VIII-New Day Rising [Ark Town Hall Meeting; open]

[Christian Moynahan]

The auditorium was considerably large and easy to reach, with seats spanning out from a central stage. The sort one usually saw on college campuses, where student groups put on concerts, and where smaller school graduations could be held. It had been easy to obtain the use of the auditorium even on less than a week's notice, but arranging it to its current layout had been difficult. Not because any materials had been difficult to find - UCLA had been very accommodating and helpful in that - but because those in charge of arranging it had continually clashed heads.

Fallon had wanted a more official setup, with a podium and a few rows in the front lined off to keep the crowd from getting too close, While Christian certainly respected her background, he disagreed with her approach. In honesty, he had considered firing her. She still held to the old ways, of being very secretive and keeping Ark and its projects out of the public eye. Christian did not believe that policy had worked in Ark's favor, and he was ready to change it. Fallon, though, did not seem to fully grasp the concept Christian was aiming for.

Saying nothing suggested that one was keeping secrets. That made people curious and distrustful. But opening up, talking to them, letting them into one's process of thought, made them much more easy and complacent. They were much less likely to consider the possibility that there was more than what appeared on the surface.

There would be, of course, those few who remained suspicious. But those few would fade among the masses who were not, and even possibly written off as "conspiracists." Already he had seen upon one blog a comment that someone was going to go over the footage from the town hall and analyze it. Excellent; he would be interested to see what she might find.

Christian viewed this all - this media circus Fallon seemed intent on putting him through - as a challenge, a test of his skills. He was disinclined to lie - rather, he told the truth and let people see into it what they wished, or, if the case required it, omitted a fact here and there or using a bit of doublespeak. And then much of the sell relied on its presentation, which came back to why he had argued with Fallon on how the stage should be set up.

Eventually, he won, of course. Guests would find the entire auditorium and its seats open, and a few chairs set up on the stage, with six chairs set up in a flat semicircle, parted in the middle by a small aisle, and a table between the two nearer seats on each side. Each of the speakers on the stage would have a small microphone attached to his or her shirt. Down among the viewers' seats, in the two aisles, a microphone was set up, which would be used for audience members who wished to ask questions, and would be attended by two lower-level Ark employees. It would do, Christian thought. He had considered holding something a bit more personal even than a town hall meeting, but balls did not seem to go very well for them or for anyone. Depending on the success of this event, however, Fallon had lined up a slew of magazine interviews and even cover shoots. It was all rather dramatic to Christian, but he supposed it went back to image, as always.

Backstage, Fallon was fussing around with everyone's clothes and testing microphones and otherwise doing things that micromanagers do. For this occasion, Christian had elected to wear a pink shirt and white pants, fairly casual for such an event. Outside the event he had also worn the black lab coat that he always wore, but that had been left backstage. Fallon was wearing a short blue dress, and Gabriel Constant, who was also present, was wearing dark blue and brown slacks. Christian, Lucius, and Gabriel would be seated toward stage left, while the other Ark representatives would sit stage right. There were glasses of water on the two small tables, enough glasses for each of the speakers.

Outside the auditorium, there were a couple of tables set up with refreshments - finger sandwiches of many kinds, cookies, quiche, punch, and water. Once it was time for the event to begin, an attendant would give the announcement, and everyone would file inside. Unfortunately the food would not be allowed in the auditorium, as per auditorium rules.

At exactly six o'clock, Christian stepped forward, to center stage. This was another point on which he had differed from Fallon; while he had allowed her to introduce her at the press conference, he decided he wanted to do that at this meeting, to make it more personal. Fallon was not pleased by that, but she remained on hand to do damage control, which she was sure she would have to do at some point. Christian was confident of the opposite, however.

"Good evening, and thank you for attending Ark Industries' first town hall meeting." His tone was warm, and he offered the crowd a pleasant, genuine smile. "I'm Christian Moynahan, Ark's newly appointed chief executive officer. Joining me are Ark's co-chairmen, Lucius Kilvayne and Gabriel Constant, and Fallon Daugherty, Chief of Public Affairs, as well as Archie Cane, the head of our Applied Sciences division. We are all glad to see such a large turnout here in UCLA's auditorium, and our techs tell me we've also got a substantial amount of viewers watching from home.

"We'll start in a moment with an introduction to Ark itself, followed by a discussion of our projects and initiatives. We'll follow that with an opportunity for questions; we respectfully request that you hold all questions until then." He smiled again. There was no need to mention the protesters outside, or the different bomb and violence threats he and his team had received, or the presence of security guards specifically to deter such threats, as well as plainclothes guards here and there. The appearance was calm enough, and certainly everyone within the auditorium was perfectly safe. That was what was most important to him, and that was the appearance he had endeavored to create - one of comfort, and camaraderie, and openness among all parties.

[Nireva Hale]

Forseen such an outcome to the unnecessary ending!
I wish I could retrace all my steps and erase my mistakes with you.
I wanted to say, "you shouldn't suffer this way".
I wanted to say, "I hope I didn't take it away".
______________________________Infected Mushroom and Jonathan Davis - "Smashing The Opponent"

Over the past four centuries, Nireva had lived through the devastation wrought by individuals history had deemed to represent the depths of human evil. However, regardless of how much chaos and death they had managed to create in the wake of their reprehensible actions, many of them held one thing in common; that they had been fully cognisant of what they planned to do and why they felt it was the best course of action available to them. But, to her, Ark Industries and those who headed the secretive corporation were just as fundamentally corrupt, if not more so. In addition to conducting experiments which many theorists on the internet had surmised was for the eventual purpose of bestowing "synthetic abilities" onto otherwise mundane individuals, they had - through deliberate inaction or outright incompetence - staged a public demonstration which had gone catastrophically wrong.

Regardless of how many times the myriad heads of the corporation changed with the times, Ark was always going to have that dubious accolade hanging over them like an indelible shroud; the fact that they had caused the deaths of an estimated quarter of a billion people. They had done in twenty-four hours what the Spanish influenza pandemic would have needed the better part of a decade to accomplish. That was what disgusted Nireva the most. The Ark executives had had the audacity to think that they could alleviate the collective jealousy of the mundane population by artificially grafting powers onto their DNA. Having witnessed human nature for far longer than the vast majority of people, she was uniquely qualified to know that this new trend of genetic transhumanism was both a practice and debate for which mankind simply wasn't prepared.

Although progress had been made in these newly discovered facets of medical science, the fact remained that many of the scourges of humanity, such as cancer and hereditary illness, were still very much a fixture of existence. In Nireva's opinion, Ark hadn't even learned to walk while their actions proved they were trying to beat Usain Bolt in the hundred-metre sprint. And, to make matters all the more insulting, Ark - now helmed by their shining new CEO, Christian Moynahan - had announced a series of press conferences and open-forum discussions to demonstrate their intent to explain just how they'd miraculously changed their ways. Countless familes across the globe were baying for their blood and this was how they chose to respond.

Notices around the campus had announced Moynahan's upcoming invasion of the UCLA auditorium and, if only to quietly call bullshit on the whole affair, Nireva had vowed to at least look this new leading figure in the eyes as he spoke his piece. The faculty, whether out of a requirement to remain impartial or possible financial recompense, had been exceptionally accommodating, even going as far as to employ the assistance of a few students who were between classes to help alter the auditorium's layout. Thankfully, she had been in the middle of a lecture when the calls had been issued but, now that her classes for the day had concluded, she was making a beeline for the centre of the campus, where the auditorium Ark had chosen to use was situated.

Even before she was able to see the temporarily renovated conference space, Nireva was greeted with evidence of Ark's efforts to make amends. In order to entice their audience inside, the corporation had laid out a varied assortment of refreshments; light snacks which would prevent the crowd from becoming too hungry as they sat and waited for the meeting - one which was somewhat less formal than their press conference the day before - to begin. To her slight dismay, her fellow students were taking the bait in droves, thinking the meeting to be some sort of special occasion through which they could witness a large company's rebirth first-hand.

