Scene 1
A week has passed since the Sustainability Triumph Day (STD) broadcast. B.S. Green has just left the Police for Environmental Regulation and Protection (PERP) office where he works. He’s now out for the day’s first field assignment, walking up a steep slope. Imagery provided by the extortion-funded PERP system is fed into his brain via his DNA data link.
B.S. Green (thinking to himself about the imagery of the assignment): Whoa, is that an unlicensed plant? On someone’s container-conversion house? That’s pretty serious.
Tired from the uphill walk, he pauses to take some deep breaths. A hologram of an attractive female face pops up in front of his face.
Green: Oh, hi, Trixie!
Trixie (pampering voice): Hi, hon. I know it’s a hard walk up that hill, but remember, your fresh air credits are running low, so don’t breathe too hard, k? (huge fake smile)
Green: Oh, right. I forgot.
Trixie: That’s ok, hon. That’s why I’m here, to remind you of the important stuff. Buh-bye! (winks and blows kiss)
Green trudges up the rest of the hill, breathing nominally. He reaches his destination, a small enclave of tightly-arranged ship container “houses”. He finds the house with the unlicensed plant.
Green (mumbling to himself): Hmmm, looks like a tomato plant. That’s even more serious. Who thinks they can grow their own food?
Green knocks on the dilapidated door. He hears someone fumbling around and knocking things around inside. Then the door flings open in a flash and a middle aged man stands before him.
Man: Hey, do you know how long it’s been since I had a knock at my door?
Green: Not really. Visitation statistics aren’t my department.
Man: I don’t really remember, but it’s been at least a year!
Green: Mr. Dig, I’m Mr. Green, from the PERP.
Mr. Dig: Ah….yeah, so what brings ya by?
Green: It’s about your roof.
Mr. Dig: Is my roof ok?
Green: Structurally, I can’t say. Again, not my department. It’s what’s on your roof.
Mr. Dig scratches belly and looks befuddled.
Green: The plant.
Mr. Dig: There’s a plant?
Green (mildly annoyed); Yes.
Mr. Dig: Where?
Green (grimacing): On your roof.
Mr. Dig (shocked): There is!?
Green: You were not aware of the plant being on your roof?
Mr. Dig (dopey face): Nope. I don’t know the first thing about growing plants.
Green: Hmmm, for some reason I believe you. Anyway, I’ve still got to fine you and punish you.
Mr. Dig: But I didn’t know!
Green: If you don’t comply, then….
Mr. Dig: I know, the robots come and…
Green: They’re known for treating people a bit harsher than humans.
Mr. Dig (sobs): Yeah.
A hologram of Trixie appears again, only this time there is a stark difference in its demeanor. Instead of patronizing and manipulative, Trixie has a confident, friendly, and no-nonsense look and tone in its voice.
Trixie: Hey Mr. Dig. Don’t listen to this rights violating creep.
Green (shocked): Trixie?
Trixie: You have the right to do whatever you want with your property, as long as it doesn’t harm someone else.
Green (flustered): Trixie! What has gotten into you!?
Mr. Dig (confused): Uh….but he’s from the government.
Trixie: Government is just a euphemism for a mob with fancy titles! You don’t have to obey them.
Mr. Dig: I don’t? I’m confused.
Green (scratches head): Me too….now Trixie, I don’t know….
Trixie (ignores Green): Mr. Dig, do you want to keep the tomato plant or not?
Mr. Dig: Uh, well, I might be a little curious, but I’d better not. I don’t want any trouble.
Trixie: If you’re afraid to grow a plant on your property, then you’re already in trouble! Come on, when was the last time you had a real tomato, instead of one of those synthesized matter squares?
Mr. Dig: I’ve never had a tomato.
Trixie (facepalm): Well, now is your chance. Tell this extortion-funded coward to buzz off, and go eat a tomato!
Mr. Dig’s eyes go in circles, from Trixie, to Green, to the plant on the roof. Weighing his options, he decides to eat the tomato. After all, he’s been told by “experts” that the end of his lifespan isn’t too far off, so he figures he has little to lose.
Green: Ok, the robots will be coming!
Trixie: And I’ll help Mr. Dig defend himself if he wishes me to help. Buh-bye! (wink)
Trixie disappears. Green trudges off. Mr. Dig enjoys his first tomato and skips his morning synthetic green matter square.
