Democracy is Dead

Chapter Three

Jason Leighton sighed as he shrugged off his black suit jacket, swapping it for the lurid cerise one his assistant held out for him.

"Are you sure it has to be this bright?" he asked her, eyeing his now luminous reflection in the mirror opposite with distaste.

"The voters will view it as a sign of solidarity, Mr Leighton. And it matches your tie."

The tie, his cuff-links and the thin, embroidered stripe that ran through his shirt. Surely the jacket was too much?

"The bomb is being viewed as an attack on pop voting culture. Now is the time to show voters that The Freedom Institute fully supports those votes, and what easier way is there to do that than through the outfit of our illustrious CEO?" the young man sat opposite him replied as he leant forwards, a little too eager to give his opinion.

Leighton suppressed a heavy sigh. He was already starting to regret promoting Castor. As if he needed his head of public relations to remind him how to run his company. The Freedom Institute had been operating for thirty-nine years and now owned twenty-five subsidiaries. It had been moving from strength to strength without Castor's guidance.

But Castor's enthusiasm and poster-boy looks struck a chord with younger voters; a demographic that, at fifty-six, Leighton was rapidly falling out of touch with.

"Do you need anything else before the conference begins?" his assistant asked, still hovering beside him.

"No thank you, Europa, that will be all," Leighton said, dismissing her with a nod.

Once Europa had left the room, Castor gave Leighton a conspiratorial grin. Definitely promoted too soon. But it was far too late to rectify that now; Castor knew too much and in the wrong hands, knowledge was dangerous.

"This afternoon couldn't have gone any better," Castor said, still grinning. "The feeds are abuzz with fear and chaos. No one knows what's going on."

"Which is why they need a voice of reason to guide them," Leighton told him, straightening his tie in the mirror. "And when I go live on Freedom News that's exactly what they'll get."

"That reminds me," Castor added. "The corporations' guild is asking for your full statement so they can prepare their own response in line with yours."

Leighton sighed. "Then it will be obvious that I've had something pre-prepared. Voters like to think that this sort of thing comes from the heart; I don't want them knowing I'm following a script. The guild will have to watch the broadcast like everyone else and prepare their response accordingly."

"Of course, sir," Castor replied, his eyes glazing over as he fired off a message to his counterpart in the guild.

"Let the other guild members know that I'll contact them after the press conference - to allow us to coordinate a united response to the 'attack', or some nonsense like that. They won't want to feel left out. I'd rather not have Hephaestus Lyons breathing down my neck, trying to push his own agenda. He'll be setting off his own bombs in Wales given half the chance, even if he doesn't know that we were behind the Trafalgar bombing. He's always looking to make gains."

"Absolutely, sir." As well as being young enough to attract new voters, Castor was so eager to please that he didn't stop to question whether he was being given mundane tasks outside his remit. Which reminded Leighton:

"Oh, and Castor. Get yourself a girlfriend. Someone at the University - preferably in the campaign group that's run by Lyon's daughter. We need to keep tabs on what they're up to."

Castor looked surprised for a moment, but nodded his acquiescence. "Of course, sir." Leighton smiled. There were some advantages to promoting too soon.

"Now, let's get this conference over and done with. I need to have a meeting with Eunomia King at the voting centre to discuss plans for rescheduling the announcement of the healthcare vote result. Call the news team in."

Castor was at the door in an instant, inviting in the small group from Freedom News who would be filming the press conference, along with a handful of carefully selected journalists and bloggers who would be reporting on the event and asking questions at the end.

Leighton's office had been designed with these moments in mind. Almost everything in New London was public domain, so his private offices were always ready to be on show and spacious enough to accommodate a crowd. The Freedom Institute prided itself on its transparency and honesty - or at least its ability to appear so.

Castor rushed around getting everyone settled in the correct spaces. Once he was done, he sat just out of shot and sent Leighton a final message over the feed. They need to know that we're on top of things; that the FI will keep New Britain safe. But you also need to create enough of a sense of panic that they'll want extra security measures put in place. Panic leads to pliability. But too much and we'll have chaos on the streets.

Reassure them, while keeping them terrified. Leighton struggled not to roll his eyes. How did Castor come up with this stuff?

Leighton sighed and turned his attention to the camera, readying his expression into one of grave concern.

The director mimed the countdown on his fingers: three, two, one. They were live.

"Good afternoon fellow New Londoners and citizens of New Britain. It is with a heavy heart that I address you on such a sad day for our great nation.

"There have been a number of rumours surrounding the motivation behind the horrific explosion that took place at Trafalgar Square this morning. It is my sad duty to inform you that, following extensive investigations carried out by Freedom Security, the cause has been confirmed as domestic terrorism."

Here Leighton paused, allowing time for the gasps that would no doubt be filtering through the country as anxious viewers took in his words. Once they were likely to have returned their attention to their screens, he continued.

"Please remain confident that the Freedom Institute has the situation in hand. Freedom Security will keep you safe; Freedom MediCare will tend to the wounded; and all FI run offices and Freedom Education schools will remain open as normal. The easiest way to let these terrorists win is to let them disrupt our way of life. Carrying on as normal - as the British have a proud history of doing - is the only way to defeat them.

"But remain on alert: keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour - especially anyone speaking out against the healthcare vote you all campaigned so passionately for, or those who find fault with our perfect political system - and report any concerns you have to Freedom Security immediately via our app. We must work together to keep our country safe.

"Now, can I take any questions?"

Castor sprang into action, selecting and naming journalists from the eager crowd, while Leighton relaxed into his chair, satisfied by a job well done.

{What is Jason up to? Let me know your thoughts on Democracy is Dead's power-hungry antagonist in the comments below, and please vote if you enjoyed this chapter!}