by Bruce Burk
Up ahead, they could see a general with his hand raised high into the air with a number of troops waiting on his command outside several religious institutions. Aiden was among the military leaders. Aiden was without a conscious and was highly connected in the Blue Party. He had fought for a role in the transitional system of government based on his father’s connections. Aiden leaned in and whispered to the general as he smiled. He pointed to the various churches, mosques, and synagogues that were in the area.
John saw Aiden from a distance. Aiden was now wearing a new military officer’s uniform that he had never seen before. It was gray and seemed very similar to the images that John had seen in the database of Nazi uniforms of World War II, only updated with current technology. Aiden appeared to have already gained some metals for things he had done. “Not any uniform I have ever seen,” Gavin said.
The soldiers had several groups of Jews that were tied up and on their knees with black bags over their heads. The troops were stopping people and asking for hand-vein identification scans as they ran through the chaotic streets. The look on their faces was intense fear. Then, the victims would hold out their hand as the machine scanned it. The soldiers were asked about their allegiance to Eidolon. Anything other than an expression of total allegiance often resulted in an arrest. Sometimes, they would even shoot them right on the spot to make an example out of them. They had placed David’s Star identification patches on the Jews as they lay in captivity.
Gavin recognized his friend Tom among the soldiers. Aiden got down from his speeder with a blaster and handed it to Tom. “Here you are, soldier. Based on my authority given from Order X-42 these terrorists must be terminated immediately. Please do away with them immediately,” Aiden commanded. Tom looked contemplatively at the blaster in his hand. He stared down at the Jewish woman in front of him as she squirmed and pleaded for God to help. He extended his arm as he pointed the blaster at her head. His hand trembled as it wrapped around the hard metal of the blaster.
However, he didn’t have it in him to kill the Jewish woman. “I can’t do it, sir. This woman has done nothing wrong,” Tom said. He threw the blaster on the ground. It was extremely rare for a military man to disobey orders. They are completely conditioned to believe in the benevolence of their superiors and simply execute their wishes without contemplating the morality or consequences of their actions at all. “Hahaha,” Aiden laughed. Aiden circled the victims and Tom. “Another idealist! This is exactly the kind of insubordination and allegiance to extreme terrorist ideas that we are fighting against. I have lost patience for your lack of faith, Tom,” Aiden said. Without hesitation, he shot Tom in the head. His body fell to the ground. The Jewish woman screamed in fear. “Let this be a lesson to any other of you maggots who decide to cling to the extremist ideas of the past. Disobedience is treason, and treason is death,” he said.
With that, he shot all killed all the Jewish men and women. Dozens of people oversaw the murderous act but did nothing for fear is the most powerful way to govern the non-virtuous. Gavin pulled a blaster and pointed it at Aiden, but John pushed it away.
“Not now Gavin. We can’t give ourselves away, or we risk much more than failure to give these people justice,” John said. Aiden got back on his speeder. “General, execute Order X-42. The General pointed his arm toward the places of worship. The soldiers ran towards them.
No one was safe.
CHAPTER 7 – [DELETED]
The soldiers burst through the doors of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. The church was filled with people, and the three priests were at the front about to give communion. The congregation cowered and jumped underneath their seats. The troops threw tear gas into the seats as they placed their gas masks on. They pointed their blasters at the three priests. “Under the order of President Eidolon you must stop preaching these terrorist ideas and pledge allegiance to Eidolon immediately, or you will be executed,” one soldier said.
The priest on the right immediately knelt and vowed his allegiance. The priest on the left said nothing. He stood there in his robe in total silence. He was shot and killed. The priest in the center said, “I will never follow Eidolon. He is a false teacher and a tyrant. I defend the name of Christ. He was shot and killed. The two bodies lay across the Alter. All the people in the church were arrested, labeled with a cross on their palms, and taken away in groups. This religious takeover occurred throughout the country. Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and all other places of worship were infiltrated, and the leaders were almost always executed on the spot. Surprisingly, many scientific societies were also investigated for atheists and agnostics. If they did not express belief in Eidolon, they were labeled with a zero on their palms and were also escorted into camps as if they were also a member of a false religion.
Perhaps the belief in nothing was still not enough for the state. Even the buildings themselves were cleansed of their religious expressions. Crosses were knocked off the top of churches, religious paintings were raided from museums and destroyed, and all the religious symbolism in Washington DC was scratched off the surface of the buildings. Most Americans were not aware at the time that on the top of the Washington Monument it says, “Laus Deo!” Those words were scratched off as well. The Statute of Liberty was one of the last symbols of the Republic to be left standing. Eidolon sent his drones flying towards it, covering it darkness. The drones blew out its foundation. The Statue of Liberty slowly fell forward lying flat on her stomach. Lady Liberty was dead.
In destroying all this religious symbolism in Washington, Aiden realized that there was one thing that Eidolon forgot to erase: the Constitution of the United States of America. Various riots occurred from people claiming that the Constitution had been completely trampled on and violated. The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are both premised on the idea of inalienable rights that are endowed by a Creator. It became quite clear that these documents were inspired by Christian principles. The simple idea that one has inalienable rights asserts the notion of natural law and the idea that there is some superior set of principles above the government.
