Finding the reels was easy enough. The hard part, though, was operating them. Clark had figured out that the reel goes on one of the projector's hooks, but had no idea what to do with the rest of it. After about an hour of collaboration, they believed they had the reel set up. Charlie pointed it at the wall and flicked the switch. The rusted projector came to life, its light flickering. Suddenly, there was a black-and-white image of a man and a woman mid-argument on the wall. There was audio coming from the projector, but it was hard to hear. They all spent less time watching the people and more time huddled around the little speaker taking a listen. Despite the quality, the whole idea was still there. Both spoke in a clear, even tone with a bit of a sharp accent, and were both incredibly fluent and quick. Charles felt a bit discouraged. He and the rest of his group spoke rather slowly and quietly.
"I'm sure we could do it, if we tried hard enough. After all, this investment means a lot in the long run!" James said.
"But what will this all mean for us? I mean, if we're going to be the final aristocrats, why would the raiders and all them follow?"
"Just look here!" Charlie exclaimed.
He stopped the reel, wound it back up manually until he could see the part he wanted in the light, and hooked it back up. The film started back up. "--but you see," the actor began, "we can civilize these lands! It's the American dream!"
"Don't you see?We can civilize these lands! It's our destiny! If we bring this culture back to Broad Way, perhaps we can bring the world back to recovery!"
They seemed to agree on this one. After all, if the world could be tamed by aristocrats like the Old Americans, it could happen again. Now, they didn't know much about the Old Americans other than their lyrical speech patterns, sharp dress and sharper accents, but they had enough to begin working towards. They just needed a way to spread these ideals...
They spent a few hours looking at the rest of the reels, coming up with ways to share their findings. It eventually dawned on them, in the midst of a newsreel, that they could do what the Old Americans did and simply have people show up to watch these reels. They picked up the projector and walked through the theater. Past a glass cabinet was a long hallway with a few doors. The first of these doors was barred shut, and there was a lot of ominous noise from behind it. The second door led outside, a hollowed-out room with a blown-off top and ash and soot lining the floor. The third and final door on this side ad a few cracks on the walls, but other than that it was fine. They walked up and down the aisles, looking for a perfect place to keep the projector, and eventually found that the center of the back row was perfect.
The reel in place and with everything set up, they were ready to invite other tribes to come view their accomplishments. They had found a large, bleached banner. A faded cola logo could be seen on it if held up the right light. They then took handfuls of soot and spelled out "picture show" with the black soot, and propped the sign up in front of one of the largest stores in Broad Way. Surely they would see it there. Eventually a couple people did show up, and were greeted with men in suits directing them to seats in the old theater 3. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to an age long gone!" The first film started, an old newsreel announcing the end of World War 2. "An era of commerce, advertisements, and industry. A world long before ours!"
The film reel changed to a film about some monster attacking a city. "A world of entertainment! Your only fears were on the screens!"
"The Old American Aristocrats were easily the most influential people in history! They made all of this happen! Join us, won't ya?"578Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlB8Fwr88oB
The screen went dark. The other tribe, who lived south of them, seemed impressed. It would seem that these people did talk a good game, but what was in it for them? The suits were stiff and weren't very good for looting (but the extra pockets might outweigh the reduced mobility), and the hats and voices were just too bold and obvious to aid anyone with anything in this day and age. But perhaps they were on to something. Maybe all Broad Way needed was a little organization...
They then went back with the rest of their tribe and told of their experiences there. The New American Aristocrats, they were called, were making progress...
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