think there is quite a bit that They are up to that needs light shed upon.

a reply to: PageLC14

And here is a short little blurb