2037: Unchanging America—Revolution 2

PROLOGUE

S tun ’im! Stun ’im!" Bobby yelled.

Hold it, Bobby. Hold it. We’re doing this a different way, Jack said. He pressed a button on his Intelligent Fob, and the hum of an electric motor sounded. The Electrocar backed up toward him until he pressed another button and it stopped.

I thought we were eliminating this politician, Blake said.

Stay with me, Jack said, and then walked to the Electrocar, reached into the Storage Pak, and got a three-inch instrument that had several buttons. Blake, get the politician’s Transmitting Chip number. He must’ve gotten it before he became a politician.

Ain’t we gonn stun ’im? Bobby asked.

Hold it, Bobby, for a nanosecond. Blake, get his number.

How am I gonna do that?

Jack reached into his pocket and withdrew a long, cylindrical object, then pressed a button. A shiny, silver-colored blade sprang out.

What’s ’at? Bobby asked.

It’s a switchblade knife, Bobby. I held it out when Lucifer confiscated all the guns and knives seven years ago, Jack said.

Now sixteen, Bobby had lived in the alleyways since he was five years old when his father had dropped him off to fend for himself. He had become resourceful in foraging for food, which was done mainly after dark because the government reduced patrols of the streets from every two hours to three times nightly. He knew every inch of the fifteen-block alleyway that he called home, and he used the morass of cans, piles of junk, and abandoned Petrocars as hiding places when the government patrols swept through.

In his duties as government tax collector, Jack had met Bobby two years ago. It had taken many trips through the alley before he gained Bobby’s confidence. Bobby, thin and five-foot, nine-inches tall, admired Jack’s martial arts abilities, which was a prerequisite to being a tax collector. Jack had also taken the government’s mandatory firearms and endurance training. Although he was only twenty-eight, his face was brown and leathery-looking. When he decided to leave government employment, he had asked Bobby to join him and volunteered to tutor Bobby in the ways of life outside the alley. Jack also recruited four other individuals, Ken, Blake, Steve, and Jeff, and told them they would serve as the nucleus of a great uprising to overthrow the government.

Jack gave the knife to Blake. Get the chip outta his shoulder.

Blake’s eyes brightened. All right.

Don’t hurt me! Please don’t hurt me! the politician screamed.

Blake tore off the politician’s shirt, rubbed his fingers across the exposed left shoulder, then used the knife blade to dig out an oblong object the size of a large pea.

The politician screamed as blood flowed from the wound and drained down his arm.

Here you are, Blake said, holding the chip out to Jack. What’re you gonna do with it?

He’s gonna reposition the politician, Jeff said.

Jeff’s exactly right, Blake, Jack said as he took the object, reached into his pocket and pulled out a cylindrical device device that was one-quarter inch thick and two-inches in diameter. This is a Repositioning Chip Adapter or Repo Chip if you use the shortened version, he said as it scanned the chip. This adapter captures the transmitting signal of the politician’s chip. Then I can reposition the signal wherever I want by selecting a city’s name. I’m choosing to send him to Atlanta. Now when the government lords check on him, they’ll think he’s in Atlanta.

Everyone laughed.

I like it, Blake said, but why’re we doing that?

So the government goons won’t know he’s with us, Jeff said.

Oh.

Jeff’s right again, Jack said. Now we’re gonna reposition ourselves.

Cut our chips out? Blake asked, his face wrinkling.

Jack laughed. No, the Repo Chip has a scanner. Scan your number right through your shirt.

Why didn’t you do that to the politician? Blake asked.

Wanted him to suffer. Now I’m gonna reposition us in Denver, he said. He scanned Blake’s, Bobby’s, Jeff’s and his own chip and pressed another button. Done. Blake, pull the towing cable from the back of the Electrocar.

Where do you want it?

Pull it out and hold the end. Open the clip and hold that until I reach for it, he said, and then looked at the politician. We have taken a vote and found you guilty of transforming our country to a land of lords and puppets. You have robbed us of our freedom, and for this you shall experience the ultimate sacrifice—death.

