The Great Deceiver

"Not here, don't shout, the AI is listening," James herded Sarah to the entrance of the Mall and out into the air. They turned the corner out of sight of the cameras and then he hugged her.

         Sarah kissed him on the cheek,

         "Sorry, I forgot," she whispered in his ear. She snuggled her auburn hair into his chest and he could smell her shampoo from just an hour before. She had washed it in a bowl with water from a broken pipe. She smelt good and he kissed her on her head.

         "I hate this, that it is not safe to even talk normally on the streets anymore. But we have seen too many friends arrested and then disappear, we need to be careful and I do not want to lose you too." James had tears in his eyes as he contemplated the potential loss. "They are looking for the smallest infraction of the law or rules so that they have an excuse to look a little more deeply into our lives," James looked around the corner and found their car in the car park. Everything seemed normal. "Come on let's move," he said.

         Sarah followed him to the car. But as they approached three men in black across the car park seemed to zero in on them and started running in their direction. Realizing that the car would never make it out through the barrier James grabbed Sarah's hand and said, " We need to run and fast, follow me."

         They made for a gap in the far fence, then sprinted across the dual carriageway behind it narrowly missing a truck and two cars on the crowded road. The men behind them made it to the other side but the traffic got too heavy for them to follow and James and Sarah slipped into the side streets and away. An hour later they were back in their squat in an abandoned church, in the catacombs beneath the altar.

         "We do not have enough food, that new chip is impossible, and our cash is useless now, We have the men in black after us, things could be better," Sarah moaned.

         "On the other hand we are still alive, still free believers in the evil empire and still free to do this," James seized her in his arms and kissed her on the lips.

         Sarah giggled, "I guess we did shake the tail and we do not have any electronics so they cannot track us but I do not know what we are going to do when the spam runs out."

         James scratched his head and then spoke, "We cannot buy and sell without that chip, but if we have it built into us then they track our every movement and we become slaves to Max Rex. We cannot do anything that involves a financial signature, so eating is an issue."

         Sarah nodded towards the garden, "We can eat mealworms and insects, there are fruit trees in the park for the Summer and we still have a supply of hazelnuts and chestnuts from the fall."

         But James knew that this was just not enough and that without a miracle, they would not survive the winter.

         James spoke, "I saw a TV screen in the Mall, Max Rex was levitating over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The people were saying that he was the Messiah and they bowed down and worshipped him. We have years to wait before this pans out and the cities are no longer safe. We need to get into the countryside where at least we can live off the land. But the drones use infrared and they patrol outside the city. Anyone who is not chipped and linked to the AI will raise a red flag immediately. How can we mask our heat?"

         Sarah replied, "We have the Mylar foil blankets we need to weave these into our clothes. We can travel at night to avoid the human guards. Max Rex is the only magical man in the mix here and he is in Jerusalem, we can beat his technology. Of course, the AI might just have faked his magic act, who can tell these days?"

         The couple spent a few days weaving the blankets into their clothes and boots and hats. Since it was winter heavy coats were not a problem though who wore a hat these days? They would have to travel at night as their outfits looked strange.

         They slipped out of the church that night and made their way out of the city down the back streets and footpaths they had been familiar with since childhood. There was a forest near the town and they made their way through that using a small compass, illuminated by moonlight, to navigate through the dark paths. When they heard a drone approaching in the silence they pushed themselves against the tree trunks and kept still. The drone passed by with no change in its direction and they moved on further still into the foothills of the mountains. There were abandoned shacks in the neighborhood, but there were too many human tracks beside them for comfort and so they chose an old mine shaft as their new base.

         James built rabbit traps and caught a few over the next week and so they risked a fire inside the mine. Though it got a little smoky before the meat was cooked it tasted delicious. They also got into the habit of raiding farmer's winter crops and fields but never so much as to leave a trace. In this way, they did not starve that Winter.

         One night they passed a farmer's house and could see the TV on in the lounge through the window. It was the news except it was far more brutal than the news of just a few years ago. Max Rex was presiding over the execution of those who refused to take his chip, connecting them to the government AI.

         They could not hear what he was saying and just watched in silence through the window. As they did so they prayed for the people being executed. They both cried as they prayed and held each other's hands. When the executions were finished the farmer switched the channel to some porn and they moved away from the window and back into the forest. But as they did so they heard a scream from the house and so they returned to the window. They could hardly believe their eyes it was as though three demonic soldiers guarded Max Rex himself in the center of the living room while the porn channel played behind him. The demons were a sort of mix of serpents and dragons but with human shapes. The farmer was on his knees trembling with fear. The demons sneered down at the prostrate man and Max Rex appeared to be lecturing him about something. Then as quickly as the images came they left and the farmer slowly pulled himself off the floor still visibly shaken and switched off the TV.

         Back at the mine, Sarah reached for James and they lay together in silence for a while on their makeshift bed in the sleeping bag. It was Sarah who broke the silence several minutes later.

         "How could human beings allow such evil to flourish? Was that really demons and Max Rex in the farmer's living room," she asked.

         "I doubt it, it is probably some kind of projection technology built into the TV and used by Max Rex to control his subjects. The AI can monitor the man and customize its routines to his behavior. It is all about keeping the fear alive and the fear is crucial to control, Max can make them afraid in their very homes and remind them who their soul belongs to on a daily basis. They chose the easy option when they took the chip and now they are irredeemable and must understand that it was not worth it. That farmer was completely brutalized, watching executions or porn, he is little better than a soulless animal now."

         "Maybe that is an insult to animals, they kill to eat or defend their young, this is something far worse. This is just evil. I am so glad we are together and we are still free."

         James cuddled Sarah to himself.

         "It is strange isn't it, I mean Max Rex has his magic tricks but it did not have to go down this way. People did not have to just submit to his will like this just because they wanted to sleep in proper beds with a full stomach at the end of the day. Do you want any more fried meal worms before we sleep?"

         "No I'm fine, just come here and give me a cuddle darling."


Notes ▼

PROMPT: March Prompt:
What combines magic, High Technology, Evil corporations, Dystopian governments, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, and Dragons?
On the bleeding edge between over-the-top science fiction and over-the-top fantasy lies - Cyberpunk! It may be getting crazy out there in the real world - this month's winner will explain how crazy is just the beginning!
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The Science Fiction Short Story Contest  (18+) A contest inspired by the serious need for more good sci-fi #2140378 by BlackAdder

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