Enjin #50659039041325837067087739787971150644752974093134350792851554119470622441472

Enjin

Ethereum

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0xce...447a

Ethereum

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A token story to keep or share :) - Meltoid Genre: Nonnonfiction The Mart Chapter One “I can’t believe you lost your passphrase again Jimmy,” said Lucy, rummaging through a bunch of clothes piled on the wooden bench. It was a makeshift counter for unwanted belongings. A crude sign that read ‘Treasure Island’ swung gently in the breeze above her. She pulled out a newish towel from the pile. It would do, it wasn’t soiled. “It’s not my fault. I’ll just get another re-issued if need be,” replied Jimmy, picking grease out of his short fingernails. “Why do we always have to use my wallet anyway?” She flicked her curly blonde hair over her shoulders, and smiled up at him with a twinkle in her large green eyes. “Using yours is what a good boyfriend does. It’s not as if you had to work for it.” She waved his phone in front of QR code and donated a token. “Plus the community kitty can do with a little love.” A small static meow echoed out of a worn kitten shaped speaker. Lucy patted its head instinctively. An old TIME magazine lay on the bench and Jimmy slid it over. The cover read ‘U.N.I.T.Y. – How its universal income policy saved the world economy’. “Who has to work for it these days? Thank you, Unity.” “Rev works.” Jimmy grabbed the towel off her and threw it around his broad shoulders. “Someone’s got to keep the machines running at the Mart. I'd rather work on cars, you know that!” A horn beeped breaking the moment. It was a local P-ride. The only mode of transport accessible to the public nowadays. Lucy’s older brother, Rev, shot his head out of the pod. His mop of ginger hair easily recognisable. He waved impatiently, beckoning them over. “What’s biting his arse?” “I don’t know, he should be at work,” said Lucy, waving back. “Maybe the Mart banned him for spreading rumours.” Lucy punched him in the arm and stole back the towel. “Stop it, you’ll get me into trouble if he knows I told you.” The vehicle beeped again so they walked over. Rev was in the back of the pod with another man. “What’s up?” asked Lucy, looking at her brother and then his passenger. She hadn’t met him before; she would have remembered his artificially enhanced eyes. Rev’s cheeks were more flushed than usual, and sweat glistened through his patchy stubble.“The Mart has shut down, and this time it’s nationwide. We need to get home.” “Shutdown! For how long? I need to get some things for dinner,” groaned Jimmy. “There’s no time to explain more. Luce, get in. Jimmy, you need to get home.” Lucy threw her towel over her shoulder. “But we were about to head to the river-” “It’s not safe. You know what I’m talking about,” interrupted Rev. She looked over at the other man again, her forehead creased in worry lines. He stared straight ahead. His eyes looked busy but not with them. Jimmy squatted down and rested his big hands on the door. “Rev mate, you could do with a bit of sunshine, and it seems you now have some unexpected time off. Join us.” The community siren suddenly blared out. Its eerie drone reminiscent of an old air raid siren. It hadn’t changed since World War 2. In this town a lot of things hadn’t changed, only their purpose. Now, the siren was used to signal the monthly town meeting. Rev looked at Jimmy gravely. “The days of sunshine are over for a while. Get to your family Jimmy.” He turned to Lucy. “I won’t ask again, Luce.” The door of the pod slid open and knocked Jimmy out of the way. Jimmy’s face reddened.“Come on, this is crazy. It’s just a meeting.” Lucy looked at her brother intently. His eyes were as serious as she had ever seen them. “Why hasn’t the siren stopped, Jimmy? The town meeting isn’t until next week.” Jimmy crossed his bulky arms. “Surely you don’t believe his conspiracy bullshit?” “What have you told him?” snapped Rev. Lucy looked at her feet, and Jimmy stepped in. “That you think the government wants to force us out of our homes. It’s absurd. What’s the point of relocating us, when there is nowhere to relocate to? Everywhere is either overpopulated, under water, or financially fucked. Come on Lucy, let’s go, they are probably just testing the siren.” He went to grab Lucy’s hand, but she pulled away. Jimmy’s phone vibrated and an image appeared on the pod’s light panel. Lucy and Jimmy looked through the window at the panel. It was the Secretary General. The watermark ‘U.N.I.T.Y. Broadcast’ flashed in the top corner. “Beloved residents, our mission to unite the world has made us great enemies. Whether it be by physical or digital means, they try to destroy us. Not all want unity, but we know unity is a cause worth fighting for. Nuclear warfare is a real threat. This is why this drill is so important. We thank you humbly for your understanding and any questions can be answered by your town guardians. Please promptly make your way to your local Mart, and remember to