However, the Constitution existed only in the Universal Database. That is to say, there was no longer a physical copy of the Constitution. Aiden knew that Eidolon would look favorably on him for recommending this. Perhaps he would promote him and give him a key role in the new Empire. With haste, Aiden speeded away to the new Capital as he finally sought to destroy the Constitution to that they could proceed with their plans.
John, Gavin, and Clark were finally able to leave the city thanks to their cunning wit and technological camouflaging abilities. Clark had found them some speeders, and they whisked off into the wilderness. John knew his grandfather was the only person who could help them at this point. The Holy Books still weighed tightly around his shoulder. They sped through the trees, protected by John’s necklace from drone scans above. John looked up at the sun as they got off their speeders and entered the small boat towards the river passageway. The sun pushed through the clouds as its beams radiated and lit up the world. John wondered where God was in all of this. His parents had always told him that God has a plan for everything and that all that happens is in his will. How could this be in his will? How could he let this tragedy occur? His existence had almost been completely wiped from the face of the earth. John thought by now that Eidolon and Aiden would have been struck by lightning or drop dead. His memories were finally catching up with him. He remembered his talk with God – the burning bush that spoke to him. His memories always came in random flashes and never whole. He thought of Sophia and knew he still needed to find her. A storm started to brew. John felt tiny droplets of rain on his face as they cast off their boat.
Eidolon acted quickly to remove the last enemy of his empire: the Constitution. The citizens of America saw their holo-screens fill the message of the new government: The One State. It was an eagle carrying a circle with a star in it. The Blue Party had now rearranged themselves into the One State Party. Ai
den had been made the Commander of the Military and Eidolon was now the Emperor. Aiden spoke in the newly constructed Capital in Washington. It was a dark building constructed over hardly two weeks that was tall, gothic, and frightening. The chancellors and leaders from all major countries in the world were present.
Aiden addressed his new global citizenry, “To the people of Earth! The United States has conducted military operations under the direction of his greatness, Eidolon . . . We have determined that the country can no longer rely on the Constitution. This document was inspired by Christian principles which we have seen lead to nothing but terrorism, extremism, and years of war and death. Here I have a button in front of me. When I press this button the Constitution, as well as all electronic records referencing it, or derived from it, will be erased forever. What an outdated document, the Constitution is. The thoughts of these people so long ago have proved to be irrelevant to a changing world. In its place, we will build a new Empire. An empire under Eidolon’s control that can change to the meandering needs of the public,” he said, putting his hand over the button.
“Today we kill the old republic and its false god,” Aiden said. Then, he smashed the button. A little boy in a school library had the Constitution up on his tablet and was reading it. He read, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Suddenly, the words vanished before his eyes. The words displayed: “FREEDOM IS SECURITY.” The One State logo now showed in its place. The young boy cried as he saw the document had vanished.
Aiden continued, “The world is tired of petty battles between countries over resources and idealism. For nearly six thousand years the planet has watched countries squabble as one group asserts dominance over another. Religion has perverted the minds of the masses and wars have killed millions. Leaders use countless amounts of Earth’s resources as they destroy each other. All this bloodshed … All this chaos. … And what has it got you? The earth still has millions who are in poverty. War still claims countless lives. A divided world is one that cannot stand. There is only one way to ensure the intelligent management of the earth’s resources, as well as to remove the bloody consequences of religion and world divided against itself. There is only one solution to this problem. That is why today, we are uniting together as the ONE STATE. Each country will have their place in the NEW . . . GLOBAL . . . EMPIRE!!!!”
The congregation rose to their seats in applause. They chanted, “ONE STATE!!! Eidolon! Eidolon!” The flags dropped from the ceiling that displayed the One State symbol. It looked as if someone had made a Nazi Swastika from a star. “We are strong as we are one,” Aiden continued. “And yet … as we sit here today … there are those of us who do not believe – those who cling to the terrorist ideologies of the past. Let this be a message to all the citizens of the One State . . . either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”
The congregation rose in support. It was hard to tell if they all actually believed in Eidolon but everyone believes in fear. It really didn’t matter what they actually thought anymore. “We will find these terrorists and hunt them down. Only then can we have a world truly free from war. My generals and I will be seeking out these terrorists in the coming months. As citizens of the One State, it is your duty to report any suspicious activity directly to the One State Secretary of Investigation. We will deny these terrorists a safe haven. Anyone caught harboring these terrorists will be charged with treason and executed. Anyone found clinging to the terrorist ideologies of the old republic will be accused of treason and executed. Some say that these remedies might be a little harsh. I say maybe we have a dissenter amongst us. Dissent is also treason punished by execution,” Aiden said passionately. The room applauded again. The people watched at home on their screens, and the prevailing emotion was fear.
