Democracy vs Corporatocracy

Chapter Twenty One: Massachusetts Institute Of Technology

April 8th 2042

The Freedom Democracy League rebels were all gathered in the Old North Church, one of the oldest buildings in Boston. Marcus was at the altar with the High Council, next to the altar was the door to the Freedom Nest. Codes and Carl were counting the votes the kids had all drawn up. Each kid had come forward to the black board and put a tally mark below which option they chose. it had been a landslide 80% yes. Marcus said with great pride and honour "Okay people, here is what we know. ArmTech has created a highly lethal gas that kills within a few minutes and is launched by missiles. They are selling it to an East Asian hermit kingdom, an Islamist Dictatorship and a Cartel of Narco Terrorists for billions of dollars". The kids all listened very carefully to Marcus as he spoke. Eivor then said "ArmTech is sending the missiles to North Korea, Iran and Peru by boat, the boats are fully automated, so all we have to do is sink them". One of the kids suddenly got up and said "Why don't we use the missiles we found in the convoy?" Marcus complimented the kid saying "That's a great idea, nice one kiddo". Marcus then said "However the Demon's Death will be spread across a much larger area if we blow it up with missiles, so if we do that then it puts an entire city at risk". Jane Cannon asked "What if we wait for the boats to go far enough out and then fire the missiles from the bazookas we found inside the trucks?" ArmTech were also selling bazookas that the smaller missiles could be loaded into and easily fired out of. They would be used against enemy soldiers and would be more reliable than shooting them from extremely far away. Mainly because it's easier to see where an enemy is at a much closer distance.

Marcus thought for a moment and said "Perhaps, but the water could get severely contaminated and then we'd have a marine environmental catastrophe on our hands". Rachel then snapped her fingers and said "The scientists who made the Demon's Death worked at M.I.T". They all looked at Rachel upon hearing this. Codes Pakington was in one of the front benches and asked "How does that help?" Rachel answered with "Maybe they left something there that can give us answers". Marcus gladly said "Rachel, Eivor, Jane, Carl, we head there in half an hour to find the scientists lab." Jane got up and asked "So me and Carl get to come along together?" Marcus looked at her and said "Yes, assuming you don't have a problem with that". Jane suddenly said "No, I don't have a problem at all". Half an hour later they had loaded the Equality Engine with duffle bags and the equipment needed for breaking in to the Institute. Marcus got into the driver seat next to Eivor, while Rachel and Carl got in the back of the van with Jane. As they drove of Samuel shouted to them "Me and Ryan will be in charge while your gone". As they drove out of the North Village, Marcus asked Jane "Jane, are you and Carl dating?" The two of them blushed as they looked at each other, then Marcus and both said "Yes". Marcus calmly asked "Since when?" Carl quietly said "The day after Jane arrived". Eivor looked at them and said "I kind of thought you two liked each other". Marcus then said "By the way Rachel, I never got the chance to ask you this, but why did you run away?" Rachel was quiet for a moment. Eivor looked at Marcus and said "I asked her like a hundred times, she always said that she preferred not to talk about it". Eivor was proven wrong when Rachel said "My dad died of a heart attack from an allergic reaction to something in a burger when I was too young to remember him, so my mom raised me alone". Eivor's face turned to shock upon hearing this. Eivor looked at Rachel and said "Sorry about your dad". Rachel thanked her and said "Thanks, after he died, my Mom got super obsessed with healthy eating, so I never had any candies or dairy products. I only ever ate Fruits and Vegetables, one time she packed me an organic lunch that smelt so bad that the teachers thought there had been a gas leak". Carl burst out laughing and asked "For real?" Rachel confirmed with "Yes, they even evacuated the school and called in the Fire Department". Marcus laughed and said "Let me guess, they all laughed upon learning it was just your lunch?" Rachel answered with "Yes, the teacher then threw it away and got me some real food. First mac and cheese I ever had". Rachel continued with "As time went on, Mom got more and more obsessed with healthy eating. When I was thirteen Mom met this woman who told her about the 'dangers' of food and how the government puts tracking devices in all the food to know our exact locations at all times". Marcus raised his left eyebrow and said "Sounds like something the Corpos would do" as they passed a collapsed apartment block. Eivor then asked Rachel "So what did this woman eat?" Rachel answered with "Apparently she was the rich CEO of a company that sold the only safe food to eat on the market, they were these cans full of this food made of proteins and vitamins". Carl asked in a suspicious tone "Just how did she make them?" Rachel answered with "She never said, but mom didn't care. She bought a ton of them right away".