Progtopia: Book 1 of The Progtopia Trilogy (24 page)

Forty-three

The Year: 2173

Cassandra Williams stood in the courtroom with her back to the three defendants, broadcasting live to the world. “I am excited to report Judge Kelleher will soon be arriving to hand down the sentences that you, the people, voted for.”

Both the Judge and Jonathan were watching Cassandra on the VRS while sitting in the Judge’s chambers. Although Judge Kelleher was savoring his cigar, he wasn’t pleased with his son. “Do you understand the Pandora’s box you’ve opened? The public voted for each of the defendants to be free! Free! That has never happened before—ever! I really think you are playing with fire, and no ratings or entertainment is worth the risk you are taking. Your mystery punishment is an answer for ratings, but doesn’t take into account how it will affect the people.”

“May I remind you, Father, the Benefactor himself signed off on this plan. You really have nothing to say about it.”

“He’s okay with the way the public voted? Do you understand how your punishment may fuel a revolution? The only thing that will end this is an execution. Your mystery punishment is nothing but a bad idea for the State, and I frankly don’t care about your ratings.”

“Father, the mystery punishment will reveal the foolishness of freedom.”

“I hope, for the State’s sake, you and the Benefactor are right.”

The Judge put down his cigar, threw on his black robe and white wig, and exited through the door to the courtroom. Everyone stood at his entrance, excited to hear the verdict. Ordering everyone but the defendants to sit, he sat, letting the suspense build.

Thatcher, Margaret, and Marco stood nervously waiting for their fate to be handed down. The Judge, clearing his throat, opened with his remarks. “My fellow citizens of the world, I want to thank each and every one of you for casting your vote in today’s trial. I know you are all waiting with eager anticipation for the verdict, but let me first say this—you have heard much talk during the trial about God, freedom, and a better world than today. Let it be known what you heard from the defendants was nothing more than fiction and fantasy. These are delusional people who believe the individual supersedes the needs of the many. For the last 140 years, our world has lived in peace. Starvation has been eradicated from the planet. With the advances of science, disease is rare, and the life span is long. For those of you out there who believe the ways before the Crash were better than they are now, you are simply mistaken.”

As Thatcher stood there, she gave Margaret’s hand a squeeze. Her father wouldn’t be making this speech if they were sentenced to death. He had to warn those who voted to spare their lives that they were wrong.

“I, Judge Kelleher, announce the people of the State have voted to spare your lives.” The courtroom erupted in thunderous applause as Thatcher, Margaret, and Marco embraced each other. The Judge, banging his gavel, yelled, “Order, order in the court! We are not finished with the sentencing, and I demand order!” The crowd settled down as they realized all three were to receive the mystery punishment. This exciting new twist was something they had never experienced before, and they were eager to hear what it was.

“As you know,
The Trials
previously announced reeducation camps were off the table. So then, what are we to do with these defendants?” He paused as everyone inched to the edge of their seats. “The nature of this punishment won’t be revealed at this very moment,” the Judge said as the crowd let out a disappointed groan, “but we ask that you tune in today at 5 p.m. when the punishment will be revealed.” He banged his gavel. “Dismissed.”

The Social Keeper, Jefferson, took the three defendants into the side chamber of the courtroom and closed the door. He threw his blocking device onto the wall and said, “We don’t have much time to waste. I don’t know exactly what the punishment is, but I do know all three of you will be separated from each other. You have to remain strong and realize there is a growing group out there who want to resist the State. We will do whatever it takes to help you.” He ripped the device from the wall as there was a knock at the door and two more Social Keepers arrived. They were charged with taking Marco and Margaret away. Thatcher, unsure if this would be the last time she would see them, went over and embraced Margaret, whispering into her ear, “You are strong, and you will survive. I will pray for you, and I ask that you pray for me.” The Social Keeper pulled Margaret from Thatcher. As the other one was grabbing Marco, escorting him from the room, Thatcher grasped his arm and said, “Good luck.”

“You too, Thatcher.”

Thatcher was left alone with her Social Keeper. “Thatcher, you asked for something from me, and I told you I would try to deliver. I’m going to step out now because you have a visitor.” She turned around, and Thomas Quinn was standing there. As Jefferson walked out, he told Thomas he had five minutes with her, and then they had to leave. They both stood there looking at each other, wondering what could have been and what never would.