No! No! the politician yelled. I did the right thing for this country. I always thought of the citizens—

You son of a bitch. Look at us. We have chips in our shoulders so you government goons can track us; we’re only allowed four charges in our Electrocars a month; we’re allowed to travel only by permission of the goons; we’re medicated by you only if we can prove our worth; we’re allowed to conceive only by permission; we’re brainwashed by you on a continual basis; we’re statistics in your government records. My mother and father worked and paid into your social security system, and you spent their money on frivolous government programs. You exhausted the Social Security fund and shut it down, so there was no money to draw in their retirement. They died of malnutrition because of you. For that, you’re not only gonna die, but you’re gonna die the most horrible death you can imagine.

No! No! I’ll give you … I’ll give you anything … anything you want. I’ll have your chip removed. You can live with the privileged class. Please … please have pity on me, he said. His face turned red as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Give me the knife, Jack said to Blake. Jack slashed an eight-inch incision across the politician’s chest.

The politician’s head tossed from side to side. He screamed in repeated bursts as blood spewed from the wound.

Jack grabbed the towing cable from Blake’s hands, pressed the clamp into the incision, moved it back and forth until it grabbed sufficient skin, muscle, and fat, and released it.

Noooooo! Noooooo! the politician screamed.

Look out into the Mississippi River for the last time, my lord, for tonight you die, Jack said. He got into the Electrocar and pressed the accelerate button, then looked back to see a large strip of skin rip from the politician’s chest. Blood gushed from the politician and flowed to the ground. He shrieked, and his voice echoed along the bank of the river, which was a short distance from downtown Memphis. His head continued jerking from side to side.

Ahhhhhh! the politician shrieked.

Jack got out of the Electrocar, took a piece of metal from the seat, and walked over to the politician. You could have changed the course of this country, but you chose to treat human beings like trapped animals.

The shrieking had caused the vessels in the politician’s eyes to burst and blood to ooze from them. His vocal chords had ruptured, and he made deep, hoarse noises like a dying bull.

Jack grasped the politician’s hair with his left hand, pulled his head upright, then thrust the piece of metal into his chest. The politician’s head drooped, and his eyes gazed toward the ground. Then he was silent.

Damn, you did it, Jack, Bobby said.

Yeah, he’s gone, Ken said. The statement was meaningful coming from Ken because he talked only when it was necessary. He, too, had survived the alleyways. Tall and thin, he was balding, and his face was pockmarked and unclean-looking. He was twenty-nine years of age but looked twice as old.

Jeff patted Jack’s shoulder. The elimination has begun. May we take it to our desired conclusion?

So it is, Jack said. One has been eliminated, and there are hundreds to go. Gather your belongings, my friends; we’re going to the APH.

What’s ’at? Bobby asked.

Aging Population Housing city. It’s near Tupelo, Mississippi. It’s one of the projects the government’s set up to isolate old people. My uncle’s there. We’ll go over to the government Electro Una Rail, latch on, then go south on government Route 78, Jack said.

The rail used to be Interstate 40, and the government Route 78 used to be US 78, Jeff said, looking at Bobby.

What’s a rail? Bobby asked.

It’s an electrified rail in the center of the thoroughfare, Jack said.

It costs seventy-five dollars to get on it, Jeff said.

Thatsa lotta paper, Bobby said.

The dollar’s shrunk by 93 percent in the last twenty-five years, Jack said, so it sounds like a lot, but it’s really not. The storage box in the back of the Electrocar is full of it. You need a lotta dollars to buy anything these days.

They got into the Electrocar and drove across town to the Electropad. The decrease in the rate of speed of the vehicle was noticeable as manufactured air pockets served to slow the machine.

What’re we doing? Bobby asked, frowning.

We’re getting off the Rail and hooking onto the Electropad, Jack said. After that, we’ll be propelled to my uncle’s.

