Clean Slate America: Lila

A hostile transmission from inside the world of Columbia: Long Walk of the Republic.In inland Florida, Lila Boone finds herself surrounded by a cleanup cast that speaks the language of care while stripping her of privacy, authority, and dignity piece by piece. At the center is Cade Garrison, a podcaster of grievance and moral rot, narrating every violation as responsibility and every wound as weakness.This is one of empire’s native forms inside the Columbia universe: polished, self-righteous, devouring. It does not need to sneer. It only needs a microphone, a frame, and a wounded person who cannot stop the machinery once it starts.Disclaimer:This is fiction from within the Columbia universe. It is meant to reveal, not soften, the voices that make cruelty sound ordinary.Content warnings:Humiliation, coercion, trauma disclosure, childhood abuse references, and institutionalized emotional abuse.Credits & CopyrightWritten and Directed by Stephen BrewerSeries Bible, worldbuilding, and episode structure by Stephen BrewerMusic created with SunoVoices created with Elevenlabs.ioArtwork by CiceroProduced by Stephen Brewer for the Columbia podcast on SubstackStatement on the Ethical Use of AIThis is a work of non-violent fiction. It does not depict real institutions or endorse political action.© 2026 Stephen Brewer. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the author. Get full access to Drawing the Line at percival84.substack.com/subscribe