AND SO IT BEGINS - TWWW part 7

They came first for the Communists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.Then they came for the trade unionists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.Then they came for the Jews,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.Then they came for meand by that time no one was left to speak up.
Believed to be quoted from by Pastor Martin Niemoeller


Morris sat in the waiting room. They were going to fly Stacey back for cremation. He was making the necessary phone calls. He found it curious how quickly things came together. The cremation would be the next morning. The service would take place the coming up Sunday. He was looking for numbers in his phone; did he tell the people he needed to about the service? Then his phone rang, Lance was calling again.

“Yes Lance.”

“I’m sorry Morris. I heard.”

(How’d the hell did you hear so fast) “Thanks.”

“So when you heading back?”

“I fly in this afternoon.”

“Can you come into my office tomorrow?”

“Lance I’ve had a really crappy day. I didn’t think I’d formally needed to ask for a few days off for bereavement.”

“You don’t,” Lance quickly answered, “It’s just for some paperwork. Of course I expect you to take time off.”

“Do you have any information on Walt? When I left he was in a pretty bad st…”

“He’s…huh, Walt passed away. He had bone cancer Morris; inoperable. It was just a matter of time.”

Morris thought, funny how Walt worked in a state of the art medical facility yet he couldn’t get any treatment for himself. No wonder he wanted to stick it to them in the end.

“Morris can you come in tomorrow around noon…Morris…Morris?”

*******
It’s hard to fit a whole life into a duffle bag, Barry thought to himself. He looked over to his wife and wondered if she was plagued with the same thoughts. She stood at the door of her walk-in closet, feet rooted into the berber carpet. She was saying her individual goodbyes to all of her shoes. She ran her hands over a pair of leather pumps as if she was reading brail.

“Lynn”, he said, “You can’t take it with you”

“I know.”

“Just bring a couple of pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts, underwear, maybe some sweats, toiletries. I don’t know where we’ll be sleeping, maybe you can sleep in your sweats.”

With that she began to cry. This was not the proper time for his attention to detail. The life they were going to was foreign to Lynn. She’s a daddy’s girl, something which proved to be a challenge the first 2years of their 7 years of marriage.

“I know, I know,” she snapped.

Barry decided to ignore it. Let’s just get her packed and out of the house. It was a lot to give up, especially for a woman use to the niceties of life. He had roughed it before. His dad was always running scams so they had to move around a lot. When he wasn’t trying to part fools with their money, he was drunk. His mom was no better. As destructive as the relationship was, they were perfect for each other. Barry was one of the few in his neighborhood anxious to sign up for service in the people’s army. On his 18th birthday he was standing at the door of the enlistment office waiting for them to open. He was underprivileged, black and a veteran, so he got a full scholarship after 8 years when he got out. He lost touch with his father and his mother was dead; alcohol poisoning. Barry got his CPA credentials when he was 30. He joined on at one of the most esteemed firms in Los Angeles. But that wasn’t his profession anymore.

“I’m going to take a look around the house.”

“What for?” Lynn asked. She still hadn’t packed anything. She remained frozen in her walk-in closet.

It was a beautiful house; uphill on a narrow no outlet street in Silverlake. It was a 2 story house with hardwood floors and Spanish tiles on the first floor and carpeting upstairs where the bedrooms were. When they purchased the house 6 years ago, they striped it down to the bones and rebuilt it. The sloped backyard had a beautiful view of the city. Barry wanted to see it one last time. Much had changed, but the city lights were still there. The LED billboard was flashing the current movie due out in theatres, cars were moving back and forth on the streets. It all looked the same, but things weren’t the same. Not for them.

There was no exact moment when it all began to change. It was very subtle in the beginning. When the late night infomercials first started, getting the chip was still voluntary. It was all about conveniency. Once A-list but now D-sit actors were the hosts. “It has so many benefits”, they would say. They had the man on the street testimonials to back it up. This new convenience was a response to several incidents.

The first was the introduction of the Terrorist Act as a result of the Bromley shooting.
This made the minds of the people ripe and easily accepting of what was to come.

