37. Brandon

37

brANDON

A t first, Kalugal's words resonated with Brandon, but he wasn't ready to give up on democracy just because the system was rigged. It needed to be fixed, that was true, but it didn't need to be replaced by an autocratic rule. That was never a good idea.

Any student of history should know that, but Kalugal was a young immortal, and his education was probably lacking. He was an extremely smart guy, but he might have focused on other subjects and hadn't studied history and politics in depth.

Brandon didn't have formal education in those subjects either, but since his job was to spread positive influence to the world, he had read extensively on both subjects. It wasn't an easy task to discern truth from propaganda or to remain objective when a particular historian happened to be very persuasive, but Brandon had developed a few simple rules to help him in the sifting process.

The easiest litmus test was to look at the results. So far, democratic regimes produced the highest quality of life for their citizens and the least suffering. Human rights were largely respected, and people felt safe. That didn't happen in totalitarian regimes, whether they were based on ideology or religion, which Brandon considered to be the same.

It made no difference what the belief system was as long as those who had put themselves in charge could use it to control and abuse their citizenry with impunity.

Given Kian's shifting expressions, he was probably doing a similar analysis, and Jacki looked like she had heard the argument before and had opinions about it but wasn't going to voice them in the name of showing solidarity with her mate—at least in public.

Before any of them could respond to Kalugal's statement though, Atzil appeared with the main course, effectively pausing their conversation.

The chef lingered by the table, waiting for Kian to taste the dish he had prepared for him and watching for his reaction.

"This is excellent, Atzil," Kian said. "Thai cuisine is one of my favorites, and you have gotten the flavors perfectly."

Atzil puffed out his chest, beaming with pride. "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy it."

"You made his day," Jacki said as Atzil retreated to the kitchen.

"I meant it." Kian dug into his curry.

The conversation lulled as they all focused on the meal, the only sound the gentle clinking of cutlery against fine china, and Brandon took the opportunity to admire the fine art adorning the walls. It was all original, he had no doubt, and the eclectic mix of styles worked for the space, as it was decorated in an odd combination of traditional and contemporary. The interior design wasn't Ingrid's work, that was for sure, and he wondered who Kalugal could have hired to do it.

Perhaps one of the younger immortals had recently graduated from a design school.

As Brandon finished his main course, Kalugal put down his fork and knife and leaned back in his chair. "I've been considering incorporating more immersive elements into InstaTock. What are your thoughts on virtual reality experiences?"

"I think it's the future of entertainment. The potential for storytelling in a fully immersive environment is incredible. And with your resources and existing platform, you could really push the boundaries of what's possible. People will shift from being consumers of stories to being participants and co-creators."

Kian nodded. "We already have the technology courtesy of acquiring Perfect Match, but it requires being hooked up to a very expensive machine and having medical supervision. It's not suitable for home use."

"True." Kalugal reached for the second bottle of wine he'd opened. "But at the rate artificial intelligence applications are advancing, the technology might catch up in only a few years. The other part of the equation would probably be a brain implant that would allow people to hook into the game without the need for a multimillion-dollar machine and techs to supervise them. The chip will replace both." He poured into their glasses.

Brandon chuckled. "That would be game over for humanity and the start of the zombie apocalypse. Imagine what governments could do if they could hack straight into the brains of their citizens. It would be The Matrix ."

"The masses will live inside an illusion," Kian murmured. "Or die. What would the elites want to do with them? Especially if all the manufacturing could be done by robots, including building the robots themselves?"

Brandon considered that for a long moment. "Entertainment. They will enjoy watching them in the simulated reality they live in. Like The Hunger Games ."

"It didn't happen on Anumati," Kian said. "I'm sure they have the technology. I guess the Eternal King didn't want to turn his people into zombies who lived inside a simulation. He must have prohibited the installation of chips inside people's brains."

Kalugal nodded. "That's interesting. He does things the old-fashioned way, with charisma, propaganda, and a healthy dose of compulsion. The guy is super smart, so he must have realized all the possible downsides of too much control. Or maybe he just likes the challenge of controlling his civilization with the power of his personality and his talents. It's no fun doing something if it runs on autopilot and requires no effort."

"That's precisely why he disallowed it," Jacki said. "Anyone can control a population of chip-powered zombies, but only the Eternal King, or someone as capable as he is, can control several trillions of free-thinking gods, not only on Anumati but in all of its colonies as well."

Kalugal nodded. "That's one hell of a power rush. It gives me the shivers."