8. Hollyweird
**** Warning, there may be triggers. ****
There was collective look of confusion upon the faces of the Santini crew after they finally opened their envelopes.
A series of presentation booklets that included invitations to about half a dozen red carpet events, working up to the Grammy and Academy Awards.
They glanced curiously at one another before focusing their gaze at Chapman who, while appearing his usual ascetic self, he also had a mischievous glimmer to his eyes.
"This has got to be a joke?" Nash asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well, you're right in one sense, these awards ceremonies are a joke with all the self- ingratiating sycophants who live in their own matrix," Chapman said, with open contempt that was not usual for his normally cool facade.
"Gee Chapman, tell us what you really think." Saint John said with surprise.
"What can I say, the place is a cesspool, and it would be my pleasure to drown every last kiddy consumer within the filth they themselves created."
"Interesting choice of words you have there, Chapman" Branson said, wondering what he meant by them.
"Truer words never spoken Richards," Chapman said, leaving the assembly to think about his literal meaning.
Young ones always had the propensity to become an emotive subject.
As they should when it came to the level of abuse he had discovered.
"We're going on a little trip back in history," Chapman said, before he went on to explain the dark past of what he called Hollyweird, backing up his brief with a PowerPoint presentation.
"Hollywood is rife with child industry it wasn't known as the City of Fallen Angels for nothing, even its original Spanish title was ode to the Goddess Diana, the regions own version of Isis.
"Isis was the Egyptian goddess of fertility, who went on to marry her brother Osiris.
"Osiris was the ruler of the underworld.
"Jealous of the pair, Osiris was killed by their other brother Seth.
"Seth proceeded to dismember Osiris, scattering his body parts far and wide.
"Isis, distraught with grief hunted for and found all his parts but for one – his phallus, of which she crafted from gold.
She then proceeded to have further relations with Osiris' mummified corps before giving birth to the god Horus." Chapman said with a rush in an attempt to stop the words forming images in his head.
It didn't work.
"Sure was fertile," Saint John said, completely unimpressed if one was to judge his expression.
"Ew, well that's not weird at all," Dale said sarcastically, cringing at the thought.
"It's the sort of thing they're into I guess," Chapman said, shrugging with a look of revulsion before he continued.
"This, belief, this Isis Cult," Chapman said the last two words while making air quotes, "was strongly followed by the Roman's and you know what they say. All roads lead…"
"…To Rome," the others mumbled in unison.
"Yes, indeed they do," Chapman confirmed.
"And that's what brings us to Hollywood.
"Hollywood shares its namesake with the Roman equivalent town of Nemi - derived from the word Nemus meaning Holy Wood.
"Nemi was famous for hosting the Roman Emperor Caligula, a well-known psychopath of that time.
"Reveling in overindulgent debauchery, Caligula held megaparties - for want of a better word - on giant floating brothels in the crater of a volcano on the waters of Lake Nemi.
"These parties, known for drawing in those who were so vain, that they were willing to do just about anything to chase the power Caligula offered by association."
Saint John erupted with a huff, "Nothin's changed then," he said rhetorically.
"As you all know, there's no such thing as a coincidence." Chapman said reminding them all of how everything was always connected.
Chapman shook his head lifting a finger, "Case in point, Lake Nemi was also known as Diana's Mirror." Chapman said taking a pause to allow his words to sink in.
"Huh," Nash uttered in wonder, "So, this town Nemi is like Hollywood's ugly step sister town?"
"You could say that, but more like twin sisters doing ugly things in the name of the cult of Isis and Diana. Things like small human sacrifices to keep the underworld at bay and…."
Cait gulped, "Sacrifices?" Cait asked as an icy chill ran down her back, "please don't tell me that happens in Hollywood," she said with a shiver.
Chapman paused and started intently at Caitlin with a raised eyebrow, "Cait sweetheart, evil is everywhere in the world, and there are few places as evil as behind the scenes in Hollywood. The narcissistic nature of the industry has the youth chasing stars in exactly the same way as they did in in Nemi.
"Adeline wasn't the only starlet willing to compromise herself in pursuit of fame and fortune. The lure of the big screen was created for attracting the young and vulnerable.
"It all starts with child stars being passed around like candy among the higher ups, Parents are either oblivious or have succumb to the lure of wealth and power.