Several months prior to the first infomercial, hackers got into all major credit card, financial institutions and utility data bases. It was considered a local act of terrorism. They shut down the power grid, stole millions of dollars along with people’s personal info. It affected 1 in 3 people; Lynn included. She was at the DMV renewing her drivers license; one of the clerks called out her name and another woman stood up. She was from Poland. She was working as a waitress after buying her way into the states.

Then came the collapse of the dollar, which seemed imminent after the hackers destroyed an already struggling system. They say it comes in 3’s but that model was broken when a 4th came; the bombing of the L.A. subway system. It was unprotected. It was easy. A couple of people at point A, another at point Z and a few scattered in between at every stop. The last stop, point Z, Union Station was the only one with an undercover detail. When the train stopped, upon exiting they asked all passengers to show their ticket stubs. The bombers were the last to exit. The detonation time was to be at 10:15 a.m., but with the agents in front of them, they had no choice. They pressed play a little early; 10:12.

It was a 2 weeks before they could get a fiber optic camera in and still at 7 months they haven’t found most of the bodies and probably weren’t going to. The damage was done from a nuclear backpack; its existence was thought to be purely sc-fi. The nuclear material was under 15 grams and used as a propellant to create a low altitude airburst. When detonated inside the subway terminal; it first sucked in all the oxygen like a vacuum. The bomb fed on the oxygen which created a fireball that exploded out with temperatures up to 500C. Because of the low quantity of nuclear material, the fall out exceeded no more than 5 miles. The explosion carried the heat through the tunnels; the streets and nearby buildings shook as if an earthquake was happening, but there was no structural damage above ground. The heat created by the bomb caused people several yards from the entry’s and exits to receive 1st degree burns, some singed eyebrows and arm hair. The internal temperatures caused the subway cars to melt and finding human remains had proved to be nearly impossible. In less than 5 minutes, the railway system was destroyed. They said it would take years to repair. Scientists made public statements explaining the people suffocated first. They felt nothing after that. Somehow this offered very little comfort to loved ones.


Identifying people was done from license plates of the cars parked in the park n’ leave lots and from people noting the disappearance of loved ones and co-workers. The U.S Secretary of State said in an on-site interview, “What a tragedy to all the people who have lost family and cannot give them a proper burial and to all those people who will never know for sure. It we had identifying chips this would not happen. At least people would have closure.” At least.

Suddenly talk of the RFID chip became quite real. It was always rumored the government was experimenting with Mexican immigrants; which reasoned why the problems at the borders were ignored. It raised the suspicion of many but not enough. People were so desperate and beat down from the previous catastrophes. In the past what never would have been agreed to, was welcomed with open arms.

At first they said, ‘It’s your social responsibility’. Then it was strongly suggested. The dollar became credits; some stores completely switched over to the chip. Incentives were given; more credits, your bills paid for up to 6 months, etc. Then it became propaganda, certain Senators and state governors would talk about how un-american it was to not be chipped. It was after all, “For the betterment of all people.”

Kiosks started springing up at malls. There were booths in grocery stores. Instead of people passing out perfume spritzed cards, they were handing out flyers with a listing of the closest stations. It was free, just sign a contract. You gave your social security number and answered a few questions. So much information had already been recorded from store rewards cards; it became just a matter of compiling all the information. The registrar consultants, as they were called, received 8 hours of training. They downloaded the preliminary information onto the chip and inserted it in your right hand, on the spot. Within 24 hours, the rest of your life’s history is imprinted on the live chip while it’s in you. People lined up like they were passing out free cars.

Barry lost his job first. They were very pro-government, pro-chip. They had many high profile clients which required the people they worked with to be in line with the new system. Barry along with a few others, including one of the partners of the CPA, refused. They were released of their employ immediately.

