The night sky was crying; it was unclear whether it was artificial or natural rain. Regardless, in a city square of monochromatic skyscrapers, the rain was pouring heavy. A crowd had gathered around what seemed to be an execution. There were many military vehicles surrounding the area, but many more were the screens displaying the punishment.
In the centre of the crowd was a man who knelt under a forceful command. His eyes were unfocused; he looked small against the backdrop of the massive VENEER guardians.
V.E.N.E.E.R, which are Virtualized Neural-Encoded Environmental Resources. They were at an age when the machines had been given a synthetic body. An age where you couldn't differentiate between a human and an artificial intelligence.
Suddenly, his unfocused eyes snapped back into reality, searching for something precious. Eventually, his eyes settled on a small, fragile girl.
The girl had beautiful violet hair, much like his, both of their hair sticking close to their face. Her boots were two sizes too large, stuffed with rags to keep the frost from blackening her toes.
"Citizen 4-882," a voice boomed from the overhead speakers. "You have been found guilty of Cultural Dissent. You have harbored ideas of the Old World. You have broadcast non-sanctioned media. You have prioritized the Self over the Collective."
"You have sought the 'Identity of the Self' over the 'Integrity of the State.' In the Empire of Leng, there is no 'I.' There is only the 'We.' You are a corrupted cell in the body of the Mandate. You must be excised."
As the little girl heard, her eyes flinched at the seams, on the verge of tears.
She watched her father. He didn't look at the Guards. He didn't look at the high-ranking Wardens in their pleated silk uniforms. He turned his head, squinting through the falling rain, until his eyes locked onto hers.
His lips moved. No sound came out, but she knew the shape of the words.
The words were 'Please Live a Happy Life.'
Then a small gun pressed against the man's head. His eyes, which were still locked with the girl, didn't move.
While for the girl, the world stopped existing, the countdown for the execution stopped existing. Then a sudden click noise echoed across the plaza. It wasn't a crude gun where bullets pierce through a person's head. No, it was an advance peice of equipment that worked in a way that it directly melted the brain.
The man knelt, didn't move for a beat, then suddenly blood came gushing out of his eyes, ears, and nose.
The execution was completed.
The girl saw this without looking away; she saw every single moment without blinking. Her heart was broken in countless peices each peice peiercing the rest of her frail body.
The crowd began to dissipate; there wasn't any reaction. No crying, no rioting, no cheering, either. As if it were part of their daily life, which they simply moved on from.
She wasn't a victim of a special circumstance. Unfortunately for her, in the Empire of Leng a execution like this was normal.
She stood there for the longest time. Then a voice called her from behind.
"Violet?"
A woman came over and stood beside her. She wore the high-collared, black silk uniform of the Bureau of Social Harmony. Her face was obscured by a thin, dark veil that fluttered in the stagnant wind.
"Your father's debt to the State is settled," the Lady said. Her voice was like the sound of a scalpel on glass. "But your rehabilitation has only just begun. You are a Citizen of Leng, and a Citizen must be refined."
The Lady reached into her sleeve and pulled out a rectangular slip of polymer. It was stark white, embossed with the crimson seal of the Empire.
"You have been granted a mercy," the Lady continued. "You have been selected for the F.A.R.K.S. Academy. You will learn and then join in a service to help the Empire."
Violet reached out and took the slip. Her hands were shaking now.
"F.A.R.K.S.?" Violet's voice felt small, unused.
"Federal Academy for Re-education, Knowledge, and Service," the Lady replied.
The Lady turned, her robes snapping in the wind like the wings of a crow. "Report to the Mag-Lev station. Gate 9." saying that she walked away.
Violet stood alone in the shadow of the execution plaza. The rain continued to fall, her clothes were wet, the blood of her father mixing with the rain.
She looked down at the admission form.
____________________________________________________
[REHABILITATION ADMISSION: 4-882-B]
ACADEMY: FARKS - SECTOR 4
ENROLLMENT TYPE: COMPULSORY
EXPECTED OUTCOME: TOTAL INTEGRATION
Identity is a mask. Service is the face beneath.
_________________________________________________________
She clutched the polymer slip in her hand, then looked above at the black obsidian sky, as small droplets of translucent diamonds fell on her face.
Her father's words echoing in her mind, she pushed forward and took her first step.