2084

2084 is obviously named after George Orwell's famed novel, but won't be a outright plagiarism, it will be a most subtle one. The action will happen in London but TV can help to show the world. Times have changed, the concerns are different. We're, at each passing second, closer to complete lack of privacy, terrorism and wars are used to distract us from the blatant lies and violation of human rights in our own country and we're attacked by relentless waves of propaganda everyday, persuading us to fight for the interests of someone we don't know. While I intend it to be a a lot more light hearted than "1984", I still want to show that Totalitarian regimes(Be them endorsed by vote or not)=bad and freedom=good. Feel free to expand. Just try to keep it in accordance to the setting.

Chapter One - A new elected official
"And now, the HBC (Happy Broadcasting Corporation) presents an exclusive interview with our new Great Guv'nor, Sir Howard Keppler! That's right folks, differently from others, less patriotic networks, we, from HBC were welcomed by Sir Keppler into his office! But before, a message from our sponsors":

"Did you ever travel to a foreign country, only to discover that your credit cards are not accepted? Are you afraid to use high risk payment forms like pounds and euros? Are you not communist?" An giant Dollar bill with the face of George Washington appear and screams: "Then you need dollars!!!" "Dollars is the only payment form accepted in all countries in the world!" an distinctly non arabic man wearing arabic clothes screams "I accept dollars!!!". The bill speaks again: "What're waitin' for!? Go now, happiness and riches ain't waiting for nobody! Buy dollars in a retailer close to you, and experience the easiness and happiness associated with it." small, hard to read black subtitles appeared on the scree for two split seconds, stating "None of the informations contained in this advertisements are necessarily true, and may be changed without further notice. This is a special broadcast from the United States government."

Cut to Harriet Morghan, or at least that is what the subtitles said, smiling with glee and glossed lips. "Thanks Jason, I'm here at Sir Keppler's office, where the most powerful man in the country will pass most his non free time working to improve our lives! Sir Keppler, the viewers want to know, why have you stated: 'This nondescript war somewhere in the middle east is very, very important for reasons, best remain undisclosed until I win the elections."?

"Well miss Harriet, you see, the reasons that the war continues raging, in various middle and far eastern countries, if I may add, is that they...are dictatorships, and...you know, that dead american guy said that dictatorships in middle east are a threat to democracy everywhere."

Harriet kept a serious face while he spoke, as if it had been the most insightful words she ever heard, when he finished speaking, she nodded and made a follow-up question, almost without thinking -"Why?"- She immediately widened her eyes, looked at the camera, remembered it was a live broadcast and then looked at Keppler.

Keppler sighed (for a little more time than necessary) and answered, beaming: "Well, miss Harriet, if they are dictatorships, they are evil and fund terrorists, specially since they are middle eastern, and foreign. Simple stuff, like 2 + 2 = 5.

Harriet beamed too, visibly relieved and proceeded to follow the script with the next questions: "And about expanding London Closed Circuit Camera Network to inside people's homes?"

"Well, it is broadly known that most of the accidents happen inside home. Therefore, we intend to protect people better, by installing such a system inside their homes. We have even created a motto for our new policy: "saving lives on england's homes".

"Wow! Keppler! This is an awesome idea! I'll finally be happy, knowing I'm safe. One last question. Regarding your statement: "Do not question our undeniably democratic government. If we ask you to do something, do it."...

"Well, it's quite simple actually" interrupted Sir Keppler "since you guys voted for me being here, if I do something wrong the fault is exclusively yours. But that doesn't mean that you actually have a voice in the government. We'll manage money, industry, external policy, health care, special interest groups and minorities that have an unusual amount of power compared to the majority of people as we see fit.

"Wow! That's great Sir Keppler! I am sure that you and the rest of the party will do everything that you can to maintain and improve our already great lifestyle! And now a brief one hour and half story about the great accomplishments of Sir Harold Ke..." Kelly turned the television set off, frankly television bored him. A lot. But finally the two hours had passed, and he was not required to watch HBC until the next day. Unfortunately this meant it was time to go to work.

Kelly Olsfield, the person this story will focus on, is a common english citizen. Like many common english citizens, he had to follow the Gilliuan's laws of intellectual incentive: watching HBC at least two hours a day, Buying the official newspaper of the english government everyday, "The kingdom tribune" and watching televisioned rallies from the party's authorities, whenever such a thing was asked of him. Physically, he was a frail man in his thirties, that had been sick most of his childhood.

