ASSOCIATION / CH. 29:SETTLING IN

9AM, SATURDAY 10TH FEB, 2272, EVACUATION SITE TWO

“Excuse me?” Karen said to a young man heading for a tent that was reserved for the maternity wing. “You're in the wrong tent.”

“I can't be. That's where I slept last night!”

“When did you last check your allocation?”

“Urm, when was it? Tuesday, Wednesday? I wrote it down in case there was a network problem...”

“The allocations were marked as provisional. I'm afraid you're now in the middle of the maternity wing.”

“Maternity wing?”

“Yes. You know, pregnant women groaning in pain every so often, nervous husbands? This is where they'll be as they await the big event.”

“Urm.”

“Didn't you see a big sign as you arrived? 'Tent allocations may have changed, please check on network or at information tent.'”

“I saw something, but it was crowded, and I was with friends, you know?”

“Please re-check your allocation, pack up, and leave your tent in exactly the condition you found it in, otherwise I'll have to send some soldiers to help you.”

“Yes, maam. I'll tell my friend too.”

“You do that.” Karen said. “I'll be sending some soldiers to cordon this area off in about half an hour, so you've got until they get here, OK?”

“Yes, maam.”

It was inevitable, Karen realised. Any last minute change caused trouble. There'd be knock-on effects too. She decided she'd need a list of tents where people's assignments had been changed. And that sign obviously needed to be moved. She warned Kate and Sarah.

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11AM.

Teresa and Tony strolled hand in hand towards the gateway to the camp, with their rucksacks on.

“Good morning! The urgent message of the day is: Please read that important sign.” greeted the guard.

“How's the network today?” Tony asked.

“Oh, you're that reporter, aren't you? Hello. Much better now. But do check your tent allocation, there have been some changes, even this morning.”

“Really? That sounds tricky with the tents filling up.”

“Exactly. So the next bit of the notice says register your presence.”

“I'd seen that.” Teresa volunteered.

“Sounds like you need a notice stuck to every tent.” Tony suggested.

“They've gone one better.” Teresa said. “I saw the other notice. Free hot drink at the mess hall, if you've registered.”

“It was going to be free anyway!” Tony said.

“Not for people who aren't resident here, they're not.” the guard said.

“Cunning.” Tony agreed.

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11.30 AM

George was at the front desk when an irate man in his forties got to the front of the queue. “I want to speak to whoever's in charge!”

“Ultimately that would be his majesty, sir. Could I try to be of help and then we'll see how far up the chain of command we need to go?”

“Nothing's working! The scanner at the mess hall won't acknowledge me, says I'm not registered. Well, there's a reason for that! It won't let me register! I've moved into the tent the system told me to, and now it won't let me register that I've done it. Who do I need to talk to?”

“That would probably be me, sir, since right now I'm in charge of allocations. Can I check your I.D.?”

“Here.”

“Hmmm. Let's see. Yes, it's recorded your six failed attempts at registering. It's quite simple, sir, you're not allocated to that tent, as the computer probably told you each time.”

“But that's the tent it told me to go to!”

“When, sir?”

“Yesterday!”

“And you tried to register today?”

“Yes!”

“Well, sir, it's quite simple, really. The computer didn't know you were there and has allocated someone else to that tent.”

“I was there first, allocate it back to me!”

“Sorry, sir, the rules are very simple. You go to your tent, determine there is no problem, and register your presence. Until that happens you are not in the system. There is a two hour period after any adjustment happens that allows registration to occur. This particular switch happened more than twenty four hours ago.”

“Why do you need to move people? Why can't you just let things be?”

“There was a higher priority need, sir. I'm sorry, but people aren't very good at registering, and people don't register or mistakes happen. For example, although your medical certificate has not yet been received, I notice that you're registered as needing a wheel-chair for distances of more than a hundred meters.”

The man decided to bluff “I do, sometimes.”