“Thatcher, I just want to say goodbye.”

“Thomas, was any of it real?”

He came closer, and Thatcher could feel the warmth of his body close to hers, remembering the night he kissed her and told her he loved her. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

“There were moments, Thatcher. The night at the Ball—that night was one of the best of my life. I’m sorry it has to end this way.”

“Moments? Sorry? Are you kidding me? That is all you have to say for yourself?”

“Thatch, your radical ideas, your thoughts and desires, aren’t in line with what I believe, and you are dangerous to the State.”

“What you really mean is dangerous to you—your precious career and your precious business! I never hid my true self from you—ever! I trusted you and thought we would be together, forever.”

“Thatch,” he tried to embrace her, but she pushed him away, “you don’t understand. If I didn’t go along with it, your father was not only going to ruin me, but my family too. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Well, I guess that answers my question. If you truly loved me you wouldn’t have succumbed to the pressure.”

“I’m sorry, Thatch. I really am.” He turned and walked away, closing the door behind him. Numb and about to break down, a knock on the door forced Thatcher to compose herself. “Come in.”

The Social Keeper came in accompanied by Jake. Her heart lifted at the sight of her old childhood friend. He placed the stack of clothes he was holding onto the table and ran to Thatcher, hugging her, pulling her close.

“Jake, you are going to be in trouble for this.”

“Thatch, I won’t. They can’t see what we’re doing here.”

He reluctantly pulled away from her, and she saw the scar on his ear—the symbol of the resistance. “Jake, I didn’t know.”

“Listen, Thatch, we don’t have much time. I want you to layer and put all of this clothing on. I know where they are taking you, and you will need these.”

“Where?”

“You will find out soon enough. What you need to know is Fitz and I will communicate with you daily and do everything we can to help you.” He went over, put his arms around her, and whispered into her ear, “I love you, Thatch. I really do.”

She withdrew, surprised. His eyes filled with tears. Without giving her time to respond, he kissed her on the cheek and left.

Speechless, the Social Keeper didn’t let her dwell on what had just happened. “Thatcher, get dressed. It’s time to go.”

Forty-four

The Year: 2035

It had been two years since Project Renaissance had started. Despite the best-laid plans, chaos ensued during the weeks and months after the initial outbreak. Every government in the world collapsed, and from those tumultuous times, the One World Government with its One World Congress arose. They no longer represented countries because countries no longer existed. Everyone in the One World Congress, appointed by Premier Burton, coordinated the rebuilding of the post-viral world. The devastation inflicted upon the planet from the virus paled in comparison to what the One World Congress implemented to save humanity. Billions initially died from the virus, while millions more died from starvation.

Self-sufficient farmers along with those who lived in the mountains, held on the longest, but the new regime squelched any hint of self-reliance. Premier Burton and the One World Congress couldn’t permit it. Farms, cabins, small towns, and anyone who survived the virus and starvation, were terrorized by daily drone strikes until all were eliminated.

Premier Burton spared leaders of large corporations as long as they professed allegiance to the One World Government. Their mission—to rebuild the world. Companies were handsomely rewarded for their loyalty. They were given sole control over the survivors to help with the rebuilding process. The government divided them and traded them like cattle, replacing human rights for the rights of the collective. The One World Government mandated cities be established only in areas where large rivers or waterways were located. No one but the ruling elite would own property. Entire cities were to be razed to the ground and reconstructed according to the One World Congress’s specifications.

Cornelius Montgomery had to regroup once Franklin and Camille never returned. He and his operatives rescued as many of the independent survivors as they could, always trying to stay ahead of the drone attacks. Recruiting those in the mountains, the rural areas, and the farms, they amassed thousands of dedicated people whose one purpose was to avenge their losses. Realizing they needed a new generation of leaders, Montgomery took Peter under his wing, mentoring him to be ready when it was his time. Peter, devastated about what had happened to his life and to Camille, committed himself to overthrow Premier Burton’s new world.

