The Solution (2nd Edition)

Michelle

Because of The Lottery Draft back in March, shit had gotten, really real.

    For Mikey and I, our world had been shattered.

    Even more so, we now knew how The Mighty Thor had felt when his hammer was crushed before his very eyes.

    Talking of deities, the Old Gods had ignored my plea.

    Why?

    I'm not sure I'll ever know, but as a result, Mikey and I now had no choice. We wouldn't get our long-term chance to be together, nor be able to start a family and establish an Andromeda-defined legacy. From a social and romantic standpoint, I'd constantly wondered what Mikey intended on doing once aboard the Dwarven Earthian Star?

    I mean, how long would 'Cosmic Comic-Con' keep him amused?

    And then understandably, how long would it be before he found somebody else to call, 'Puddin''?

    Worst of all, him saying, 'We won't be okay' in the midst of The Draft's selection wasn't exactly reassuring for us... Ultimately, I was unsure of our relationship status, and had asked myself those questions over and over as we hadn't discussed anything yet. It was too awkward and upsetting.

    But we'd have to.

    At some point.

    And ideally before he left for Earth Orbit.

    As for me, my pathetic life story was destined to end down here, on Earth.

    I imagined it was the same for all the other Ineligibles too.

     No one dared to protest, either. The overall threat of The Pink Lady made sure of that.

    With The Draft established, The Coalition ramped up communication and began putting measures in place for those who'd chosen to ascend. Or, like Mikey, for those who were professionally obliged, to ascend.

    For The Eligibles who had jobs and careers, a sabbatical took immediate effect. Furthermore, they got paid to be away from their professions so that personal affairs could be put in order, especially where Ineligible Dependants were concerned.

    For those of us who'd comprised The Ineligibles, we were either redrafted like I had been. Or, we were exposed to other options...

    On a vast and swift level, there was internal movement in the three coalition nations.

    Some Ineligibles had migrated in preparation of Base Team One opportunities.

    For others, they'd relocated in order to occupy the vacant homes of now absent family who'd been successful.

    As well as this, a multitude of those who were skilled, yet unemployed, began applying for positions which had been created due to The Contingency. Temporary work was better than nothing.

    Sadly, for those of The Ineligibles who'd refused to entertain any of the above, they quickly became part of the vagrant collective known as, 'The Roleless'.

Elsewhere, a wild animal was still posturing over The Solution. Its Contingency, too, as well as the frustration of having been silenced by Xen and Chon Lai. The reason was, their successful interview months back had acted as a powerful tranquilizer. However, from Green Justice headquarters in Johannesburg, a rejuvenated Robin Albers finally emerged from her den and intended on roaring back on a holo-vlog, no doubt bound for WorldTube. "Over months passed, I have continued to think deeply about The Solution," she said with an unexpected level of calm. "In fact, I cannot deny that some good would have come of it. In particular, I commend The Coalition for the Base Team One concept. On the global scale, a multitude of hands clearing waste from Earth's landscapes might have accelerated progress of another mission - filtering the oceans in their entirety..." While trailing off, Robin ran fingers through her mane of hair. Upon doing so, her marbled claws seemed to morph into bladed antlers, giving her the visage of Hela, The Godess of Death! The metaphor was also relevant based on the slashes which followed. "However, the negatives of The Contingency still outweigh the positives. In hindsight, I am glad that most people of the free world were mentally strong enough to resist The Solution and not be led to what would've been their gruesome deaths. Not to mention humanity's near extinction. That aside, it is Contingent Eligibles who had voted no-confidence in both of their national referendums - and whom are still obliged to ascend - who I now feel saddened for. Specifically, those professionals who will have to succumb to physical tests, fitness regimes, and the intake of unhealthy medicine!"

    Like Odin's Firstborn, Albers was intent on forever cutting deep. "To The Coalition Leaders, I say this. You have made the wrong decision on behalf of your people," she declared. "People, who have been caught up in a fantasy that can never end well if played out for real. So, as architects of this ultimate farce, be prepared for the backlash of the world's history books when you do eventually fail. All while extinguishing your next generations in the process. That is all."

   And because of my looming situation with Mikey, I couldn't help but agree with Robin.

    Jealousy and envy had already begun to get the better of me.

    In quick reprieve, The Coalition wanted to stem Alber's comments before they gained momentum or caused outside interference and threat again. On the contrary, their strategy aimed to utilize the BTV Trio who were now tasked with handling all Contingency-based exclusivity. For Chon, Sarah, and Mikey...this saw them back in Zhōngnánhǎi - fixated on our president - and looking to him for appeasement.

    Like every morning, I was sat behind my holodesk in the BTV studio and ready to break another news item.

    To add, Dieng had insisted that I ooze enthusiasm.

    So, with a forced pretence of gusto, I'd shifted on my stool, then smiled at my lucky friend who'd filled the BTV holotron. "Chon Lai, good morning! Today is April 1st and the start of The Medical! Tell us, what's the latest...?"