The Society Ch. 02 - Control

So why did he?

"Just get it over with already. I don't want to suffer in this silence anymore..."

"Get what over with?"

"Aren't you going to finish me off?"

"...No."

"Why not?" Kodi said, partially happy but still afraid to be his prisoner infinitely.

"You might think I'm bad Kodi, the worst evil in the world. But I'm not, not even close."

Ethan looked over into Kodi's eyes. There was something about the innocence in her dark brown eyes that did something to him.

"So, you're letting me go? Sending me back to Earth?"

"No."

"You're leaving me here?"

"I'll do whatever I want with you."

Kodi was left speechless. What was he doing? None of this made any sense, and she wasn't sure she liked the result of his sudden mercy. She hoped for it at first, and appreciated having her life spared, but what would she do down here for the rest of her life? More of what happened the other night?

"I'm about to be late for work. I'll be back at my usual time."

"Umm would you be able to take the cuffs off maybe? At least to let me get a little comfortable."

"No."

Dammit.

***

Alyssa woke up at around noon, later than she used to when she used to work for Ethan. But now that she was on indefinite leave, she didn't have a reason to get up. Furthermore, the recent heartbreak from Ethan's rejection was crushing her inside, and she couldn't find the motivation to do anything productive. She felt worse than when he put her on leave. This felt like the end of their relationship, even if he did just say that it was exclusively work-related.

Alrighty, what movies should I watch today? The Society's founding members brought with them a selection of pop culture items, to keep them entertained, since they probably wouldn't be able to produce much up in space. This included a selection of the most popular books, television shows, movies, and other things that people liked. Alyssa had a lot of movies in her room, and it was the only thing that helped keep her mind off Ethan. She didn't want to think about him anymore. She was angry with him, and the thought of him made her blood boil.

Hmm, let's go with a romantic comedy movie marathon. Yep that's it. She thought to herself. She would spend hours watching movies, falling in and out of sleep every day. She usually kept her pajamas on, except when she had to go out to get food from the cafeteria.

Right as she was about to plop her butt on the bed to begin another movie marathon, she heard a ring from her holographic communicator. Every room was installed with one, so people could meet face to face without the burden of taking time out of their day to visit someone. But she wasn't expecting any visitors, she hadn't really been talking to anyone lately. She didn't know who this could be.

"Request for communication, from unknown source."

Unknown source? Alyssa never heard that before, she didn't know you could even block the caller information on these communicators. The Society didn't usually allow that kind of secrecy to its citizens.

"Request granted." Alyssa said nervously.

"Hello, Alyssa."

"Hello General." General Miller appeared in holographic form in front of her, wearing his usual military uniform with the red emblem. He was giving the same sinister glare in his eyes, no matter how inviting or cordial he tried to sound.

What the fuck could he want? Three years working alongside Ethan taught her that the General was a terrible person to be around, someone who always seemed to be angry. She noticed how Ethan interacted with him, and wondered what he wanted with her. Plus, Alyssa was an assistant meaning she belonged to the commons staff, wearing white uniforms. The General's staff usually didn't have much correspondence with the commons, unless there was a security issue.

"How have you been Alyssa? It's been a while since we've seen each other."

"I've been fine, General. What brings you here in holographic form?"

"Well, I couldn't make my way down there, because I have a meeting soon. But I needed to discuss an urgent matter with you."

Here Alyssa figured the General would tell her about the security issue, maybe something to do with the girl that infiltrated the space station.

"Is everything okay General? Something wrong with security? Because I'm not exactly the right person to talk to about that right now."

"Oh no everything is fine. We've got security running better than ever since that last incident. But you are actually just the person I need to talk to."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Just how long has it been since you've stopped working, Alyssa?"

"Well, I'm not sure, I think it's a few weeks maybe. I'm losing track."

"That's a long time to be without work, for someone that was used to being so busy. Do you miss work?"

Alyssa was confused by this line of questioning. Why did he care about her work?

"I mean, yea I definitely miss it, but I made the mistakes and I'm paying the price."

"Of course, Ethan punished you accordingly. You're also aware of the rules about leave, that it only pertains to the department that you previously worked in, yes?"

"Yea I know that."

"What if I told you that I could give you another job opportunity, in my department, wearing the old black and red?"

"What?? No, I couldn't do that, I'm not qualified."

"Sure, you are. With your knowledge of the Society's administrative workings, helping plan meetings, and doing all that paperwork, I think you would make an excellent enforcement agent."