Upon hearing the news, protesters had begun to congregate at the entrances to the university campus, prevented from getting any nearer by the platoon of security guards Ark had brought along. They were the undesirable second face of their situation which, even now, Ark was working to suppress. By keeping the angered masses away from their polite and friendly discourse, they were trying to forge the image they wanted to convey as opposed to the reality of their problem; a problem which was far more systemic than the descent of their stock prices. They had killed innnocent people and, despite court cases and a senate hearing, no tangible consequences had been levelled their way.

"Good evening, and thank you for attending Ark Industries' first town hall meeting." Although she despised the people who had organised the meeting, she had still taken advantage of the food they'd prepared. Although food and drink wasn't permitted into the auditorium, it was a regulation which was frequently ignored. Hidden in the crowd as they filed in to find their seats, Nireva finished off the remains of her half-eaten sandwich before heading to the outer end of one of the rows of chairs. She was searching for a seat which offered her the best view of the stage. She didn't want to just see Christian or whoever else was speaking. She wanted to have a perfect line of sight on each and every member of his entourage. Around the audience area, the organisers had erected a multitude of cameras which, combined with the microphones she expected to be present, would offer the best streaming experience for the people watching online and, if Nireva happened to miss anything during the meeting, she knew that the streamed footage would be available for analysis.

With a smile on his face befitting a corporate executive - or a politician - Christian continued his preliminary introductions. "I'm Christian Moynahan, Ark's newly appointed chief executive officer." More like 'executive scapegoat', Nireva thought to herself. Just who did he think the world would look to and deem responsible if Ark fucked things up again? The audience was still making their way to their seats and, already, she wasn't impressed. "Joining me are Ark's co-chairmen, Lucius Kilvayne and Gabriel Constant, and Fallon Daugherty, Chief of Public Affairs, as well as Archie Cane, the head of our Applied Sciences division."

Kilvayne, Constant, Daugherty, Cane and Moynahan. No doubt people more versed in dredging up dirt on people than herself were already looking up the names of each of the people on-stage as Christian introduced them in turn. Appearances, as Nireva knew only too well, were woefully inadequate for the purposes of determining the nature of a person and, while the people around her - with their lack of worldly experience - were likely to be taken in, she was far less susceptible. "We are all glad to see such a large turnout here in UCLA's auditorium, and our techs tell me we've also got a substantial amount of viewers watching from home."

That's right. Acknowledge the audience. Make them feel like they matter. Nireva knew that, in the grand scheme of things, Ark didn't need the general public to accomplish their aims. While drug trials were permitted, in certain cases, to be conducted on human subjects, it was a status which had not been given to experimental genetic therapy; the field in which she believed Ark specialised. After all, why else would an "innocuous demonstration" cause a reporter to burst into flames? Why would such a demonstration give her girlfriend the uncontrollable capability to teleport? From what Jenna had told her, she had wound up hanging from a second-floor balcony after one of her trans-spatial jaunts had thrown her into the air. It was a wonder she hadn't teleported herself into a solid wall.

"We'll start in a moment with an introduction to Ark itself, followed by a discussion of our projects and initiatives. We'll follow that with an opportunity for questions; we respectfully request that you hold all questions until then." Oh, she'd hold off on the questions, alright. Though she was going to make him regret his eventual decision to open up the floor...

[Sophie Nyström]

Sophie was not concerned with the machinations of the world and those within it. Empires rose, prospered, and then fell time and time again, any new ones would be no different. They would have their struggle to get the power they so desired, cultivate it for a bit, see its growth, and then its eventual decay. Nothing lasted forever when it came to the constructs of the basic mortals, only those like her would see out the web of eternity. That was the simple truth of the matter and the sooner that humanity figured it out, perhaps they could start to overcome their own limitations. That or entirely destroy one another, it was a bit of a knife's edge when it came to predicting what people did when confronted with their own limitations and mortality.

Even Lucius was not going to be immune to the failings of humanity despite whatever ideas he might have otherwise. Whatever the Kilvayne's intentions truly were, they would ultimately be undone by the passage of time and the inability for humanity to be content with what they had before them. It was human after all to never be truly satisfied with what you had and Lucius was very much human. Those who could be called Gods and Goddesses in truth was a small number and would continue to grow smaller as those who despaired found ways to end their existence.

All the same, Sophie had very reluctantly allowed Sayeva convince her to attend this meeting thing with her and Brogan. Ark and its new CEO was really of no concern of hers, especially after that press conference the day before. It seemed redundant to have a press conference and then another meeting just to spew the same public relations answers and prepared statements. If it were not for the fact that Adrianna was working, Sophie would have stayed home, but she honestly did not feel like being alone.

Much to her chagrin, she had become accustomed once more to having people around her, part of her every day life. While still a fierce and independent woman, Sophie could not deny that when Sayeva and Adrianna were not around, she felt sadder than when they were. Even if she did not speak to them during the course of the day, just having them in her company filled some sort of social need that had reemerged despite her hundreds of years in isolation. Was it that easy to sink back into a routine even when you had gone to such extremes to break it?

Sophie dressed very much to her mood for being at the event, a very dark dark outfit. Sophie was literally daring anyone who was not Sayeva to even look at her wrongly. She would be upon them quicker than you could say "help" or it even register to the gathered security. Which itself seemed overly excessive, it seemed that people were still not quite forgiving or trusting of Ark and their intentions. Sophie could hardly blame them, but people were sheep, and with the right invitations, could be blinded.

Maybe that was what the finger foods were for, invite the sheep into the corral, only to be lined up for slaughter. It would not surprise her if that was the entire idea behind all of these public relation events, to get the masses believing that Ark was working for the progress of all and not just themselves. The time of people with any sort of power looking out for anyone or anything but their own interests had long since passed and Sophie did not see Ark of anyone to be the paragons to bring it back.

"Let's find some seats before this farce truly begins, shall we sister?" Even now, Sophie still ignored Brogan's presence. He was nothing more than a nuisance that she had to put up with, much like a fly that escaped every swat or a flyswatter. It was enough in Sophie's eyes that she was not actively looking for ways to kill the man anymore. It was simply too much effort to put into that would incur her sister's wrath and little more.

[Lucius Kilvayne]

I never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world

Lucius had been rather too happy to attend another public function inaugurating the new Ark director, Christian Moynahan. It was rather like multiple birthday celebrations. Lucius regretted not lobbying for such when he was a child. It might have actually worked, in all honesty. The Kilvayne family largesse was certainly not to be doubted, not where their children were concerned. But, it had never even crossed his mind before. Well, it was no great loss. He turned out fine. Perhaps that was for the best.


He had indeed remembered to take a different tone this evening, and he looked imposing in his mostly black attire. The one spot of color was the blood red dress shirt. Blood red. Such a meaningful color choice. For blood was an underlying theme in all that had transpired in his life. Bloodlines. Blood diseases. Bloodshed. It was a bloody thing, in contemplation. But the man was quite sanguine, regardless. That particular shade of red also presented an affectation of imperial power. The color of Empire, and a color the Kilvayne family had associated themselves with for centuries. Lucius never saw a reason to fuck with traditions like that, and he wasn't going to start now.

Besides, he looked pretty damn good in it.


"Good evening, and thank you for attending Ark Industries' first town hall meeting."

Lucius thought if this were a success, they could make a regular thing of it. Assuming his very busy schedule allowed. Well, he might not have to be there for everything. The point of bringing on Moynahan was to free up Lucius and Gabe to do...other things, after all. Taking over the world things.