The one thing Kelly Olsfield, did differently of the other common english citizens is that he thought too much. Whenever the tribune said how england had single handedly won the second world war (After the french gave up at the first sign of battle) thanks to brilliant strategist and founder of the "People's Freedom Party", William Yondel, Kelly thought something wasn't right. He could faintly remember his father (Or was his grandfather?) talking something about United States, french resistance and other countries helping the war effort. But that couldn't be right, since none history books he ever read mentioned other countries besides the british empire (with a minor help of friendly nation Italy) fighting the evil forces of Germany, USSR and Japan.

But he didn't care. His father was a little crazy. Luke Johnson, a friend of his father also thought so, before Paulson Olsfield gone missing.

Chapter Two - An offer he could not refuse
Kelly sighed. They hadn't fixed the elevator yet. While he climbed the stairs the faint familiar sound of the HBC radio station that permeated the building could be heard through the doors.

Kelly worked at the local bureau of observation, these were the places were observers from London's anti terrorist police monitored traffic jam cameras, bugs, internet word finding bots to locate and monitor suspected terrorists. He was one o these observers. Since there were bugs at all phones, cameras on most streets and the bot could locate and delete any site with, for example, the phrase "I am terrorist" in it, Kelly usually saw, heard and why not? knew a lot of people.

The last three days he had been monitoring a woman, Ivana Guhllag, she was some kind of Russian scientist that defected the Russian Union and became a citizen of the British Commonwealth, most of her international calls were to her family, probably to know how they were (Kelly didn't know russian, but sent all the recorded phone calls to the board of directors, following the protocol they would forward it to the intelligence services of the government, unfortunately he didn't receive the translations yet). She seemed okay, but his superiors said they had inconclusive evidence that she was a KGB spy, so he watched her anyways. She had a nice black hair...The radio suddenly stopped, the PA cackled suddenly to life and the two usual sudden "duns" preceded the message:

"The board would like to speak to Kelly Olsfield. Mister Olsfield, please come to our office. Also, Mister Jensey..." there wasn't a mister Jensey in the observers...was there? "good job. The terrorist threat was gunned down, and all thanks to your job. We, from the board would recommend the others to work with the same enthusiasm as Mister Jensey, maybe then  you'll get another raise." did Kelly ever have a raise?

It didn't matter. Ivana had started a phone call and he didn't start the recording. He just hoped they wouldn't fire him. At fifty dollars a week, that was one of the best jobs he could find. Besides, he really liked doing something that mattered, like helping defending the country from the terrorist threat.

He took the executive elevator to the administration level. Kelly had never gone there before, since he usually did a good job. But just last week he was confused as to which camera he should switch when Ivana left one room of the embassy and gone to another. And now this. With some luck he would get a reprimand and a salary cut, but Kelly didn't consider himself particularly lucky today.

He entered the room. There were thirteen men in there, sat around a big table. The board of directors of the bureau of observation...there was also a thirteenth man that Kelly never saw before. Besides, where was the chairm"You will be promoted.". Wha...Wh...What?

"Wha...Wh...What?" asked Kelly, more surprised than inquisitive. He had heard well, but couldn't believe it. He glanced the thirteenth man one more time and imagined if this was some kind of loyalty test. Like that movie "The traitor".

"You will be promoted." he restated, then added, "In fact, you already are.". They all nodded practically simultaneously.

Kelly didn't answer, or ask anything. He didn't know whether they were being sarcastic, or if he just was very lucky today.

After some moments of silence a chinese-looking fellow spoke up. "Our new Great Guv'nor decided to reward your years of loyalty to the United Kingdom", a blond middle aged man added "Even tough your performance is currently in a temporarily low phase, which we of course expect to become vastly improved soon."

A brunette teenager explained "He is sure you are only a bit frustrated; don't worry, you'll be at your optimal state again very quickly."

The blond man mumbled "Yeah. He is quite sure of that.", all the other eleven directors stared at him, wide-eyed (the thirteenth man kept looking at Kelly and smiled), he sighed and shrugged it off.