What’s a ’lectropad? Bobby asked.

It’s an electrified set of pads. We direct the Electrocar onto the pads with my Magna Serv, key in our destination, and the Electropad takes us to our destination—fast. It can only be used by permission from Lucifer, but Lucifer thinks we’re in Denver, so we’re okay.

Whatsa Mag—?

Magna Serv. It’s a device that directs electronics to perform functions; it runs a medical check on one’s body; it communicates and translates all languages; it instantly determines the composition of any property.

Bobby looked puzzled. What’s ’at over there? he asked, pointing to a large open space.

That’s a livestock farm. The government raises cattle—those animals over there, Jack said, pointing to a large herd of cattle, and they give milk that’s mixed with equal amounts of water. Some nutrients are added, and then it’s given to needy people. Sometimes the government kills a cow whose meat is quite tasty, but it’s only given to the privileged class.

We’re gonna change that, ain’t we? Bobby asked.

We are as soon as we talk to my uncle. He lived in the good times when the government didn’t own everything and when people traveled at will. Hey! We’re here, Jack said. He looked in the backseat. You guys okay?

Yeah, we know all about Electropads, farming, and milking, Blake said.

Jack laughed. This city was burned during the Race War back in 2030, he said. For seven years, these buildings have just stood here and crumbled bit by bit. That was while you were just a child, Bobby. Uncle Charlie’s gonna tell us all about it. Okay, we have to get off the Electropad and go the rest of the way using our own power. He entered Charlie’s address in the Electrocar’s Intelligent Pak, then activated the sensors directing them to lock onto the roadway’s sensors. The Intelligent Pak would now assume command and power the vehicle to Charlie’s address without any guidance or assistance from Jack.

What’s all them buildings? Bobby asked.

"There are four thousand apartment buildings, each of which has sixteen apartments for couples. They house about 128,000 people. They’re people who were rounded up by the government because they supposedly didn’t have any money to contribute toward their own housing. But the real purpose was to get them into a location where they could be monitored. The small buildings in front of the large apartment buildings are two-room housing units for couples who had money. They were ordered to turn their money over to the government in exchange for one of the units. There are five thousand units. Charlie shares a unit with a couple.

Bobby, don’t talk until I give the word that it’s okay. There are recorders on every street lighting pod. The government listens to everything that’s said inside the housing complex.

Damn!

Guys, you got that about the recorders? Jack asked the men in the back.

Yeah, no talking.

This is where Uncle Charlie lives! Jack announced as the Electrocar came to a halt. He depressed a button in the Intelligent Pak, which directed the vehicle to remain parked. Then he pressed the exit button, and the front panels on both sides of the vehicle slid backward into the crevices between the interior and exterior rear walls. There’s Uncle Charlie coming out of the house, he said as a tall man with a limp strode purposely toward them. His leathery-looking, tanned face protruded above a dark-colored shirt with an oversized collar that curled in an arc. Uncle Charlie, Jack said, you look great!

Charlie looked from right to left as if checking the surroundings. Hello, he said.

Jack whispered into Charlie’s ear, We want to talk with you. Then he pointed toward a hilltop outside the compound.

Charlie nodded and started walking toward the hilltop. Jack and his entourage followed.

When they reached the summit, Charlie turned and said, What’re you boys up to?

Are we away from Lucifer’s ears? Jack asked.

Yes, the recorders stop at that orange marker down there, Charlie said, pointing to an orange post at the bottom of the hill.

Charlie, this is Bobby; that’s Ken, Blake, Steve, and Jeff. We plan to change this country back to what you had when you grew up. You know, the freedom you had to move around—and get these damn microchips outta our shoulders.

Does Lucifer know you’re here?

No. I used a device to change our location. Lucifer thinks we’re in Denver. Bobby’s never had a chip. He’s been on the streets all his life—was born a few years before the Race War. Lucifer doesn’t even know he exists.