"Joining me are Ark's co-chairmen, Lucius Kilvayne and Gabriel Constant, and Fallon Daugherty, Chief of Public Affairs, as well as Archie Cane, the head of our Applied Sciences division."


Lucius smiled and waved to the people, at the mention of his name. Nice crowd, and Christian worked it well. That was just the way it ought to be. A man chosen to be a leader would have to be able to lead. Archie gave a nod at his name, and held back a sigh. Lucius could tell he wasn't thrilled about the whole scene. But he knew Archie would be all too happy to talk shop when the time came. That was also good.

"We are all glad to see such a large turnout here in UCLA's auditorium, and our techs tell me we've also got a substantial amount of viewers watching from home."

And the people have the power, Lucius thought. Right.

"We'll start in a moment with an introduction to Ark itself, followed by a discussion of our projects and initiatives. We'll follow that with an opportunity for questions; we respectfully request that you hold all questions until then."

Lucius hoped there wouldn't be too many questions. That could get messy. This was the kind of crowd that might be eating out of your hand one minute, and biting the next. One wrong word, and it would be rise of the hipsters. And that would be terribly bad for the business at hand.

[Sayeva Reardon]

Infinity it falls in feathery folds
but she bites like loveless ice
And with her belly full, she culled this Rite of Passage
It was the longest night of my life

Today was a poor day for a meeting. Sayeva would much rather be tearing through the grounds of her large home with Brogan, hunting the various wildlife there for sport or perhaps for dinner. Sometimes she just used her bow and arrows, but she was very much in the mood for some real hunting - mostly in hyena form, as that was her sleekest, fastest ground form, or perhaps in lion or tiger form as well. The adrenaline rush that came from hunting often led to a certain amount of… intimate activity with her lover, which she had a feeling her sister found unnerving, but the animals they hunted often ended up serving as dinner for a few days at least.

She would have loved to stay home and do that, but the town hall meeting had been too tempting. She wanted to see exactly what Ark Industries had been up to, and hear what they had to say for themselves. And so she and her family had made the drive from San Diego to Los Angeles, and arrived in time for said meeting. She picked up and nibbled down a few finger sandwiches and cookies, then glanced to Sophie as her sister suggested going inside. "Yes, let's," she agreed, although she was not concerned about finding good seats. People typically just crowded toward the front, unaware that he acoustics of most auditoriums were optimal toward the general center, depending on the occasion and whether there were speakers involved.

Brogan was with her, of course. There was hardly a time he was without her, or she him. Fortunately, he work as a writer and a freelance journalist enabled her to stay at home much of the time. It would have been much harder to moderate Brogan and Sophie otherwise. She did not think Brogan had anything against Sophie in general, but Sophie had a good bit of disdain for Sayeva's lover. Sayeva was not sure why. Brogan was wonderful, and had always been. But they usually remained at least civil around each other, and so the car ride was calm enough.

Here, she chose a seat with Brogan on her left and Sophie on her right, toward the front center of the auditorium, but not in the very front. She did not want to draw too much attention to herself; she was there as a spectator, not a journalist. Her mild-colored ensemble helped with that, she hoped; a red blouse, khaki-colored skirt, and gold jewelry here and there. She had gone shopping recently, not for this specific occasion, but she figured this was a good enough place as anywhere to wear some of the new items.

Her hands folded, she listened as the new CEO introduced himself, as well as Ark's co-chairs, who seemed to prefer working behind the scenes, but who had managed to put out a good showing tonight. Then Moynahan set up the meeting with an explanation of what to expect. He was a good-looking man, in a way, she thought, although she had a preference for well-built, athletic men, specifically Brogan. But then again, if she had to turn a company's image around one hundred eighty degrees, she would have picked a pretty face, too.

Hopefully he had some credentials to back up those looks. She had read something about his degree and past work but it escaped her at the moment. She decided to say as much to Sophie. "Let's hope he's as intelligent and competent as his looks suggest," she said, her head turned slightly to Sophie, although Brogan could hear her, as could anyone in their general area.

Words: 615.
Attire: this.
Excerpt: Incubus, "In The Company of Wolves."
Comments: I'm actually feeling okay.

[Christian Moynahan]

You feel it all around
Truth, falling from the clouds
Time, growing so old
Like the ghost of a stolen soul

Now
is
time

-Codec, "Eventuate"

The logo took up the screen behind Christian, while Christian stood stage right of it. It was the first change of the evening. A new take on the old logo - still three golden triangles, with the three chartreuse waves added, lending credence to the "Ark" name. The logo had not been Christian's doing - Gabriel had suggested a change, and the PR group, Fallon included, had submitted ideas and then had it cleaned up by a logo company - but he liked the logo and what it stood for.

However, the entire town hall meeting was in Christian's hands. A chance to prove himself, he knew, to observe and challenge how he would manage such a varied crowd, how he would present Ark to them, and how he would work with the unknown - the questions they might throw at him. He smiled to himself. Challenges were always welcome. He liked to meet them head-on.

"We are the new Ark Industries. Not just me, nor my esteemed colleagues Lucius and Gabriel, although we are all somewhat new to Ark ourselves. And not just our employees, who are new to the changes we are implementing, and the idea that they could influence those changes themselves. You, if you choose to be, are part of us as well. Whether you are a shareholder or just an observer, we hope you will join us into building Ark into a new entity, a creature of the world. Of a new world."

The new logo clicked through to a slideshow. The first slide was an overview, an introduction to what would be discussed during the meeting. There was a small remote in Christian's hand, but the way it fit among his slender fingers made it barely perceptible. "We'll start with some introductions, starring myself and a few of the key individuals at Ark. We'll then transition into an explanation of how Ark's board has been restructured. Then we'll cover Ark's new objectives and projects. That will be followed by the section allotted for questions - which, by the way, we'll also be culling via certain social networking sites. From there, we'll wrap up with some closing remarks."

For his part, Christian was practically winging it. He had written the outline of the meeting, then sent it to the PR team's interns to work into a presentation. That presentation had landed on Christian's desk just ahead of the meeting, a plot he ascribed to Fallon, but she had misjudged him: He'd had time to make a few very minor adjustments to it.

He clicked through to the next slide. "If you haven't met my superiors and friends Lucius Kilvayne and Gabriel Constant yet, I pity you." His smile indicated that he was kidding; the comment earned a few laughs. He gestured toward the two men, who were meant to stand or a moment. Gabriel did so, and offered a bow as well. "They are the co-chairmen of Ark Industries. We'll get into what that means in a moment. Dr. Kilvayne is an accomplished geneticist and the newly appointed head of the Kilvayne Corporation. Mr. Constant is the sole operator of Constant Design and Development, and has initiated projects that have benefited communities all around the world. Ark couldn't have asked for two better leaders." Christian smiled at Lucius and Gabriel. If either of them men had any comments to make, the closing remarks would offer an excellent opportunity to do that.

"As for me, I'm Christian Kiernan Moynahan. I've been lucky enough to study at the best universities and business schools this great nation has to offer. I've worked in a few different fields and worked my way up in each of them. I hadn't been a CEO before, so this will be a new experience for me." He smiled. "Don't worry, I was picked by men who have plenty of experience. I was picked over men who had plenty of experience. I suppose that's a bit of a boast, but that does say something don't you think?" He gave a tilt of his head and an innocent smile.

The slide moved back to the Overview. "Next, we'll discuss Ark's restructuring, and what it means to you, the public." The slide advanced once more. "Ark is now a subsidiary of the Kilvayne Corporation. We retain independent control and operate as we did before, but the Kilvayne Corporation owns a majority of Ark's stock, as did Constant Design and Development before Gabriel folded his company into the Kilvayne Corporation as well. C. D. and D. still holds a good portion of Ark stock, but as a fellow subsidiary, it counts toward the Kilvayne stock as well."