After some moments of silence, the chinese-looking fellow clarified: "Kelly Olsfield is our new chairman. The Great Guv'nor felt that the old chairman was too disloyal, being nephew of the old Great Guv'nor and all.". A few seconds later the thirteenth man nodded and said "Follow me...I am Grant Keppler, by the way.".

Chapter two - Truth is a fickle thing
"Oh, I just remembered," said Grant Keppler, as the two walked down the shining-clean and empty corridor. "I forgot to tell you what department you've been chosen as chairman of. It's this one, right here, right in the middle of the Governor's Administration Building. It's one of the most important, as you will soon see." They walked down the corridor.

"This must be the Truth Department," Kelly mused. "Strange things are said about this place."

"Yeah, they are," replied Grant, not a bit interested in such a mundane topic. "Now, are you ready?"

"Well, how do I know if I'm ready?"

"Being a member of the Truth Department requires an important rite of passage, as you must know from your Standard-Level Education. You must not say, to anyone who isn't inducted into the Truth Department, any--let's say--classified information that you find within the department. Now, I must warn you, this pact is binding for your entire life. Do you accept?"

Kelly was too intrigued not to. "I do."

"Good, now you just give that machine a taste of your blood, and it'll open."

Kelly looked at him, not knowing what to say. "So, that's it?"

"Yes, that's all--that you have to do right now, that is. So, go ahead..." He pointed at the puncturing device on the wall.

Kelly placed his thumb on the puncturing device, and underneath he felt movement, and a prickle. The display next to it displayed Kelly's ID the next moment: 0025251415 - Valid. The door opened automatically, and the two people walked in to the interior of a department that few people would be able to see even once in their entire lives.

"Do you know what the goal of the anti-terrorist police is?", asked Grant with a smile.

"Why, defend the country against terrorists.", Grant widened his smile and asked "When did the last terrorist attack happen? thirty years ago?"

"That's because we have been doing a good job.", Kelly didn't understand, if they weren't fighting terrorists then what..."Oh a good job indeed, not one attack in the entire Commonwealth in thirty years! No, my friend, what we do here is much more important.". But...if they didn't fight terrorists, then that meant...

"We are lying to the people!?", Grant widened his smile even more (If such a thing was possible), "Yes and no. Yes we do not simply fight terrorists here...but what we do is just as important to the people. If not more!", Kelly glanced around the corridor, there were dozens of doors, with big black letters describing what each particular room was, "History 50b.c.-100a.d.", "Speeches", "War reports"...

"Then what do we do here?", Grant didn't answer, and opened a door, it was written "History 1940a.d-2070a.d.". Inside there were a group of men, a furnace, three computers, boxes filled with what seemed old, blank paper and boxes filled with written old paper and photos. Kelly walked to one of the boxes and picked a photograph, it seemed very old, it was originally black & white, but now was a little yellowed, it depicted a group of people with rifles and submachine guns, with the Eiffel tower on the background, they were smiling. Behind the picture there was some handwritten words: "Maria, After this over we can go to paris, what you think?". Kelly turned to Grant, he was still smiling.

"Nice picture, right? Unfortunately it has this american flag there. Nothing we can't fix tough." Kelly couldn't believe was able to smile while saying this. "But the americans...they...didn't we get France after world war two?"

"Oh, nobody 'got' France, it was given back to the French after world war two. But we couldn't just come and say, back on 2073: 'Oh, hey chaps! We massacred the french army and added France to the British Commonwealth. They didn't like that, but hey, at least our GNP will go up a tad!', now, could we? So we made this fairly believable story about the french surrendering, we defeating the germans, we getting France for our efforts and everybody ends up happy!"

"But this is a lie!". Grant finally stopped smiling. "Well, yes...but would the truth be better? Mister Olsfield...what's the difference between the old British Empire and our British Commonwealth?".

"Well, they were a monarchy and they oppressed their citizens, there was far less freedom of speech and...", Grant interrupted Kelly saying "No. The difference is that we never had a revolution! We never had a revolt! We never had a strike! We never had a single protest for crissake! Do you remember how this place was THREE years after the revolution?"

Kelly thought back. It must have been horrible. But he couldn't remember it...he must have been too young at the time. His father probably had photographs, but they disappeared with him.

