Download: .pdf (40kb), source .tex (9kb).
Dark Days
I'm on the opposing side and even I am forced to admit that this is a magnificently animated billboard. A family lies comfortably asleep around a camp fire in a forest while a fatherly-looking unity officer keeps watch over them. As he shines his torch off into the darkness stylized Arabs, Europeans and rednecks slink away into the shadows. The scene is rendered in a beautiful retro cartoon style, with everyone smiling. ''Homeland Unity: Working for a safer tomorrow.''
My journal beeps.
The billboard doesn't mean that much to me, really, certainly nothing more profound than frank admiration for the quality of the animation. Mom and dad cut and ran for the free north after the treaty of '26, dragging Kyle and I along like an unruly baggage train, so I've always looked on HU as a weird big brother who prowls over other people. But my command? Eight months ago they were unity officers and we took pot shots at each other across the Vancouver line. Now they call me sir. Strange days and stranger bedfellows. My journal beeps, again.
Annette Butler, aged 37. She was the official greeter of Darrouzett, Texas, a mother of three, state champion line-dancer, suave and friendly. And a Seattle patriot. Word reached the town on Monday morning that the Commonwealth had finally crossed from Oklahoma border at nearby Booker, and so the so Darouzett's council met to decide what action they would take, if any. After a hurried debate they had decided to remain with Washington and broke so that word could be send out to the outlying households. When they reconvened that night punch was served out, which virtually every adult, and many of the children in the town had at least one cup of. Not a one of them woke up the next morning.
Very little is known about events of the next two days because Butler refuses to speak of it, even under duress. What is known is that just after dawn on Thursday morning a dishevelled and blood-covered Annette Butler crossed our lines and asked to enlist in the infantry, after proclaiming her loyalty to the Commonwealth and signing the Charter. She passed our medical exam and after being outfitted Annette was attached my unity as a Recruit Under Observation. Union newbies make can make good soldiers if they don't flip out and go ape shit in our first engagement, so we keep an eye on them at first.
A voice pipes up from behind the billboard, threatening, pleading and trying to coerce us. ''I say to you that when General Kiney hears word of this he will folk to the bullet, lest you fellows set me free now and take on my guidance in this serious matter. I'm as much and more of a patriot than any of you and...''
I tune it out and spend a moment just taking in the view. Plains stretching to every horizon. We had snow during the night, with a manifest promise of more to come lurking on the northern horizon.
As it was, our column's vanguard entered Darrouzett on Friday night and discovered the dead. When word reached command, the rest of our group were ordered to advance and set up quarters within the deserted township while an investigation was launched, which was when Annette deserted and ran south. The circumstances were enough that a pursuit was ordered.
Butler was discovered trying to hide in a deepee convoy working it's way west on Sunday. She stood out by virtue of the fact that she was a lone woman who was clean, well-fed and hadn't been raped yet.
My journal chirps irritatedly, which I continue to ignore for another moment. What is it about confronting the known that makes us all shy away? I finally untack my journal from my belt and open it up.
To: Captain Gregory Pruitt, NAC Army Group Two, division four. From: North American Commonwealth Standing War Crimes Tribunal, Expedited Proceedings Department.
Out of six pages of the legal preamble, only two sentences matter:
Defendant has been judged guilty on all listed charges, upon review of available evidence and statements. Punishment is delegated to the discretion of enacting judicial officer.
The second message has glyphs that indicate such a priority that taking a moment to reflect upon this fact is enough for me be charged with negligence.
To: Captin Gregory Pruitt, NAC Army Group Two, division four.
From: General Michael A. Kiney, Commander, NAC Army Group Two.
Subject: RE: Case #11456
<<Tap here to view quoted text>>
Use of penal option 6 is authorized in this case.
General Michael A. Kiney,
NAC Second Army Group, Commander.
Butler was passed back into my custody late last night for questioning, so we brought her out here to Hill 442 for questioning. Standard operating procedure. Strip them naked, fetter them out in the snow and wait while they break themselves. By ten o'clock she would have admitted to being fucking Captain Unity if we just let her be warm again.
In the end I got...what? Everything that I wanted to hear. A witnessed confession that I purchased with five hours of patience and a blanket.
I know I'm just delaying the inevitable, so take a deep breath as I step around to where my unit is waiting, draw my side arm and shoot the prisoner in the side of the head before she can react. The body flies sideways and falls down with a long, drawn out sigh, twitches for a moment as blood and gore spatters over the fresh snow and then Hill 442 is silent once more. My sergeant kicks the Butler's corpse once to make sure she's dead and with a flick of his hand he orders the troops back to our sled down at the base of the slope. They all hurry away to the warmth and shelter of the armoured vehicle, not looking back, as I pull out my journal and start to make a notation for command.
I'm supposed to be one of the good guys helping to overthrow the duopoly in Washington, yet I've just executed a prisoner with less effort than I use to take a shit because someone on high doesn't want to deal with a war crimes tribunal.
Is this what all of our bright futures come to, a lonely body on a Texan hill? Will this be my karma, somewhere up on the frozen east coast?
My journal beeps a confirmation and I give up on self-reflection in favour of being warm.