Alyssa couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could the General think she was a good agent? She wasn't very strong at all and wasn't as athletic and tough as the other agents the General trained. Plus, she wasn't the type to fight or be aggressive anyway.

"But General, aren't your agents usually.... stronger?"

"That actually wouldn't be necessary for your position, Alyssa. You wouldn't have to be on the front lines, fighting anybody. And with the recent closure of the termination chambers, you wouldn't have to harm any citizens either."

It started to sound a little better, but she still wasn't going for it. She didn't belong there, even though she wasn't sure where she belonged in the Society.

"Most importantly, you would have work again. You would get up every morning and know you're going to do something that would contribute to the Society's well-being. I don't know you too well, Ms. Sanders, but I do know that you're probably not the type to be stuck in her room, doing nothing."

I don't do nothing! I watch plenty of movies and read books!

"Look, I'm not going to force you to do anything, the choice is up to you. I'll let you mull it over for a few days, and if you change your mind, just let me know. The offer will stand for three days, so you have until then to make your decision."

"Okay, I'll think it over."

"Great. I'll be hearing from you soon, then. Have a good day, Alyssa."

"Hologram projection terminated."

What was that all about? Why was he offering me a job now of all times?

The whole thing seemed sketchy to her, and she didn't get a good vibe from it, probably because it was Miller. But she had to admit, nothing he said was wrong. She was probably the most knowledgeable person in the Society besides him and Ethan. It had a been a while since she did anything productive or worked.

And most importantly, she wasn't the type to enjoy just laying around every day, without a job or way to contribute to the Society. Years of working with Ethan instilled that desire within her. Also, taking the job would help her stay busy and keep her mind off Ethan, which she desperately needed. Hell, taking a job from the guy Ethan doesn't like the most might a subtle way of getting some revenge for the way he treated her.

***

"Sir, is there anything I can do for you? Are you prepared for your meeting?"

"I'm fine, Fran. Actually, could you cancel my morning meeting with the mechanics? I have some work to finish in my private quarters."

Ethan was following his usual morning routine, standing by the window, looking outside at space to relax. He need it more than ever now. He was wearing his typical black and white suit and tie combo, and his demeanor seemed calm as usual. But he was anything but calm, in fact he felt like his life was spinning into a frenzy.

"Are you sure Mr. President? They won't be happy about that?"

"They'll live, it's one meeting. They're never on time anyway."

"That much is true. Not even your father took kindly to their lack of punctuality."

"When do you ever remember him taking kindly to anyone?"

"Never, he hated everyone." Fran chuckled, but Ethan remained stoic, looking outside.

"Is everything okay sir?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Alright, I'll leave you to your work. I'll come back for your afternoon meeting."

"Thank you."

He figured going back to his room, and tinkering with some of his items he worked on privately might help him distract him.

***

"Get up, Kodi. It's time to eat and use the bathroom if you have to."

Kodi woke up to the sound of Ethan's voice, and the feeling of the cuffs being taken off. This was always her favorite part of the day, because she was able to get out of her metal restraints and actually walk around. Being confined to a metal table all the time was taking its toll on her, and he still had her in only a big white t-shirt. It was a strange feeling, constantly being exposed.

"I'm going to be working behind the force field for a while, so I don't want to be bothered." Ethan told her after feeding her and giving her some water.

"So that means you can leave the cuffs off? Since you'll be here to monitor what I'm doing?" Kodi responded in excitement.

"No. But what I will do is put you in this sedation pod. It's more comfortable, with cushions and immediately induces sleep. It'll be better for you, but it'll ensure you're still restrained."

"Okay I understand."

"Good, I'll prep the pod for y-

"You built all of them yourself, didn't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"All of the devices you've used on me. Almost everything down here, I imagine. You built them, right?"

Ethan paused for a second. "What makes you think I built them? There are people assigned to do those kinds of jobs here, and I'm not one of them.

"Well, for one, your knowledge of all of these things and how they work is pretty good. Really good actually. And the other thing is that some of these devices don't seem like they would serve a broader purpose. They seem specific. So, you must have made it for your own personal use, or just to experiment."

"Just to experiment?"

"Yea, I mean I do the same thing. Or used to."

"What I do with my time is none of your business. Be quiet until I get the pod ready."

"I'm sorry sir." Kodi said as she bit her lip. Seeing her bite her full lips and apologize in her innocent tone was...interesting to Ethan. Although he was trying not to show it, her curiosity about technology was refreshing, and her body was enticing.

"It's fine. I work on devices like that in my spare time."

"Do I have permission to speak sir?" Kodi wanted to know more, but was learning he didn't like it when she spoke out of turn or said too much. So, she started speaking more respectfully.