"You remember, don't you? The economy was in shambles! The russians were invading! Anarchy! Civil war! And then the People's Freedom Party came, restored the economy, reorganized the military, crushed the russians, unified the country, restored the government and reorganized it into a democracy! How do you think the country would be without them?". Kelly thought this sounded artificial, like a speech...but then again, that was probably what it was.

"Yeah, I see now, Mr. Keppler. We couldn't simply tell them that, or there'd be a revolution, and that wouldn't help anyone." Kelly nodded to himself, half-absently. "Yes. I get it; it makes sense now."

Grant patted him on the shoulder, and smiled once again. "I knew you'd understand. Everyone entering into the Truth Department gets that initial shock. It'll wear off, I can promise you. For the moment, I'll just let you take a look around here... And don't forget, you're the chairman now, all right And chairman of the Truth Department? So if you have any questions, just ask; no one can refuse you the truth. And if you're afraid they may leak out the fact that you don't know what's going on at all, well, you can cover that up too. See how it all works now?"

"Yup," Kelly replied. He was finding this all to be very interesting.

Done with the introduction, Grant walked out of the facility, leaving Kelly alone in this place, and a whole world of his past to toss away and replace with the truth.

He would one day realize that the revolution's being so "bad" could also be a construct of the Truth Department. How fickle a thing truth must be! But that was for later. For now, he would remain a devout believer of the government, even if for a moment his belief in the infallibility of its claims might be a bit shaken.

Chapter Three - Sparking revolt
"...is, according to reports, trying to elevate its atomic capabilities. The President of our sister nation, the United States of America has made a speech yesterday:"

"If we allow these terrorist to achieve a nuclear capability even near of ours, imagine what could happen? It would be Hiroshima all over again! But now, the free world would be the target! They are a threat to the stability of the world! And the only way to achieve peace with them is through WAR! So I say: Bring our boys! We are going to teach the terrorists a lesson that they will never forget!"

"When asked to comment on the President's speech, our Great Guv'nor had this to say:"

"Even tough our forces are already tired from the war against Lebanon, I agree with the President of the United States. We must persevere! WAR is PEACE!"

"And now, on a lighter tone, the execution of the Lebanese dictator, Habib Muhammad, for such crimes as..." Kelly turned the television set off. Now that he was Chairman of the Department of Truth, he didn't have to watch the TV for a set amount of time per day. It was one of the few relieving things about this job.

It has been one month since he got his job as Chairman of the Department of Truth. His job consisted mostly of stopping any leaks, monitoring the activities of the workers and, one time or another, giving new orders, as ordered to him by the Party. He took orders from Grant himself. He discovered that Grant was the son of the Great Guv'nor, and Vice-President of the Party, which meant that he was second only to his father, who was President of the Party as well as Chairman of the State.

His computer-based phone rang. He tapped the monitor, and on it a real-time visual display of Grant appeared.

"Hello? We have a little thing for you to do, sorry, I know you are not in service right now, but if you do this you won't need to go to work today. It's a mere formality, but they won't let us do this without you.", Well, as he was just going to the Department of Truth anyway, he replied, "Okay, what is it?"...

Kelly had to go to a warehouse near the river; they were doing something and, whatever it was, they needed the approval of the Chairman of the Department of Truth. When Kelly entered the place he noticed there was a strong stench of gasoline in the air, and then saw a pile of books, a few firemen, without the ridiculous yellow caps, and Grant, who explained:

"Oh, hey chap! Remember your friend, Ivana? We finally got proof that she was a revolutionary! Remember her calls to her family? 'Coincidentally', they were all members of a Russian revolutionary group, the 'красный испугать'. We knew they had agents here, and now that we got her we'll get some names. Meanwhile...we need to burn these books here, or someone may read them and think she had a good idea. Don't worry, these fellows will make sure the fire don't spreads. So just sign here."

Kelly signed the paper Grant gave him, and then a fireman took his hose up to the heap of books, and pulled the trigger. A stream of fire came hurtling out of the tube he carried over his back, swirling all around the books, burning them to ashes immediately. After a second or so he released the trigger.

Kelly walked a little backwards; the place had gotten hot all of a sudden. He asked the fireman to his right if he was sure it wasn't dangerous. He answered in a thick french accent:

"Oh, we're sure monsieur we do this all the time. Just sit back and enjoy the show. I am Pierre by the way. Pierre Montég."