“Sir, I'm sure you've noticed, I'm a truthsayer. As I said, mistakes happen, and doctors are not always available. For that reason I'm available to act as expert witness to your truthfulness, if you wish to self-certify as disabled, then a formal interview to that purpose can take place with my colleague. I warn you that the interview will occur under oath, and that any untruthfulness may be counted as perjury. I will also inform you that the wheel-chair bound person allocated to that tent has requested assistance, and that a squad of soldiers will shortly be emptying the tent.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“What! They can't go through my private things! This is disgraceful!” the man shouted.

“Yes sir. It is entirely disgraceful when a citizen decides to lie about his medical status and then seeks to gain advantage through deception. I believe it is technically a variety of fraud.” George replied calmly.

“Are you calling me a liar?” the man demanded.

“Do you request a self-certifying interview, sir?” George asked.

“No.” the man said grumpily.

“Thank you for saving me the effort.” George said, thinking of the effort of arranging such a (pointless) meeting. He managed to duck the punch the man threw; it seemed the man had understood George to be talking about the effort of calling him liar.

The plain clothes policeman who'd made is way to the desk at the sound of a raised voice neatly restrained the man before he could have another go.

“You, sir, are now under arrest for disorderly conduct and attacking a civil servant in the course of their duty. You have the right to remain silent, anything you do say will be recored and may be used against you in court. You may appoint a lawyer yourself or one will be appointed for you. Scrub his allocation, Truthsayer.”

“Of course, officer.” George agreed.

“What?” the man demanded, “You can't do that!”

“Depending on the magistrate's decision, you may or may not be released in time for the impact. Therefore, at present you have no need of an allocated tent.” the policeman replied.

George added, “Your possessions will eventually join you at the police station.”

“He provoked me!” the man claimed.

“I'm sure the camera will tell the judge all he needs to know.”

“Officer?” George asked. “You might like to notice the tattoo on the inside of his wrist, where his sweat-band doesn't quite cover it.” It was a gang mark. Not all gang members were young; some survived in related 'trades' such as handling of stolen goods.

“Tattoo?” the policeman asked. “Oh, that tattoo! Yes indeed! Well spotted, Truthsayer.”

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3PM EVACUATION SITE TWO.

“Hello, Truthsayer!” Tony greeted George.

“Hello. Is this an interview, a problem, or just 'hello'?”

“How about all three?”

“That's economical.” George commented.

“The problem is that of my camera, which I've got with me, but don't particularly want to share a bed with. Teresa's much nicer to hug.”

“Ah, you want a safety deposit box!”

“Exactly.”

“There has, unfortunately been a rather high demand for them.”

“Ah.”

“So we're almost out, and we're therefore asking people to group together with friends and share one, at least until we get another delivery.”

“And you've got spare keys?”

“They're electronic. Unlock with your I.D., or a secure code from your wrist unit and a pass-code.”

“I was about to ask what happens to people who want to put their I.D. in one. Why the pass-code?”

“We don't want people stealing wrist units.”

“But... don't they have theft protection built in?” Tony asked.

“Yes, but it's not a hundred percent trustworthy — it relies on sensing temperature. You tell me the difference between taking off your wrist unit and washing in cold water.”

“It cools down faster in cold water?”

“Yes. And people don't want their wrist unit deciding it's been stolen just because they have a wash, do they? So some clever Charlie worked out that if you steal a wrist unit and immediately put it somewhere cold, for example, next to some snow, or drop it in a puddle, then it doesn't decide it's been taken off, and doesn't lock itself.”

“Oh. Is this well known?”

“It is to the people who knew Charlie Kray. I presume it is, but I've never checked. It's probably not the sort of thing a responsible journalist would publish in any detail. In the circumstances of lots of people, puddles, and a risk of snow next week, I suggested that pass-codes might be a good idea.”

“Snow next week?”

“Small chance, on Wednesday. Possibly dependant on how the weather gets affected by an atmospheric disturbance.”