Lynn owned a multi-ethnic hair salon. They not only practiced the art of the press n curl for even the most hair-from-the-motherland client but were also known around the city for color correction of fried and dyed bleach blonds. The government required all small business owners to register with chip id numbers. First came a letter, which Lynn promptly threw in the trash. When she didn’t reply, two agents paid an innocuous visit. “What’s the resistance?” they questioned. “Your license fees will be taken care of. Your payroll, done. Payment to all your vendors and utilities, done. It’s a free automatic payment service we give to small business owners.” Lynn politely declined, and put the pressing comb back into its oven.

All services, utilities and bills were paid in credits. Payroll was paid in credits and all credits were processed through the chip. Lynn could no longer receive payment, so she couldn’t pay her bills including the rent, so her business was seized. There was nowhere to complain; going to local legislation was pointless because registrar consultants were there too.

Barry and Lynn received a letter at their home; it stated their property was being temporarily seized pending their implantation.

“Please do not resist the agents or bother your neighbors. They are already chipped and should not be disturbed or harassed. Thank you”

It also noted the date and informed them the utilities board would kindly leave on the water and electricity so they would be able to gather what belongings they could. The agents would be coming at 7a.m. Many people facing the loss of everything they worked for often changed their minds. For their convenience, registrar consultants would be standing by.

********

Morris sat in the waiting room of Lance’s office. His secretary went to lunch once she told Lance Morris had arrived. Who schedules a meeting at lunch time? Who schedules a meeting with someone whose wife just died? Morris sat tapping his watch; which is what he did when he was nervous. Something about the steady sound of his nail hitting the glass was very comforting to him. His impatience was beginning to grow; he knew his time could have been spent in much better ways. Lance’s voice came out over the speaker on the phone, “Morris, you can come in now.” (He doesn’t even have the decency to open the door and greet me man to man with a handshake.)

Lance was standing behind his desk, with his hand extended. Morris walked to the chair in front of his desk, making the effort to lean over to shake the hand of Lance, who made no effort at all.

“I’m sorry about Stacey.”

“Thank you.”

Both men sat. There were several awkward seconds of silence before Morris broke it.

“I’m planning a service on Sunday.”

“Yes, I got the email with the information, best to get it taken care of. Look Morris I know the timing couldn’t be more off but, I’m going to need you to take your physical.

“The doctor said Stacey didn’t have a virus…and I went to my doctor last month.”

“This is not through your personal physician but as part of the prep exam for the vaccine.”

Morris didn’t know what to say. He spent many years working with others to push the vaccine through. He knew what the vaccine was about…all the vaccines for that matter. Those with the immune attacking properties and those leaving the patients with crippling diseases. He knew all the special markets, as they called them, which specifically geared them towards the weak and the old. Then there were the spot cleansers which were DNA coded for soft kills. They were designed to, over time kill entire populations while safely leaving behind the valuable land resources. The agency wanted more scientific minded personnel in this area, so Morris was transferred out and moved to pharmaceuticals, but he knew spot cleansers were for poor nations with overgrown populations.

“I worked on the new vaccines in the beginning. Lance, I know what that crap does. You see what it did to Stacey.”

“Morris, we don’t know what happened to Stacey and just because you work for the agency, you’re still subject to the same standards and protocol as non-agency workers.
You are not exempt. We have to show we hold ourselves to the same rules we delegate and enforce. Morris, you’re worried over nothing. You’ll be fine. What are you?” Lance asked while searching though Morris’s personnel folder. “65. It’s almost time for you to retire anyway. You’ve done a good work for us Morris. Don’t think we don’t appreciate it. Your appointment is for Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Sorry again for your loss.”

Lance stood up, again his hand extended. Morris guessed this signaled the meeting was over. He was 65, overweight and overstressed; the walk to the car in the parking lot left him breathing heavily and clutching at his chest. ‘Maybe its just anxiety’, he thought to himself. He had every right to feel anxious; his boss probably just gave him a death sentence. He regretted all those times he spent getting his meals handed to him out of a window from someone wearing a silly hat. He regretted many other things too

******

Barry walked back into the bedroom. Lynn hadn’t got much further in her packing then when he left. There wasn’t any point in arguing about it. He gathered the rest of her things for her, gently putting them into a duffle bag. He put her tennis and a pair of socks at her feet. Lynn sat on the edge of the bed zoned out watching one of the infomercials with the same people, but a different setting. It seemed like they filmed them every week now. There was something seductive about the infomercials. Maybe it was the tone of the actress’s voice or the colors of the set; varying shades of gray and blue hues. Barry touched Lynn’s shoulder. She didn’t respond. She didn’t even know he was there. “Lynn?”

