Salvation 2035

Chapter 28- Epiphany

『Richard』

     The level of corruption in the damn country is nearly unbearable. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the whole situation. After I hit it big, it seemed like it was almost expected of me to live this debaucherous, opulent lifestyle with barely any regard to the common man. I mean, that's how everyone else with a fat stack of cash lives like, ever since the Collective and the Peace and Unity Party came on the scene.

     The Peace and Unity Party is headed by the Moderators, which is pretty common knowledge, but most people don't pay too much attention to the Collective. They're the ones, along with the Senate, who appoint the Moderators, who usually come from the Collective or some other government organization. That's right, no average joe can become a Moderator; you gotta be on the inside. The people in power have basically destroyed the power of the people this way. I mean, citizens can elect members of the Outer Collective, but again, no regular person can become a member of the Outer Collective anyways. You can also vote for your local government, but again, the same issue arises.

      In order to become eligible to hold a position of governmental, you must attend one of the Administrative Academies or any other universities affiliated with them. The tuition costs an arm, a leg, and maybe a gallon of blood to ensure that they only get 'top quality' individuals. There are scholarships available, so that if you're eager enough, you, the average American, too can be moulded into their image of perfection. I must admit, it's a great little scheme they got going to stagnate proper progress.

     Now, about the Collective. Most people don't know that the Collective is broken up into two parts. The Outer Collective's identities are known, and they're treated like pseudocelebrities, to be completely honest. They're not the worst people in the world, but I know for a fact that some of them would much rather be a part of the Inner Collective. I don't know a whole lot about those chumps, since their identities aren't known to anyone outside of the Collective and the Moderators. But because nobody knows who they are, they can get away with doing all sorts of nasty shit. The Inner Collective is sort of like a secret task force that deals with threats within the borders of the country. It can be direct, as in forcibly handing in someone to the police or beating the hell out of them for whatever reason, or it could be more indirect with something like a cyber attack. Usually, it won't be a member of the Collective that does the dirty work, necessarily, but rather some of their underlings.

     If there is so much control, then how does that explain the huge underbelly of crime in this country? I mean, we have a fuckload of prisons, and it only seems like the numbers are increasing as more and more people get caught. It makes me wonder how many are receiving a fair trial. Given how massive the wealth disparity is, not many people would be able to afford a decent lawyer and therefore would not have a fair chance in the legal system. Despite the severe ramifications of committing small offences such as petty thievery or having an illegal book, these actions still continue. Well, they continue in the low-income, seedy, and dilapidated parts of the country that the ruling class pretends is nonexistent. The middle and upper-class places are policed like crazy so that they appear as perfect as possible. Those people often take advantage of the less fortunate since they can just go back to their cushy lives as soon as they've done their business. I had my suspicions, but getting to know Lindy and hearing about Akatsuki made me realize how broken and flawed this country is. I've made up my mind that I can't just sit around as innocent people are trafficked, jailed, and discriminated against.

      "This is driving me crazy," I blurt out.

     "Huh?" Lindy looks over at me in the middle of drinking out of a water bottle. She's got on a long leather coat which covers this strapless bustier-type top, and some shorts. Adorning her chest is a necklace with a giant, golden cross. If she does up the coat, it looks as if she's covered head-to-toe, given that she's wearing tall, high-heeled boots. On the inside of it is an array of weapons, so she often keeps it closed. We're at one of my various hideouts in Atlanta; the basement of an abandoned office building. The security system is still largely intact too, so it's perfect for talking about all sorts of fun stuff like starting a revolution, for example.