Chapter 26: True Footage
In the underground temple, Angelo, Julio, and Orcilla were watching video footage captured by Volo’s wing camera.
‘Well, Hamlet’s alive; that’s a true silver lining,’ said Angelo as he looked across at Orcilla.
‘I’ll have to let Yassmay know; she’ll be so relieved,’ said Orcilla, nodding.
‘You’ll have to forward the video footage of the West Camp and construction site to her,’ said Angelo. ‘The Downs’ residents need to know the abuse is real.’
‘Those outfits have a lot of technology built into them,’ remarked Orcilla.
‘Julio makes sure we have the best technology,’ said Angelo as he looked at Julio while nodding.
Julio nodded back in acknowledgement.
‘At least we know who our lower power friend was trying to kill,’ said Angelo as he turned to Orcilla. ‘Do you know anything of him?’
‘He’s Octavius Spiro,’ replied Orcilla. ‘He owns the Spiro Company. He was the second richest Linap before the collapse of Sapey. No one ever saw him. I understand why now.’
‘He grew too big and is losing some of his strength,’ replied Angelo. ‘Hence, he can’t shapeshift like our guest.’
‘She obviously considers him a threat,’ added Orcilla. ‘It appears he can control at least one Sentray, and I’m guessing probably more as they move in packs.’
‘She guessed correctly that he would pump Hamlet’s stomach and poison himself,’ said Angelo as his eyes grew a little wider. ‘He could become an important ally. We just need to heal him.’
‘The seaweed treatment might work,’ said Orcilla.
‘The seaweed, of course,’ said Angelo. ‘It has healed the Sentray before. I’m sure it’ll work on him. I’ll get Volo to convey the message to him. He’s heading back to him now anyway.’
Team foodies had stopped to rest for the day. The Sapiods had helped them set up a temporary camp.
‘We had a great day, friends,’ said Alex proudly. ‘We collected three quarters of what we need to make our first drop-off.’
‘It better not be all gone in the morning again!’ said Walter in a grumpy tone as he stared and leaned towards Hamlet, who was biting on a mango.
‘Tomorrow, I was thinking about making some blog-worthy creations for our hard-working friends,’ said RJ with a big smile on his face.
‘I’m not sure we can do that, friend,’ said Alex, sounding concerned. ‘Our carts don’t stay full for long.’
‘You’re right for once, friend,’ chuckled Walter as he hugged Alex.
RJ sighed as he watched Scott dishing out the fruit to both Rico and fluffy Lily.
Volo appeared out of the dark and landed at the campsite.
‘Haha, he’s back,’ said Octavius as he stood up. ‘Tell us… I mean, show us what’s happening at the camps.’
Volo held his hands up to form a square.
‘Hey Alex, I think he wants to borrow your tablet,’ said Octavius.
Alex jogged over to Big Blue and pulled out his tablet. He held it up to show Volo, who nodded in response.
Alex handed the tablet to Volo, who began tinkering with it and the buttons on his outfit.
‘I hope the technology is compatible,’ sighed Octavius.
After a few minutes, the screen began to flash. Volo looked up and smiled.
‘Haha, I think he’s figured it out,’ chuckled Octavius as he looked at the others.
A video began to play. Team foodies and the Sapiods gathered around Volo, who was holding up the tablet.
Volo had spent about an hour flying over the camp and construction site. He had recorded the Downs residents’ living conditions and working areas as well as how the enforcers were treating some of them.
‘I can’t believe this!’ shouted Walter. ‘Those bastards are roughing up our friends.’
‘I won’t tolerate this,’ said Octavius. ‘I’m going to pay the superintendent a visit.’ Octavius turned to Ducky. ‘I think I might need some of your family backing me up.’
Ducky roared ferociously.
‘Haha, that’s it,’ said Walter, waving his fist. ‘Let’s put a list of demands together.’
‘Thank you, Volo,’ said Octavius.
Volo pointed at the tablet. A message had appeared. It read, ‘Take the seaweed treatment. It’ll help you.’
Octavius frowned, then nodded and said, ‘I handed it all over. Maybe I can get some from the camp.’
