It had been a long time since Wisneski had had to crack the heads of a few drunks and he wasn’t sure he had it in him any longer. He wasn’t about to test this theory if he could avoid it.
Since his last visit, the population had grown to include the MFYers who were supposed to be working on a guidebook for the newSkidians shortly to descend on the planet in enormous numbers. The two MFYers who were causing Mitch trouble were taking no part in this process and were well on the way to being drunk.
It quickly emerged the two men had simply been involved in a spirited conversation with Mitch. Mitch tried to give as good as he got, but he was fighting a losing battle, because they were looking for someone they could unload their frustrations on. Trev should have been keeping an eye on Mitch, but he was nowhere to be found.
“Is everything OK here?” he asked, standing alongside Mitch.
“Are you his bodyguard or what?”
“Can’t he look after himself?” the other man demanded.
Wisneski couldn’t pick the accents. The men certainly weren’t American.
“I am sure he could hold his own in a fair fight, but he would struggle against a couple of big tough guys like yourselves.”
Wisneski was caught in two minds. He looked the two men up and down, recognising the type. These were the kind of MFYers both he and Bruce realised could cause them a world of grief at some point in the future if they felt they were hard done by. He guessed they were still coming to terms with ending up on Skid, imagining the MFY project was going to be an endless gravy train for them.
“Whatever Mitch was in the past is now history,’ he told them. “He’s a victim of circumstance and treasonous behaviour by those closest to him. People who should have known better and who we trusted to uphold the constitution.” Wisneski always felt a little guilty about the way Mitch had been shafted. However, the events which resulted in the end of the road for Mitch had led to Wisneski’s new lease of life. A chance encounter with an alien had led Mitch to make some poor choices, placing him in a vulnerable position and left him at the mercy of his political enemies. They had been ruthless in their dispatch of him from the political scene.
His demise was partially self-inflicted after his very public meltdown while giving an ill-advised speech to the General Assembly of the United Nations. This was the last nail in the coffin and provided opportunists in his party a high degree of leverage.
Eventually, Bruce had felt sorry for Mitch, and more than a little guilty for his part in the process and had shipped him off to Skid where he could live out his days in relative comfort and hopefully some anonymity. For this to happen, he would have to be kept out of the way of the waves of people who were in the process of being downloaded to the planet.
“The man’s an arsehole,” one of them grumbled truculently.
The two men certainly had a chip on their shoulder and they needed to take it out on someone. The MFY program had offered people like them a chance to have a point of difference, a sense of achievement in their sad and unfulfilled existences. Unhappily for them they hadn’t read the fine print on their contract, and they now found themselves on a planet with a strange name, trying to make sense of it all.
Mitch was an easy target for their venom, and he didn’t make things any easier for himself by trying to order them about because he believed he was higher up the food chain than they were. His skin wasn’t as thick as he thought it was, and with age, his once rapier wit had deserted him. His own world-view and his place in it had been shattered. Most of his adult life, people had been at his beck and call, shielding him from the day to day struggles of those he represented as he climbed the political ladder until the most powerful role on the planet was within his grasp, and then magnificently was his.
“Leave him alone,” Wisneski repeated.
“Wisneski,” Mitch spoke forcefully, “I don’t need you to fight my battles, thank you very much.”
Wisneski knew there was no way to deal with the men in a reasonable fashion, especially with Mitch in a belligerent mood throwing fuel on the fire. He grabbed the older man by the upper arm and led him away from the table.
“You’re your own worst enemy, Mitch,” he said, remonstrating with the old man.
“We’ll keep him out of trouble.”
Wisneski glanced sideways. He had forgotten about the other group, who were standing around an adjacent table. Two of them were MFYers. He recognised Janice Chang, one of the first colonists on Mars, and Morris Thwaites, tasked to the support team for the program. The third member of this group was the first refugee or undocumented migrant to progress through the end to end process to Skid. He looked like a stunned mullet.
“Thanks, that would be helpful.”
“Haven’t I seen you before?” Janice Chang ventured uncertainly.
“Possibly. My name is Mike Wisneski and I was involved in setting up the security teams at the MFY compound in Australia. I was also present at the launch of your mission.”
Janice thought there was more to this explanation than met the eye, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Wisneski’s demeanour set him apart from everyone else she had met since leaving Earth, except maybe for the Bruce guy. For this reason alone, she decided he was more involved in the MFY program than he was letting on.
“What the fuck?” Wisneski stopped in mid stride. A red warning icon flashed in his vision. Both he, Shelly Shaw and Trev’s older brother Dick had a direct interface with the MPU, but Wisneski was sure Bruce’s connection was far more sophisticated.
‘I beg your pardon?”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Trev asked, running from the house, with Sue close behind.
“I’m not sure.” Wisneski was still waiting for a response from the MPU. “I’ve just got a warning message from the MPU to expect incoming...”
“It looks like the MPU and/or Bruce has decided to download the first batch of new Skidians to the surface.”