"Go ahead."

"Why do you work on devices like these? What are you trying to do?"

"I don't know, I just do it because it's interesting."

"Oh..."

"...what does it mean to you? Why do you care?"

"Well, I think these devices have some more potential, and since it seems like you're actually pretty good with this stuff, I think you could give them some capabilities that would serve different purposes."

"Capabilities?"

"Yea, like let's take the sensory drone for instance, the way you used it on me was to find the points that were the most sensitive on my body, so that you could inflict the worst pain and know what would make me confess to you, right?

"...Yes."

"But, what if there was a way for it to read even more than that, like predict potential illnesses, or even heal them, just from the lasers scanning your body. Couldn't you recalibrate the human body as we know it if you do that? Things like allergies, mysterious illnesses, cancers could all be cured? Healing the body from the outside-in, instead of the usual way Earth learned to do it, which was to inject stimuli inside to produce a healing factor or something."

"I guess in theory that would work."

Kodi got a little frustrated at him. Even when he seemed interested in something, he never seemed to show any emotion or excitement.

What was this guy, a robot or something?

"And then the orgasm control device is the same way, it seems like it's ability to learn the body so quickly and efficiently can be used to help the body heal and feel better, like for instance-

"That's enough. The pod is ready. I'm taking the cuffs off so you can go to sleep."

What was wrong with what she was saying? She felt like there were interesting developments she made, and she was genuinely curious about the technology he was producing. She found it unique, as long as it wasn't being used on her. As the cuffs were being removed and she got up, aching and groaning, Kodi figured she would sleep on it and figure it out in the morning.

She didn't get this guy. He wasn't going to finish her off, yet he wasn't sending her back to Earth. He wants her to stay, yet when she tries to give him new ideas about his technology, he's nonchalant and stoic about the whole thing.

"Come here, Kodi. Hurry up." His voice was more commanding this time.

Kodi walked as fast as she could over to the sedation pod and watched as it opened up. He pressed some more on the touch control panel, apparently changing the settings.

"This will keep you asleep for about 8 hours. Get in."

Kodi climbed in the pod, and immediately fell to sleep. Ethan, meanwhile, went back to his bed and began pulling out more devices and unfinished inventions he had been working on. Kodi's enthusiasm was making him remember the first time he became interested in technology.

And he hated to admit it, but her ideas were interesting, wanting to use the devices that were created for interrogation and just for experiments, for a benevolent purpose. She had an unorthodox way of thinking, and her ideas might just be useful. He was looking to push the Society in a different direction, a less violent direction. That's why the termination chambers were being shut down.

The Society felt like it was drifting into the past under the shadow of the old regime. Ethan was ready to usher in a new age of innovation and progression towards helping people.

And he realized that Kodi must have thought the same thing about Earth when she infiltrated the space station.

***

After mulling it over, Alyssa decided that she would take the job that the General offered her. It wasn't a bad position, working for his team, and she figured it would help her get out of the slump that she was in since her last talk with Ethan. She needed to work again.

She called the General on the holographic communicator to tell him the news.

"Request has been sent. Request accepted."

"Hello Alyssa, you've thought about my offer?"

"Yes sir, I've decided to take the job."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." The General showed some rare excitement.

"I appreciate the opportunity, General. I think it'll help me a lot. Hopefully I can be of some use."

"You're exactly what we're looking for, Alyssa. Come by my office at 4 this afternoon for a brief meeting explaining the particularities of your position."

"Okay, sir, I'll see you then."

"Thank you."

Hologram terminated.

Later on, Alyssa walked into the General's office. Similar to the mood he gave off, it was much darker and somber than the rest of the Society, especially the Commons area. There was a desk with papers on it, and the General was sitting there, going through some of it. She figured he was a busy person, between handling the security decisions and training and handling the enforcement agents of his special division, and the recent security disaster with the girl.

He stood up, and she was intimidated by his towering presence and sinister look in his eye. She was used to his holographic projection, so his real aura was kind of scary.

But someone else appeared out of the shadows, much shorter than the General, with white hair. She was donning the same black with the red emblem as the other enforcement agents, but Alyssa wasn't used to seeing her in that color. As her faced appeared, she recognized her and was shocked that she was in this room.

"Hello dear, I'm glad you could make it."

"I told you she would come. It just took a little while. You know how the young ones do."

"Mmm hmm, of course, we were young once, Jack."

"I know, Fran. So, you think it's time to put the plan into motion?"

"Yes, Operation Cryo can now commence."