“An... oh. Do I presume that means that we don't see much of the impact?”

“We shouldn't be looking, with a naked eye.”

“No. I was thinking that there'd be drone cameras, big displays, scientists hogging the cameras, and so on.”

“I think there might be. That doesn't mean there will be much to see.”

“Oh well. Next question, any lost children or similar human interest stories so far?”

“No lost children. They all seem to be doing a very good job of clinging to mummy and daddy.”

“Other human interest events?”

“One attack on a civil servant by someone who thought he'd been called a liar. No harm done, arrest was immediate.”

“More details?”

“Feel free to ask at the local police station.”

“Where was the civil servant?”

“At the desk here.” George said.

“You're not going to say more?”

“Before I've even given the police a statement? I don't think so.”

“You saw it?”

“I'm saying no more.” George said resolutely.

“Oh all right. When was it?”

“I'm saying no more.” George repeated.

“Fine. Next question, how many people are in tents without registering their presence?”

“Good question. As far as I know no one's checked. But people do need to register, because we're getting reallocation requests all the time. We're going to try really really hard not to move people who are registered as present, but not people who aren't.”

“So people might be all set up, ready for the night, and find what used to be their tent isn't theirs any more?”

“Exactly.”

“What's to stop people registering as present before they get here?”

“The registration will not process unless they're on site. If they register as soon as they're through the gate and then find there's a problem... well they're going to be found out when they ask for assistance, aren't they?”

“What sort of problems have there been so far?”

“Mostly what the soldiers are calling the goldilocks cases. 'Somebody's been sleeping in my tent.'”

“And there's no first-come-first-served rule?”

“Not really. Even people who've registered properly might find themselves being asked to move, if too many really high priority cases come along late. In that case we are putting a first-come-first-served rule between equal options, so the people who've been here longest are the least likely to be moved. And there are also people who've made false claims about their priority. They're going to be moved out before properly registered people are moved.”

“How will you find them? Go out and knock on tents with a doctor and a pack of soldiers at your back?”

“Pretty much, yes. Plus some clear information about who to talk to.”

“You mean you're asking people to volunteer information about their neighbours?”

“No. Not every high priority case is visibly ill. But we can easily check on people who've failed to submit medical certificates, for instance. Plus there are other ways.”

“You're talking about... someone with the gift?”

“Yes. A false registration is fraud and if they're keeping a high priority case out of a tent they need to be in, then there's at least one victim to their fraud.”

“What sort of penalties could they expect?”

“It depends on the exact nature of the case, of course. But it might include fines, a jail sentence, and even expulsion from the evacuation camp system.”

“Expulsion from the system... where would they end up then?”

“Up to them. Perhaps staying as an unwelcome guest in a relative's living room, or paying hotel bills.”

“Or even on the streets?” Tony asked.

“As I understand it, social services have a small number of tents available for people in that situation.”

“But they wouldn't be at an evacuation site?”

“No. I'm not sure where they'd site them. Sorry, I need to deal with this lady.”

“Thank you for your time, Truthsayer.” Tony said, and went in search of more information about the attack.

“Yes, Maam?” George prompted the elderly woman.

“I've been here since the first day, and I'm registered and everything, but I wonder if I maybe ticked the wrong boxes on my application form, I know I got confused a few times.... But all my neighbours are in wheelchairs! I'm fitter than that!” she said.

“Thank you for coming forward, maam.” George replied and beckoned to a matronly woman from social services, “Would you like to talk to my colleague here and she'll help you work everything out.”

“Oh, thank you! I won't get in trouble, will I?”

“No, maam. Honest mistakes aren't a crime.” George reassured her.

Ten minutes later the social worker came and told George there'd been no mistake. She just didn't believe that her hip problem and heart condition might put her in the same category as the wheel-chair bound. They didn't really; ideally she should have been nearer to the mess hall.