The Premier was to give a speech that evening in commemoration of the two-year anniversary of the initial viral outbreak. It had been promoted with fervor by the State-controlled media encouraging everyone to watch as if there was a choice. People in the refugee camps were forced at gunpoint to watch the speech. There was no alternative left for them.

The group in the shire, sensing a major announcement, had a keen interest in the speech. Sitting in the command center, they watched the female news anchor babble on and on with her co-anchor, speculating about the content of the speech. “Oh, okay,” the female anchor said as she put her hand to her ear, “the Premier is just about ready, and we will be cutting to him within seconds,” she exclaimed with excitement.

Momentarily, Premier Burton was staring through the television screen at everyone left alive in the world. “Good evening, citizens of the world. I come to you tonight for us to commemorate our loved ones who didn’t survive the devastation unleashed upon the earth two years ago. Because of the perseverance of the human spirit, we have survived against all odds, now working on rebuilding a society better than any civilization preceding us. As a group, we are innovative, forward thinking, Progressives who have made tremendous gains with the human race over the last two years. We must never look back into the past. It’s time for us to place our stamp on human history and eliminate all the social structures that have led to discontent in this world.

“Religion is one of those antiquated ideas. Since its inception, it has created conflict among humans. As we all know, it is divisive and harmful to progress. Many say religion is necessary to establish morality, right and wrong. That is not true. The moral truth lies in the wisdom of the Premier and the One World Congress. For that reason, I am announcing all religion is now officially banned, and anyone practicing it will be executed.

“Marriage, along with male and female cohabitation, has also existed from the beginning of time. It was a necessary ritual in order to populate the earth, but what has marriage really done for society? Most marriages were not built upon the concept of love, but rather were filled with strife, conflict, and divorce. We now have the technology to reproduce our own species without having to engage in such outdated practices. Tonight, I am revealing an exciting and innovative new practice that will accelerate the progress of our species. Men and women of the working class will now be separated forever. Their sole purpose in life will be to enjoy the many gifts bestowed upon them from the State. No longer will men and women need to be burdened by the chore of raising children. The State will lift that heavy yoke from parents, and children will now be nurtured by the State until they reach maturity. As part of their rearing process, they will receive psychological and aptitude testing with the results determining their chosen path in life. We, the State, will cultivate their talents and skills for the good of all. Once maturity is reached, they will undergo what we call the harvesting. Our physicians will extract their genetic material, which will be used in our life factories to create healthy humans. During the harvesting, the individual will be sterilized.

“I have tasked my former Chief of Staff Kelleher with the privilege of compiling all historical information regarding the human race up to this point in time. In addition, I am appointing him as the new Minister of Justice. As his first act as the Minister of Justice, he has ordered the last two years of our human history is to be now, and always referred to, as the
Crash
.

“Our New World Order, truly a borderless society, a One World Government, will do nothing but improve the human condition, exceeding the wildest imagination of our Progressive and Communist ancestors. I bid you good night.”

The television screen cut back to the two anchors excitedly talking about the wonderful changes being implemented by the Premier. Those in the shire were speechless, wondering if they could stop this madman. Suddenly, the anchors cut to static then the screen went black. A moment later, a young woman, staring at everyone who had just seen the Premier’s speech, came into view. It was Camille. Peter’s heart skipped a beat. She was alive!

“I, like you, have just heard Premier Burton’s speech. Two years ago a virus almost eradicated the human race, but it wasn’t the virus coursing through our blood that destroyed this planet, fracturing it and devastating our humanity. No, it was the virus of progressive thought that seeped into our consciousness, leading to our ultimate demise. It’s such a cleverly disguised word—
progressive
—bringing on visions of good, better, and evolved. But what it did was nothing of the sort. You see, the heart of progressive belief is that they, the intellectual elite, the intelligentsia, know better than you, and they, only they, can set up the world for the better. The State knows all and will control you. The State works toward the betterment of the collective, not the individual.

“Don’t believe me? You don’t have to believe a word I say, but look at what Progressives in America have done, then you be the judge. Sure, I can pick out specific progressive politicians, like FDR, who instituted so many government programs, gaining more control over people’s freedoms, rounding up American citizens of Japanese descent and putting them in camps, taking away their liberties, violating the Constitution of the United States. But progressivism was bigger than that. They infiltrated our thoughts by using the media, education, and politics. Generation after generation, the emphasis on our Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and civics declined, eroded by the media and the education system.

