The Lost Canaries

Chapter 15: Illuminated Disillusion

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – DENBRIGHT

ILLUMINATED DISILLUSION

In the few weeks since my speech, my Chief Panel of Advisors and I have spent days upon days holed up in my office blueprinting a complete overhaul of CANARY policy. I have had to switch back and forth between tracking new Beehive leads, monitoring the Charlevoix mission, and crafting new on-campus regulation. Sleep has been non-existent. Meetings have been non-stop. A sea of empty coffee cups and a mountain of briefings have cluttered my desk.

Dark circles under my eyes, I stroll across the Quad toward the Infinity Court and enter the office of Senior Discussant Jeremiah Aurellio. The Senate Majority Leader, President Pro Tempore, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House, and House Minority Leader sit as holograms, all facing me in a semi-circle around Aurellio's desk. I try to catch my breath as we exchange pleasantries.

And as I sit in front of some of the most powerful leaders in the world, calling the meeting to order myself, I realize my lack of confidence and comfort in such a position was only borne out of people viewing me as a threat, not a liability. Maybe they should have done more to earn the top spot, almost as much as I must do to continuously earn my place now. In a firm, workmanlike tone that finally demands respect, I begin, "In light of the Colosseum bombing, I'd like to start by discussing my cabinet's policy proposals specific to the main CANARY campus out here in Puerto Rico..." The Senior Discussant and congressional leaders nod. I eye the briefing in my hand and read, "First, to address government transparency, we want to mandate a specific number of town halls public officials must hold per calendar year. We must also include expanded options for face-to-face appointments for citizens to express grievances to CANARY officials, along with civilian oversight liaisons for all bureaucratic departments... mandated bi-annual inefficiency reviews... independent arbitration and fact-checking panels for government press releases... and an on-campus data bank to document all administrative activities with limited confidentiality exemptions." Fiona's press staff will have to recalibrate their entire approach if this legislation hits the Infinity Court floor. The days of glossing over the truth are done.

Even as the congressional leadership exchanges looks, taken aback with wide eyes and furrowed brows at my proposals, I press on, "Second, to address government efficiency, my advisors and I want to establish a performance management system that includes shared performance dashboards and peer-manager networks for all CANARY employees. We've also discussed work standards being linked to salary." The chaotic Beehive workers will finally stop buzzing so loud, instead guided by a queen bee's firm stinger.

As some of the leadership begins to nod, I continue, "And, finally, the Beehive uncovered text messages on the closed-circuit Z-Pulse network concerning bombing rumors the morning before the memorial. So, to address refugee violence, we need steeper fines and legal liability for violent messages sent on our servers. However, my cabinet and I also want to require refugees attend counseling so we can dissect the underlying motives for their advocating violence or sympathizing with the Red Doves. Psychiatric evaluations and rehab first, dungeons only as a last resort...." The image of the construction workers, twisted with fury as they fired at our guards, when I was shuttled out of the Colosseum sends a shudder down my spine. "With careful consideration of public polling data and from our on-campus policy experts, these are our proposals, and we need them if this organization—and country, for that matter—is going to have a fighting chance against the Red Doves' operations." My blunt, non-negotiable delivery sweeps a layer of silence over the office.

After a long pause Senior Discussant Aurellio grins. "Seems like we should've had these regulations a long time ago... But Director Page never had any idea how to run this place."

"Do you think they could pass in the Infinity Court?" I ask. "I'm willing to sign an executive order if not, but I think we need to show consensus to gain public support."