March 15, 2030
Bleep! Bleep! Beep!
Whoooooop!
Bleep! Beep! Beep!
Whoooooop!
Bleep! Bleep! Beep!
Whoooooop!
—this sequence kept repeating.
Mom, Michael, and Gabriel ran into the main room. I beat them there, desperate to turn the ear-splitting volume down.
We all huddled around the HoloWall to find out what would happen next. I turned the volume back up when Chancellor Leon Skum came on the screen. The device gave the impression he was right there in the room with us.
I’m old enough to remember television screens. At that moment, I wished the old technology was still available. The Chancellor’s presence was all too consuming, in my opinion.
"Attention citizens—this is not a test. As you know, we are in unprecedented times. We are here to help you survive in the days to come. To that end, we must make SeaTech a safe space for all. Therefore, we must remove anything that threatens more upheaval. Prepare tonight. The Removal will happen swiftly."
I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. "Oh my God, it's happening!"
"Come on Gabby, what are you, Antifa? You know this is for our safety," said Gabriel.
I didn’t respond. G used to have the same opinion as me. We’re twins; it’s almost like we share the same brain. At least we used to. Now, I’m not so sure.
Chancellor Skum continued, "You must remove all analog devices from your homes. For the good of all, you will comply. We will digitize the nation's significant knowledge. Everything else will be destroyed. Citizens must function as one if we are to survive."
He raised his fist high, proclaiming, “Harmony through unity!”
A crowd, seemingly in our main room, repeated the fist bump and phrase, “Harmony through unity! Harmony through unity! Harmony through unity!”
No one noticed as I slipped out of the room to move my books, journals, and anything else I could find worth saving to a safe hiding place.
***
Pounding on the front door.
I felt my heart jump into my throat.
They’re here.
I ran into the main room, falling in line with the rest of the family.
That night was the first time we saw the Majika at work. Until that time, we had only imagined AI as capable. They concentrated on the big things first—digital barriers. Afterward, they collected analog information: printed books, newspapers, magazines, photographs, and other physical objects they could convert.
“Harmony through unity!”
We had to repeat the catchphrase several times as they cleaned out our belongings.
***
The Removal had happened overnight, as the Chancellor had announced, turning a nation of seemingly open-minded free-thinkers into mindless meat puppets. I imagine most people conformed out of fear of retribution.
Majika were teachers, explaining that The Removal was for our good so we wouldn’t risk being poisoned by false information. All information had to be cleansed. The cleansing ensured that data complied with the new media laws.
Harmony Through Unity!
When the Majika removed Gabriel’s piano, he didn’t blink an eye. G said he believed the AI agents had our best interest at heart. I told myself he was scared like everybody else. But I thought he was smarter than most people. I was disappointed in him in a way that had never happened before.
It took all of my effort to hold back my tears. Showing any emotion while the Majika were near would be dangerous. Mom didn’t even protest when the drones knocked down her beautiful natural rock fireplace that Dad had built before his illness; it hindered automatic connections.
Majika placed a Node in the main room—a sleek device connecting citizens to a 24-hour propaganda feed. The Node dictated work hours, meals, and even approved bedtime routines. These devices also fed an unrelenting stream of speeches on the virtues of obedience.
I tried to call Grandma, but Majika had severed the lines to Pacifica for security.
***
Not long ago, everyone had laughed at her and the others warning of the government's growing authoritarian grip. Now, the truth was palpable. Xandra knew it was only a matter of time before they came for her. Antifa confirmed that Pacifica was a Majika target to secure before year’s end.
She stood in the doorway of her once-thriving bookshop, now empty, as if it had never existed. But, like so many things, this was an illusion. Xandra had no intention of giving in or giving up. It wasn’t even in her nature. She simply covered up, hoping her daughter and grandchildren would seek a way out of the AI-controlled city of SeaTech.
Although she left when she could no longer tolerate her daughter’s treatment, she would never give up on her family. Xandra knew eventually the truth would come out. They would need her support, and her daughter would understand.
She clutched a tattered copy of “1984”. The irony wasn't lost on her. This book was more than a symbol. It was an act of defiance and one of the few things Xandra would take with her on this leg of her journey.
The Removal was meant to silence dissent, but in doing so, it awakened a warrior spirit in the ones it sought to destroy.