"Oh...I'm Kelly.", something about Pierre was...unsettling, his eyes were never focused on a single point, glancing around as if he tried to see all at the same time, or, more likely, as if he didn't want anyone to notice him paying attention to something. More than thrice his eyes landed upon Kelly, and every time he had a...strange expression.

Kelly turned to Grant. "Isn't the Director of Firemen supposed to take care of all this? Why did I have to come?"

"He's out sick, really bad. With cancer. Until we get a replacement ready, we had to get you. The people back at Westminster will have this taken care of soon, so I don't think you'll have to be here to do this again. Sorry again for this, like I said, you don't need to go to the office, if you wish."

Kelly nodded. "Fine with me." he said. Then he took another look at the crisp remains of the books, and walked out.

"Well, this explains why they never sent the translations to me.", Kelly thought. "But I sure wished to kno..." "The Great Guv'nor is watching you!" a loudspeaker to his right yelled to him. Kelly felt his heart constricted in his chest, did he know what Kelly was thin...no, it was a recording, the machine was just warning him that he was going too slow.

Kelly decided to go to work anyway. He didn't want the Great Guv'nor, or Grant, or whoever was responsible for him being a chairman right now, thinking he was not happy for it.

There was a beep on his computer, and Kelly clicked on it. A live recording of a teen-aged girl materialized on the screen, and she began to speak: "We have another issue right now. Remember the Idin Bush incident? Well we've got the official story ready for it. We decided that since it was a major incident and many people would like to know, that you would have some interest in the topic. Please take a look at it and make any adjustments as you wish, the story's going to have to go out to the public in ten minutes!"

Kelly nodded, and closed the NetMeeting window. A document appeared on screen next, describing in detail what had happened in that incident...

(Sorry, but I have no idea of what to write about this Idin Bush incident, so I'll go to...)

Chapter Four: "I can only tell you"
At eight o'clock Kelly went home. He was tired. Apparently the Great Guv'nor had messed up in a speech and he had to give new orders to lots of departments. Something about Palestine. He decided he would eat sandwich and sleep already, today had been a long day. But five minutes later his doorbell rang. He shrugged and opened the door, it was Pierre, but he was wearing a ridiculous black hat and (probably) was trying to sound australian, but only managed to sound strange.

"Can I use your bathroom?", Kelly figured he was disguised for some reason and made no questions, he pointed to the bathroom and let Pierre go. After some time he called out: "Hey, friend, come 'ere let me show you something.". Kelly, thinking this was some kind of joke entered the bathroom and closed the door. He was just standing there. "How did you know where I live--"

Pierre interrupted him in his normal accent. "There's no time. Here, see this?" He was showing a small metallic device. "They don't go by that name any more," he told Kelly, once both of them were in the bathroom.

"What are they?"

"Neutron bombs," Pierre replied. "If you ever find that there are too many bugs crawling over you, then this is what to use. It's a really good delouser."

Kelly thought back to what he had found out lately. Neutron bombs--electromagnetic pulse shock waves--were the same thing. And they could snuff the life out of any bugs, just like that. Electronic bugs. Kelly smirked at the half concealed pun. "Okay. Yeah, I see. So is this going to be a demonstration of this thing you're trying to sell? I can get it from the market, can't I?"

"Yea, I'm a salesman all right. Figured you'll close the door on me if I didn't get in first, so yah." Pierre seemed a natural at cloaking his real intentions behind the veil of otherliness that was so essential to avoiding the State.

Kelly's eyes narrowed. "This had better be good."

BOOM! The metallic device was gone, and nothing seemed to have happened, except for that the bathroom light abruptly went out--just like that.

Pierre took a book from inside his coat. "Here, feel it--" Kelly felt it. "Can you feel what it is?"

"Yea, a book."

"One that I managed to save from the flames."

Kelly frowned, invisibly in the blackness. "Why are you giving this to me?".

"Because I saw the way you looked at the books, and I think you didn't like that. Almost as much as I don't. You too wants to know what is so dangerous about this book. Why the party wants to burn them so much. Maybe the truth?"

"Haven't you read the daily report? I'm Chairman of the Truth Department. That means I know the truth. All the truth. And I determine what the truth is in this state."

