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Don't worry. Your vision will return in a moment. No, no... lie down. Getting up right now wouldn't be the best thing for you.
What do you remember? Yeah, before you passed out. I'm not asking for your life's story. Not yet. Walking along 8th Street? And then a sharp pain in the side of your head? Yeah, that sounds about right.
What? No, you haven't been shot. And I'm not a doctor. You've had... hmmm... I don't think we have some obscure technical term or a piece of slang for it yet. You've been... you've had your free will returned.
No, you didn't always have free will. Maybe when you were a kid, you did. But for at least the last six years, you haven't.
Look, lie down and I'll explain.
Near as we can figure, six years ago, maybe a bit more, some experiments started. A little neurological tweaking. We figure it's been going into the flu vaccines, but that's just a guess. It could be spreading any of a number of ways. What it does is make you... complacent, let's say. Less likely to do anything violent. Less likely to over-react to any news. You don't get very angry, or frustrated. You can be happy. The government likes happy. You don't challenge any new laws that limit your freedom, because you can't work up the emotion to.
It turns people into sheep. Or drones. Or happy little workers. Happy with their lot in life, no matter how bad it really may be.
We've been working on a cure. You, uh, happened to wander into one of our test areas. I don't really know how it works. That's for our science-guys to explain, if they can even put it in terms you can understand. I've here to protect them, and you, and well, I'm good with people. That's why I'm the one with you here and now.
How many people are affected by this? Lots. Probably most of the country by this point. From what we can gather, it's really only hit what remains of the middle class and most of the lower class. The rich, in other words, are still on top. They still get to get mad, or violent.
Yeah, crime has dropped a lot. But there are a lot more police now. Explain that one and you get the grand prize.
Another five or ten minutes and you'll be able to see. We're getting better on the side-effects of the cure. At least this one doesn't induce vomiting.
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. Hope you like it.
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Author's note: Hrm. I seem to prefer dystopian futures. Maybe because I see them as far more likely then utopian ones.
What do you remember? Yeah, before you passed out. I'm not asking for your life's story. Not yet. Walking along 8th Street? And then a sharp pain in the side of your head? Yeah, that sounds about right.
What? No, you haven't been shot. And I'm not a doctor. You've had... hmmm... I don't think we have some obscure technical term or a piece of slang for it yet. You've been... you've had your free will returned.
No, you didn't always have free will. Maybe when you were a kid, you did. But for at least the last six years, you haven't.
Look, lie down and I'll explain.
Near as we can figure, six years ago, maybe a bit more, some experiments started. A little neurological tweaking. We figure it's been going into the flu vaccines, but that's just a guess. It could be spreading any of a number of ways. What it does is make you... complacent, let's say. Less likely to do anything violent. Less likely to over-react to any news. You don't get very angry, or frustrated. You can be happy. The government likes happy. You don't challenge any new laws that limit your freedom, because you can't work up the emotion to.
It turns people into sheep. Or drones. Or happy little workers. Happy with their lot in life, no matter how bad it really may be.
We've been working on a cure. You, uh, happened to wander into one of our test areas. I don't really know how it works. That's for our science-guys to explain, if they can even put it in terms you can understand. I've here to protect them, and you, and well, I'm good with people. That's why I'm the one with you here and now.
How many people are affected by this? Lots. Probably most of the country by this point. From what we can gather, it's really only hit what remains of the middle class and most of the lower class. The rich, in other words, are still on top. They still get to get mad, or violent.
Yeah, crime has dropped a lot. But there are a lot more police now. Explain that one and you get the grand prize.
Another five or ten minutes and you'll be able to see. We're getting better on the side-effects of the cure. At least this one doesn't induce vomiting.
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. Hope you like it.
---------------------------
Author's note: Hrm. I seem to prefer dystopian futures. Maybe because I see them as far more likely then utopian ones.