Conduit - Season 2

Ch. 11

My heart swelled with paranoia. I couldn't let my feelings show, but I knew it had to be obvious. I felt like fear had turned into an emotion on my sleeve, perfectly blending with the curve of my arm. But I moved forward, slowly stepping into the large studio space, eyeing the dormant cameras and equipment. I felt the buzz in the air, especially as Victoria and Frank hurried to the computers, powering the three of them to broadcast what I needed to say.

I hung back by the tattered director's seat. I traced the torn fabric. This room had been unused for a while; the fire had nothing to do with it. I didn't care about what they filmed here as long as it still worked for what I needed today.

"Hey." Frank walked over to me as the largest panel in the room powered on. The white screen had eight small bars on the side, each with a different percentage. Would I reach every outlet—television, radio, and streaming services?

I blinked and rubbed my temple. "Yeah?

"Do you know what you're going to say?" he asked. He stopped in front of me, showing me the palm of his hand. I looked at his outstretched fingers before I sighed and took it in mine. I closed my eyes when he squeezed my hand. "If you don't, don't worry. You got this."

"I know." I opened my eyes. "I just don't think the people are ready to hear from me yet."

"Is it because of the riots?" His thumb brushed over my skin. "The fires?"

"Partially, yeah." I dipped my head back. Flashes of what happened months ago passed over my eyes. Daniel fueled the hatred of the people and in retaliation, they tried to kill us. It was accidental, sure, but it happened, and the intent was there. And when they rioted outside, attacking us, that was intentional. Could it happen again?

I looked back at Frank and smiled. "But it's got to happen eventually, right?"

He nodded. "Exactly," he said as he pulled me closer. "This is our goal. Bridge the connection. Show the benefits of both sides."

"Right."

"Elijah, it's ready." Victoria pointed at the screen before she looked back at me. Each of the bars reached one hundred percent. Reggie tapped the bottom, powering on the Bluetooth sync. The camera beside me reacted, a red light flickered on its head. I looked at it as Reggie moved to it, swiveled it in my direction, and smiled. Victoria snorted. "Reggie's ready to film you," she said.

"You're my cameraman?" I chuckled.

"Someone needs to be." He positioned himself near the viewfinder. "I can film you in your best light."

"Yeah." As I pivoted, fully facing the camera to give it my best. I smiled and looked at the lens, but something felt off. Different. The constant buzz in the air became a part of me; I couldn't ignore it like Victoria had taught me to do. The sound blended in the room, creating visible static where it shouldn't be as if I was in a broken television. Still, I kept my composure. The others couldn't know.

"And we're rolling." Reggie lifted his hand in the air as the camera's light turned green. My face appeared on each of the screens in the room. "Broadcasting Live" flashed under my face.

I chuckled lightly as I prepared to give my speech, but words appeared in my vision again. "Elijah, you were always the one to act without a plan. He has that over you."

He? Daniel? I rubbed my hand over my neck and tried to focus. All I needed to do was warn everyone, have them prepared, and in case of an emergency, be ready to evacuate. Say it, just say the words, Elijah.

"Elijah?" Frank slowly waved his hand over his head to get my attention.

I wouldn't give it to him. I dropped my arms and grinned at the video feed. "Everyone, I know you're not the person you want to see, but I need everyone to listen to me," I said to the camera. My voice echoed in the room. "Our world is crumbling; we've known this for years. That's a work in progress and hopefully, we'll see a suitable resolution for everyone. I mean, I'd love to have that in my lifetime!"