“Yes.”

“It’s 6, it’s time to go.”

They left their freshly cleaned high count linens, their cupboards filled with Lynn’s favorite teas, the t.v.’s, the fully stocked stainless steel refrigerator with french door bottom freezer, their video collection which took years to acquire, all but one photo album and a whole household of other things. Out of habit Lynn took her house keys to lock the door. She let out an uneasy laugh and threw the keys on the ground. There was no point in locking the door. She didn’t even remember turning off the television. They walked down the driveway past their drought resistant desert garden leaving their BMW’s in the driveway. Barry traded in his designer watch for a small economy car. The watch was given to him out of gratitude from a client Morris saved from a several million dollar bogus lawsuit. The car had new tags and would allow them to travel without getting pulled over; at least for a while. The government was still in the process of getting the chips in cars so there were still old models driving around. At least they would be able to get around without attracting attention. At least not yet. The car would get them to where they needed to go, where ever that was. When he lost his job he told her, “We’ll just take it a day at a time.”
‘A day at a time…A day at a time…A day at a time,’ she kept repeating it to herself hoping the words would take root and make the journey easier to bare. Barry parked the car a few blocks away. He figured the agents might ask the neighbors questions; “Did you see them leave?” “Did someone pick them up?” “Did you see the direction they were going?” Through the corner of her eye, Lynn saw the curtains, of Janine and David next door, open and quickly close. They got their chips while at an outdoor mall, waiting for a movie to start.

“Don’t look back,” Barry said. “I won’t.” Lynn answered, but she lied.



They came first for the Communists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.Then they came for the trade unionists,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.Then they came for the Jews,and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.Then they came for meand by that time no one was left to speak up.
Believed to be quoted from by Pastor Martin Niemoeller


Morris sat in the waiting room. They were going to fly Stacey back for cremation. He was making the necessary phone calls. He found it curious how quickly things came together. The cremation would be the next morning. The service would take place the coming up Sunday. He was looking for numbers in his phone; did he tell the people he needed to about the service? Then his phone rang, Lance was calling again.

“Yes Lance.”

“I’m sorry Morris. I heard.”

(How’d the hell did you hear so fast) “Thanks.”

“So when you heading back?”

“I fly in this afternoon.”

“Can you come into my office tomorrow?”

“Lance I’ve had a really crappy day. I didn’t think I’d formally needed to ask for a few days off for bereavement.”

“You don’t,” Lance quickly answered, “It’s just for some paperwork. Of course I expect you to take time off.”

“Do you have any information on Walt? When I left he was in a pretty bad st…”

“He’s…huh, Walt passed away. He had bone cancer Morris; inoperable. It was just a matter of time.”

Morris thought, funny how Walt worked in a state of the art medical facility yet he couldn’t get any treatment for himself. No wonder he wanted to stick it to them in the end.

“Morris can you come in tomorrow around noon…Morris…Morris?”

*******
It’s hard to fit a whole life into a duffle bag, Barry thought to himself. He looked over to his wife and wondered if she was plagued with the same thoughts. She stood at the door of her walk-in closet, feet rooted into the berber carpet. She was saying her individual goodbyes to all of her shoes. She ran her hands over a pair of leather pumps as if she was reading brail.

“Lynn”, he said, “You can’t take it with you”

“I know.”

“Just bring a couple of pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts, underwear, maybe some sweats, toiletries. I don’t know where we’ll be sleeping, maybe you can sleep in your sweats.”

