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2028-Harold
War and the people left in its wake have destroyed the world as we know it. In the year 2028. The United States is a broken place ruled by nobody but death, famine, and sorrow. Once glorious, it now stands a monument to hubris in a world gone mad.
Somewhere around the year, 2025 everything changed. America had already slowly become dependent on artificial intelligence and the internet back in the early 2000s. 2025 cemented the transformation by introducing biometrics, facial recognition, and cashless payment systems. Dr. Harold Smith had watched it all. He saw back in 2020 how the world's newest pandemic ushered in sweeping changes to a nation he once loved.
Harold still called himself doctor, although now, any real doctor was a machine backed by AI. If you were sick, why would you go to a fallible doctor, when you could use a machine with a perfect track record. The type of Doctor he was, only served the savagery of this world now. The machine doctors and the AI only served the extremely privileged who hid away in their bunkers as the world became a shit show.
Harold and his family didn't leave the financial district of New York when the lights went out. He decided along with so many other people, that help was on the way. He stayed through the rampant crime, he outlasted the neighborhood killing, he was now at the mercy of starvation. He already buried his wife in the backyard. She didn't die violently thank goodness. She died of her need for insulin in a world that had none left to be had.
He and his now emaciated daughter are all that remains now. They have been scrounging building rats, scrounging through the homes of the dead, and considering the local blood bank. Imagine being so desperate, so hungry, that you hide the fact you know the human body can gather sustenance from blood, as to have more for yourself. The cessation of all electronic usage to the underprivileged had crippled the nation. He knew of one thing now. They had to get out of here. They simply couldn't die in this building. Tomorrow would be the day.
Well, tomorrow was not the day. Roving gangs of looters and rapists kept that reality off for several weeks. Harold did sneak off to the blood bank during that time, he nearly lost his life doing so, but he kept his daughter alive enough to make the escape. The escape in itself was not pretty. He had to fight off two neighbors when they discovered the blood packets. Harold was a former Marine. He knew and saw combat back in the old middle east wars. Dispatching starving people with guns was rather easy for him.
I am not even sure how far we walked. The days and nights just seem to blur. We finally made it out of the city after the first bombs fell. Looking at my daughter, I just can't believe this is our life now. Hungry, carrying guns, killing people. I was a doctor for fucks sake. Here we found ourselves nonetheless. Navigating through the rural parts of New York, killing small animals, and drinking wild water. To add insult to injury, even with him being a doctor, while taking refuge in an abandoned cabin, his daughter died from drinking that water. After everything he went through to keep her alive, he was quite honestly, the cause of her death. He buried her behind that cabin. His only child, his sweet daughter.
The cabin only proved a refuge for so long. Lots of survival cliches say that the further you are from people, the better off you will be. This is true on its face. What it does not account for is a tyrannical overlord with heightened technological assets. Harold saw the drones flying above the cabin, he even made an excuse when one stopped and hovered. When the DHS wookies burst from the tree line several weeks later and zip-tied him up, he knew his excuses we're dumb.
So now, Harold found himself hooded, in the back of the transport, being carted back to none other than New York. On arrival to FEMA center Shangrila, he was given an explanation, that the USA needed citizens to contribute in any way possible to the rebuilding and reestablishment of the nation. That is why he was forced to be beaten, starved, and humiliated by the guards of the camp. It was all for America and all her glory. While on latrine duty, seven weeks into his service. Harold had one brief moment to reflect on everything. He finally had the tears. He let them flow. Everything just seemed hopeless.
So many at the camp had similar stories. The realization dawned on most. We would rather die fighting our way out of this than live in this manner. Secret plans became secret actions. A breakout and a mutiny were hatched. Several of the camp members were former military. The insurrection was well planned and guided. 10 weeks into captivity, Harold and the others earned their release in blood. Again, Harold found himself, free from the jaws of death, unknowing, where he would spit out next.
© Rising Darkstar
Somewhere around the year, 2025 everything changed. America had already slowly become dependent on artificial intelligence and the internet back in the early 2000s. 2025 cemented the transformation by introducing biometrics, facial recognition, and cashless payment systems. Dr. Harold Smith had watched it all. He saw back in 2020 how the world's newest pandemic ushered in sweeping changes to a nation he once loved.
Harold still called himself doctor, although now, any real doctor was a machine backed by AI. If you were sick, why would you go to a fallible doctor, when you could use a machine with a perfect track record. The type of Doctor he was, only served the savagery of this world now. The machine doctors and the AI only served the extremely privileged who hid away in their bunkers as the world became a shit show.
Harold and his family didn't leave the financial district of New York when the lights went out. He decided along with so many other people, that help was on the way. He stayed through the rampant crime, he outlasted the neighborhood killing, he was now at the mercy of starvation. He already buried his wife in the backyard. She didn't die violently thank goodness. She died of her need for insulin in a world that had none left to be had.
He and his now emaciated daughter are all that remains now. They have been scrounging building rats, scrounging through the homes of the dead, and considering the local blood bank. Imagine being so desperate, so hungry, that you hide the fact you know the human body can gather sustenance from blood, as to have more for yourself. The cessation of all electronic usage to the underprivileged had crippled the nation. He knew of one thing now. They had to get out of here. They simply couldn't die in this building. Tomorrow would be the day.
Well, tomorrow was not the day. Roving gangs of looters and rapists kept that reality off for several weeks. Harold did sneak off to the blood bank during that time, he nearly lost his life doing so, but he kept his daughter alive enough to make the escape. The escape in itself was not pretty. He had to fight off two neighbors when they discovered the blood packets. Harold was a former Marine. He knew and saw combat back in the old middle east wars. Dispatching starving people with guns was rather easy for him.
I am not even sure how far we walked. The days and nights just seem to blur. We finally made it out of the city after the first bombs fell. Looking at my daughter, I just can't believe this is our life now. Hungry, carrying guns, killing people. I was a doctor for fucks sake. Here we found ourselves nonetheless. Navigating through the rural parts of New York, killing small animals, and drinking wild water. To add insult to injury, even with him being a doctor, while taking refuge in an abandoned cabin, his daughter died from drinking that water. After everything he went through to keep her alive, he was quite honestly, the cause of her death. He buried her behind that cabin. His only child, his sweet daughter.
The cabin only proved a refuge for so long. Lots of survival cliches say that the further you are from people, the better off you will be. This is true on its face. What it does not account for is a tyrannical overlord with heightened technological assets. Harold saw the drones flying above the cabin, he even made an excuse when one stopped and hovered. When the DHS wookies burst from the tree line several weeks later and zip-tied him up, he knew his excuses we're dumb.
So now, Harold found himself hooded, in the back of the transport, being carted back to none other than New York. On arrival to FEMA center Shangrila, he was given an explanation, that the USA needed citizens to contribute in any way possible to the rebuilding and reestablishment of the nation. That is why he was forced to be beaten, starved, and humiliated by the guards of the camp. It was all for America and all her glory. While on latrine duty, seven weeks into his service. Harold had one brief moment to reflect on everything. He finally had the tears. He let them flow. Everything just seemed hopeless.
So many at the camp had similar stories. The realization dawned on most. We would rather die fighting our way out of this than live in this manner. Secret plans became secret actions. A breakout and a mutiny were hatched. Several of the camp members were former military. The insurrection was well planned and guided. 10 weeks into captivity, Harold and the others earned their release in blood. Again, Harold found himself, free from the jaws of death, unknowing, where he would spit out next.
© Rising Darkstar