He folded his arms and smiled. "All that money gives Lucius and Gabriel an important amount of say in the way Ark works. Neither of them actively run Ark's day-to-day dealings, which is why they hired me, but in terms of large decisions, voting, and possible offers of purchase - not something that's going to happen anytime soon - that will come down to our co-chairmen, Lucius and Gabriel.

"The board of directors also comes into play on certain business decisions. A fair amount of them were held over from before Ark's buyout, to help give us some perspective of where we're coming from." What he meant was that they had gotten rid of almost everybody on the board. "The remaining shareholders also have a controlling interest in our corporation, but what's more important in their case would be things like dividends and stock prices. We'll be sure to take care of them too." He grinned briefly and moved on to the next slide. "Next up are Ark's objectives."

The slide shifted to another one, with a photo of stairs alongside this slide's bulleted text.

"We've been working on a number of advancements in technology, some of which have been in concert with the Kilvayne Corporation. It's been a fruitful relationship so far." He shot a smile toward Lucius. "As you're already aware - in the worst of ways - we've been dealing with genetics, primarily those that create the ability to manifest extraordinary powers in some people. There is too much potential in that field for us to leave untouched, but we've been exceedingly careful - we have not forgotten our history in that regard." He pressed a button on the small remote; this one was not to move to a new slide. This was to turn the screen off.

Christian was moving into uncharted territory. Gabriel watched him with one eyebrow raised.

"In case it has not been said clearly - which, from my point of view as a victim of Ark's past atrocities and as its current leading officer, it has not - on behalf of the past and present members of our staff and our board of directors, I am issuing a public apology for the events of April Fourth, for the testing that occurred at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and for every other mistake we made and every other crime we committed against the same society we share this Earth with. On the authority this corporation has given me, and on my honor as a person and a citizen of this world, we will not allow any such mistakes or crimes to occur among our organization again. I know words won't make up for all the lives lost and the lives changed, but I hope they will mark a new understanding between us, and that you will take these honest words to heart."

Christian bowed slightly at the waist, took a swinging step back, and then folded his hands in front of him, his eyes lowered in respect. Unbeknownst to anyone in the crowd at the time, he was remembering something, much as most of them likely were. He did not expect any applause for having said that. He did mildly expect some booing or dissension. He did not expect any food items to be thrown at him, mostly because UCLA had tried their best to keep food out of their auditorium. Mostly, he expected silence, and, largely, that is what he got, aside from murmuring from among the larger part of the crowd.

Almost absently, he flipped the controller in his hand and looked toward Lucius, Gabriel, and the rest of his team to gauge their reactions. He had done this expressly on purpose, refrained from telling any of them what he was going to say - especially this - to determine who else he needed to weed out of his staff. And it had to be public; anyone who showed obvious dissension would be sent packing the next day, and everyone paying attention would know Christian meant business.

Gabriel's expression was not a smile, but it had a chuckle behind it. An approving chuckle, Christian thought. Not that he could "weed out" Gabriel or Lucius, but he would be careful how he treated either of them instead. Fortunately, if Gabriel was unhappy with the move, he looked about the opposite. Fallon's face was one of rushed thought; Christian knew that look on her. She was trying to calculate the potential fallout and the proper PR response. After observing everyone in exactly one second - that was all the time he needed to read all of them - he returned his attention to the crowd and returned to the presentation. The screen clicked on, to the same screen with the stairs.

"As I mentioned, we will continue work in genetics. However, there are a few projects that will not be moving forward. A few of you are aware of the program in which we grafted abilities onto certain individuals." His lips hardened into a thin line for the first time during the meeting; this had been one of his least favorite of Ark's projects, and he had been glad to order its destruction. "For those of you were not aware, I again apologize for my predecessors' secrecy, but I am glad you are learning of it at its conclusion, as you have no reason to fear it. It's done." There was a touch of emotion behind the pronunciation of that last word; like with most of his presentation so far, it was genuine.

"We'll also be closing the chatroom we had set up for Specials to communicate with one another. It had become, in my eyes at least, a tool that was being used outside of its intended purpose." What he meant was the talk of murders, and the plotting, and other sorts of negativity, but he kept his explanation succinct and vague, being a proper politician at least in that. He took another couple of steps back and to his right. glancing back to the slide for a moment.

"We have been researching other fields as well. All of them have practical applications, though I must admit some of them are a bit explorative in nature, or an indulgence, I suppose would be a better term." He smiled gently and advanced the slide. "Medical applications are a top priority. Genetics, we suspect, will play into that. Soon, the Kilvaynes will be able to cure genetic and other diseases, and, I hope, we'll be part of the basis for that.

"We've been assisting our siblings at the Kilvayne Corporation in finding new energy sources and renewable materials. Nanotechnology is another one. We won't be mass-producing artificially intelligent robots or energy-efficient cars, but I'm sure one of our sister companies under the Kilvaynes would love to have access to our findings." He paused briefly to smile. "One of my favorite projects deals with efficiency versus sustainability and quality - mostly in the manufacturing arena, airplanes and rail systems. I'm still a propulsion engineer at heart."

He chuckled softly. "I could talk about that all day, of course. Some of my…." He had trailed off because he had been looking over the audience, and he thought he had seen Cami among them. He looked for the face again, very quickly, and found it. But he had been mistaken; the woman there bore a close resemblance to his baby sister, but the woman was close to her thirties. Cami wasn't that old yet.

Glancing back to the slide, he forgot to finish the preceding thought. "In the same medical vein, we're looking at motor functions and the brain. I'd also like to look at how the mind interacts with the body in terms of certain untreatable conditions - the defeatist or survivalist tendencies of the brain - but we'll get around to that eventually. We have enough projects on the table without me chasing my own pet projects at the same time."

He moved forward a slide, frowned, and then skipped forward a couple more until he found the one he'd thought was next. There was the downside of winging it, he thought. That and allowing himself to be distracted. The slide he stopped on had a picture of a sunflower on its right. "Going back to genetics, medicine, and sustainability, we're focusing on how to implement our findings once we've cemented them. No doubt we'll make good use of our connections to our siblings in the Kilvayne holdings for that, just as Constant Design and Development will guide us through our initiatives in improving infrastructure in areas that need it - communications grids, irrigation systems, commuting, for example.

"And education…." He smiled and found the objectives slide again. "That's one of our primary projects in terms of the public. We hope that next school year, we'll be able to offer internships and scholarships to college and university students. It's a bit late for that now, I suspect, and things like that - gaining the prestige to offer these things - take time. All the same, though, if anyone is interested, I'm sure we could finagle something." He tilted his head slightly and smiled.

"Those infrastructure projects I mentioned will need hands to work them, and minds to help design them. Soon - although when I say soon, that might be a bit of wishful thinking - we'll be offering positions there. I'm sure we'll cross paths with the Jung Facility, who already have such a program in progress. While Ark hasn't had any contact with them, it would be interesting to work with them as well. A gesture of solidarity, in a sense."

He nodded his head toward the screen. "And, as they say, a mind is a terrible thing to waste - and we're always looking for good minds to join our ranks. Anyone who might be interested in helping us in our many missions could find information on our hiring process at our website."

With a deep intake of air, a step back, and an exhale, he flipped the slides again, first to the overview. "I think I've done enough rambling for now. I talk the most when I'm excited, I think you'll find." He advanced the slide again, and it literally opened to "Questions." That was one of the tiny modifications he had made. Fallon seemed to have missed the preceding one. "So, I think we'll go ahead with accepting questions. There is an attendant with a microphone in each aisle. We'll take each question in the order we see them." He returned to his seat nest to Lucius and Gabriel, where they could see the entire auditorium before them. "Ask any of us anything," he encouraged, then pointed toward a raised hand. "We'll start with the young lady over there."

