SECTOR 10 (The CLOUD 2)

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

In the absence of Silas, members at the LOTRY Community Center discuss their plans of retaliation. This car accident incident has traumatized more than he and his supporters, as they sit worrying over their future. The results of this accident are reaching broadcast stations across the District of Columbia and further, causing an upsurge in newscast viewership. Storyboard writers can't ignore reports of spoiled CCS products placing people's life and property at risk. Silas Betts' taxi accident is only one example of a disruptive persona becoming an overnight sensation. LOTRY is a subversive group and its public image is undergoing a startling change. They're garnering a legitimate following of political dissidents as opposed to the wayward hippies of previous.

At the hospital Silas sits wrapped in layers of gauze, breathing through tubes shoved down his neck interfering with his vocal cords. The days spent in hospital bed restraints go by slowly, and before Silas fully recovers, he's confronted by someone different. This time it's a raving supporter.

A nurse decides to ask him about it. "Excuse me, Mr. Betts. Are you feeling well this evening?"

Awakened from his nap, Silas gargles through a worn throat. "Yes, uh, what is it?" he responds.

"Someone would like to see you, a Mr. Clyde Van Dyke."

Silas troubles with the thought of identifying this person before motioning a hand toward himself. "It's fine, let him in."

Van Dyke rushes in. "Hello Mr. Silas, I've heard all about you." He tries to shake Silas's hand, but the hindrances of gauze and tape cause Silas to twist his arm, leaving a limp embrace.

"Yes, and what do you want, exactly?"

"There's a camera crew already at work outside. We want to broadcast what you have to say. Right here, right now, what do you say?"

Silas adjusts himself with the little motion he has available in wiggle room. "I mean, I wasn't exactly prepared for this, but it's no problem." His chest rises in an anxious breathing pattern, and as his voice is obstructed by fuller breaths, a sudden shock of excitement grips him. "Hey, where'd you get that shirt?"

Mr. Van Dyke has on a custom-made shirt for members at the Community Center. Its distinctive logo immediately strikes him. "That's my shirt you've got on!"

"That's right Mr. Silas, and you're becoming quite the sensation after that accident you had uptown."

In the time since his accident, the LOTRY Community Center has held meetings inviting everyone from small grass-roots organizers to big-timers in the media world like this Van Dyke guy. On the surface things spell great for their notoriety and in a split second, Silas is happy to finally get the recognition he was mocked for pursuing. But he recognizes the dangers that a bombardment of praise can lead to, like a sudden fall. Never mind the fact that he lies in a broken heap on a soggy hospital spread.

With the camera on him, Silas imagines his face all over the country. He gathers the gumption to call out Ellis Bartram on a live broadcast when Mr. Van Dyke gives him the go-ahead cue.

"I would like to welcome all of the newest participants and those who have taken the time to get to know LOTRY. Aside from our commitment to fairness and equity, I want to also mention the absolute danger in the CCS being used today. Not just in our vehicles, but the way it's being used to push aside those who can't afford it. All over the country, people are suffering from a failure to make personal connections outside of the internet. I propose a solution, boycott CCS, and put people back to work."