Page 82 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘Shh,’ said Maia, who was staring intently at the screen.

‘Firstly,’ the presenter continued, ‘our sincere condolences on the death of your father, Kreeg, who ran Lightning for decades.’

‘Yes, nearly thirty years,’ Zed replied.

The presenter gave him a heartfelt nod. ‘In that time, he achieved a great deal, helping to update internet infrastructure in homes across the globe. Which naturally made him a very wealthy man.’

Zed gave an artificial chuckle that made Maia’s skin crawl. ‘The money wasn’t important to my father.’ He spread his hands expansively. ‘He just cared about helping people. That was his true passion.’

‘What is this bullshit?’ Electra hissed.

‘Shh, please,’ Maia pleaded.

‘My father loved humanity. He wanted us all to live better lives, to be better connected, and...’ – Zed looked straight down the barrel of the camera – ‘... to never lose touch with the people that really matter.’

The interviewer folded his arms and reflected on Zed’s comments. ‘Do you think that’s what drove him?’

Zed leant back in his chair and gave another sickly sweet grin. ‘You know, he didn’t like the idea that someone could just disappear off the face of the earth. Everyone deserves to stay connected. I think that’s what fascinated him about communications and the internet.’

‘It’s an inspiring story. You yourself have been running the company for a year now, appointed director upon your father’s death. Was it always the plan for you to take over one day?’

‘Oh, absolutely. My father was a meticulous planner. Everything was always... incredibly well thought through.’ He nodded soberly, his face all concern.

Tiggy interjected. ‘He makes me shudder. Why do I feel like he’s speaking directly to us?’

‘I know what you mean,’ Ally replied under her breath.

The presenter continued. ‘Well, as part of ourfuturesweek, you’re here to talk about the expansion plans you have for Lightning, and how we might see our internet speeds increase!’

‘That’s exactly right, thank you.’ He tapped his fingers together, playing the part of the intelligent businessman. It was all for show, of course. It was one big performance, and the D’Aplièse sisters knew it. ‘I can today announce that Lightning Communications intends to replace our outdated satellite network with state-of-the-art fibre optic cables, which will connect our continents more reliably than anything in space ever could.’

The presenter appeared confused. ‘Cables? Isn’t that a step backwards from satellites?’

‘Great question. Thank you for asking it.’ He grinned.

‘Bleurgh,’ CeCe muttered.

‘My cables will offer significantly improved performance in terms of bandwidth and data carrying. I know it might be a little difficult for some of your viewers to understand.’ He smiled patronisingly. ‘These cables work by transferring information via pulses of light which pass along transparent glass pipes. Like magic,’ he chortled. ‘Think of me as a magician.’

‘A magician with a very punchable face,’ Jack chipped in.

The presenter continued his line of questioning. ‘Will these cables hang above our heads like telephone lines?’

‘My goodness, you really are full of excellent questions today.’ Zed’s attempts to sound sincere were growing increasingly frustrating. ‘In fact, these cables will be placed under our oceans. Just imagine it... the seabed itself will teem with technology!’

‘It sounds very ambitious, Mr Eszu. Naturally, I should address the environmental concerns. Will you be able to do the job without disturbing marine life?’

Zed frowned, and his guard momentarily slipped. ‘This new network will form the basis of global telecommunications for the human race. If a few fish get in the way, then I’m sure it is a sacrifice that people will be willing to accept.’

‘Well, not everyone would agree with—’

Zed cut the presenter off. ‘It’s all a matter of risk and reward. In order to win, we must accept that there will be casualties along the way.’ He checked himself and delivered a further nauseating smirk. ‘Of course, to be absolutely clear, we at Lightning will do our utmost to ensure that Nemo and his little fishy friends go unharmed.’

‘I’m sure many viewers will be relieved to hear that,’ said the presenter, now a little flustered. ‘I was going to ask—’

Zed interjected once more. ‘You see, my father isn’t dead, not really. He lives on through this project. And if all goes to plan, he’ll live on forever. Everyone will remember the Eszu name.’

‘That’s a... uh... nice sentiment. But to get back on track, this is an absolutely enormous task, isn’t it?’