With that she began to cry. This was not the proper time for his attention to detail. The life they were going to was foreign to Lynn. She’s a daddy’s girl, something which proved to be a challenge the first 2years of their 7 years of marriage.

“I know, I know,” she snapped.

Barry decided to ignore it. Let’s just get her packed and out of the house. It was a lot to give up, especially for a woman use to the niceties of life. He had roughed it before. His dad was always running scams so they had to move around a lot. When he wasn’t trying to part fools with their money, he was drunk. His mom was no better. As destructive as the relationship was, they were perfect for each other. Barry was one of the few in his neighborhood anxious to sign up for service in the people’s army. On his 18th birthday he was standing at the door of the enlistment office waiting for them to open. He was underprivileged, black and a veteran, so he got a full scholarship after 8 years when he got out. He lost touch with his father and his mother was dead; alcohol poisoning. Barry got his CPA credentials when he was 30. He joined on at one of the most esteemed firms in Los Angeles. But that wasn’t his profession anymore.

“I’m going to take a look around the house.”

“What for?” Lynn asked. She still hadn’t packed anything. She remained frozen in her walk-in closet.

It was a beautiful house; uphill on a narrow no outlet street in Silverlake. It was a 2 story house with hardwood floors and Spanish tiles on the first floor and carpeting upstairs where the bedrooms were. When they purchased the house 6 years ago, they striped it down to the bones and rebuilt it. The sloped backyard had a beautiful view of the city. Barry wanted to see it one last time. Much had changed, but the city lights were still there. The LED billboard was flashing the current movie due out in theatres, cars were moving back and forth on the streets. It all looked the same, but things weren’t the same. Not for them.

There was no exact moment when it all began to change. It was very subtle in the beginning. When the late night infomercials first started, getting the chip was still voluntary. It was all about conveniency. Once A-list but now D-sit actors were the hosts. “It has so many benefits”, they would say. They had the man on the street testimonials to back it up. This new convenience was a response to several incidents.

The first was the introduction of the Terrorist Act as a result of the Bromley shooting.
This made the minds of the people ripe and easily accepting of what was to come.

Several months prior to the first infomercial, hackers got into all major credit card, financial institutions and utility data bases. It was considered a local act of terrorism. They shut down the power grid, stole millions of dollars along with people’s personal info. It affected 1 in 3 people; Lynn included. She was at the DMV renewing her drivers license; one of the clerks called out her name and another woman stood up. She was from Poland. She was working as a waitress after buying her way into the states.

Then came the collapse of the dollar, which seemed imminent after the hackers destroyed an already struggling system. They say it comes in 3’s but that model was broken when a 4th came; the bombing of the L.A. subway system. It was unprotected. It was easy. A couple of people at point A, another at point Z and a few scattered in between at every stop. The last stop, point Z, Union Station was the only one with an undercover detail. When the train stopped, upon exiting they asked all passengers to show their ticket stubs. The bombers were the last to exit. The detonation time was to be at 10:15 a.m., but with the agents in front of them, they had no choice. They pressed play a little early; 10:12.

It was a 2 weeks before they could get a fiber optic camera in and still at 7 months they haven’t found most of the bodies and probably weren’t going to. The damage was done from a nuclear backpack; its existence was thought to be purely sc-fi. The nuclear material was under 15 grams and used as a propellant to create a low altitude airburst. When detonated inside the subway terminal; it first sucked in all the oxygen like a vacuum. The bomb fed on the oxygen which created a fireball that exploded out with temperatures up to 500C. Because of the low quantity of nuclear material, the fall out exceeded no more than 5 miles. The explosion carried the heat through the tunnels; the streets and nearby buildings shook as if an earthquake was happening, but there was no structural damage above ground. The heat created by the bomb caused people several yards from the entry’s and exits to receive 1st degree burns, some singed eyebrows and arm hair. The internal temperatures caused the subway cars to melt and finding human remains had proved to be nearly impossible. In less than 5 minutes, the railway system was destroyed. They said it would take years to repair. Scientists made public statements explaining the people suffocated first. They felt nothing after that. Somehow this offered very little comfort to loved ones.


