Sockpuppet: Book One in the Martingale Cycle by Matthew Blakstad
Authors: Matthew Blakstad
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range.
*strokes beard*
Hmm. I wonder how that could ever happen?
Come on, d’uh. They’ve sold our data to some marketing firm. This ‘hack’ is totally a cover-up.
¶JustTheFacts
Some big company’s making money tracking me and pumping ads my way? I say monetize my ass. Long as I get free content.
¶clickbait
Six hamsters that look like Bethany Lehrer
fub.ar/h33b89
Seven
¶Nightshade
i am in a meeting with a spin doctor
is this what they mean by ‘sit and spin’?
‘No.’
Dani looks up from her phone. It sounded like Sam was replying to her proffer, but he was just talking.
)) plastic irritant ((
She puts the phone down. Sam looks at it then back at her. Has she done something to irritate him? She’s answered his pointless questions, tried to please him; then got distracted and checked her phone. Probably a bad.
‘No,’ he says again. ‘It doesn’t matter whether the leak is true.’
She doesn’t recognise his taut voice. What happened to Mr Too Cool For Sixth Form College?
‘It doesn’t matter if Bethany Lehrer lied,’ he says. ‘What matters is if people believe Parley’s to blame for what sic_girl’s saying. Or that you’re to blame. Personally, I mean. This is a grade one media storm and I’m trying to move you out of its eye.’
‘I thought the eye was the safe part?’ she says.
His monobrow darkens further.
‘But Sam, it must matter whether it’s true. I mean, mustn’t it?’
‘Not to the media. Not yet.’ He remembers who he’s talking to and settles back in his chair. ‘Look, sure, all the facts will come out at some point – but by then it’ll be too late. People will have made up their minds.’
‘But, see,’ she says, ‘the point I’m making is things appear on Parley for a reason. It picks up what people are already talking about. Nothing comes to the surface unless people are saying it already. If this thing was on Parley, it’s kind of already true.’
She stops for breath. Jonquil’s always saying at her, Space. It. Out. Danielle. But when she has something important to say she forgets.
Sam looks at her, flicking the button of his chrome pen on and off.
‘So that’s your definition of what’s true?’ he says. ‘Something enough people are saying?’
The pen rotates around his fingers, hypnotising her.
‘No, obviously not. But people listen to the Parley Personas and talk to them and it helps them know what’s going on.’
Who cares what some guy thinks? Opinions are bullshit. Dani trusts only in pattern – a mass of people who overlap in their choices and likes.
Sam sits forward. His skin is transparent.
‘Look,’ he says, ‘my job is to insulate Parley. And you, of course.’
Dani frowns at him.
‘Make your mind up,’ she says.
‘Both. And the Party’s going to try to move the blame onto you, to take the heat off Bethany. They’ll make like we’ve lied or stirred up hysterics. That’s what I’d do. We need to nip that in the bud. I need something solid on Parley.’
‘But the government people are on our side – that guy Pemberton?’
‘Our side? If they can blame us they’ll blame us. But if we insulate ourselves they’ll feed somewhere else. Then we can go in hard on police heavy-handedness and make that our story. It’s a gift, the way those plods behaved this morning but we can’t use it until the sniff of guilt is off us. Or people will think: no smoke without.’
Dani tries to stare him out, but her eyelids are heavy and itchy.
‘You weren’t there this morning,’ she says. ‘It was scary, yo. Those boot boys trying to shut us down. Fucksake, the guy had a gun .’
‘They’re Parliamentary Protection officers who’d had a warning of a credible threat. Sure they were armed. It’s not like he drew on you?’
‘But, right. Exactly. The bit of the police that’s there to protect the government is trying to shut us off . Come on, shit – don’t we care about free speech and, and
*strokes beard*
Hmm. I wonder how that could ever happen?
Come on, d’uh. They’ve sold our data to some marketing firm. This ‘hack’ is totally a cover-up.
¶JustTheFacts
Some big company’s making money tracking me and pumping ads my way? I say monetize my ass. Long as I get free content.
¶clickbait
Six hamsters that look like Bethany Lehrer
fub.ar/h33b89
Seven
¶Nightshade
i am in a meeting with a spin doctor
is this what they mean by ‘sit and spin’?
‘No.’
Dani looks up from her phone. It sounded like Sam was replying to her proffer, but he was just talking.
)) plastic irritant ((
She puts the phone down. Sam looks at it then back at her. Has she done something to irritate him? She’s answered his pointless questions, tried to please him; then got distracted and checked her phone. Probably a bad.
‘No,’ he says again. ‘It doesn’t matter whether the leak is true.’
She doesn’t recognise his taut voice. What happened to Mr Too Cool For Sixth Form College?
‘It doesn’t matter if Bethany Lehrer lied,’ he says. ‘What matters is if people believe Parley’s to blame for what sic_girl’s saying. Or that you’re to blame. Personally, I mean. This is a grade one media storm and I’m trying to move you out of its eye.’
‘I thought the eye was the safe part?’ she says.
His monobrow darkens further.
‘But Sam, it must matter whether it’s true. I mean, mustn’t it?’
‘Not to the media. Not yet.’ He remembers who he’s talking to and settles back in his chair. ‘Look, sure, all the facts will come out at some point – but by then it’ll be too late. People will have made up their minds.’
‘But, see,’ she says, ‘the point I’m making is things appear on Parley for a reason. It picks up what people are already talking about. Nothing comes to the surface unless people are saying it already. If this thing was on Parley, it’s kind of already true.’
She stops for breath. Jonquil’s always saying at her, Space. It. Out. Danielle. But when she has something important to say she forgets.
Sam looks at her, flicking the button of his chrome pen on and off.
‘So that’s your definition of what’s true?’ he says. ‘Something enough people are saying?’
The pen rotates around his fingers, hypnotising her.
‘No, obviously not. But people listen to the Parley Personas and talk to them and it helps them know what’s going on.’
Who cares what some guy thinks? Opinions are bullshit. Dani trusts only in pattern – a mass of people who overlap in their choices and likes.
Sam sits forward. His skin is transparent.
‘Look,’ he says, ‘my job is to insulate Parley. And you, of course.’
Dani frowns at him.
‘Make your mind up,’ she says.
‘Both. And the Party’s going to try to move the blame onto you, to take the heat off Bethany. They’ll make like we’ve lied or stirred up hysterics. That’s what I’d do. We need to nip that in the bud. I need something solid on Parley.’
‘But the government people are on our side – that guy Pemberton?’
‘Our side? If they can blame us they’ll blame us. But if we insulate ourselves they’ll feed somewhere else. Then we can go in hard on police heavy-handedness and make that our story. It’s a gift, the way those plods behaved this morning but we can’t use it until the sniff of guilt is off us. Or people will think: no smoke without.’
Dani tries to stare him out, but her eyelids are heavy and itchy.
‘You weren’t there this morning,’ she says. ‘It was scary, yo. Those boot boys trying to shut us down. Fucksake, the guy had a gun .’
‘They’re Parliamentary Protection officers who’d had a warning of a credible threat. Sure they were armed. It’s not like he drew on you?’
‘But, right. Exactly. The bit of the police that’s there to protect the government is trying to shut us off . Come on, shit – don’t we care about free speech and, and
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