Elsie led Ethan out of the dimly lit alley and into a dimly lit street. It was a street of old, abandoned brownstone apartments. Some had broken windows. Other windows were boarded up. All looked to be vacant. Few people were on the street. Those who were, moved quietly in the shadows along the walls, or stood in abandoned doorways minding their own furtive business. They mostly looked like they didn't want to be noticed at all.
Ethan and Elsie walked down the middle of the street. There wasn’t any traffic to get in their way. The few cars on the street were as abandoned as the apartments. The place was a ghost town.
“What year is this,” Ethan asked.
Elsie looked at Ethan sideways, “2031.”
“What month?” Ethan said.
“Um. I think it’s July.”
“Hmph,” Ethan thought. “A year after the Unification. Looks like this world didn’t make it. I think it’s dying.”
“How long has your world been like this?
“What?”
‘Your home,” Ethan repeated, gesturing around him. “How long has it been like this”.
Elsie looked down the street and to either side. “It’s always been like this. Where you from anyway?”
“Somewhere else,” Ethan answered. “Where’s your home?”
“This is my home,” Elsie replied. “I live here”.
“But don’t you have parents? Somewhere to go at night”?
“What’s your name?” Elsie asked. “I introduced myself. You’d think you’d want to introduce yourself back”.
“I’m sorry, Elsie,” Ethan replied. “My name’s Ethan. I’m pleased to meet you. Where are your parents”?
“They’re dead? The hooligans got them”.
“So, you’re all alone”?
“No, I’ve got friends. We look after each other. I sleep with them”.
“Are there lots of kids without parents?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph,” Ethan exhaled, while digesting the information.
“Why are these apartments empty,” he asked.
They’re not,” Elsie replied. “People live in them. They just have to be careful. If they get caught they’ll get kicked out. Hooligans come and beat them up. That’s why there’s no lights on. They don’t want to get caught”.
“But these places are abandoned,” Ethan said.
Elsie shrugged, not knowing what that had to do with anything. The buildings belonged to the Consortium.
“Where are we going?” Ethan asked.
“North Meadow”.
“North Meadow?” he repeated. “Isn’t that in Central Park?”
“Uh-Huh”.
Ethan and Elsie wound their way through a few more city blocks and reached the border of Central Park. As they approached the park, more people began to appear. Unlike the solitary people of the backstreets, these people tended to be in social groups usually of two or more. These people were different. They were more animated and engaged. They didn't appear to be completely defeated.
“This is where I live,” she said. “Come on. I’ll take you to meet Bill”.
Ethan followed. The park became more densely populated the further they went in. There were lots of people, although not necessarily going anywhere. Some were hanging out, others were selling things. A group of young adults were gathered under a tree, some dancing to tinny music playing on their cellphones.
They came to a fairly large area obviously designed for small social events. There was covered seating filled with people. It would have been a great place to put on a play or musical performance, as was probably its original intent. Now, a large viewing screen was directly in front of the seating.
“Children, listen to old Reverend Al reminding you not to go to the cartels for your Tranq. You know those people cut their product with toilet bowl cleaner. What you need is Consortium Tranq. It’s pure and clean of all contaminants. The only thing we cut our Tranq with is the finest fentanyl available. With Consortium Tranq you won’t even know you’re alive and it lasts for hours. That’s our promise, so don’t forget to ask for good old CT, short for Consortium Tranq. Available to all ages, and you can find it at any retail outlet in Westworld or Eastworld. Make sure you get some today”.
“Wait a minute!” Ethan said. “I know that voice”.
He walked over to the screen. Sure enough, there was Reverend Al.
“Now for you sinners out there still chasing your dream,” Reverend Al said after a pause. ‘I’ve got something for you too. This will put the fire in your belly, I guarantee. Consortium Methamphetamines are the way to go when you’re out there fighting to get into the Consortium. Now, I don’t care what you say. You can’t rise to the heights it takes to get into the Consortium unless you’re being fueled by Consortium Methamphetamine every day. Remember this. You’re better at everything that makes you great when you’re on Consortium Methamphetamine. Oh yes. This stuff will put a spring in your step. You can trust old Reverend Al on this. And guess what? You might even lose a little weight. Now how about that?
“Now, I know what you’re thinking, children. Oh, Reverend Al, I can never make it into the Consortium, but I’m here to tell you that’s just not true. Why look at Kitty-Kitty. She’s not born of the Consortium, and why, she’s the most famous of the Chosen Ones out there. Don’t tell old Reverend Al you can’t be a Chosen One too. Especially if you’re using CM on a regular basis. That’s what Kitty-Kitty did, and look where it got her.
