Page 28 - Unlikely Stories 1

DeathCon

“Ah, yes, Basil, of course! It sure looks refined and state-of-the-art
with all those digital displays and that brushed aluminum casing. But
I’m sure my audience, like me, is wondering: what does it do?”
“This is a second-generation trust disruptor. In years gone by,
crude propaganda was all that was available to sow dissension and
dissatisfaction in the ranks of the enemy—radio broadcasts, leaflets
dropped from airplanes, rumor-mongering. Apart from the shotgun
approach of those techniques, they were easily detected and
countered. But all that is obsolete: Dystrustor Mark 3 can be
deployed anywhere—on top of a building, under a camouflage blind,
suspended from a drone—and silently generate frequencies
interfering with the brain center associating facial recognition cues
and the amygdala’s response. As a result, people subject to this
radiation will find it difficult to trust those around them, feeding
paranoia and destroying discipline. Tests show this will extend even
to close family members if the signal strength is maintained long
enough.”
“Uh, I hope that was clear to everybody! But I guess we all know
that electronic warfare is the coming thing, so I’d like to thank you
for sharing this with us.”
“My pleasure, Buell. If you get a chance, check out my competitor
over there, Genomonix. They’ve got an interesting idea, too.”
“That’s right neighborly of you, Basil. You don’t find people in
every line of business boosting their rivals. So long. Let’s see what
he’s talking about. Can you help us out, Thyssen?”
“Certainly, Buell. That booth is right over here. And I can clear
something up for your viewers about that recommendation. You see,
when it comes to armaments, the best sales pitch you can have is
pointing out that your prospective enemy has just purchased a
similarly deadly weapon system. That has a multiplying effect, you
see, as no one in government wants to be accused of neglecting
national defense.”
“That’s big business for you! Always another angle. Makes me glad
I’m just a simple reporter. Okay, here we are at Genomonix. Hi there,
I’m Buell Bauser from KLUX.”

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