[Sophie Nyström]

Sophie did not miss that her sister had intentionally sat between her and Brogan after finding their seats towards the center of the auditorium. It was likely for the best, Sophie would not feel the need to pester or annoy him if she had to go through Sayeva to do so. Perhaps now she may even listen to the words that the speakers spit out. Though that still remained a very slim chance, she was not here for the bull that many of the others were. Perhaps she would people watch instead, see how the crowd took to the new figurehead.

Sophie had to roll her eyes about the half compliment her sister gave the new CEO. Sophie still found the fact that her sister could see anything in men attractive quite odd. They were rough, brash, and very much without beauty. Everyone had their own tastes she knew, yet it still was a wonder to Sophie that woman could ever truly find a man attractive. Women were always going to be the far more fairer sex and the apple of her eye. Men simply a means to procreation...

"What little beauty the goddesses might have graced him are surely wasted." Sophie muttered under her breath, as she decided to take a look at the man. He was pale but not too much so, surprising considering that he supposedly lived in California. Just stepping outside for an hour or two should have turned his skin darker a few shade or two. Maybe he had some sort of skin condition... or spent far too much time couped up inside. Neither were particularly a good thing, strike one! Sophie reluctantly had to admit that he did dress well, but that should have been a given with his likely new salary as the head of Ark.

And then he spoke and she actually decided to listen. The man definitely could speak, for ages on ages it seemed. This Christian had tales to tell, wanted to craft his words and capture his audience in a specific way. So this was the steps that Ark were taking to try and paint over their bruises and taints, a man with a tongue that some would have called silver in a different age. Impressive enough, but Sophie was not convinced of his intentions nor that of the company he represented.

Now was the time for questions though and Christian was quick to point to a woman with her eagerly raised. This was their test Sophie knew, were the participants going to press them on every edge and angle presented or were they buying in? Sophie glanced a look to her sister and tried to read exactly what Sayeva took of this supposedly "New" Ark.

[Nireva Hale]

Ghosts are now waiting for you. Are you... dreaming?
Dreaming the night. Dreaming all right!
Do we? Do we know?! When we fly!
When we... when we go, will we die?
______________________________System Of A Down - "Question!"

"We are the new Ark Industries."

No, you aren't. The fraternity of people who had reformed to a sufficient extent to be deemed worthy of reinvention was a remarkably small one. Even she, as an immortal, hadn't really thought of her changing identities as reinvention; more of a way of mitigating suspicion and preventing random passers-by from discovering her ability. While such discovery and its prevention wasn't as important in the twenty-first century, there were still people out there who weren't entirely approving of people like her. Ark Industries, whether judged by its individuals or as a near-faceless gestalt, was far from worthy of such a privilege. Were she vested with any authority on the matter, she would have forced the company to actually answer for their crimes rather than hide away behind pathetic political chicanery.

If she had her way, the name Ark Industries would have stood as a testament to the fallacies of human nature for centuries to come. Others in her family might have followed through on such an internal threat. Her mother, perhaps. Her grandmother? Well, Nireva didn't have a fucking clue what she did besides head a biotechnology firm and religiously play Final Fantasy XI. It surprised her to realise just how little she knew of Khalidah Rahal, the woman who had birthed her mother and, by extension, allowed her to exist and, even after spending a weekend together in San Diego last year, she had learned next to nothing.

"Not just me, nor my esteemed colleagues Lucius and Gabriel, although we are all somewhat new to Ark ourselves."

Nireva hadn't even pretended to hold any real interest in the inner workings of this nor any other corporation she despised. The only reason she'd known that Christian Moynahan was now assuming leadership of Ark was his decision to hold a meeting in the university at which she studied. Once that had been made public, it was near-impossible to escape the news. Wherever she went, at least one student saw fit to bring it up in conversation, asking if their friends would either be attending the meeting or joining some sort of anti-Ark protest. Somewhat unusually for her, Nireva had found herself tempted for varying amounts of time to do both, but her rationality had eventually won out, leading her to plump for the former option.

And now, here she was, forced to listen to this suited man drone on about his excuses for what seemed like an eternity. "And not just our employees, who are new to the changes we are implementing, and the idea that they could influence those changes themselves. You, if you choose to be, are part of us as well." How fitting. Executives, employees, detractors and people who could only offer praise. It seemed that Christian was trying to get a lot more than just two of each onto his supposedly new Ark. He had barely started and, already, Nireva had the sense that he might have been trying just a little too hard. Then again, with Ark's name well and truly in the proverbial gutter, maybe overdoing this speech was the only way that anyone could potentially recover it.

Or maybe he was being paid by the snappy soundbite? Who really knew? Letting out a barely perceptible sigh, she leaned back in her chair and watched the presentation unfold. "Whether you are a shareholder or just an observer, we hope you will join us into building Ark into a new entity; a creature of the world. Of a new world." The Ark Industries logo which, unbeknownst to Nireva, had been changed to match their aims of renewal elsewhere, finally gave way to the first slide of a Powerpoint presentation. Clearly displayed in an array of bullet-points, were a series of topics which Christian intended on discussing, such as Company Introductions and Projects and Objectives. If ever there was a designated point where Ark's detractors would get riled, then it was clearly going to be there, right in the middle of the presentation. Although the jury was out on where she stood on Moynahan as both a CEO and a person, Nireva still had to admire him for being ballsy enough to be willing to discuss Ark's projects, especially after what Ark's projects had already done to the world.

"That will be followed by the section allotted for questions - which, by the way, we'll also be culling via certain social networking sites. From there, we'll wrap up with some closing remarks." Though his intent to field questions from the internet might not have been such a bold move. As with just about anything, discussions on the internet were rather more blunt and prone to being misguided than anywhere else, due to the people involved being prone to unveil their true feelings behind the shroud of anonymity. While Moynahan might have had nothing to do with what had happened on April Fourth, the "criticism" levelled in Ark's direction was somewhat justified. In terms of sheer bodycount, they were worse than most abhorrent regimes which had come before and not even by adding all of them up from the past five hundred years could they get close to the magical rate of one million, forty-one thousand, six-hundred and sixty-six dead people per second for four straight minutes.

It was the equivalent of wiping a city a little larger than San Jose off the map every time a clock ticked. That was why Nireva despised Ark so much. By being immortal, she had been forced to see the lives of almost everyone she knew torturously dwindle away while she could do nothing. She was abundantly aware of how sacred a single life could be, with all of its experiences and events that moulded a person into what they were. The fact that Ark had been so consumed by their own hubris to apparently try and synthetically graft abilities onto mundane humanity had made things all the more galling. They'd indiscriminately snuffed out millions of lives - millions of people who were now stripped of the chance to live - all because they'd fucked up some complicated mathematics. And why? Because they were jealous? Jenna had come so close to becoming part of the damning statistic and, as much as Nireva thought herself above such things, it hurt her to sit in the same room with the man who now led the company responsible and do nothing. All of those people deserved far better than a failed Senate hearing.

"Next up are Ark's objectives." The introductions had meant little to Nireva. For the past four or five minutes, her hand had been tightly grpping the side of her chair as she fought to maintain her composure, the pointless words about Christian Kiernan Moynahan and the Kilvayne Corporation bleeding into one another as she tuned them out. She wanted to see just how he was going to handle the next point on his little list. As composed as he looked, as smartly as he was dressed and as fancy as his voice might have sounded to some, Nireva was silently hoping he would fuck something up. It ran in the blood of his company, after all. It would be inevitable and, as self-centered as it seemed, she had all the time in the world to wait for the Little Medical Genetics Company That Couldn't to come full-circle.

