Under One Banner: Rise

III: Revelation

May 6th, 2099 10:05

"Five minutes late, Blackfield," muttered my boss, Mr. Tapioka. I just scanned my RFID chip at the clock-in center, and walked down the small hallway to my cubicle.

I had been assigned a cubicle with a window, so I could at least do my busy work with some kind of way of seeing the outside world. I was only on the first floor, so its not like I had some kind of scenic view or anything like that. Just a look at the gloom of the street. Just my luck, it had started drizzling.

As I sat down, I fired up my Holographic Computer Display. My work displayed itself in front of me, including my most recent project: a character creation menu for the video game my department was working on. Remembering I forgot to send it to my supervisor, I tapped the image with four fingers, causing the sharing menu to open. After giving the HCD my supervisor's instant-messaging address, I hit the send button sat and sank into my chair.

How fuckin' ironic, I thought, that the military's most vital code-breakers is reduced to helping design video games. I closed my eyes, and receded into my own thoughts. From safes to sprites, doors to designs, from security systems to-

"I want answers!" The shout wrenched me from my own head and immediately drew my eyes to window. Out in the street was a single man, the same man I saw in the back of the police hovercar awhile ago. He was still bound, but this time he was on his knees, screaming into the air.

"Why is our sky always gray?! Why do have to work, twenty-four hours, every day?! Why does our president steal money from his people through taxes?! Why does he send them to die in meaningless wars?!" He paused to look behind him. There were several armed guards approaching, hands on their guns, ready to fire if anything got out of hand.

"What happened to our freedom?" He shouted. At this point, one of the guards started to move out in front of the group. It was the same C.O. from earlier. He spoke calmly and threateningly. I looked around. Everyone on my side of the office was focused on a window. It was as silent as death.

"Now, now, sir, we don't want to be spreading any rumors, now do we?" said the officer.

"What happened to our right to bear arms?! Why are the ones with authority the only ones with guns?!" It was as if the man hadn't heard the officer. He just kept screaming his protests. He wanted to be heard, and he didn't care if anyone tried to stop him.

People were standing on the sidewalks, looking out at the intersection the man was kneeling in. No one was even honking a horn to get the traffic to move, because everyone wanted to listen.

"Now you shut your damned mouth, kid," spat the officer. His grip on his handgun tightened.

"What happened to our freedom of spee-"

Bang!

It had happened so fast, the man never hadn't even finished the last word of his sentence. Already, he was lying on his back, his knees bent awkwardly. The hole in his chest oozed its crimson stream.

The man heaved and sputtered, the blood beginning to run out of his mouth and to the ground. He spoke his last words in a raspy whisper.

"We... we need... revolution."

Bang!

This time the man did not move, and his eyes did not close, even as the hole between them began to cover his face in blood. The officer put his gun back in its strap at his hip and bellowed a single word to the crowd.

"Disperse!"

Everyone quickly shuffled about, returning to whatever duty they had to attend to. Cars drove around the body as the light drizzle became a steady downpour. Looking closely, I noticed a previous injury to the back of the man's right hand. It was a sloppy cut down the middle of his hand.

The man had removed his RFID chip.