Early the next morning in the Downs Region, Louis was almost finished compiling the video footage into a twenty-minute edited video to show to the Downs residents.
Yassmay, who was flying invisible, had arrived back in Downs and was searching for someone she could trust. She saw the Hat Lady enter the hotel. Yassmay landed on the road and entered the hotel behind her. She entered the lobby but could not see where the Hat Lady had gone. Then she noticed the lift had just left the ground floor. She watched the numbers. The lift stopped on the floor Louis was staying on.
Yassmay called the lift. She waited and then she got in when it arrived. She went up to the floor Louis was living on.
The lift doors opened. The Hat Lady was standing in front of them. She was still invisible.
‘Welcome home, Yassmay,’ whispered the Hat Lady.
‘You can see me,’ whispered Yassmay.
‘No, but I can hear you,’ whispered the Hat Lady. ‘Following me up in the lift was a little obvious.’
‘Okay,’ whispered Yassmay.
‘Quick, follow me,’ whispered the Hat Lady. ‘We’re going to Louis’ room.’
They walked down the corridor and then stopped at a door. The Hat Lady opened the door with her hotel key. Then they both entered. Louis was sitting on his bed watching his edited video. The Hat Lady closed the door and became visible, and so did Yassmay.
‘Yassme, it’s great to see you’re okay,’ said Louis, sounding relieved.
‘I’m Yassmay, silly,’ said Yassmay. ‘Why? What’s happened to my sister?’
‘Your sister is fine and so are the others,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘Louis needs to catch up with yesterday’s events.’
‘How’d you do it?’ asked Louis.
‘I let them be caught and rescued them in one go,’ replied the Hat Lady. ‘We need to be a little more cautious now. They would’ve worked out their gear is a little defective.’
‘I found her very quickly with my goggles,’ said Yassmay.
‘I like the wings,’ said Louis. ‘We don’t have anything like this.’
‘Julio is a true genius,’ said Yassmay.
‘The dreaded cult leader?’ asked the Hat Lady.
‘No, that’s Angelo,’ replied Yassmay. ‘He prefers to be called the High Philosopher. He’s very funny.’
‘We really need some friends right now,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘Volo, another great guy, has captured some video footage of what’s happening in the West Camp and construction site,’ said Yassmay. ‘I haven’t been able to watch it yet.’
‘Great, I can add it to my video,’ said Louis excitedly.
‘Absolutely not,’ replied the Hat Lady sternly. ‘You must only use what they gave you. I have an idea what we can do with the new footage.’
‘Well, let’s see what we have,’ said Louis. ‘I’ll convert it into a format I can work with.’
Two hours later, Louis had converted Volo’s video footage into a format compatible for viewing. During that time, Yassmay and the Hat Lady shared all the information they had. Then the three of them watched both Louis’ video and Volo’s footage.
‘The videos tell two very different stories,’ said Louis. ‘I think what they’ve given me is fake.’
‘Around halfway through Freddy’s interview, it appears he has an extra finger on his left hand,’ said Yassmay.
‘Oh, I better edit that,’ said Louis, sounding worried.
‘No, don’t,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘We can use this.’
‘The metadata is all messed up as well,’ said Louis. ‘I’m not sure how they made this video footage.’
‘It must have been Jennifer,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘Okay, now I want you to make a second video.’
The Hat Lady explained her plan, and both Yassmay and Louis listened.
That evening, in the Downs Region town square, a stage and a big screen had been set up. A large crowd of technicians and the remaining Downs residents had gathered. The executive council was in the front row.
Tiberius made his usual grand entrance. He was wearing his royal robes minus the cape and crown. He was standing in his grand chariot, which was pulled by his large Sape. His imperial guards jogged beside him. They were no longer wearing the helmets.
The chariot stopped by the side of the stage. Tiberius slowly climbed down and walked up onto the stage. The imperial guards formed a line behind him at the back of the stage.
The crowd began to cheer as Tiberius raised his hands in the air. The executive council stood up and applauded loudly.
‘Thank you! Thank you!’ shouted Tiberius. ‘My subjects! My subjects! I love all of you!’
The crowd roared with joy as Tiberius walked to the front of the stage and stood behind a podium that was behind a large sheet of plexiglass.