“How can you tell?” Wisneski was still waiting for confirmation from the MPU.
“I’m hooked up to an early warning system which alerts me to incoming people. It’s how I manage to be close by when they emerge from the wormhole. I get an alert which tells me how many to expect and what to do with them.”
“So how many are you expecting this time?”
Trev checked his message and gasped. “Fifty thousand plus.”
No wonder he looks in a bit of a panic, Wisneski thought.
“Where are you going to put them all?” Mitch asked. “There’s not enough room around here.”
“There are no instructions this time.”
“I don’t think there are going to be any either,” Wisneski decided. The icon had stopped flashing and the MPU was now strangely silent. He could sense a presence lurking at the edge of his consciousness, but it was not interacting with him, which was unheard of. Normally it was impossible to shut the infernal machine up.
Wisneski looked up, imagining for a fleeting instant that he would see refugees tumbling out of the sky.
“Fuck! This shouldn't be happening. Someone's kicked the download process off ahead of schedule. I’d better let Bruce know.” Wisneski knew Bruce was incommunicado, enjoying a break, but he was available in an emergency and this was definitely one of those. He initiated a call but there was no response.
What’s happening? he asked the MPU, but it didn’t respond. Wisneski sensed a conspiracy was unfolding.
Thirty
Wisneski considered his options and wondered if there was anything useful he could do for the tens of thousands of newSkidians headed their way. He hoped the reception process they had designed using androids as marshals worked as planned.
“Fuck!” There probably wasn’t much he could practically do for all but a few of the newSkidians headed their way, but he felt he should head for the closest emergence point to see what he could do.
With a firm grip on Mitch’s arm so he couldn’t escape and cause any more mischief, he st
rode over to one of the small trucks parked along the short street between the buildings. The vehicles looked remarkably like the truck Bruce used back on Earth. No matter where you went in the universe, societies developed similar solutions to the common technological challenges they faced.
“Any news?” Trev asked, coming to the driver’s side window. “I seem to have lost my access to the MPU. What about you?”
“Me too. Some of the apps seem to be coming back on line now though.”
“What have you done?” Sue demanded angrily over Trev’s shoulder.
“Come on love, we know as much about this as you do,” Trev said, trying to placate her.
“Don’t give me that! You guys have done something to cause a sudden change in the plan.” This was vintage Sue Clark: always seeking to lay the blame at someone’s doorstep, avoid any responsibility for the failure, and thereby somehow prove she could have done better.
“I’m not sure. It looks like someone or something has pressed the download start button before we are one hundred percent ready and started uploading the refugees, instead of the MFYers.” Wisneski understood a delay had been agreed to because of an issue with the support documentation for the newSkidians not being complete. There was a supply issue with the Books as well which needed to be resolved.
“Who could do that?” Trev asked. “It’s above my pay grade.”
“Bruce or the Transcendents, and Bruce is out of contact. There was supposed to be a checkpoint meeting on Monday when he’s back from his weekend away to give the plan the final seal of approval. I guess the Transcendents jumped the gun.”
“Can someone tell us what’s going on?” Janice had approached them and wanted to know what all the commotion was about. Bert had gone dark on her and ominously wouldn’t respond to any questions. She was followed in turn by Morris and Zarif, who stuck to Janice like a leech.
Wisneski saw Zarif’s obvious infatuation with Janice and despite the wider drama unfolding around them, realised that here was a recipe for a broken heart, if ever there was one. He hoped Zarif didn’t go postal when Janice rejected his advances. But then who was he to judge them, with his track record and current lack of interest in companionship, let alone a sexual relationship?
“Someone or something has initiated the download of newSkidians to the planet from Automedon ahead of the agreed kick off,” Wisneski repeated for their benefit.
“We haven’t completed our edit of the SKUG yet. We were going to visit the cities and test the process...”
“I know it’s a less than ideal situation, but it is what it is,” Wisneski replied philosophically. “We also have a problem: a delay in the production of the Books. There’s a manufacturing glitch affecting supply. The people on Automedon, the ones headed here now, will have a Book, but the MFYers who are coming up next might not have access to one for a few weeks.”
“Are the rest of the MFYers coming here too?”
“Yes.” Wisneski confirmed. “This was always the plan. Remember, the lunar and Martian settlements were just a diversion for the real event. The strategic purpose behind the MFY program was to gather the thousands of people on the MFY database in one place to be hoovered up.. er.. uploaded,” Wisneski corrected himself, “to Skid, to re-populate the planet.”
“I think that’s a bloody sneaky thing to do.” Morris muttered.
“Well, people should have read the fine print in the contracts they signed. Anyhow,” Wisneski continued, “the plan called for equal numbers of refugees and MFYers to be uploaded to Automedon for processing. The idea was to create a diverse gene pool. I suspect many more were uploaded to Automedon than was planned, so it might be a bit tight for space up there. This might be why some of them are being moved on and will soon be arriving here. Possibly already have. The Transcendents...”