Sophia and her friend Elizabeth had been hiding in Sophia’s living square throughout the chaos. They had been stealing food from drone-delivery systems from other buildings under cover of night to survive. They ate mostly freeze dried packets and salads that tasted like garbage. “This new government sucks,” Elizabeth said. Elizabeth was Jewish but was good enough to convince everyone that she believed in Eidolon. But deep down, she and Sophia hated the new One State. New programming came up on their holo-screens detailing new procedures for food, taxes, and jobs coming from the new state. “Someone needs to start civilly disobeying these bastards,” she said. “Sophia, let’s go get some real food. I’m tired of this freeze-dried crap.”
They headed toward Town Central where there were some One-State licensed marketplaces. Sophia and Elizabeth had not gotten used to the changes that the government had made. There were military with blaster rifles at every entrance. One State Party banners hung all throughout the streets. The military patrol would stop people and ask for a hand-vein scan and send you on your way. The One State was now assigning people to work in order based on education and experience. New virtual reality movies coming out. They included dressed up propaganda of the One Party state’s triumph over the religious extremists and all the wonderful things they had planned.
The One Party State loved using propaganda whenever it got the chance. Trumpets sounded three times a day, and the whole town stopped to salute the One State flag. Sophia and Elizabeth walked through the square. Everything was so orderly. You could just smell the fear in the citizenry. So many arrests had happened. They had seen two men arrested since they were out.
Other new laws had come out barring people from even engaging in moral contemplation. If you had a dispute, regardless of what it was, you were to inform a local One State office, and a judge would resolve the matter for you. But they were kangaroo courts. This was the procedure for personal matters such as how to raise children and what virtual reality movie to watch. The One State better not catch you arguing with someone because that assumes that One State should not have a say in the matter. Parents were to follow a strict set of rules for raising children. What is more, the One State had started taking children away from their parents to be raised by the state.
They saw an employment center and decided to wait in line. They overheard people talking. “This new empire is kind of nice. I’ve never seen such order in society. I heard they’re going to impose English as the Global Language soon. Finally! We won’t live in a world separated and divided by mother tongues,” one person said. “I don’t like this … this ‘Empire.’ Isn’t this why Rome fell? It’s kind of nice not having any violence, but at what cost?”
Elizabeth whispered into Sophia’s ear, “They’re too loud. The drones will hear them.” Elizabeth looked up and saw nothing. Perhaps they weren’t watching over them every second like they told everyone. Maybe it was just a conspiracy. Suddenly, several One State speeders showed up. The two men talking were separated from the group and arrested. “What did we do! We didn’t do anything,” one of the men said. Elizabeth started to cry. Her father was a police officer and had always told her how important freedom was. The men glanced back at her. “I’ve got a suspicious emotional display by a female in square 24,” one of the officers said. Elizabeth wiped tears from her eyes as she was surrounded by officers, “Mam, why are you crying? Are you bothered by the arrest of these men? Do you know them?" The grabbed her scanned her hand. The officer studied his tablet closely looking at her history. “Hmm … nothing … ah what’s this … an electronic statement on Jewish Family tradition? You’re coming with …” Elizabeth smashed the tablet into the officer’s face and grabbed his blaster – shooting him in the stomach. “Sophia! Run!” They jumped onto the officer’s speeder and sped off down the alleyways – the wind brushing quickly past their faces. Sophia looked behind her and fired shots at the officers in their pursuit. The officers missed Sophia and hit on man on his square’s porch. Elizabeth took a sharp turn, weaving in and out of streets. “Where are you going?” Sophia asked.
They braced themselves as they broke through a glass window into a biologica
l laboratory. They crashed into a metal machine and took off running up the stairs. Laser blasts flew past them as they ran. They came to the top floor of the lab. Their hearts were racing for fear of being caught. Then they slowed down as they saw strange things up ahead. They moved closer and saw unconscious people in water tubes with wires attached to their brains. The purple lights shined on their eyelids where were closed sound asleep. “We have to get them out! Sophia said. Sophia began having flash backs from Eidolon's ship. She had seen this type of arrangement before. Sophia began to undo the tubes attached to one of the women. She struggled as Elizabeth told them they should run. “Freeze Miss Bella! In the name of the One State, you’re under arrest,” the officer said. Elizabeth was branded with David’s Star on her hand as she struggled. The girls were placed in a speeder and hauled away to one of the concentration camps. And there was order, and there was peace. Two-dozen people had witnessed their arrest. The trumpet sounded at 12:00 and everyone saluted the One State, and there was order, and there was peace.
CHAPTER 8 - CANDIDATES
John, Clark, and Gavin walked up the steps into grandfather’s house. It was a sanctuary of art, knowledge, and plant life. It was like an oasis in a desert that stretched the whole world.
“Grandfather?” John called out. They walked through the castle-like house. Paintings of world leaders surrounded them, and they had strange equations written all over them. Chalk equations filled the walls, but they were indiscernible to the average person. Clark began to touch them and look for patterns.
“Amazing … I wonder what they mean,” Clark said. They slid open a large wooden door to find chambers of statues and a large circle on the floor. They looked like ancient tribal people with swords and arrows.