Tiberius watched the crowd with glee as the roar gradually began to die down.
‘Building an Empire is no easy task,’ said Tiberius. ‘All of us must play our part. And I know all of you here today are doing exactly that.’
The crowd briefly cheered.
‘Not everyone supports us,’ continued Tiberius. ‘Not everyone shares our great values. My life and the lives of my executive council have been threatened many times.’
The crowd became quiet.
‘If they succeed, they will come for you next,’ said Tiberius forcefully. ‘I will not allow that. I will not let them threaten our way of life. I know all of you will stand with me.’
‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ chanted the crowd.
‘The enemies are the traitors that exploited you up here,’ said Tiberius. ‘The enemies are the cult that terrorised you down below. These enemies have joined forces to destroy us and destroy all that is great about the Downs Region.’
The crowd booed angrily.
‘Our brave enforcers have fought off an aggressive assault from the cult, which is now led by the traitor Orcilla,’ shouted Tiberius. ‘They did so amazingly without any loss of life or casualties. This was only possible because of their dedication and the blessing from the higher power.’
The crowd began to cheer.
‘They’re not the only heroes working hard and blessed by the higher power,’ said Tiberius as a broad smile came over his face. ‘The Downs residents, with the support of our great technicians, are building the new settlements. And they’re doing it with smiles on their faces.’
The crowd began to applaud.
‘I know many of you are concerned because we haven’t established reliable communications with the camps and construction sites,’ continued Tiberius. ‘To put you at ease, our Head of Communications has put together a video of the Downs residents’ experiences at the West Camp and construction site.’
Tiberius stepped back, and the video began to play on the big screen set up behind the stage.
The video showed Downs’ residents energetically working on the construction site. They were singing as they carried and laid bricks. They high-fived technicians who were operating machinery. In the evening, they danced with the technicians and joined in with their dance performances. Freddy, the leader of the Downs residents, was interviewed.
‘How are the Downs residents coping with the longer hours?’ asked the interviewer.
‘It was daunting at first, friend,’ replied Freddy. ‘However, the great support from the technicians and our wonderful superintendent helped us fully harness the spirit of Downs. The eight hours a day just flew by.’
The crowd began to cheer.
‘What are the living conditions like here?’ asked the interviewer.
‘They’re fantastic!’ replied Freddy energetically. ‘Our little cabins are as good as any you would find on vacation.’
The video showed a quick clip of a luxury cabin. Outside the cabin, it showed two Downs residents sipping fruit juice from giant novelty coconuts while seated in a hot tub.
The crowd gasped in joy.
‘Our time working here has been great, but we still miss Downs,’ said Freddy while grinning. ‘We all thank the Emperor for increasing our working hours so we can come home sooner. I miss you, Mummy, Daddy, and big brother Eugene.’
‘Awww!’ sighed the crowd.
The video ended. Tiberius was about to walk back to the podium when another video began to play.
Tiberius groaned in annoyance as he heard the Hat Lady begin to talk.
‘What you have just watched is the biggest load of Sape shit imaginable,’ said the Hat Lady.
The crowd began to boo loudly.
‘You’re just proving to the whole world what a traitor you truly are!’ shouted Tiberius.
'Six-Finger Freddy and the rest were generated by artificial intelligence,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘This is what’s really going on in the West Camp.’
The video switched to aerial footage showing Downs residents covered in dirt. Many of them looked malnourished and sick. Then the video showed an enforcer hitting a Downs resident with a stick because she was moving too slow.
‘This is all lies and propaganda from our enemy,’ shouted Tiberius. ‘Louis shut this down now!’
Louis got up and rushed over to the technicians who were looking confused.
The video showed aerial footage of the sleeping area. There were no cabins. Instead, there were piles of hay, and the toilets were just holes in the ground.
‘Cut the power to the screen, damn it!’ shouted Louis to the technicians. ‘You heard the Emperor.’
Finally, a technician pulled the power. The crowd was now booing loudly.
‘Do not be alarmed!’ shouted Tiberius. ‘This is all lies!' The first video is one hundred percent real. That female who appeared on screen is a wanted criminal. She’s attempted and failed several times to assassinate me and my loyal executive council. She wants to divide us.’