“Okay, this ends the promotional part of the program and it’s time to move on to today’s killing. We picked a good one for you, but before we go to killing, I want to read a letter I received from one of you poor misfortunate outcasts out there. I don’t have the letter with me, so I’ll just tell you what it says verbatim like. It’s from a young woman, Her name is Teresa. That’s a fine name isn’t it? Well now, Teresa tells me she knew one of the people we sacrificed live on the Reverend Al channel. Oh, how proud she felt being associated with the recently deceased and all. She was standing right at teleprompter #992, and can you believe it? Everyone watching from that teleprompter turned to look at her when she said, “Hey, I know that guy”! Now, how do you like that? Everyone was oohing and awing over her like she was a princess, or movie star or something. Why for that moment she was famous. Imagine that! Maybe you’ll know the next misplaced soul we execute. Just think how popular you’ll be.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Now, like I promised, we have a good one for you today. Oh, this is a special day. Guess what’s going to happen? Today, right here on the Reverend Al channel, we are going to premier a brand new chip implant. Now, what do you suppose this new implant does? It explodes, that’s what! That’s right. The good scientists of the Consortium have come up with a way to get that old chip vibrating so fast it’ll explode right inside your head. Now, how about that? Isn’t that exciting?
“This isn’t cheap stuff we're putting into these implants either. You’re getting elements in there that when they touch from all the vibrating, they explode just like a mini nuclear bomb, only not as big. Plenty big enough to blow up a head like putting a stick of dynamite in a pumpkin though. Oh yes. We went through a lot of trouble to make this an exciting experience for you, so make sure you get down to the Robosurgery, and get your implant upgraded today. It’s better than us having to send Sheriff Bob out to do it. You all know he’s not a surgeon class robot.
“Now, the fellow we’ve chosen for you today, is a bad one. This man has performed every despicable act you can imagine, and let me tell you,” Reverend Al paused and lowered his head. “He’s a member of the Woke Believers Party. That’s right, and as you good folk know, they’re the worst of the bunch. They are the only party to be outlawed in both Westworld and Eastworld. This man is a heretic and a sinner if I ever saw one and we’re going to teach him a lesson about going up against the laws of the Consortium. We don’t even know how many laws this fellow here has broken. That’s how bad he is.
“The rules of the execution are the same as always. We set the sinner down in the middle of a football field and if he can run to either end-zone before his head blows up, why his life is reprieved. Not only that, he’ll receive a luxurious three day stay, with free food and even a massage. Sponsored by the Trans-Continental Inn, right here in New York City. Trans-Continental Inn. When you’re here, you’re home.
“Now then, what do you think is going to happen here today? Well, we have this fellow, what’ s his name anyway? Ah, Peter, well Peter’s going to be running towards the end zone like there’s no tomorrow, and we’re going to be getting all excited, because we’re hoping his head’s going to explode, but we don’t know when, or even if it will. Now isn’t that exciting? Oh, the suspense is getting to me already!
‘Today’s program is going to be state of the art. We’re not going to blow up old Peter’s head and then go home. No sir. First of all, we’re going to have cameras from every angle on this devil while he’s running. We’ll have close-ups where you can see the fear in his eyes and the sweat on his brow. It’s going to feel like you’re running alongside him. And when his head finally goes to exploding, we’ve got Splatovision technology, brought to you by Consortium LUX. That old brain's going to splatter on your viewing screen just like you were standing next to him. Consortium Lux - Where technology lives.
“Now then. You’re going to be running right beside this demon as he runs down the field. Looking right into those demon eyes of his, and all of a sudden old Peter’s brain explodes and the camera zooms out at the exact speed of the skull fragments and brain matter, only a little faster. But you know sooner or later those brains are going to catch up and when they do, oh what a mess. Splat! All over the screen, and it’s going to be so real, you’ll want to take a shower after watching it. That’s how real it’s going to be. I'll guarantee. And then you’re going to be sitting there looking at the globs of brain and shards of skull dripping down the screen. Now, I don’t know how much blood there’ll be, but oh boy, I can’t wait to find out.
“Oh, yes, we’re going to make a celebration out of this one. What we're going to do is examine the video from every angle. We’re going to look at it from close and far, and the whole time we’re going to be listening to a panel of splatter experts, doctors, and even the inventor of the chip talking about what's going on. Oh, won’t that be something? That’s what I’m waiting for. Why, these specialists are going to be talking about trajectory and velocity, and have easy to understand illustrations for us to look at. By the time they’re done you’re going to think you know something.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking old Reverend Al has outdone himself today, and things could not get any more jolly. Well, let me tell you, children, you are wrong about that. That new microchip we given Peter. It can measure his fear response, and for those of you who have your own microchip, we’re going to link these emotions right to you, real time. You’re going to think you're feeling the fear Peter is feeling when he runs down that field. You’re going to feel the desperation when that old microchip starts buzzing around in his head. You’re going to feel the exact second when Peter sees the hopelessness of his struggle. You’re going to feel it all, and it’s free, brought to you by the consortium. No subscription required. You’re going to get this service automatically.