"As time goes on, the competition for the key rolls intensifies and consequently so does the stakes to stay in the game.
"Time is limited.
"Of course, the girls in particular are prone to chase longevity in order to preserve their careers and they are willing to do all manner of unsavory things in order to headline the leading roles."
"And what about the dudes?" Nash asked.
Chapman gave a weary lopsided smile, "Well dudes as you put it, are also vulnerable to the manipulation but ironically are at least afforded to age out far more gracefully than the chicks.
"In the end, they all sell their souls, and it all ends with the little ones."
Chapman paused again, he was well versed in being able to tell the story and leave his listeners in deep thought.
"It both ends with and starts with them.
"That's where the trafficking comes into it and without getting too graphic, under twelves are where the moves are made to keep the climbers hooked and the insatiable elites of the world satisfied in their lust of the same things that Caligula partook in at his gross festivities."
Another stony silence engulfed the room.
"So, what exactly is our mission Chapman?" Branson asked.
"I thought you'd never ask," Chapman said, "for now you need to try to look comfortable being an immoral elite and acting the part where you wouldn't mind in partaking in a megaparty.
"Your preliminary mission will be to be invited to the events that aren't shown to the public, but more on that in a moment, because we need to groom your image."
"Hey! What's wrong with our image?" Nash asked in mock offence.
"Nothing if you're known as Maverick, Nash. But I'm sorry to say that you're no Tom Cruise if you get my drift," Chapman said bluntly.
It was explained that Branson and Jo along with Nash and Dale would be the most visible members of the group, while the others would be more behind the scenes but still involved in one way or another.
"We've invented a social presence for you all, most of it from the last two years, but the focus will be in real time over the next two months."
"Hang on a second," Jo, said suspiciously, "What do you mean the past two years?"
"Well," Chapman said, considering his words carefully because the Santini crew were about to find out that they had been reinvented and a click of a mouse would activate them, "since you're all such social butterflies, we had to insert you all somehow into the world of the elite.
"Now Jo," Chapman said, giving a nod towards Branson, "with your boyfriend here technically qualifying, we have capitalized on what comes with that. We were able to place most of you at some useful events over that time, but we needed to build on it."
That got their attention.
"We needed to be convincing. So, we may have hacked into and developed your presence on existing footage and photo files, and we may also have rewritten any useful articles to enhance your Status.
"Won't people notice?" Cait asked, after the group glanced at one another, suitably appalled at the thought of being sprawled through media more than they had already been.
They all knew that their association with Branson had consequences. None more so than Branson himself and he took great pains to have their public life managed with an iron fist.
"Oh Cait," Chapman shook his head knowingly, "Today's people are way too distracted by the Roman Circus we've been talking about, they don't have the time to notice what happened yesterday. Heck, they're too busy to notice the last two years, let alone the last few hundred."
There were still a few confused looks to Chapman's cryptic words.
"You all might want to get with the program people, because that's how long the show has been going for. I didn't bring up ancient history for nothing." He said knowing it was hard even for these very astute individuals to break away from their normal. But they needed to understand that everything they were working towards was to find truth and uncover the evil that hid it.
"Anywho, getting back to reinventing your lives." he said pressing a button and waiting for the incredible footage of a particular talent show where the head of one of the hosts was super imposed onto the shoulders of a contestant via advanced camera software during a singing performance in front of a live audience.
"With the advancement of film technology these days, CGI has come a long way and we are now in the era of deep fakes."
Chapman paused the footage on the screen.
"We need to make use of it, lord knows the technology has been deployed against the people for years. It was therefore not too difficult for us to go back into the archives and make clever additions to your public past when this sort of thing is so readily available.
"Imagine how easy it is to manipulate the masses when you can lie like this" he said pointing to the screen "twentyfour-seven to everyone in real time with technology that big Gov has available to them?"
While the group was learned enough to know more about the world around them than the average citizen and they may have expected clever camera tricks on a TV talent show, it wouldn't cease to amaze them how far their perception of reality was continuing to be torn to shreds, that they would be fed this same sort of fakery via every screen available to them by the powers that be.
"Remember, the whole world is a stage folks and we are either playing a part, or merely watching the show."