M Banner - Silo - Hope's Return

“Wish me luck,” she said, letting go and stepping onto the mobile platform that would serve as the podium for today’s speech. She adjusted the microphone in its stand, bringing it down a few degrees toward her mouth.

Krista was to her left and Liz was on her right, the three women standing together in what they hoped was a show of unity.

Everywhere Summer looked, she saw eyes and faces. Young ones, old ones, and even a few sleepy ones. Some had tears on their cheeks and others appeared to be red-faced. An odd mix, to be sure.

Rod Zimmer was in attendance, too, standing in the back with his arms folded, looking like a Confederate soldier standing watch over the townsfolk he’d sworn to protect.

The young pretty boy, Simmer, was next to Rod, his blonde locks and blue eyes looking more inviting than ever. His focus darted between Summer and Zimmer a few times before settling on Summer.

She made a mental note to find a job for the gorgeous hunk, one that would allow her to be around him more. A do-over was needed because of the awkward start they’d had during their initial meeting near the hydroponics bay. Perhaps he would see her differently now that she was in charge.

A few more citizens squeezed into the corridor, pushing and nestling into the mix. Neither Summer nor Krista had taken a count, but it appeared that most everyone had arrived.

The neon hue from the wall paint gave her a strange sense of calm, not so much because of the striking color, but rather because of its soothing effect. A soothing effect that came in the form of a distraction, taking her mind from the butterflies pounding at the insides of her belly.

Summer took out the paper containing her speech and put it in the center of the podium. Her hands moved to the middle of the sheet and unfolded it, pressing down on the vertical crease to make it less prominent.

In truth, it would have been a good idea to have Liz review the speech, but Krista talked her out of it, feeling that what Summer had written was sufficient.

It was short and sweet, just the way Edison would have wanted it. Plus, there wasn’t time to revise another draft, not with the revelation brought forth by Lipton after he revised Morse’s equations.

Even though Nirvana’s problems were escalating, this address had to be done and done now, in order to quash some of the rumors swirling about Edison’s death. If she didn’t step up and get this over with, their concerns would fester and force morale even lower.

Summer turned her eyes to Krista, wanting to see if the security chief needed anything before she started.

Krista’s lips remained pressed together in a thin line as she gave Summer a head nod, then motioned with her hand to begin.

Summer took a drink of water from the glass on the podium, then brought her eyes forward, deciding to focus on one of the massive springs lining the middle of the passageway.

She’d read in one of her how-to books that you are supposed to picture everyone naked when giving a speech. That approach didn’t seem relevant, not with entire families standing before her with their eyes glued on all things Summer.

Liz cleared her throat, using a sharp, triple-clucking sound. When Summer peered in her direction, Liz flared her eyes and motioned with a shoulder to get started.

Summer nodded, reading the words from the page. “Citizens of Nirvana, my name is Summer Lane. I am the new chancellor of this facility. Some of you know me and the rest of you don’t, but Professor Edison put me in charge just before he passed away from injuries he suffered in the line of duty. We were at the Trading Post for our regular meeting with Frost when the Scabs attacked in force. It wasn’t long before we were overrun. Everyone fought as hard as they could, but unfortunately some of us didn’t make it.”

The room erupted in a chorus of mumbles and a few cuss words, many of the faces filling with tears.

Then a man’s comment about her being ‘a low-life opportunity seeker’ came from the back, tearing a hole in Summer’s heart. She brought her focus up from the paper, feeling the need to address the outburst.

However, before she could set the first word loose, Krista stepped forward with her hands out wide. “Calm down, people, and let Summer continue. This isn’t easy for anyone, but we need to maintain order and get through this as a community. So let’s be civil and keep the comments to ourselves.”

Krista paused for a few beats with her jaw jutting out farther than before. “Let me be perfectly clear. There will be order today. One way or the other. Anyone who gets out of line will be escorted to the brig and face disciplinary action. Understood?”

Summer took a few more breaths as Krista held her position out front. A short minute later, the room found its quiet again and Krista stepped back, cueing Summer to resume.

“I know your hearts are grieving right now, as is mine. We all loved the Professor dearly, and we will all miss him more than words can express. While this loss will sting for a long time, it’s important that we all pull together and push ahead, just as Stuart and his wonderful wife June would have wanted. We have a lot of work to do, but we will get through this as a team. I make that solemn promise to you.”

Summer held her arms out, signaling to Krista and Liz. The women stepped closer, taking a shoulder-to-shoulder position next to her on the platform. All three locked hands and raised them in unison, before Summer continued.

“Let me introduce to you the new Ruling Triad of this facility. Together in harmony, Liz, Krista, and I will lead this facility into the future, with compassion, concern, and a united goal—to keep everyone healthy, happy, and safe.”

About half of the audience cheered, while the remainder pushed their eyebrows together in a squint of confusion.

Rod Zimmer turned and stormed out of the corridor, disappearing at the far end in a flash of arms and legs. The gorgeous Simmer wasn’t far behind him, shooting Summer a momentary look before turning and vanishing in a chase after Zimmer.

Summer took an extra breath, wondering why Simmer had shot that long-distance lingering look at her. “We thought it important to change a few things in order to better protect everyone. This will also help us streamline the decision-making process going forward. I’m sure you all realize that I’m new at this, but with the help of these two fine ladies, the three of us will get the job done.”

More applause hit the airwaves, bringing a wave of energy to Summer’s chest. She figured some of the spectators hadn’t accepted the announcement yet, but Summer was confident the last bit of her speech would take care of them.

“Let me be the first to assure everyone that these changes are being done with everyone’s best interest at heart. No longer will one person have overriding authority over every decision, as in the past. We think this new dynamic will allow us to achieve swifter, more agile governing, bringing us into a new era of efficiency and safety. It also allows us to spread out the workload and complete important tasks faster. We hope you’ll agree and will champion this change.”

More cheers and applause came forth. Summer took a quick visual survey and it appeared all but the one man who’d heckled her had gotten on board.

She brought her arms down and let go of Liz and Krista’s hands. Her two co-leaders stepped off the podium and returned to their positions along the side of the platform.

Summer closed her speech paper along the same fold as before, knowing the rest by heart. “In closing, we will be holding services for all those who have been lost. Everyone who’d like to pay their respects can do so at that time. The wall behind you has information regarding how rotations will be handled. Please keep your visitation short, as I’m sure there will be many behind you, waiting to do the same. That’s it for now. Thank you for coming.” She raised both hands in the air with closed fists; so did Krista and Liz, just as they had planned. “Long live Nirvana!”