The crowd finally began to calm down.
Eugene walked over to Louis. ‘I need to see your video, friend,’ said Eugene as he held his hand out.
‘No problem, Head Enforcer,’ replied Louis as he handed Eugene a thumb drive.
The Hat Lady and Yassmay entered the basement below the House of Divine Knowledge temple together.
‘Ah, sister!’ said Yassme in a surprised tone.
‘You know, we’ve always been better together,’ said Yassmay as she looked at Yassme.
Yassme ran over to Yassmay, and the two sisters hugged.
‘Hey, I like the wings,’ said Yassme as she squeezed her sister.
‘Then you’ll just have to get your own,’ chuckled Yassmay.
‘So what happened up there?’ asked Denise.
‘I think we’ve stirred the pot a little,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘There’s still much to be done.’
Meanwhile, Tiberius had called an emergency executive council meeting in the town hall.
‘Yet again, our security has failed,’ said Tiberius angrily as he looked at the council members with his eyes stopping at Lendall. ‘Head of Security, doesn’t this responsibility fall on you?’
‘I’m sorry, Your Imperial Majesty,’ said Lendall in a slightly nervous tone. ‘I haven’t been quiet myself recently. I’ve had these terrible…’
‘Blah, blah, blah!’ shouted Tiberius. ‘All I hear is excuses. I need for these acts of terrorism to be squashed for good.’
‘We’ll have a dozen helmets working by tomorrow,’ said Miro. ‘Your imperial guards will soon have their hands on L1.’
‘That’s better,’ said Tiberius, nodding.
‘Once she’s caught, we’ll soon bring the other traitors to justice,’ continued Miro.
‘Sleuthing is the best approach, friend,’ added Eugene. ‘I’m investigating that suspicious video of Freddy.’
‘That video is real, idiot,’ shouted Duffo. ‘Are you so stupid that you would listen to the words of a traitor?’
‘I can see you’ve never sleuthed,’ replied Eugene as he leaned forward. ‘All leads must be investigated and fingers must be counted.’
‘We cannot afford to waste resources on this nonsense,’ said Tiberius angrily as he turned to Eugene. ‘In recent times, you and your family have become a great disappointment.’
‘Oh friend, I don’t understand,’ said Eugene, looking surprised.
‘Damn it!’ shouted Tiberius. ‘You address me as “Your Imperial Majesty”, “my liege”, or even just “Emperor”. But not “friend”!’
Eugene gasped and looked at the others who just shook their heads.
‘You acted foolishly and immaturely during the “Friends Not Food” vote,’ said Tiberius. ‘Very unforthcoming of a Head Enforcer.’
‘This law is the backbone of the Downs world,’ said Eugene as his eyes bulged.
‘A law you had no right making, arsehole!’ shouted Duffo.
‘It’s not just you,’ continued Tiberius. ‘Your mother is not giving the Downs children the hard lessons they need to serve the Empire.’
‘Mummy knows best,’ said Eugene, smiling.
‘You’re a complete joke, even by Downs’ standards,’ laughed Duffo.
‘You’re Head Enforcer because the Downs residents respect you for some unknown reason,’ said Tiberius, shrugging his shoulders. ‘If you devote any more energy investigating nonsense. I will have you removed from your position.’
‘Don’t worry, friend,’ said Eugene proudly. ‘I have a list of solid priorities.’
Tiberius’ face turned red with anger.
‘The terrorists’ video is entirely made up of aerial footage,’ blurted out Louis. ‘They must be using the stolen flying vehicle they used to kidnap Julie.’
‘Or maybe Julie is just another traitor,’ sighed Tiberius as he looked at Colin.
‘I don’t think she ever learnt to fly one, Your Imperial Majesty,’ replied Colin, smiling.
‘Whatever!’ said Tiberius angrily. ‘Things are getting worse. I want you to draw out the cult using any means necessary.’
Tiberius turned around and walked out of the town hall.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.
Future of Social Media
Captain Hive is here
Remember to catch me on Spectrumecons, click the link below.