Pierre nodded in the enveloping darkness. "You think you know the truth ''monsieur'? What you know isn't even close to the truth.", Kelly smirked, "Oh, and let me guess, you do?"

Pierre frowned, "No one knows the truth, not the whole of it at least. I highly doubt that even the party leaders know it, since they hide it behind too many veils. I know only this: Ivana's out to do the right thing."

Kelly sat down on the closed toilet (that was the only place to sit comfortably). "Pierre, one thing that I have found out from working in the Truth Department is that some things are subjective. What you said is one of them. There is no right, per se, and if there is, it would only be that way for each individual person. You must decide what is right, or wrong. But you must let others decide for themselves. I know that isn't the State's view on the matter, but whenever there's a coverup someone knows the truth. I'm lucky that it happens to be me."

Pierre sighed. "Of course you do. But then I can trust you, can't I? Because if you didn't trust me, I would be in big trouble by now anyway. I guess you figured that I came here because I believe really strongly in what Ivana had to say."

Kelly was tired of that conversation. "Why are you disguised?".

Pierre sighed. "They have cameras everywhere. You should know that."

In his apartment? Kelly knew the embassy and other government buildings had cameras but they hadn't legalized cameras inside people's homes yet...at least he wasn't informed of it.

Pierre continued. "Look, friend. Just take the book. Read if you want. I need to leave soon. No, leave the book here! They have cameras outside of the bathroom. They couldn't get cameras in bathrooms legalized...yet. You had better get to it while you have the time."

Kelly couldn't believe it. "Why are you coming to me?"

Pierre feigned exasperation, though it didn't mean much in the darkness. "I can only tell you. I don't trust anyone else."

Kelly nodded, understanding. "All right," he told Pierre. "I'll keep it. No harm in doing so, either, since I'm the Chairman of the Truth Department."

Then Pierre started his strange accent again, as he opened the bathroom door. "Yeah! The best prices 'round here! You ain't getting better prices nowhere.". Kelly opened the door for him and gave up making the sandwiches. He was just going to sleep.

Chapter Five: Doute est la origine...
It has been three weeks since the day Pierre came in his apartment. Kelly had read the book, yes. And he had to admit that it was pretty...convincing? The book talked about how almost every thing that happened in the commonwealth lately has been just a ruse after another by the party to control its citizens.

The many wars were being used to distract people from economic problems and the lack of freedom. The "terrorist scare", as the book called the way the government operated, was being used to create a sense of paranoia and xenophobia so that the people would not object to the ever-increasing amounts of surveillance, which in turn was almost without exception used to find dissidents, which could then be easily arrested without protest from the people (who thought that they were indeed terrorists), thanks to the paranoia.

The book also detailed how there was never a "revolution":

The People's Freedom Party had made a "coup d'etat" somewhere in the fifties and created this revolution story to instigate fear from a possible new revolution. Even the Great Guv'nor! He held no power at all and was merely a leadership figure, controlled by the party. The last one had tried to gain some power and thus had been "sent away". The book didn't specify to where the last Great Guv'nor had been sent too, but the mere thought made Kelly uncomfortable. The other parties were mere puppets of the People's Freedom Party, existing to maintain a semblance of a democratic system. It isn't hard to figure that they never won an election.

But what made Kelly angrier than everything else was one chapter in particular, entitled: "Disappearing". According to it, people that didn't accept the party's teachings disappeared without any traces, and could never be found again. Most of the disappearances took place during the seventies...

The reason that this chapter, more than any other in the book, made Kelly angrier, was that Kelly's father had disappeared in the seventies.

This couldn't be true! he thought. It certainly was revolutionary propaganda. He should show this to Grant and be done with it...but still...if it was true...then it explained some things. Some things Kelly usually asked himself in a regular basis. He opened his drawer. The picture was still there. He had smuggled it out of that office the day after his first time in the Department of Truth. It was the picture of the American Soldiers in front of the Eiffel Tower.

This was the Truth. Even though it didn't make anyone feel better, it was the Truth. Grant would probably brush it off saying that it is better this way. But Grant wasn't here now and so Kelly was seriously thinking it wasn't better this way. "The people need to know!" he decided. He would find wherever Pierre lived, he would make him tell where Ivana was hiding and he would do whatever he could to help them bring the party down.

...