Now, let me understand this. You want to change the government so you have some freedom?

We want to overthrow Lucifer, Charlie.

You six?

Yeah, but we’ll recruit others as we go. When the word gets out, we’ll have a tidal wave of volunteers.

Whatta you want from me?

Will you tell the guys about how it was when you grew up, about the freedom you had, and how things changed along the way?

Charlie looked at Jack for a long moment, then turned and looked at each of the others. He breathed deeply. Well, I need something—no, here’s what we need. There’s a device in the Administration Building, that building there on the fringe of the compound. It’s called a Thought Analyzer—transfers thoughts of a person to other people so the recipients perceive the thoughts and recollections as if they were their own and had lived all the events being transmitted to them.

Rece …? Bobby mumbled.

Recipients, Jack said. A recipient is a person that gets something from another. In this case, we’ll be receiving Charlie’s thoughts and recollections from years past. Exciting, huh?

Yeah.

The guards will leave the building in fifteen minutes, so we have to wait till then, Charlie said.

Bring us up to date on the Race War while we wait, Jack said.

Where do I begin?

When you’re born, Bobby said.

Charlie laughed. Okay, I was born in 1980 in the state of Tennessee …

That’s where we just came from, Jack said, interrupting Charlie.

"There were fifty states back then, and you could travel anywhere you wanted to as long as you had a car and fuel, which was plentiful. We had cars that ran on petroleum. We called it gasoline. It was refined from oil, which was prohibited from public use in 2028. Some people and businesses got exemptions from the prohibition if they gave the government enough money. When I was five or so, a communications medium was introduced. We called it the Internet. We used metal boxes to create images on a screen, and we could play games on it, do research, communicate with each other, keep all kinds of records, and find out what was happening around the world. Today, the only communication we’re allowed to use is our microchip, and then we can only use it to send a transmission to our designated satellite and notify gatekeepers of Lucifer that we have an emergency. We also had handheld instruments to communicate with each other whenever we wanted. We called them ‘cell phones’ because they used a tall tower to relay messages back and forth between the users. They were banned by Lucifer, who used a lame excuse that they were hazardous to the users’ health.

During the period 2010 to 2015, government idiots ran up a tremendous debt—borrowing from other countries while providing no collateral security. The lawmakers were like drunken, malfunctioning robots. They spent borrowed money like it was nothing, but their foolishness caught up with them. They had to devalue our currency in 2022, and the countries that had loaned us money were about to invade us until we made a deal to give them some of our most precious, prized asset—our land. We actually gave them six states to settle our debt.

Bobby, do you know about the states? Jack asked.

Uh …

I don’t think he does, Jack said.

"Well, until 2022, we had forty-eight states that joined each other, plus one state that was on the other side of Canada, a country that’s to our north, and another state that’s an island in the Pacific Ocean. The land area of the forty-eight states was about 3,000 miles from east to west and about 1,500 miles from north to south. We owed China a lot of money—two trillion dollars—so we gave them two of our best states, California and Oregon. We gave the states of Florida and Louisiana to Japan. Canada claimed the state of Washington, and Mexico claimed New Mexico. We’re not permitted to go to any of those states anymore. And it’s time to get the Thought Analyzer. Who’s going?"

I’ll go, Jeff said.

Take Bobby with you, Jack said.

Jeff started down the hill toward the Administration Building, and Bobby ran to catch up.

He’s just a youngster, Charlie said, turning to Jack.

I sent him to look after Jeff. Bobby is more experienced in the art of survival than any of us will ever be.

CHAPTER 1

W here are they?" Jack asked as he paced back and forth.

There they are, Charlie said, pointing toward Bobby and Jeff as they climbed the hill from the Administrative Building.

Jack hurried over to them. Where’ve you been? What happened?

Had to wait for the guards to leave, Jeff said. Bobby wanted to knock ’em off, but we had a man-to-man and waited it out.

