"Air, Water, Bread!"
Safe and Productive
Today was Tax Day.
The Unmarked gathered all the crops and butchered their fattest animals – they were prepared to pay their taxes. Soon, the caravan would arrive, escorted by the selfless servants of the Just Central Authority. Then, those who kept them alive by making the air safe to breath and water clean, would enter through the Second Gate. They would greet agents of the JCA with smiles on their faces and appropriate amount of Tax Day cheer!
Even though the tax was raised again last rotation, luckily, this growing season was a bountiful one. The Unmarked worked hard and some of them, the sick and the old, those who were Productive no longer, ended themselves so as to not burden their kin. Those who were left gave more than a few extra hours each day, suffered injuries and some even died.
It was all good since they worked for themselves and felt pride in their achievements.
The fruits of their labor were needed for the continuous, smooth operation of all the JCA Ministries. Without paying taxes, their benevolent government wouldn’t be able to keep things running and terrorists would take over. Then the air and water would turn into poison, the soil crumble, the trees and plants rot in the ground. Taxes ensured that their environment was clean, and above all else, ensured their Safety.
Because, how could one be Productive, unless they were kept Safe?
Gathered all, old and young, the Unmarked stood near the gates, waiting. Soon they picked up the sounds of transport machines and the voices of cheerful government agents. They all raised their hands and shouted JCA approved joyful slogans.
“Air, Water, Bread!”
“Taxes Are Life!”
“Safe And Productive!”
Slowly, the Second Gate opened and before them, the Unmarked saw their protectors. Walking calmly, the appropriately dressed government officials approached, their cargo vehicles lined up outside. Two of the men carried a tall sign which stated the painfully obvious.
“Do not leave the Safe Area!”
All Unmarked were taught and since early childhood, that air and water were poisonous beyond the protective walls of their enclosure. Only within these precious few and supremely hard to protect Safe Areas, was their survival guaranteed.
Government agents drove their machines close and, after receiving commands, came to a complete stop. Most of them exited the control cabins; transparent Safety Veils still covered their faces, even though they were no longer outside.
Protection was everything! It was the most benevolent mission of their government and all JCA agents dutifully followed every order given, embraced every safety regulation, enforced every health mandate. Because of their sacrifice Myrrankind survived, society prospered and the survival of civilization was ensured for eons to come!
Because the Unmarked of this Safe Area were supremely productive, no government official was here on post. The JCA trusted them. They left the regulation of all health and work mandates to the people themselves. Yet, all knew and were taught since early age, that the Government was everywhere, the Government heard and saw everything. One had to be faithful; self-regulate, self-mandate, and comply with all orders of the JCA.
Only terrorists refused to obey and the unmarked didn’t want to be branded as such...
This Tax Day promised to be a momentous occasion. The sun (again thanks to their benevolent and ever gracious government) shone brightly, air tasted sweet and they were left with plenty of leftovers. Enough to survive and toil, overcome with pride, till the next cycle and Tax Day came.
Instead, something unfeasible in the minds of the Unmarked, occurred.
They were about to begin loading their taxes, when the First Gate, closed shut in times of old and marked an Unsafe Area by the government, flew apart. Though it was away, people could still see and worst of all, hear how these otherwise impenetrable doors were breached. Through the gate and inside their Safe Area, walked tall, two, giant humanoids.
The Unmarked refused to watch since what happened was literally impossible – they were in a Safe Area protected by the JCA!
Yet, their desire to disbelieve was countered by the actions of some government agents. They, as soon as that calamity (which was totally not happening) occurred, leapt inside their vehicles and attempted to maneuver out of the enclosure. Others, Safety Veils thrown on the ground and terror on their faces, mingled with the Unmarked. Token few reached for their Protection Devices and stressed beyond measure, fiddled with their controls.
The Unmarked were in for another shock; armed government agents picked up random women and children, aimed their Protection Devices at them and then shouted incoherently:
“Don’t move, we have hostages!” or “We will shoot the hostages if you attack!”
