A Collection of Short Stories Vol.1

The Remaking

"All rise for the anthem!" screeched the speaker. Liam would rise like everyone else to the anthem that was of the Zone 4, Chicago Sector. This was common knowledge that you stand for the anthem when you're told. As well as doing everything else; cleaning, running, working and so on we all commonly known as a daily part of life. Nobody knew of anybody who'd break these rules. For they would never find out, nobody would know who the assailant was. If there was even one, to begin with. Liam, like everybody else, simply followed their day to day routine in the upmost of orderly fashion. Failure to do such would result in punishments from lecturing to "freedom". People knew of this freedom as an unknown variable to great to imagine. Rumors, as they were allowed in Zone 4, spread quickly that "freedom" was another world filled with the granting of that person's wishes.

There was a time when people knew what freedom was. As not some unknown variable or mystical wonderland. Instead, to make your choices and decide what you do as an individual. As well as the internet, where these ideas spread. Of course, this was taught but was heavily modified to sound like freedom was this horror of unknown values and complexity to understand. So, naturally, people feared this freedom that existed years ago before the Cleansing. The Cleansing was a time where the bliss ignorance of society was amplified to the point that it no longer became ignorance. Instead, becoming fact. The students of Zone 4, Chicago Intermediate school. Knew arithmetic, science, physical education and such but knew nothing of anything else. But of course, they thought they knew everything. Especially if that is everything. All but two people knew the truth and the secrets that we hold from the people. These people weren't the government, commonwealth, etc. But two average joes with ambition. These two people were known as the Server and the Router. And were the only people without censorship or guidelines. The Server held the knowledge and the Router sent it to whoever needed it. Time would pass and when the Server died the previous Router would assume the role of Server.

Of course, these are a reference to the internet, Liam and the rest of the people in Chicago Sector knew what the internet was. They could use it, a restricted version of it. Well, restricted was an understatement. They could only use the internet in regards to their agenda. Such as a student may only use the internet for educational purposes and homework. Only the high-ranking officials could have access to a less restricted version of the internet. However, the people and high-ranking officials don't even know that they're being censored. Even the president doesn't know that he too is censored. The system is that of an automated system controlled by an algorithm of an A.I. The only people who knew the freedoms and truths of the matter is the Server and the Router. Anyone in violation (if they could) would be granted "freedom". For it is near to impossible to re-route the system. It's all pre-set and is constantly evolving. Not even the officials who hold "power" know that they're in the long sense, powerless. Just a figurehead of honor and approval for the average citizen. 

Long before the "Great Remaking" as it was called