Identifying people was done from license plates of the cars parked in the park n’ leave lots and from people noting the disappearance of loved ones and co-workers. The U.S Secretary of State said in an on-site interview, “What a tragedy to all the people who have lost family and cannot give them a proper burial and to all those people who will never know for sure. It we had identifying chips this would not happen. At least people would have closure.” At least.

Suddenly talk of the RFID chip became quite real. It was always rumored the government was experimenting with Mexican immigrants; which reasoned why the problems at the borders were ignored. It raised the suspicion of many but not enough. People were so desperate and beat down from the previous catastrophes. In the past what never would have been agreed to, was welcomed with open arms.

At first they said, ‘It’s your social responsibility’. Then it was strongly suggested. The dollar became credits; some stores completely switched over to the chip. Incentives were given; more credits, your bills paid for up to 6 months, etc. Then it became propaganda, certain Senators and state governors would talk about how un-american it was to not be chipped. It was after all, “For the betterment of all people.”

Kiosks started springing up at malls. There were booths in grocery stores. Instead of people passing out perfume spritzed cards, they were handing out flyers with a listing of the closest stations. It was free, just sign a contract. You gave your social security number and answered a few questions. So much information had already been recorded from store rewards cards; it became just a matter of compiling all the information. The registrar consultants, as they were called, received 8 hours of training. They downloaded the preliminary information onto the chip and inserted it in your right hand, on the spot. Within 24 hours, the rest of your life’s history is imprinted on the live chip while it’s in you. People lined up like they were passing out free cars.

Barry lost his job first. They were very pro-government, pro-chip. They had many high profile clients which required the people they worked with to be in line with the new system. Barry along with a few others, including one of the partners of the CPA, refused. They were released of their employ immediately.

Lynn owned a multi-ethnic hair salon. They not only practiced the art of the press n curl for even the most hair-from-the-motherland client but were also known around the city for color correction of fried and dyed bleach blonds. The government required all small business owners to register with chip id numbers. First came a letter, which Lynn promptly threw in the trash. When she didn’t reply, two agents paid an innocuous visit. “What’s the resistance?” they questioned. “Your license fees will be taken care of. Your payroll, done. Payment to all your vendors and utilities, done. It’s a free automatic payment service we give to small business owners.” Lynn politely declined, and put the pressing comb back into its oven.

All services, utilities and bills were paid in credits. Payroll was paid in credits and all credits were processed through the chip. Lynn could no longer receive payment, so she couldn’t pay her bills including the rent, so her business was seized. There was nowhere to complain; going to local legislation was pointless because registrar consultants were there too.

Barry and Lynn received a letter at their home; it stated their property was being temporarily seized pending their implantation.

“Please do not resist the agents or bother your neighbors. They are already chipped and should not be disturbed or harassed. Thank you”

It also noted the date and informed them the utilities board would kindly leave on the water and electricity so they would be able to gather what belongings they could. The agents would be coming at 7a.m. Many people facing the loss of everything they worked for often changed their minds. For their convenience, registrar consultants would be standing by.

********

Morris sat in the waiting room of Lance’s office. His secretary went to lunch once she told Lance Morris had arrived. Who schedules a meeting at lunch time? Who schedules a meeting with someone whose wife just died? Morris sat tapping his watch; which is what he did when he was nervous. Something about the steady sound of his nail hitting the glass was very comforting to him. His impatience was beginning to grow; he knew his time could have been spent in much better ways. Lance’s voice came out over the speaker on the phone, “Morris, you can come in now.” (He doesn’t even have the decency to open the door and greet me man to man with a handshake.)

Lance was standing behind his desk, with his hand extended. Morris walked to the chair in front of his desk, making the effort to lean over to shake the hand of Lance, who made no effort at all.

“I’m sorry about Stacey.”

“Thank you.”

Both men sat. There were several awkward seconds of silence before Morris broke it.

“I’m planning a service on Sunday.”