Good for you, Bobby. We can’t do anything to jeopardize Uncle Charlie’s presence here, Jack said. You see, if we did harm to anyone, they’d blame Uncle Charlie, and they could take his home away.

Bobby bent his head toward the ground. His eyes shifted back and forth. Don’t want to hurtcha, Charlie, he whispered.

Thank you, Bobby, Charlie said. Now, if I can have those little gadgets, I’ll provide everyone with a history lesson. As soon as I place this one to my temple, you place your piece to your left temple. He gave each person an instrument that resembled a 1995 telephone handset receiver connected to a semicircular band. Place the band over your head and place the round piece on your temple—like this, he instructed, then demonstrated how it should be done. Sit down and close your eyes.

Jack helped Bobby with his instrument, checked to see that the other men had placed their instruments correctly, then placed the piece to his own temple. He immediately felt an electronic surge, and he felt Charlie’s thoughts and recollections of past days and years begin to flow into his consciousness. Charlie’s thoughts were now the same as words, and all his personal thoughts and memories were shared. All the participants had suddenly entered an invisible time machine and were traveling backwards into Charlie’s past.

Goddamn! I said. The lawmakers have finally broken our country. They’re debating in the Senate about giving away California to settle part of our debt. Hell! It’s their debt! It’s not my debt!

Let’s go, honey, Carole said. You’re going to be late opening.

Open for what? Haven’t you heard the 2026 and 2027 recessions are now in 2028? And 2029 is just around the corner. I looked at her and reminded myself how lucky I was to have her. Her dark brown hair was in a ponytail, and with it swaying in the wind when she walked, she looked really sexy. I’m six foot one, so when she stood close to me, her head hit me at about the top of my shoulder. Sometimes I would pick her up and hold her like a mother holds a baby, just to be close to her. Even with the government’s food rationing, she stayed healthy and fit. Her hazel-colored eyes sparkled when she turned her head into the light. She’d been with me for four years, and she’d never asked anything other than to be my significant other. She truly was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

I put my hands on her shoulders. Carole, I’m going to Boston. I’m going to join the government protest. Will you come?

She looked at me for a moment. You’re not opening the shop?

No, I’m going to protest the government. I want you to come.

She breathed deeply. When do we leave?

Thirty minutes.

I’d better hurry. It’s too bad the protest isn’t in DC because we could be there in thirty minutes from here in Fairfax.

Yeah, I said. I used our solar phone to get the government’s permission to travel to Boston. I told them my grandmother was extremely ill and that I’d been notified by my brother who works for the Department of Health.

You took quite a chance, she said as she looked around the room. You don’t think we’re being recorded, do you?

No, it’s okay.

I’m packing, she said and turned to walk into the hall that led to the bedroom.

I called the government’s hotline, told them I had permission to travel to Boston, and needed a code to make a reservation at a hotel. Much to my surprise, they gave me a code without any questions, so I made a reservation at a hotel in north Boston. I selected a change of clothes from my closet, then walked to the bedroom to join Carole.

I’m ready, she said.

This is a change of clothing for me. Will it fit in your bag?

We’ll make it fit, my darling, and please try to stay calm. You get upset so easily when it comes to government stuff, but we’ll do this together. You’re almost fifty, and I want to keep you around for a long, long time.

I’m in the best of health, babe.

Yes, you are. You’re tall; you have all your beautiful, unruly, brown hair; you have all your teeth; you walk with authority; and that’s exactly the way I want to keep you.

Good! That’s settled. Let’s roll.

We left Fairfax City and drove around DC on the dilapidated government highway that used to be the Beltway many years in the past. We traveled through Baltimore, around New York City, and to north Boston, where we checked into the hotel. Rally’s at 10:00 a.m. at Boston Common, I told Carole. We’re going to rally in east Cambridge and then march to Boston Common. I’d like to be there at eight at the earliest.

Let’s get up at six. That should be plenty of time, she said.

"That’ll work. The train’s just three or four blocks away.