Those Unmarked, who had long since suffered, their minds overburdened with doubtful cerebration, slowly came to one terrifying realization. That these JCA agents were not their protectors, but oppressors, and had in fact, lived off their backs for generations.
However, they were not in the majority; most of their kin still assumed that the Tax Officials and JCA agents would protect them. Some even laughingly said that all of this was yet another Loyalty Test, an exercise designed and ran by their benevolent government.
Then weird, otherworldly sounds echoed and people fell dead.
Instead of protecting, their glorious Tax Officials actually attempted to kill them! Panic took hold of those Unmarked, who still blindly trusted the JCA. Their entire lives were spent learning how great their government was; that they were all doing their part by growing food, that this Safe Area was a piece of Eden, gifted to them by the authorities.
After all, they were all in this together!
If the Unmarked had not been overly tired, they’d attempt to flee, and in the process create an even greater panic. Instead they tripped and fell; some had already been crawling in the dirt on all fours. The shock was so overwhelming that their minds switched off; their limbs moved on their own, driven by instinct and self-preservation.
What saved them was a combination of somebody’s peerless aim and their “protectors’” poorly maintained equipment.
Those few who got shot were not hostages, nor any other Unmarked, but Tax Officers. They did not achieve anything by aiming their Protection Devices at the denizens of this enclosure. In fact, it was that very act of theirs which doomed them.
The newcomers were not deterred by threats – they acted upon them.
In a few short minutes, those who punctured their protective bubble and blasted through the wall, stood tall beside them. Indeed, just as many Unmarked had suspected, after taking a glimpse at them, all newcomers were alien. The two giants they saw from a distance, but it was one thing to peer at something from afar, and yet another to actually feel the ground tremble from their steps.
One was small, no taller than their children, but fierce-looking. Another appeared to be some beastly, four-legged creature, maw full of sharp teeth. Two others, who, although they appeared to be humanoid-like, were actually a mix between animal and humanoid. The Unmarked counted a total of eleven newcomers and virtually all of them carried arms. Those close enough wallowed in despair since these items looked very much like the Protection Devices which only JCA agents were allowed to possess.
Only after one last commotion, did the Unmarked calm down. A government cargo vehicle operator attempted to escape and drove straight through the still stumbling crowd. The two otherwise monstrous-looking giants, stopped what could’ve been a horrible tragedy and with apparent ease nonetheless. They simply flipped over the lumbering machine using their bare hands.
It took a few more minutes for the Unmarked to fully grasp what had happened. Their entire world shattered in a flash, those who couldn’t cope with the shock lie on the dirt, staring blankly at the sky. Others threw confused, even angered looks at the government officials who were supposed to protect them, yet did exactly the opposite.
They finally realized that no one was killed; no one except those JCA agents who shielded themselves with Unmarked spouses and children. From shock came anger and anger turned into rage, when the Unmarked witnessed how some of these newcomers dragged Tax Officials through the Second Gate.
Those stragglers were not dressed in the usual, blue protective uniforms, nor did they wear Safety Veils. This went against all of the government’s health mandates and safety regulations! They should’ve been long dead, choking on the poisonous air, and their skin falling off, covered with severe acid burns.
Only now did the Unmarked realize, that these newcomers, even though their bodies were encased in armor, their faces were bare for everyone to see.
Little by little, those who once looked at the Gate with reverence and fear, moved close. At first, only Unmarked shaken by anger made hesitant, shaky steps beyond the perceived safety of their wall. Then more, many more stepped outside; they marveled at the wild plants, and hesitantly touched the grass.
Everything was just as green and tall as their own crops, their trees, but with one difference. It grew where their government had taught, and vehemently assured them for many generations, that nothing except their agents could survive. Instead of poisonous fumes lingering above an irradiated, toxic wasteland, they saw thriving life as far as their eye could see.
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Very well written to be sure, the setting itself tells the story, which has the august authority of a futuristic fable
Love this! I especially like the nuance of how the older Unmarked members, perhaps the ones who had suspicions years ago, were the first to realize the deceptive nature of the JCA while the younger Unmarked members were still in denial with some even thinking the siege was a practice test. A wonderfully and eerily written dystopian story indeed!