“Yes, I got the email with the information, best to get it taken care of. Look Morris I know the timing couldn’t be more off but, I’m going to need you to take your physical.

“The doctor said Stacey didn’t have a virus…and I went to my doctor last month.”

“This is not through your personal physician but as part of the prep exam for the vaccine.”

Morris didn’t know what to say. He spent many years working with others to push the vaccine through. He knew what the vaccine was about…all the vaccines for that matter. Those with the immune attacking properties and those leaving the patients with crippling diseases. He knew all the special markets, as they called them, which specifically geared them towards the weak and the old. Then there were the spot cleansers which were DNA coded for soft kills. They were designed to, over time kill entire populations while safely leaving behind the valuable land resources. The agency wanted more scientific minded personnel in this area, so Morris was transferred out and moved to pharmaceuticals, but he knew spot cleansers were for poor nations with overgrown populations.

“I worked on the new vaccines in the beginning. Lance, I know what that crap does. You see what it did to Stacey.”

“Morris, we don’t know what happened to Stacey and just because you work for the agency, you’re still subject to the same standards and protocol as non-agency workers.
You are not exempt. We have to show we hold ourselves to the same rules we delegate and enforce. Morris, you’re worried over nothing. You’ll be fine. What are you?” Lance asked while searching though Morris’s personnel folder. “65. It’s almost time for you to retire anyway. You’ve done a good work for us Morris. Don’t think we don’t appreciate it. Your appointment is for Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Sorry again for your loss.”

Lance stood up, again his hand extended. Morris guessed this signaled the meeting was over. He was 65, overweight and overstressed; the walk to the car in the parking lot left him breathing heavily and clutching at his chest. ‘Maybe its just anxiety’, he thought to himself. He had every right to feel anxious; his boss probably just gave him a death sentence. He regretted all those times he spent getting his meals handed to him out of a window from someone wearing a silly hat. He regretted many other things too

******

Barry walked back into the bedroom. Lynn hadn’t got much further in her packing then when he left. There wasn’t any point in arguing about it. He gathered the rest of her things for her, gently putting them into a duffle bag. He put her tennis and a pair of socks at her feet. Lynn sat on the edge of the bed zoned out watching one of the infomercials with the same people, but a different setting. It seemed like they filmed them every week now. There was something seductive about the infomercials. Maybe it was the tone of the actress’s voice or the colors of the set; varying shades of gray and blue hues. Barry touched Lynn’s shoulder. She didn’t respond. She didn’t even know he was there. “Lynn?”

“Yes.”

“It’s 6, it’s time to go.”

They left their freshly cleaned high count linens, their cupboards filled with Lynn’s favorite teas, the t.v.’s, the fully stocked stainless steel refrigerator with french door bottom freezer, their video collection which took years to acquire, all but one photo album and a whole household of other things. Out of habit Lynn took her house keys to lock the door. She let out an uneasy laugh and threw the keys on the ground. There was no point in locking the door. She didn’t even remember turning off the television. They walked down the driveway past their drought resistant desert garden leaving their BMW’s in the driveway. Barry traded in his designer watch for a small economy car. The watch was given to him out of gratitude from a client Morris saved from a several million dollar bogus lawsuit. The car had new tags and would allow them to travel without getting pulled over; at least for a while. The government was still in the process of getting the chips in cars so there were still old models driving around. At least they would be able to get around without attracting attention. At least not yet. The car would get them to where they needed to go, where ever that was. When he lost his job he told her, “We’ll just take it a day at a time.”
‘A day at a time…A day at a time…A day at a time,’ she kept repeating it to herself hoping the words would take root and make the journey easier to bare. Barry parked the car a few blocks away. He figured the agents might ask the neighbors questions; “Did you see them leave?” “Did someone pick them up?” “Did you see the direction they were going?” Through the corner of her eye, Lynn saw the curtains, of Janine and David next door, open and quickly close. They got their chips while at an outdoor mall, waiting for a movie to start.

“Don’t look back,” Barry said. “I won’t.” Lynn answered, but she lied.