“I wonder how far those little pieces of brain and skull are going to fly? I betcha pretty far, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Ooh, I can’t take it anymore. Bring this sinner out and let’s see what this new technology can do.
“Okay, here he comes. Look how the all-new X-Ultimate handles him. You’d think he was a rag doll, not a man. No muss and fuss with the X-Ultimate, brought to you by the good folks at Absolute Power Robotics. Only available to Gold members of Consortium Club. The X-Ultimate. Everything you need in personal protection. Brought to you by Absolute Power. Absolute Power: Your place for next generation protection, and don’t forget, trade-ins are always welcome.
“Alright then. Let’s get a live mic on this guy and give him his last words. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why give such a blackguard a voice? Why give him a podium? Well, first of all, it’s the right thing to do and the good folks of the Consortium strive to do what’s right for you poor outcasts out there. Just because we have to execute a poor misguided dissident, doesn’t mean we don’t care enough that we're going to deny him a final word. That would be inhumane. Plus, this here final interview will be as entertaining as all get out.
“Peter, can you hear me”?
“Yes, I hear you, Reverend Al”.
“Any last words before we blow up your head”?
“Blow up my head”? Peter asked, looking confused.
“Oh, you didn’t know,” Reverend Al replied, feigning innocence, but snickering too, like he and the audience knew something Peter didn't. “Oh yes Peter. You not only have the honor of being the star of the daily execution, held exclusively on the Reverend Al program, immediately following the daily Lucky 7 lotto draw at 3:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, but you are indeed about to be the first execution to have his head blown up through the means of modern technology. Now what do you say to that”?
“Listen to me people,” Peter declared. “There is another way. True freedom waits for you. Fight their drugs and mind control. The Oracle will come to you. Have faith”.
“Oh, isn’t he a feisty one?” Reverend Al laughed. “Old Peter thinks there’s an Oracle running around out there. Going to save all you poor folk from misery. Well, just where is this Oracle, Peter? Have you ever seen it”?
“No, but I believe in it and have faith”.
“You hear that,” Reverend Al quipped triumphantly. “Hasn’t seen the Oracle. Doesn’t exist”.
“Oh it exists,” Peter replied. “The ancient text tells us it’s coming. Until then, it is in heaven, not earth where we will find our reward”.
“Why you scamp! The Consortium has ruled outcasts are forbidden entrance to heaven. You have been proven not to be worthy. If you were, you’d be part of the Consortium. That’s how you know. No Sir! This man is a liar. Let him go X-Ultimate. Let’s see what he’s made of.
“Okay, Peter. Get going. You know the rules. Reach either end-zone and you live. Now get. Time starts now. Get going”.
Peter simply sat down in the middle of the football field. What’s more, his brain signals, the same signals the outcasts were receiving real-time, were producing a state of serenity, not the extreme fear Reverend Al had predicted.
“Get him up and running,” Reverend Al commanded X-Ultimate.
The X-Ultimate reached down and not unlike a cattle prod, sent a jolt of electricity through Peter who remained seated, and unresponsive.
“I said, get him up and running,” Reverend Al yelled, but Peter did not respond to the prompts X-Ultimate tried. Finally, what can only be described as desperation coming out of a robot, X-Ultimate picked Peter up and started running down the field with him.
“All right then!” Reverend Al shouted in anger. Peter was making X-Ultimate look stupid running down the field that way. “Time’s Up”!
With that, Peter’s head did explode, and Spaltovision worked as well as promised. You really did feel you should be wiping brains from your face.
The group of viewers as well as Reverend Al fell silent. There was almost a full minute of silence before the good Reverend spoke again.
“Even though Peter did everything humanly possible to ruin this historic event, I have never thought I’d see something so magnificent as this,” he said reverently. “My. My. My. What a wonderful thud those brain pieces made when they hit the screen. Did you hear that? What you have witnessed here today is a miracle of the Consortium. No one else can bring you entertainment like this.
“Live Reality entertainment, Children,” Reverend Al said, shaking his head from side to side in awe. “That’s what it’s all about, and look at that. No damage to X-Ultimate in spite of throwing itself in danger’s path. X-Ultimate. Only available to Gold Club members”.
Then, after another short pause. “Children, this new microchip has exceeded all my expectations. What a glorious thing to experience, don’t you agree? Now remember, you will get to see the fear in the sinner's eyes tomorrow. You will feel the emotions of inescapable death that this fellow Peter was too ignorant and ornery to share with you today. Tomorrow, you’ll know what it feels like to fear death, and you’ll think twice about going against the Consortium. Until tomorrow, Children. God Bless the Consortium”.