I sit upon the throne as a false king, watching the citizens of my colony gather around to gawk, stare, and even some silently worshiping the falseness that is me.Most are here to hear the truth resonate from my screaming voice as I am put to death. That's right, today is day of my execution for my heinous crime towards Colony #43. My crime will be read aloud for all to hear, but not for the purpose of humiliating me. Instead, it will be read aloud for the purpose of inserting fear into any others in Colony #43 who have similar notions or ideas, to know that if they act upon those desires or commit these crimes, that they too will be sentenced to death. That is the rule of my nation. All crimes lead to death and all deaths lead to longer lives for others. The Grand Officer of my Colony approaches me from among a divide in the crowd, he is followed by two others.
The first one is easy to recognize, he will be my executioner. Dressed in all white garments, not an ounce of his skin shows from underneath them. This was put into place so that no one could retaliate against him. It's not his fault that he was assigned this job. If it wasn't him it would be another.
The second person is the Author of Citizens. She is the person who is in charge of sorting everyone's information into concise and perfect records called "Books". Some considered people in her place to be a sort of divine being. No one realizes that our careers are chosen for us at a young age, that the Books are written the moment we come into existence. Our careers, our future, and our lives are planned out. That the only things that get added each year are accomplishments, medical records or any legal documents concerning an individual, most of which gets put in automatically with some sort of computer. The only thing that she ever personally adds to any of the Books, is the name of the individual and that's just once, upon the cover.
I see my Book in her hands. She lifts it, and puts it upon a podium and opens to the last page. The entire story of my crime fits into a single page in that Book. The single most important event in the history of Colony 43, fits upon one page. This does not sit well with me.
"We are here today to punish the criminal, Zachary Quintes. For his many crimes." The Grand Officer voices radiates onto a newly quieted crowd. "Yet the worse crime he has been found guilty of was the non-acceptance of his career placement".
The crowd struggles to maintain its silence. You can almost hear the words that are locked away behind their tightened lips. The words of rebellion, held back only by the fear that they too will sit upon the throne of a false kingship.
"As you all know the mantra of this nation, 'All crimes lead to death, and all deaths lead to longer lives for others.' Even if that weren't so, you Zachary Quintes, have committed one of the most heinous crimes within our nation." He proceeds to look down upon the podium and starts to read from my book. "As of February 31st Zachary Quintes has denied his assigned job as a Breeder. As you know only select individuals with genes deemed worthy enough, may become breeders. A job that is an honor among all. Yet Zachary Quintes has refused to work and his hidden himself from the law, up to March 23rd. He was found within the Library, well only approved careers have access to, which a Breeder is not one. Within there he was found wasting his genetic information upon frivolous acts that will not lead to the furthering of our nation, but rather to the death of it. A Worker of The Library had found him having intercourse with a non-approved Breeder and to be more specific another male. We have yet to find out who this individual is, but it does not matter as he committed no crime. Zachary Quintes' partner is innocent, though Zachary has gone against the one unique rule assigned to Breeders, which is to only have intercoturse with approved Breeders of the opposite gender. This selfish act has now lead Zachary Quintes to his death."
"Zachary Quintes, do you have any regrets for the crimes you have committed? Do you wish you have never wasted such a perfect gene pool amongst a non-approved Breeder?" The Grand Officer ask these questions to the crowd rather than me. He wants the crowd to feel responsible for my actions. To make them feel guilty for the crime against the nation, that I committed. I read of these actions. I read of the techniques that he using. The techniques that a Grand Officer must learn to lead his nation.
I read a lot in the days from when I first committed this crime to now. I read of past executions in other Colonies, I have read that not a single person has responded to this question. Not the accused nor the citizens. That throughout the history of my nation, not a single person has spoken out for his freedom or their rights. I have said that this is the most important day of Colony 43's history, but with a single word I will make it the most important day in my nation's history instead.
"No", a single utterance escaped my lips. The Grand Officer grew silent. "I do not regret my actions or my so called crime. I claim that I am innocent and that instead that the nation is guilty."
Suddenly an outrageous noise breaks out from the Grand Officer's mouth, it was almost distinguishable as laughter. "You say that the nation is guilty. How can a nation be guilt?", He questions in between taking pauses for air and his grotesques laughter which now reverberates throughout the entire plaza
"You may laugh Grand Officer, but this nation is guilty of lies. It is guilty of hardships. It is guilty of taking away the freedom from life. I read something in The Library, it was a document from a nation that had fallen long ago. It was a document stating rights that an individual was guaranteed from birth." The crowd starts to mumble in anticipation, you can hear the words of rebellion start to slip out.
"That's enough," The Grand Officer states. "You will not speak of any more about crimes that you have committed."
"I state that it was not a crime that I committed." My voice shouted in rage that I knew not that I had. "I only choose to love someone and if that is a crime that I am sure that all here are guilty. Except maybe for you Grand Officer." The crowd gasp at my retaliation. I here a few noise amongst the silence. The words that have been held back since the birth my nation, is starting to leak out in whispers.
The Grand Officer walked away from the podium at this point, he was heading towards me with a creeping calmness on his face. As he got next to me, he lean down grabs my hand. He then whispers into my ear, "You can speak all you want, but you can count the rest of your life in seconds. You make think you are a king upon his throne, but you are nothing more than a peasant who is about to die. When you are executed not a single person will speak of you again. Now I will speak my final words you will ever hear."
"Silence is now needed as Zachary Quintes is put to death." The Grand Officer raises his hand and creates the symbol of nation. One palm opened and fingers straight, while another is grasped around it. That is the single for my execution.
The executioner walks towards me in his white clothing. Looking almost as an angle of sorts. When he draws near he reaches for a knife that is kept beside my chair. He proceeds to walk behind me and raises the knife above my head. A pause happens between that and what happens next. This is where I am supposed to reflect my life and my decision that lead me here. I think of what happen and what had come to be. The man that I loved more than anything, in those twenty-three days how close we became. To man who just read my name, my crimes, and mock me in front of the entirety of our Colony.
My last thought before the knife was shoved into my skull, was how could those two men share the same body?