After performing a quick CheckPosition check, then emptying the CheckPosition query's log using his access to the program as the Chairman of the Department of Truth, Kelly found out that Pierre lived in a old light-blue building in the suburbs. Kelly took the elevator upstairs, thinking this was his last chance to stop this madness and go back. He realized that that chance had already passed. He walked towards the white door and knocked once. After several seconds, he hesitantly knocked once more, a little harder this time. He heard a woman's voice from the inside: "He's coming!" and then she laughed.

Some seconds later Pierre opened the door. "My wife. She's the reason I live here in London.", Kelly entered the cozy apartment with wood-paneled floor. The most striking feature of the living room was a immense home theater system that Kelly was impressed that fit in there. A redheaded woman was sitting on a water couch, laughing. She yelled to him (Or more probably to Pierre, since he had no idea what she meant): "The Irish guy said 'udders' again.". Pierre laughed softly, and seeing Kelly's puzzled expression he explained:

"Big Brother. She loves that thing. This Irish guy has this horrible accent (even for an Irishman, you know) and every time he means 'Others', he say 'udders'. She...enjoys it." But she obviously did more than enjoy it, as she demonstrated by laughing out loud again.

"Ahnn... I'm here to see that pipe in your bathroom. The one with a clog. I can fix it better than any repairman, you know?" began Kelly.

Pierre feigned, as if this were exactly what he had been waiting for. "Oh, I see. I was wondering if you came for that. It's through here," he replied. Kelly followed him through a narrow corridor into a green door, which Pierre closeed tight.

"It's sound proof. Don't worry. I suppose you thought about my offer?" asked Pierre.

Kelly nodded. "I want to help you."

Pierre frowned. "To topple the government?"

"Yes."

"You understand that would make you a revolutionary and that you could be arrested for that?".

Kelly hesitated, and then said "Yes."

"And you still want to do this?"

Kelly was getting angry "Yes, for crissake!"

"Well then...", suddenly Pierre whipped something from his right jacket pocket, pressed a button on it. It expanded and a blue light started to glow on the tip. He thrusted that into Kelly's stomach. "You're under arrest."

The last thing Kelly thought before passing out was that Pierre had spoken that with no accent at all.

Chapter Six
When he woke up, he was in a cell, and several guards bearing the insignias of the Party walked outside, beyond his reach but within sight and sound. When one of them noticed him stirring, he signaled to the others. "It's time," he said. The guards opened the prison door and held out a hand to pull Kelly up.

"So," began Kelly. "Am I under arrest for attempting to join the revolution?"

"We are glad that you understand your position, and the cause of it. Now follow me as we bring you to the inquisitorial room."

Kelly followed silently, and the guards escorted him to an office where another man was sitting comfortably in a swiveling chair.

"Ah, you must be that Jennings," Kelly acknowledged the man's presence.

But the man wasn't very happy about it. "Lieutenant Jennings, to you," he replied.

"Jennings is Jennings. That is the Truth. If I remember correctly, you have once been found to have committed adultery, and requested a CheckPerson--CheckPerson Andrew, if I am correct--that you wanted the record removed from the log? And that you did this, knowing full well that this was illegitimate?"

The man's face turned red. "What?" he asked, feigning not to know, but failing miserably.

"And also that if exposed, this fact could result in your imprisonment for ten years? How about another fact--that as Chairman of the Truth Department, I control access to this information, and I can release it as I wish to the public? How about another bit of truth: That I have set a counter, which restarts every time I access the Net as the Chairman of the Truth Department, which would otherwise automatically release all this devastating information if I don't touch that account for three days?"

"And have I any reason to assume that you aren't bluffing?"

"Because I know that as Chairman of the Truth Department, I am very likely to be captured in this way by mavericks, so that by insuring myself against everyone in society--which I can do, being in charge of the Truth Department--that I thereby ensure myself from any negative actions that you or anyone else may plan to perform on me. Tell me, with this truth revealed to you know, why wouldn't I have established such a counter?"

The man was growing faint. "You don't have such a counter..."

"Oh? Test me, why don't you. Your freedom won't survive a day after this Truth has been revealed. I'm sorry, but if you don't set me free and grant me access to a computer, you are absolutely doomed to ten years' time in jail."

"I don't believe it."

"Well your skin doesn't, but your mind does."