Here's the latest installment of my current dark scifi project. This is chapter 17. If you're just tuning in, consider starting with chapters 1 and 2. Be advised that this work considers difficult subjects, including suicide. If you're in crisis, please seek help. Help is available here.
The final passage of 321SIM legislation was met with shock and disbelief within approximately the same populations that had met Trump's election with shock and disbelief years prior. Now everyone had to carry 321 Syndrome insurance by the beginning of the new year or face steep fines come tax time. The new rule handed half a trillion dollars to the insurance industry to cover the cost of implementing the new program, and another three hundred billion for police departments to begin verifying the insurance status of everyone they interacted with.
Tom was livid. Not only about 321SIM in general, but by the fact that the news of it broke at the same time as his article about the Domino Effect, burying the story. The great irony was that Tom's interviews with Confessed public officials clearly refuted the whole basis for the new legislation. "Eight hundred billion dollars," he kept repeating, sitting on the bed while Jo tried and failed to console him. "So much money for nothing and bullshit."
Heading for a meeting, Jo left Tom there and passed Peter sleeping on the couch on the way out. "What a kid," she thought, considering the young man's incredible progress in such a short amount of time. Still, she could tell he had a long way to go.
The offices of Americans for Equitable Housing were like the offices of many lobbying groups. There was lots of glass and some real-looking fake plants. A mean looking receptionist and a conference rooms featuring a thirty thousand dollar table. Checking in, Jo proceeded to the conference room for her meeting. AEH was visiting the office of Kansas Rep. Andy Bandon today, and they'd hired Jo's organization to add a harm reduction perspective to their national rent control proposal.
Sitting next to a young man who looked out of his element, Jo sat through a Power Point that was incredibly boring and more than a little concerning. From what Jo could tell, the entire proposed bill wouldn't actually make rent more affordable for anyone, though it would provide financial incentives to landlords that complied with the program. As she sat there, Jo realized who the young man was.
"Horace Gomez?" she whispered. "Strike 25?"
"Yeah and you're Jo Lazarus," said Horace. "You were on the Domino interview."
The presentation ended and a man named Chet stood at the head of the table, looking around the room. "Now that we're all on the same page," he said. "We'll proceed to the offices of Kansas Rep. Andy Bandon to get this party started. Cars are waiting for us outside. Can I get a whoop?"
The team of lobbyists whooped. Jo and Horace looked at each other and shrugged. "Umm, I have a question," said Horace.
"What is it?" asked Chet.
"The presentation I just saw made it seem like public funds would be given to landlords while average people get pretty much nothing," said Horace. "And by making these new rules, there seems to be the risk of short-circuiting voluntary measures that landlords and tenants might take to make housing more affordable. Is that about right?"
"Activists!" laughed a lobbyist named Cindy. "Thanks for keeping us on our toes!"
"Very good," said Chet. "Now remember, Bandon is already on board. This is mostly a photo op and a chance to hear what Bandon's big ask is. And we all know he has one!"
The lobbyists all laughed. "I think I just threw up a little in my mouth," said Jo to Horace, which got them laughing too. Riding in the same towncar, they were quiet until a question occurred to Horace. "You must know more about this stuff than I do," he said. "So like, why are we even here? They flew me and my girlfriend in, put us up at a nice hotel, all kinds of stuff. But so far, not one of these people has seemed the slightest bit interested in what I have to say. What's the deal with that?"
"You might say we're their street cred," said Jo. "They give us money and perks, and our presence camouflages their true intentions, which involve very narrow financial interests. Did they even give you a copy of their actual proposal to read?"
"They put me in a room with three binders full of proposal to read in only one hour," said Horace. "I didn't understand most of what I read."
"Did anything jump out at you?" asked Jo.
"Maybe ... the stuff about dispute arbitration, said Horace. "Back in Chicago, our Strike 25 lawyers were totally against arbitration clauses in lease renegotiation. I honestly never figured out what the big deal was."
"They limit legal options and can have unreasonable costs associated with them," said Jo. "But the fine print I'm talking about is the fact that this proposal was created with funds from the Property Owners Association of America. Why would landlords fund a rent control effort?"
"Shit," said Horace. "And you're good with all of this?"
"AEH pays my office three grand a day for my time," said Jo. "And my office doesn't care if I tell my reporter boyfriend about fishy stuff I witness."
"Wait," said Horace. "You think I should bail? Strike 25 definitely can't endorse what's happening here."
"If you bail now, they might cut off funds for your trip," said Jo. "Just don't sign anything in there, and wait until you're safely home before making any public statements about it. Then, if you want, I could get you an interview with Tom Wilkins."
"Man," said Horace, processing that. "What would I have done if you weren't here?"
"You would've done fine," said Jo. "But it always helps to have someone watching your back when you're playing at this level."
The bulk of the meeting with the Bandon was spent on introductions and people being cheery about the proposal in binders on the table. Bandon's big ask was for a handout to Kansas factory farms. Horace was asked to sign a pledge of support, but he declined to sign on the grounds that he alone couldn't speak for Strike 25. No one spoke to Jo after her initial introduction, which was fine with her. She didn't get another chance to speak with Horace, but she handed him a card as everyone was leaving.
Returning home, Jo found that Peter was out while Tom was laying on his back on the floor next to his computer. "Hey honey," she said. "Will the kid be gone long?"
"Long enough," said Tom, grinning. "If I'm hearing you right."
They made love slowly and deliberately, worshiping the features of their entwined bodies, unaware of any world outside their union. They drank water and ate leftover takeout and went at it again, more boisterously this time, reveling in the magic. Whatever else might be happening, they had this. They had each other.
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