O: Official Offenses

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Official Offenses

A surge of rage flooded Adam’s chest as he imagined all the unsavory things Bibble may have demanded of her.  This feeling rivaled the strength of the feelings he experienced when Bibble handed him his fate.  “What did he want?”  He asked, although part of him feared the details.

“He wanted to get his hands on the nanotechnology we used.”  Layla sounded bitter, even deeply offended by the seemingly simple demand.

This wasn’t the answer his indignant rage was looking for, so it drained away in its uselessness.  “Why’d he want it?”

“Who wouldn’t?  The idea of buying happiness would appeal to anyone who feels like they can’t get it any other way.”  Layla sneered.  “Unfortunately, Bibble and others like him wanted it for more sinister purposes.  His idea was to make the use of the nanos mandatory for all civilians.  He figured he could cut down on crime that way, because most crimes are committed out of anger or a desire to have something you didn’t have previously. The added bonus would also be that he could hike up taxes, grant himself a large pay raise, and pass a bunch of restrictive laws, thereby gaining more wealth and power, all without the people feeling the need to raise a complaint.  He saw the contentment generated by the nanobots as synthetic, therefore inferior to the real thing, and he seemed more than happy to get ‘the real thing’ through whatever means he could.”

“So, Bibble thinks you can’t buy real happiness through the use of nanotechnology, but you can buy it in every other way?”

Layla snorted.  “Yes, he certainly displays his stripes as a true nutjob with that line of reasoning.  Still, he’s also impressively logical for a nutjob, which makes me think he doesn’t even believe it himself.  He probably just wants to make sure no one gets in the way of him doing what he wants.  I think it’s accurate to say Bibble is a true bureaucrat.  It doesn’t matter if he does something reprehensible.  As long as it benefits him and he can make it legal through the power he’s attained, he’ll do it.”

“As I learned from personal experience,” Adam replied. 

She looked sympathetic.  “You were banished from existence over an apple that someone else chose to steal and eat.  It sounds stupid, but there’s reason behind it.  Bibble’s been hard at work for quite some time now, looking to interpret law in a way that benefits him.  Did you know that most of the expulsions have been retroactive, including yours?”

“What do you mean?  Are you saying I never officially existed?”  That sounded utterly absurd.

Layla nodded.  “Yes.  That also means your family couldn’t legally inherit your possessions after your exile.  Even if you had a will, it’s been invalidated.  Bibble is kicking people out of existence so he can take their things and sell them for profit.  If he were to use nanos to subdue the population, no one could stop him.”



Proceed to entry P.