“What’s a Transcendent?” Janice interrupted Wisneski.
Wisneski gazed skyward.
“It’s a little complicated to explain. I’m not sure how to describe what the Transcendents are. They are the original inhabitants of this planet, and the other planets in this system I think, and they’ve um.. well, transcended.”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t quite worked it out yet. It’s complicated,” he repeated. “However, one thing I do know, is very soon there will be an enormous number of people milling around out there wondering what the hell has happened. We won’t be able to do much for them, but we have to try.”
“One of the emergence zones is close by. It’s where these guys showed up.” Trev added, waving at Janice, Morris, and Zarif.
The MPU ended its blackout and projected a series of coordinates to them, confirming Trev’s theory.
“Let’s head out there then,” Wisneski decided. “Who's coming?”
In breaking news..
In an unusual move this afternoon, the President convened a second White House press conference in as many days. This was a continuation of the baffling repudiation of President Chump’s pre-election promises and puts him at odds with his party’s core membership. Support amongst the most conservative section of the electorate, the evangelical Christians, once solidly behind the President, is now eroding at an exponential rate. His approval rating has hit all-time lows across his core support base and is now exceeded by support from voters from the middle and liberal sections of the electoral spectrum.
The President announced he is going to sign two new executive orders in the coming days once they had been thoroughly researched and vetted. The first executive order will begin a program of taxation reform aimed at increasing corporate tax rates and those for the very wealthy and will close many of the loopholes people use to avoid paying their fair share of tax. A federal sales tax, in addition to current state taxes, will also be considered. It will also pave the way for the implementation of an increase in the minimum wage. The extra government revenue generated by the increased taxes will be used for infrastructure spending, is expected to create many new jobs, and will provide new opportunities for a wide range of businesses. The extra revenue will also be used to increase funding for public health care and education. Paradoxically, this may also lead to increased immigration, since the demand for labour in the construction industry will put a strain an already tight labour market.
When asked why defence spending was not being increased in the face of new threats to American security, the President said that United States military was still the strongest in the world and didn’t need any increased spending over and above mandated inflation-adjusted increases to maintain its capability.
The President was quoted as saying the new taxes were a tremendous opportunity to make America great again.
The second executive order is far more controversial and calls for extraordinary gun control measures. Restrictions will be placed on public ownership of semi and fully automatic weapons, mandates a requirement for background checks on anyone wishing to purchase a firearm, and will repeal open carry laws.
When questioned whether these moves violated the constitutional rights of Americans, the President responded by saying he believed it was becoming far too common for Americans to settle disputes with a gun, resulting in too many avoidable firearm related fatalities. “Any initiative to try and reduce the number of gun related fatalities has to be a good thing. We need to change our attitudes to the ownership of firearms, and when they can be carried in public.”
The President was at pains to make it clear this was not an attack on the rights of Americans to possess firearms. “The ownership of firearms for sporting and hunting purposes is a right enshrined in law and will remain. We are going to implement some minor restrictions for the greater good of society, to reduce the thousands of avoidable firearm related deaths occurring each year.”
When pressed about the right of Americans to defend themselves if they were victims of violent crime or involved in a terror attack, the President responded by pointing out Americans were more likely to shoot themselves
or their loved ones, or be shot by police, than an intruder or terrorist. He added there is no evidence open carry laws have had any impact on crime or defusing mass shooting situations. “Untrained people carrying guns are likely to run away from a violent confrontation just as fast as people who don't carry guns.” he said. “We want to impose some minor restrictions on who can own and purchase fire arms, and how firearms are secured, to reduce the number of gun-related deaths in this country.”
The American political establishment is in turmoil after these latest pronouncements. President Chump was elected based on promises to repeal healthcare, reduce government expenditure in every area accept defence, crack down on immigration, decrease taxes, and free up gun control laws. However, now he is in office, he has repudiated most of his campaign pledges, and set about doing the exact opposite of what he promised, which has incensed those who believe the rights of the individual should be protected at the expense of the greater good.
The most recent announcements sent a shockwave through international markets. However, many commentators believe increased infrastructure spending will generate many new jobs. By the close of play markets had recovered most of their losses, with the sectors involved in construction and heavy machinery manufacture the big winners.
The news coming out of the United States today overshadowed initial reports from Australia indicating the vast MFY complex in South Australia is now empty. While the facility still seems to be fully operational, there is no sign of the tens of thousands of people who are believed to have been living at the site. It is not known when the inhabitants left, where they went, or how they were transported. However, as recently as yesterday, Australian time, replenishment missions for the settlements on the moon and Mars were being launched. Vehicles were discovered on launch pads, pre-positioned for further re-supply missions.
Martian Reality Show management have been contacted for comment. However, representatives are not currently available. However, the reality show is still on air, selling advertising space, and the action is now fully focused on the Martian settlement.
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