All hail the glory of Man #188, the brave citizen who shall deliver our great nation from peril. The Nation has searched for this savior for many years now. Finally he has arrived. Soon the lantern bearing his number will be lifted high above The Square of Heroes to bathe the populace in the fierce blue fire of the nation. There it will burn as an eternal reminder of our greatness.
I don’t suppose you brought any cigarettes, did you?
No? It’s all right friend. It is close to the end of the month after all.
If I’m lucky I might be able to catch a glimpse from my window. Of the lantern that is. The Guardians of Our Society say that it will reach higher than any building in the capital. Or so I hear.
An impressive feat of recognition for an impressive man.
I suspect that I won’t have the right angle, unfortunately. Perhaps I can submit a request. They might grant it given the circumstances. If there is time.
When it was announced the testing had finally been successful I was relieved. Of course I know in my heart that our people could survive in the grips of the plague for many decades to come, bound together with our common will. Combined with the infallible governance of Our Leader and the Guardians surrounding him we can overcome any obstacle.
And now we have. Thanks to Man #188.
No longer will our mothers perish in crippling agony before they can fulfill their sacred duty to raise our next generation. Our soldiers will die defending our borders and our people instead of drowning in their cots. A far more noble purpose. Their blood will fill their hearts to fight our enemies, rather than swell into their lungs.
Forgive me. Such talk. It’s unbecoming of a proper citizen.
Our bountiful resources can once again be repurposed to the defense of our lands instead of our health. Especially now that our factories hum with both man and automaton. Now that the sickness has been defeated our citizens can return en masse to the mills and quarries for the benefit of all.
I wish I could join them. Though I suppose I’ve done my part. Or so I hear.
Imagine, friend, how will it feel to walk the streets without a respirator? To gather once again in groups outside the family unit without fear of infection? To go to sleep at night knowing you will wake up the next day as pure as you were when you went to bed?
It will be like the Golden Years once again.
All thanks to Man #188.
He shall be treated as a proper hero of the nation, of course. His apartment will rival that of the Guardians themselves. He shall have no more need of his ration card. His children, of which I’m certain there will be many, won’t have to work their way up through the Conscripts. No, it will be the Officer track for them for sure. To be followed by placement in the highest levels of the Grand Society, perhaps even Guardianship.
He would have a cigarette at the end of the month to share, to be certain.
I’m only kidding. Do not take offense, friend.
Only fitting for such a brave man. He and his descendants will help Our Leader steer the ship of state for many years to come. And steer it well they shall.
Yes. Quite brave. Quite brave indeed. For the tests were a cruel nightmare. As I’m sure you’ve heard. We all knew the rumors, didn’t we? Pain like you’ve never experienced before. The drug cocktails burn like acid in the veins. Grinds your blood raw. Have you ever been assigned to a fiberglass plant? Then you would have some idea of what I mean.
The screams.
They echo here.
And of course, the tests require fresh infection. By the time you realize you have it, it’s too late. So testing must begin early. How else would they know if the cure had worked? Of course, once the plague has progressed to a certain point there is no escape. Only death.
So there’s a certain urgency to the tests. A hurried frequency and stern volume as well.
Man #188 knew these things. They explain it to all who are asked to volunteer.
The risks and the rewards.
They explained it to me when I became Man #187.
My only regret is I could not be of better service to our nation.
Great to see some fiction from you, mate, it has been even longer than the other sort of articles!
I really enjoyed this piece, loved the authoritarian bent to it, and did not see the ending coming (I thought he was going to be some sort of dissident, but the bitterness is much better this way).
Hopefully it won’t be as long till the next story, or article.