"We've been working on a number of advancements in technology, some of which have been in concert with the Kilvayne Corporation. It's been a fruitful relationship so far." There was that name again. Kilvayne. Why was it that their name was never far behind anything these days? Were they some sort of large company who were comparable to the likes of IntelliTouch, she wondered. It was like the Bad Wolf story arc in Doctor Who; the Kilvayne Corporation had started to crop up everywhere. "As you're already aware - in the worst of ways - we've been dealing with genetics, primarily those that the create the ability to manifest extraordinary powers in some people. There is too much potential in that field for us to leave untouched, but we've been exceedingly careful. We have not forgotten our history in this regard."

Behind him, the heads of a few of Christian's colleagues turned slightly to look at him and, behind them the projection screen used to display the presentation suddenly became dark. Although the laptop - or whatever they were using to load up the presentation - was presumably still running, the screen which Christian controlled with the remote in his hand had been switched off.

"In case it has not been said clearly - which, from my point of view as a victim of Ark's past atrocities and as its current leading officer, it has not - on behalf of the past and present members of our staff and our board of directors, I am issuing a public apology for the events of April Fourth, for the testing that occurred at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and for every other mistake we made and every other crime we committed against the same society we share this earth with."

Nireva hadn't been expecting this. Even though Jenna hadn't come to any permanent harm after what Ark had done, the fact that she could have had kept her awake at night for a while after the event. As much as her mother had told her not to, there were some people to whom she couldn't help but become attached; to adore so completely that she dreaded the inevitable time when she'd have to live without them. Jenna was one of them. As much as she couldn't do anything to change it, Jenna didn't deserve to simply be mortal. Nor did she deserve to have her life plucked away because a group of rich scientists wanted to play at making super-soldiers. She was actually choking up at Christian's gesture, regardless of how much she didn't want to; regardless of the fact she knew it was too little, too late. The whole thing was simply reminding her of what could have been. What might have happened if Jenna hadn't been so lucky.

"On the authority this corporation has given me, and on my honour as a person and a citizen of this world, we will not allow any such mistakes or crimes to occur among our organisation again. I know words won't make up for all the lives lost and the lives changed, but I hope they will mark a new understanding between us, and that you will take these honest words to heart."

While a few people behind her murmured at his sudden silence following his public apology, Nireva - like many - was utterly quiet. Her hand even relaxed from the side of her chair and returned to her lap. While she didn't know it, Christian was using the apology for more than just to help clear the air. He was using it as a test for the people who now lay subordinate to him. If they took issue with how he felt on the matter, then he - with his new powers as CEO - would throw their asses out the door by tomorrow. He was leading the corporation now. He knew his vision was different to the man who had preceded him and that some people who were left behind and had been involved in April Fourth might have taken issue with his appointment. He just needed to find them. Thankfully, nobody who had accompanied him on-stage seemed to fit that description. Fallon was looking a little awkward but, as his PR expert, her reaction was understandable. She, after all, was the one who had to deal with the resultant fallout from outside the company.

"As I mentioned, we will continue work in genetics. However, there are a few project that will not be moving forward. A few of you are aware of the program in which we grafted abilities onto certain individuals. For those of you who were not aware, I again apologise for my predecessors' secrecy, but I'm glad you are learning of it at its conclusion, as you have no reason to fear it. It's done."

In addition to the destruction of the project Ark had become known for and the chatroom which, apparently, was being used for purposes contrary to the inspiration behind its creation, the rest of the speech was mostly the usual fare. Ark Industries were apparently working with their partners in the Kilvayne Corporation - there was that damn name again - on a multitude of projects which would actually benefit the world instead of condemning them. Renewable energy, the curing of hereditary and genetic disease and even nanotechnology. All three had become emergent fields in the past few years and, while many of the offerings thus far were rudimentary, it was something which time and money would eventually solve; something which Ark and the Kilvaynes had in abundance.

Christian even expressed the likelihood that Ark would cross paths with the Jung Facility in some fashion, given their mutual intent to offer internships and scholarships to students in higher education. Although she was already volunteering at the Jung Facility and was studying for a medical degree thanks to Inaki fielding her tuition payments, it seemed like a nice thing for them to do in order to enable people to strive for their dream career. Of course, it all sounded nice in theory. The real test would come when he tried to actually do these things he had set out to do. Would detractors inside his own company seek to usurp him? Would business disagreements cause his projects to fail? Or would he actually come up with something that would at least partially untarnish his company's name? While she still wasn't entirely approving of who Ark were and would never forgive them for what they'd done, Nireva at least found herself curious as to whether a new man at the helm really would be enough to give them some success for a change.

"We'll start with the young lady over there." Intent on staying well away from the darker subjects, especially with a public audience around her, Nireva decided to restrict herself to less arduous questions as she raised her hand. She was playing nice. "You mentioned.." Coughing quietly to untighten her throat, Nireva elected to start over. "You mentioned that your efforts in nanotechnology and renewable energy won't be used for the things which many would have initially assumed, such as cars that don't run on fossil fuels and... well, let's call 'em androids for lack of a better term from science fiction. How will you be planning to implement these advances, as and when you make them?"

[Brogan Kilvayne]

All that we want is to
Feel inside some kind of comfort
And all that we've done- We can hide
We'll be the best in the world !

Brogan Kilvayne watched his descendant and his descendant's associates carefully. He had no doubt this was to be a defining moment in history. A turning point. Brogan had seen many empires rise and fall, tragedy after countless tragedy. Genocide, war, crisis. It had been merely the passing of time to him, all the horrors of humanity. But he had seen triumph as well. He had seen glory, honor, justice, and the struggle for peace and freedom. He had seen the world change for the better, for the worse, and really not at all. Because, everything had remained as though it never had been, in the end. A man could look on the endless ocean, and not ever know what lay on the other side when he was born into this world. Now, they had supposedly erected the means to know such things. But they had not learned a damn thing. That is why April Fourth happened, why the cities had burned, and why the Battle of DC happened.

That was why this very moment had come to be.

"We are the new Ark Industries. Not just me, nor my esteemed colleagues Lucius and Gabriel, although we are all somewhat new to Ark ourselves. And not just our employees, who are new to the changes we are implementing, and the idea that they could influence those changes themselves. You, if you choose to be, are part of us as well. Whether you are a shareholder or just an observer, we hope you will join us into building Ark into a new entity, a creature of the world. Of a new world."

A new world. A new world. So many new worlds had he seen, would see. These men promised more than perhaps they understood. For indeed, the world was changing. They had lost powers, gained them back, and settled into an uneasy peace. The government had taken several steps back following the fallout of DC and the revelation of the RSF's conflict with the Company. There was no telling what would happen next. He did understand something, however. Lucius Kilvayne, Gabriel Constant, and this man speaking- they would play a major role in things to come. His conversations with Alexander had revealed as much. As young as Lucius was, he was indeed a force to be reckoned with. Brogan felt some pride in that, he had to admit. But there was trepidation. Great men had habits of doing not so great things on their way to greatness. It was a question of maintaining the Sacred Balance. The scales had to be kept in balance.

The man introduced himself as Christian Moynahan. Brogan would remember that name. History would remember that name. The Ancient warrior had a sense about these things. He could feel the power of the triumvirate gathered here, and knew they would accomplish their goals at all costs. At all costs. This was going to be a less than comfortable conversation with Sayeva later. He knew her heart, and she knew his. They would resolve whatever differences on this they might have, but it was not going be over easily. He sighed, reflecting that she was in fact much younger than he was, as it happened.

Brogan had said little all day, and then he heard the comment Say made about the man. Perhaps it was a delayed reaction. He had been prone to silent revery of late, and it was hopefully not disconcerting to Sayeva. It probably was...

"Let's hope he's as intelligent and competent as his looks suggest,"

"Do I have competition, beloved?" He asked her slyly.

"What little beauty the goddesses might have graced him are surely wasted."

