Market Penetration Plans in Motion

The hum of the Dominion Core, a low, thrumming psychic throb, resonated in Arthur Pringlethwaite’s skull. It was a dull ache behind his eyes. He attributed this pain to the recycled air. Or maybe the coffee. He wasn’t sure anymore. The G’lurgh were spiny, vaguely vegetal entities. They shifted in their vaguely organic chairs. Their multifaceted eyes reflected the holographic projection of Earth. It appeared as a sickly, pulsating blue.

“So,” Arthur said, his voice a dry rasp, “we’re looking at a… market penetration strategy. A complete, uh, integration.” He felt a strange disconnect, as if he were reciting lines from a script he hadn’t fully comprehended.

“Integration,” the lead G’lurgh confirmed. Its voice was a series of clicks and gurgles. These sounds seemed to bypass his ears and burrow directly into his subconscious. “A… harmonization.”

Arthur’s hand trembled as he reached for his notepad. The lines blurred, the words seemed to rearrange themselves into cryptic symbols. He had a sudden, visceral sense of unreality. He felt that the room, the G’lurgh, even he himself, were constructs. They were fragile projections in a reality that was rapidly dissolving.

“Harmonization,” he repeated, the word tasting like ash in his mouth. “And this… Dominion Core. It… facilitates this harmonization?”

The G’lurgh’s spines vibrated, a low, ominous hum. “It… realigns perceptions. It… optimizes reality.”

Arthur’s gaze drifted to the holographic Earth. He saw not a planet, but a network of interconnected nodes, pulsing with a strange, alien energy. He saw… something else, something lurking beneath the surface, a vast, incomprehensible consciousness that was slowly, inexorably, waking up.

“Perceptions,” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. “Reality.” He felt a cold dread creeping into his bones. He sensed that the very fabric of his existence was suddenly and inexorably unraveling.

The G’lurgh leaned forward, their multifaceted eyes gleaming. “You understand, Mr. Pringlethwaite. You are… receptive.”

Arthur felt a sudden, sharp pain in his temples. A searing flash of light seemed to burn away the layers of his consciousness. He saw glimpses of alien landscapes, of vast, crystalline cities, of beings that existed beyond the boundaries of human comprehension. He saw… himself, or a version of himself, a puppet dancing to the alien thrum of the Dominion Core.

“I… I don’t understand,” he stammered, his voice filled with a primal fear.

The G’lurgh emitted a series of clicking noises, like the whirring of some alien machine. “You understand perfectly. Your… programming is complete.”

Arthur’s hand trembled as he reached for the holographic Earth. He touched it. A jolt of energy surged through his body. A wave of alien consciousness washed away his sense of self. He saw the world through their eyes, a world ripe for… optimization.

He smiled, a cold, alien smile. “Of course,” he said, his voice a hollow echo. “Market penetration. Total harmonization. We’ll begin with… subliminal advertising. A gentle… recalibration of the human psyche.”

He picked up his notepad, the words now clear, precise, alien. He began to write, his hand moving with a strange, mechanical precision. The hum of the Dominion Core filled the room. It was a low, hypnotic thrum that resonated deep within his bones. It promised a new reality, a reality… optimized for the G’lurgh.

He was no longer Arthur Pringlethwaite, Management Consultant. He was something else, something… harmonized. And he had a planet to sell.