Voices

VOICES

Two men were sitting, relaxed and splayed out on two overstuffed couches in a large office, with their feet resting on two matching ottomans. The couches were a set done in leather and finished with a pattern of oversized brass buttons. Each man was staring off into the distance, eyes not focused on anything in particular. They blinked, but slowly. Both were dressed in well-tailored suits, with a leather briefcase settled by their feet. Neither man was old, but they were older, with a little grey in their hair. One was overweight. The other wasn’t.

The larger one seemed to come to, and then turned his head to the other one. “Hey, Pete. Channel 352.”

Pete’s eyes came back into focus as well. “What channel?”

“CNN.”

“Got it.” Pete returned his gaze to the distance. He tried to relax. “What am I watching, Jack?”

“Just listen…!”

Pete sat back and allowed his eyes to focus on whatever they wanted. It only took half a second before the channel was tuned in.

As usual, the rest of the world, through Pete’s eyes, began to take a seat in the background, as if it became no more than a picture of a room you were watching through a large pane of glass. On the glass itself, however, over in the right upper corner, a dialog box appeared. With the slightest of mental effort, Pete replied yes, and the box expanded into a larger one taking up about two thirds of his field of vision, but right in the centre. The images were now coalescing into a feed of CNN reporting in on the latest headline news. The audio kicked in as well.

It was one of the regular anchors on CNN Headline News, James Camden. “For those of you just joining us, I have here with me Joel Blitzer, head political correspondent here on CNN and host of our nightly interview segment, Wolf’s Lair.” He turned to the other man seated behind the long desk beside him. “So, Joel, would you say the race was tight, or what?”

Joel chuckled. “You know, Jimmy, some are even saying the 2052 elections are shaping up to be the tightest in the last twelve years.”

“And you’re going to talk to the leading man tonight. Tell me, what are you two going to talk about? Give us a little taste…!” James winked at the other man and smiled.

“Well, I think you have a pretty good idea. You see, by now, everyone in America, never mind just Iowa, has heard his pitch. He’s come out swinging now, telling us that in an age of crisis, in an age of post-war apocalypse and uncontrolled spending, in an age gone mad…”

“That’s his campaign slogan, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Then in his words—‘in an age gone mad’, he will stand up as the voice of reason, the choice for peace. Peace and calm for abroad, and peace and calm for our domestic financial crisis. He will be the level headed one to lead us through the storm.”

“Well, it certainly sounds pretty, doesn’t it?”

“Pretty? You mean like him?” asked Joel. “You’re referring to the fact that he’s a bachelor and a lot of women find him attractive?”

“Yes, and not just physically either. I mean, look at him. He’s literally perfect in every way. He’s Iowa’s ‘golden boy’. Born into an affluent and very powerful family—the Madisons…”

“And not just that, but a political family…”

“Yes. His uncle was a congressman; this I do know. His aunt on the other side was governor for two terms in a row. And he himself has had the best of starts…”