Brogan was amused that Sophie would offer such an analysis of the man. She was not like to even consider men tolerable, let alone to describe them as possessing beauty. This was interesting, to say the least. Brogan resisted the bait, however. This was his future sister-in-law, after all. No need for needless friction. She was overly haughty for one so young, but it must have been the same determination that he loved in Sayeva. At least Say was reasonable...

Brogan had little interest in the actual words spoken, but he cared a great a deal for the way in which they were spoken. For now, he was willing to trust that Moynahan was being sincere with his promises to move toward a better future. And if not, Brogan would be paying him a visit. The living embodiment of Ares had a long memory, and a thirsty blade. But Brogan wanted to believe in humanity, in the ability for mortal men to evolve their thinking, not merely their abilities.

"You mentioned that your efforts in nanotechnology and renewable energy won't be used for the things which many would have initially assumed, such as cars that don't run on fossil fuels and... well, let's call 'em androids for lack of a better term from science fiction. How will you be planning to implement these advances, as and when you make them?"

Brogan smiled, and looked to Sayeva.

" Remember when a good question to ask the local mercantile official was 'When are the ships coming back?' Now there are all these tiny machines, and 'renewable energy' whatever that is supposed to be...I remember when people feared stealing fire from the Gods."

[Sayeva Reardon]

So create, reclaim
Sovereign shapes tempting us
Ration out their schematics
Dare we live without molds?

It did not surprise Sayeva that her sister hardly agreed about the new CEO's looks. Mr. Moynahan was not particularly Sayeva's type in any case, although he did remind her a bit of Claudio, her first true love, the composer who in this age would have been expected to model or act rather than work in front of an orchestra. These days, though, she was much more a Brogan kind of woman. That was all that needed to be said there. She glanced to Brogan and laughed softly, reaching for his hand to squeeze it playfully. "Hardly, my love. Unless he's figured out cloning and can provide me with a few more of you," she teased, her tone just as sly as his had been.

She was considering a reply to Sophie, but did not think up a response before their host began to speak. As a sometimes-journalist, Sayeva found the presentation easy to follow, although the lack of hard numbers and charts disappointed her.There were still some things Moynahan was playing close to the chest, it seemed. Ark could not have been performing well, not in the stock market nor among its contractors, especially considering how easily it seemed to have been bought out by the Kilvaynes. She had a Kilvayne with her, of course, the beginning of this line in fact. Ark was not part of his doing, or that of any of his descendants until now, however; still, she hoped the company did well for the family's sake. Ark had been so much of a risk.

The presentation suddenly came to a stop, and Moynahan seemed to go widely off script. If he'd even had a script to begin with. She twisted her lips at his apology. It sounded to her as though it came from a place of honesty, but it needed backing, the intention needed to be proven by actions. That couldn't happen in this moment, of course, but still, she felt wary.

Soon they were back on track, except for one point when Moynahan seemed to trip over his words, and after a time questions were asked for from those on stage. Sayeva saw another young woman, who she thought she recognized vaguely from somewhere, chosen first. The question she posed was a good one, about how they planned to make use of the technology they were working on. Sayeva's question was on the other end of the spectrum, which she decided was a good kind of happenstance.

She chuckled at Brogan's reminiscence. "I do remember. I'm not sure whether things were simpler back then, or now. Everything seems better in retrospect." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "But then, as now, I've had you. I wonder what other technological wonders we'll see together." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then raised her hand, and waited to be called on, which she was.

"You've shown us brief examples of the technology you're working on, and you've mentioned anting to give back by offering internships and scholarships," Sayeva began. "But how else do you plan to reach out to the community? Every way you've mentioned seems to benefit you directly in some way… and it doesn't seem quite the same gesture, to me, when you're profiting from your supposedly charitable works."

Words: 549.
Attire: this.
Excerpt: Chevelle, "Breach Birth."
Comments: As usual, meh.

[Christian Moynahan]

So I'll break it
Knowing what you said
The pain is what you make it
Sadly you are so mistaken
-Nine Lashes, "Anthem of the Lonely"

He had expected, and, indeed, hoped for some good questions. The first one was an excellent start. Christian first glanced to the small team gathered on the stage with him, in case one of them wanted to answer the question. Archie, he figured, would probably be eager to give some insight on their programs in those areas. When no one immediately stepped up or indicated interest, Christian decided to tackle it himself for now. There would be ample time for anyone to respond to the questions.

"There's a saying in the business world. 'Never outsource your core competencies.' Our core competencies are the research and development of new technologies, in various industries. The application of those technologies is also part of what we do, but in some ways we will be reaching out to other organizations to handle that. Those would be cars and the androids. We've never mass-produced automobiles and I doubt we would do so for AIs."

He tilted his head slightly. "To answer your question, what we would do would develop uses more closely related to those core competencies. For example, nanotech can be used in strengthening metals, refining rocket propulsion technology, and -possibly most important to me - reduce the amount of toxic materials in water. These are things we would provide on the business-to-business side, rather than selling them directly to consumers. Marketing isn't one of our strong points, although I must say Miss Daugherty has been very creative and persistent in her attempts to sell me." He chuckled and glanced back to Fallon, who stuck her tongue out at him. He mirrored the gesture and then turned back around to face the crowd, a smile on his face.

"Renewable energy. That's one where we would probably develop parts to sell for use in consumer-end products. Just as a car or a cell phone or a computer has many parts that aren't all necessarily made by that company - almost never, in fact. If there turns out to be a market for us to enter directly to consumers, we'll pursue the idea then. Admittedly, it might be an interesting thing to try."

He stepped to the middle of the stage again, having drifted to stage left a bit. "Those are the uses we have considered since I've been here, and so far. There may be others in the future, but we will be sure to keep everyone updated on our progress."

With a nod of thanks to the young woman who had asked the question, he glanced now to another hand in the midst of hands and selected one. This was another young woman, dark-haired and dressed very professionally. She questioned them regarding community initiatives. He could practically hear Fallon thinking through all of the wonderful PR possibilities. Christian paused thoughtfully for a moment, then gave the woman a smile.

"You're right - there are ways we could get involved with the community. Reaching out to schools and helping to build their programs. Providing equipment to contractors who might need it. Science fairs." He gave a light shrug, but his expression - which could still be seen on one of the screens behind him - gave away the fact that he was coming up with this off the top of his head, and that he was enjoying the thought. And that it was genuine.

"Granted, there will always be an inherent sort of advertisement in our involvements, even when we aren't directly profiting from it. I'm now a part of Ark; my presence as a server at a soup kitchen, for example, would be viewed in that vein. Much the same would go for my colleagues." He gestured toward them again. "But we will do our best, and hope that those efforts will be taken in a positive light."

He glanced around the auditorium for more raised hands. Perhaps he had already answered the others' questions through the two he had responded to verbally, or perhaps not. "Is there anything else we can address?"

[Lucius Kilvayne]

You built me up with your wishing hell
I didn't have to sell you
You threw your money in the pissing well
You do just what they tell you

"There's a saying in the business world. 'Never outsource your core competencies.' Our core competencies are the research and development of new technologies, in various industries. The application of those technologies is also part of what we do, but in some ways we will be reaching out to other organizations to handle that. Those would be cars and the androids. We've never mass-produced automobiles and I doubt we would do so for AIs."

Lucius smiled. That was where the Kilvayne Corporation's other assets would most likely come into play. They had facilities and professionals mobilized to make any advancements cooked up at Ark Industries into consumer products to be mass produced. It was all part of the plan.

"I would like to emphasize here that the Kilvayne Corporation is prepared to fill in these blanks," Lucius announced, " We do research and development ourselves, of course, but Ark Industries is an invaluable resource for our own contributions. Ark can open doors for us, and the Kilvayne Corporation will be there to step in and see what lays behind the threshold. If you want a world of energy efficient cars, and artificial intelligence, the Kilvayne Corporation is happy to deliver. Some of those projects are already in the works, as it happens. And we have been most grateful to the people here at Ark for their contributions to these endeavors."

