Beep. Beep. Beep. The alarm clock went off and Dave's eyes snapped open as he shot out of bed. His heart was pounding and he looked at the clock. 6:45 a.m. The same time he woke up every day. He went to the bathroom and took a shower at one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, the same as always. After his seven minute shower, he got dressed and prepared his breakfast. He checked his watch after eating and saw it was 7:01. "Already running late," he said to himself. "I'm gonna have to make up for lost time." He rushed into his one car garage and started the car. He drove to work and parked in his spot, reserved for him, employee number eighteen. He stepped out of the car and walked to the employee entrance. It was only then when he noticed that the all of the cars were the same. The same make, the same model, even the same color. He made his way to his cubicle. When he sat down he checked his watch. 7:30 a.m. exactly. He made it to work just in time, as usual. He signed into the computer and did his usual busy work. He kept a slow, steady pace, and at 12:00 he left his cubicle to go to the workplace cafeteria. He walked to the production machine, which churned out his supplemental nutrient goop for the day. He took it and sat next to his workmate George. "Hey have you ever noticed anything weird about our world? Isn't it strange that everybody drives the same car?"
"Dave, you need to stop thinking like that. If you believed all of the conspiracies you heard, the government would come for you." George chuckled a little bit. Dave looked all the way down the lunch table. Everyone was eating the same amount of gray goop. In the middle of the table there was a single radio. Dave turned the volume up and listened to it.
"That's right, we have a member of the resistance in our studio at this moment and he's agreed to an interview. So, why did you join the rebel forces?"
"Because I saw the truth. The Government is feeding you all lies! You don't have to comply. Don't listen to their-"
There was a sound of wood cracking, lots of yelling, and then a single gunshot. The radio grew silent. Although Dave was shocked, he knew there was nothing he could do, and he went back to work. At the end of the work day he drove back home. He relaxed and watched TV, as he usually did. The only thing on any of the channels at this time of night was the typical propaganda. But the noise of propaganda was more welcoming than silence, so he kept it on. There were pictures of successful business people accompanied by a voice commanding the viewers on appropriate action. "How would you feel if someone was better than you? Bad? Conformity is the only way to prevent unhealthy skill gaps. Remember it is the norm to conform." This was followed by the safety reminder. "Always have your emergency preparedness kit within reach and ready for use." They made sure to make it seem like they cared about the citizens, but Dave knew in his heart that they didn't. He felt this way before, but the events on the radio only strengthened this feeling of distrust towards the government. He felt sick to his stomach and elected to go to bed for the night. He put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth and laid down. As he reflected on the day's events, his mind kept going to what the rebel said. His mind dwelled on it and it seemed like he couldn't think of anything else. He wanted to believe that the the man was lying, but the more he thought about it, the more the pieces fell into place. But if the man was lying, why did the Government suppress him with such force? Dave just couldn't be sure. As he was drifting off to sleep, he was startled by the sound of glass breaking. His body locked up as an instinct, and he slowly made his way out of his bed. He was thinking about leaving for his own safety, but he remembered the emergency kit that was provided to him. The electrical stun stick included would be just enough for him to defend himself against any intruders. He crept out of his room and heard a commotion in the kitchen. With all the pots and pans clanging together, Dave could move a little bit more noisily, but he maintained stealth. He made his way down the stairs and grabbed his kit. He looked up and saw the broken window, and a dark figure crawling through to the outside. Dave rushed after the trespasser, right out the window. Dave carried some more weight, however, so it took him longer to crawl through. When he was about halfway out, a giant explosion rocked the house. It launched his body through the air, but not before causing him to shred his midsection on the broken glass still lodged in the window frame. As he soared away from his home, he realized that his ears were not working, and he couldn't feel parts of his body. He landed in his neighbor's yard, and he landed hard. Not only did he hit the ground, but his momentum dragged his body across the ground. Dave was in extreme pain, but still conscious. He lifted his head from the ground and took in his surroundings, his face was losing color fast, and he was regaining feeling just in time to feel his shirt produce heat from his blood. He looked around and saw a silhouetted figure approaching. The person placed a bag over Dave's head. That was the last thing Dave experienced before he went unconscious.