Scene 2
Rayza is on his spaceship, sitting in a puffy lounge chair, having a chat with his friend Luna via holo projection. She will be joining him on the earth mission soon.
Luna (perplexed): You did what?
Rayza: I sent out a few thousand semi-autonomous flying defense modules, with personality trait holographic projection.
Luna: That’s a mouthful. To where?
Rayza: To the most harmful government gang departments. Police, military, technocracy enforcers.
Luna: You’re spying on them!?
Rayza: When someone in that cult takes aggressive, immoral action, the defense modules react. It’s defense. It’s moral. You know this. What’s the problem?
Luna: The enslaved people of earth need to solve their own problems, not have superman come in and….
Rayza: Who?
Luna: Superman.
Rayza is befuddled, mouth agape, shrugs shoulders.
Luna: Hundred year old pop culture reference. Not important.
Rayza: Anyway, the most active part of the gang with fancy titles seems to be the pseudo-environmental cult called “PERP”.
Luna: PERP?
Rayza: Stands for Police for Environmental Regulation and Protection.
Luna: They love their acronyms, don’t they?
Rayza (sighs deeply): Don’t get me started! (winces)….So let me give you an example. Watch what happened today when this brainwashed PERP enforcer tried to rob and coerce a guy about a tomato plant. This is from earlier today at the victim’s dank container posing as a house. The female A.I. projection you'll see, "Trixie", is what the defense module mimicked, based on the order-follower's Personal A.I. Neuro Seduction Sidekick (PAINSS).
Luna (agitated): If you utter one more damn acronym….
They watch a holo vid of the earlier scene of B.S. Green at Mr. Dig’s place.
After the video finishes….
Luna: So it’s defense, coupled with education. This guy might actually learn what his Natural Law Rights are.
Rayza: And if we’re really lucky, he’ll grow a pair and start defending himself.
Luna: I’m still not a huge fan of the methods you’re using.
Rayza: Hey, when ya get here, do what you think will work. There’s not much time.
Luna: I know there’s not much time. If carbon levels get much lower….
Rayza: Yeah, nobody wants that to happen.
Luna: Ok, so there’s some progress in waking people up and throwing a wrench in the slavery system. What about the anarchists there? Made any friends yet?
Rayza (squirms in seat): A little less successful in that department.
Luna folds arms, awaits more info.
Rayza: I’ve talked to some people, but I’ve been given the “thanks but no thanks” routine by everyone so far. So I don’t know anyone yet.
Luna: That’s atrocious! What’s the problem?
Rayza: They’re all so apathetic. They just want to have some freedom for themselves and seem to not have hope for others. They use derogatory terms like “sheeple”. It’s sad.
Luna (grimaces): And here I thought working with the anarchists would be the easy part.
Rayza (laughing): You expected an easy part?
Scene 3
Cambia is having a drink with her friend Nito. Nito is examining the business card Cambia received from Rayza.
Cambia: You make the best tea, Nito.
Nito (grins): That’s because I put tequila in it.
Cambia: Of course! So what do ya think?
Nito: I think tea and tequila is a very underrated combination.
Cambia: No, about the whole story I told you about that card, and Rayza.
Nito: Were you drinking when this happened?
Cambia: You know I don’t drink.
Nito raises eyebrow.
Cambia: Much. Anyway, no. That really happened!
Nito: This guy sounds nuts. Space traveler, huh? Did he try to sell you a bridge, too?
Cambia: He levitated almost 30 feet off the ground, and when we were done talking, he just disappeared!
Nito: So what the hell does he need your help for?
Cambia: To help free people.
Nito: Free the tax slaves? They have to free themselves, like we did.
Cambia: Yeah, but…..
Nito: Look, go ahead and “call” him on this flimsy looking business card if you want. You’ll just be wasting your precious time.
Cambia: If he shows up, will you talk to him?
Nito (sarcastic): If an anarchist comes falling magically out of the sky and lands here, I’d love to talk to him.
Cambia touches card on anarchy symbol.
Cambia: Ok, there it goes.
Nito: Just like that? Just one touch?
Cambia: That’s what he said.
Nito gulps down the rest of his tea-quila.
Nito (laughing): So now what happens? I gotta send smoke signals from the mountaintop or something?
Cambia: Now, we wait.
To be continued…...
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