“We sat back when they passed laws letting them spy on us without probable cause. We said nothing when they passed laws allowing the government to detain us without legal representation, indefinitely, which is a direct violation of the Constitution. We looked the other way when they took over private industries and healthcare. We did nothing when they started to regulate which light bulbs we could purchase and which food we could eat. They fought for women’s right to abort, yet demonized women who wanted to own guns for protection. They limited opportunities for American children to get a good education in private schools and charter schools by closing them. Everywhere you turned, a freedom was being limited. We did nothing. Were we lazy? Were we too burdened with keeping up, paying our bills, and raising our children? Did we think Congress was protecting us?

“Congress had all but abdicated its power a long time ago. The impotent, ignorant representatives allowed federal agencies to make regulation after regulation, never challenging the authority of the executive branch. Hundreds of thousands of regulations were created affecting every aspect of American life. Congress sat back as Presidents ignored the rule of law and changed passed laws on a whim, as though they were dictators. Well, they were, and no one stopped them. Congress let executive power swell, imposing more and more regulations on the American people.

“The Progressives went after religious freedom, freedom of education, freedom to own private land, freedom of speech, and freedom to purchase guns. They destroyed our choice of healthcare as well as our doctors. Is it progressive to eradicate the notion of a Creator from the world? They say yes as they replaced our rights given to us by the Creator, with their rules and regulations. Communist Russia did that. Were their lives more progressive with the State determining torture, murder, and imprisonment in the name of the collective? Were they better off than America? We let them take prayer from our schools, Christmas from our heritage, God from public speeches, religious symbols from the public, and freedom to practice religion openly. I do not suggest government and religion unite. No, that too would be dangerous. Under our Constitution, we had freedom of religion, which meant freedom to practice our religion, and the State couldn’t limit or prohibit that. If you wanted to talk about God in a public speech, you could. If you were an elected official and wanted to pray, you could. Separation of church and state meant that a state or federal government could neither mandate which religion you had to be nor could they nationalize a specific religion, as was being done in Europe when the Constitution was written. Again, the Progressives perverted the Constitution all in the name of secularism, giving them, the State, more power. We let them take it away.

“So, you see, a virus did eradicate billions and starvation killed many more, all to gain control, but it was coming one way or another. Burton and his ilk want control over you because they believe they know better than you do. So here we are, facing tyranny in the flesh. A tyranny that has been growing in the United States for years. A tyranny that
We the People
, the protectors of the Constitution, allowed. So I ask you—are you ready to fight back now? Is this what you needed to see in order to realize the Progressives want to control your life? Do you want to be regulated and oppressed? Will they feed you? Yes. Will they take care of you? Yes. Will they give you housing? Yes. If you value security over freedom, then stay with them and rot in the hell of government restrictions. Let them be your supreme being, your ruler. If you want to be the master of your own destiny and the master of your own fate, then join us.

“You tell me how
progressive
they really are. Humans were born to be free, and our rights do not come from man or the State. Remember the wisdom of our Founding Fathers. They didn’t mince words—our rights come from the Creator. Never forget that. By taking out the Creator, Burton makes himself, the State, the ultimate authority on rights. That is dangerous and will lead to endless atrocities. Remember when the Communist Soviet Union made practicing religion and worshiping God illegal? What happened? Tyranny, torture, death, imprisonment, and terrorized people. We are now headed that way. God help all of us.

“We need to stop him. I will resist Premier Burton and the One World Congress until my last dying breath. We are out here, and we will never give up. For those who are being taken care of by the State with shelter, food, and employment, you are nothing but slaves. You have exchanged your freedom for security. What is a secure life worth if it can’t be lived? Resist.”

The screen went blank, cutting back to the anchors who were very confused by the interruption. As well-behaved, State-controlled media personalities, they completely ignored the fact that they were interrupted by someone who dared resist the Premier.

Montgomery turned to Peter. “What happened to our thirteen-year-old girl?”

“She grew up,” Peter replied.