"To answer your question, what we would do would develop uses more closely related to those core competencies. For example, nanotech can be used in strengthening metals, refining rocket propulsion technology, and -possibly most important to me - reduce the amount of toxic materials in water. These are things we would provide on the business-to-business side, rather than selling them directly to consumers. Marketing isn't one of our strong points, although I must say Miss Daugherty has been very creative and persistent in her attempts to sell me."

Lucius laughed. The man really didn't need Fallon to sell himself. He had that well in hand, it would seem. Lucius admired that, after all, it was how Lucius operated as well. Lucius sold Lucius, and he sold the world. It was just the way it had always been. Now, all the men assembled here were selling the new Ark Industries. And they were also selling the Kilvayne Corporation, now that the two were a package deal. The Kilvayne corporation would be something new to most people, as it was not an entity associated with major brands or historical events, but rather operated in a vacuum of business spaces inaccessible to the common man. But now, they would notice the ubiquitous name, and start to see how much of the future had been made, packed, and sold by the Kilvayne name.

Alexander was probably very pleased about this fact.


"Renewable energy. That's one where we would probably develop parts to sell for use in consumer-end products. Just as a car or a cell phone or a computer has many parts that aren't all necessarily made by that company - almost never, in fact. If there turns out to be a market for us to enter directly to consumers, we'll pursue the idea then. Admittedly, it might be an interesting thing to try."


"Assuming competitors don't beat us to it," Lucius quipped, " But even then, I like a challenge."


Archie thought it appropriate to put in his own ideas. He would have to remind everyone who he was, as he had almost no public exposure thus far. He was just that geeky guy who didn't talk a lot so far as anyone out there was concerned. He figured now was time to change that impression.

"I am Dr. Archimedes Cane, if you didn't catch it before," Archie said, " And I would like to elaborate on the question of our projects, and their applications. As I am head of the Applied Sciences division, I should have been quicker to the microphone...but I am a bit shy, truth be told."

He sighed, and decided to go full geek with the people, whether they liked it or not.

"Like my cousin and my colleagues, I have a vision of the future, and I work every day to make it happen. I want to solve the problems facing everyone, in their everyday lives. But more than that, I want to answer the questions underlying our very reality. Ambitious, right?"

He paused, letting hid words gestate for a time. He had to make sure everything was clear, and not confused by too much technobabble jargon. Hard task for him, really.


"I specialize in particle physics, and much of my personal efforts are in this capacity. I also know, for reasons I hesitate to explain more fully, that what Christian mentioned before is possible- making toxic chemicals something else. I know, because I possess the ability to do just that. I am interested in using technology to replicate special powers like that, so that they can be used by people regardless of how they did in the genetic lottery. I can't be everywhere, after all. I can't decontaminate every stream or reservoir- I can't clean up all the air in Los Angeles. My abilities are too limited. But if I could create a technology that transcends my own limitations, what kind of world would be possible then? And I have even more ambitious projects in mind. But, some revelations are best left for later down the road. I would be glad, however to talk about any scientific subject with anyone here, and also, I am interested in learning who among you would be a candidate for my team. I can't do amazing things alone."

Archie was being modest, but Fallon told him beforehand that would play well with the students and general audience. He hoped she was right...

"Granted, there will always be an inherent sort of advertisement in our involvements, even when we aren't directly profiting from it. I'm now a part of Ark; my presence as a server at a soup kitchen, for example, would be viewed in that vein. Much the same would go for my colleagues."

Lucius took the cue, and added his own thoughts on that subject.Sayeva Reardon's question cut to the quick, and he wasn't surprised. Brogan had chosen her for his lover, and there was more than her looks involved in that decision. Her sharpness of mind was reminiscent of Dakari...

"The Kilvayne Foundation has long been a source of public good, and now Ark Industries will be part of that good. My mother, who administers the foundation, has agreed to establishing a trust fund for Ark Industries to use as a resource for their community outreach programs' benefit. In this way, will our cooperation in these matters be manifested. As for whether it is profitable for Ark or the Kilvaynes to do charity, that is hardly a consideration here. We make things and learn new truths for profit. What we do in the community is wholeheartedly for the good of the communities without whom, we cannot exist. It is merely out of a sense of moral responsibility, nothing more, and nothing less."

[Christian Moynahan]

Whenever there was a gap in one of Christian's answers, Lucius stepped up with the assist, ready to fill it. There could hardly be any better arrangement than the one they had - three men who were good friends, and able to cover each other when it was necessary, but also able to speak openly to each other and offer constructive feedback. Christian had only known Lucius and Gabriel for a few months, but he held them in high regard, and admired how close the two of them were. Yet they never let him feel like a third wheel. A trifecta, a cooperative triumvirate. Perhaps it was just what Ark needed.

He hoped so. He had formerly had his own misgivings about Ark, just as everyone else had, but in the time he had spent within the corporation, and in speaking with his team and other workers, he had come to honestly believe in the cause. They would turn Ark around, he was certain of it. And the crowd had not given him much cause to believe the opposite - the questions they asked showed interest in Ark's progress, and, while there was certainly still a hint of distrust, he was glad for even that little interest, that little seed of hope. Sow it, and it would grow.

Archie also added some words on particle physics. Christian stepped back to give him the floor and, by that action, the full attention of the audience. Those who knew what he was talking about, of course. He was related to Lucius, and the two men did share a few personality traits, but Archie seemed to lean toward a more reclusive lifestyle, and a touch more in geekiness as well. However, it was Archie's decision to reveal his ability that surprised Christian the most. He figured Archie had registered anyway, as the Ark employees had been made to do when registration was on the government agenda. Christian had dodged that bullet, and he was still glad about it. There was nothing particularly worrisome about his own ability; he just preferred to control who knew about it.

After a few more questions, particularly mundane ones compared to the first two, but not as boring as the ones asked at the press conference the prior day. Eventually, they ran out of time, and the image behind Christian switched again to the new Ark logo.

"Thank you so much for attending," Christian said, waving slightly for the rest of his team in attendance to join him at center stage. Gabriel stood directly to Christian's right, while Fallon fell in line farther down. "You've all been very attentive, and patient and open-minded as well. I especially enjoyed the inventive questions that were presented to us. We couldn't have asked for a better audience." He smiled brightly, and bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of the scattered applause. "I hope you'll follow our progress as we move forward and upward."

In the audience, Sayeva pursed her lips thoughtfully. She was not sure what to think just yet. She wanted to like Ark… which was odd. She would have to sleep on that. "All right," she said to Sophie and Brogan. "Let's head home. We can talk about this whole thing there."

As the crowd left their seats to leave, Christian led the others offstage. Fallon moved on, but stopped when she realized Gabriel had stopped, and that Christian was standing at the wing, just out of view of the audience. They were filing out of the auditorium, and Christian seemed intent on watching them leave, or perhaps he was in deep thought. With his back to them, it was difficult to tell which.

Gabriel placed a hand on Christian's shoulder. "You did an excellent job out there," he said.

"You really did. You were smart, you were funny when you needed to be, you were serious when you needed to be, and you got personal. I'm sure they'll all take that home with them." Fallon smiled. Christian nodded distractedly, but Gabriel gave her an odd look. "Okay, then. Well, I'll join you all later."

She turned and headed toward the staging room. "Do you think it helped?" Christian asked softly.

"I'm sure it did. You've started a new line of thought for them. There may not be any immediate effects, but it will work out in the long run." Gabriel patted Christian's shoulder. "Now come on. Lucius and I are treating you to dinner. And when I say that, I actually mean Lucius is treating you."

[Fin for Christian, Gabriel, Fallon, and Sayeva.]