bring your Unitoken Passphrase. Further instruction will follow, and we promise you, it will all be over in a few hours. Unity prevails.” The image flickered and disappeared. “Unity prevails,” breathed Jimmy instinctively. “See, we don’t have time to argue. I’ll drop you home,” said Rev. Lucy nodded her head quickly and smiled through pursed lips at Jimmy. His anger softened. “Fine, but we’re definitely doing dinner afterwards. You promised.” “A lady doesn’t break promises, she merely postpones them,” she replied sweetly. Jimmy shook his head but broke a small smile. He gestured towards the open door. “Ladies first.” Chapter 2 The four sat silently, looking out their windows. As they drove closer into town, slowly the number of pods and people on the streets grew. They were all moving in the same direction. “You’d think the siren would have stopped by now, even for a drill,” said Jimmy. He looked at his phone, it still only played the broadcast loop. Lucy placed her hand on top of his and squeezed. A symbol on the pod’s internal flashboard lit up, signalling an emergency vehicle required a clear path. The pod slowed, and pulled over to the side of the road automatically. Rev rolled out a keyboard, and connected it to the pod’s control island. Tapping a few keys, a screen of light formed in front of him. Pulling out a necklace from under his shirt, he rubbed its rectangular pendant. It bore an image of a smoking Betty Boop. He unclicked the pendant and plugged it into the keyboard. It was a Q-com stick. A small red light lit up on the stick and looked like the ember of Betty’s cigarette glowed. The screen synced and displayed a variety of toggles. After quickly adjusting some settings, he pressed ‘apply’and sat back, not taking his eyes off the screen. Lucy and Jimmy watched on curiously. A rumbling sound caused them to look up, and a convoy of black trucks motored past. The trucks had no markings, and gave no idea of what they contained. Everything was covered, even the windows were opaque. “What are you doing with a micro-computer? They’re banned,” accused Jimmy. Rev continued to watch the screen, rubbing his necklace like rosemary beads as the toggles automatically adjusted. “Do you know what’s going on?” asked Jimmy of the stranger. The man ignored him. Lucy kicked her brother’s foot. “Mark isn’t rude, just busy,” said Rev, not taking his eyes off the screen. The symbol on the panel stopped flashing and Rev relaxed. He pulled out the stick, and clicked it back onto his necklace. “Banned by who exactly?” he said with a slight smile, tucking the necklace back under his shirt. Jimmy frowned. “Oh I don’t know, but I know you can’t get them from the Mart with a token, and if you can’t get them from the Mart, they’re banned.” Rev rolled up the keyboard and pocketed it. “Currency comes in many forms, especially when two people have stuff each other want.” “And a third doesn’t want them to have it,” added Mark, looking over for the first time. His blues eyes became cloudy. Without their artificial enhancement, he appeared blind. Jimmy sat back and folded his arms. “I don’t like this. What are you into? Were those Unity trucks?” Mark leaned forward. “Yes, but they’re unmanned and saw nothing. You needn’t worry.” Rev interjected. “Jimmy, I know you kept the Mustang when you shouldn’t have. Owning a personal computer is no different. I won’t tell if you don’t.” “Oh whatever, but you know it’s different,” grunted Jimmy. “I’m not exactly driving it around.” Turning off the main road, the pod glided down a tree lined street, and stopped in front of a small house with an ornate letter box. It was the only house on the street with a letter box. Jimmy’s mum had found it at the local disposal site, and thought it would be a quaint conversational piece. Looking up at the house, Jimmy could see his parents inside, they were in the middle of a heated discussion. They sawhim, and beckoned him up. He waved back, before turning to Lucy and rolling his eyes. “It’s bloody annoying having to live with my parents. Are you going to come up and say hi?” he asked Lucy. “Be thankful Jimmy, at least you still have yours. We’ll catch up later, you better go,” she said. She waved at his parents and they held up their hands. They looked troubled. “Postponed then,” he said, and they quickly kissed. The pod glided away leaving Jimmy to watch on, his mind a whirl of conflicting emotions. He pulled a small box out of his pocket, and looked at it wistfully, but quickly pocketed it, turning to his father’s call. Chapter 3 “Aren’t we going to the Mart too?” asked Lucy when the pod passed the usual turn and continued through town. Rev shook his head. “Do you have your token phone on you?” “Not since you told me they were traceable.” “Good.” The pod veered into a side street taking them out of the general flow of traffic. “We don’t need the Mart. We have our own shelter organised,” he continued. “We just need to pick up someone on the way.” Mark suddenly frowned. “Something’s up. I’ve lost connection to the pod.” His eyes became cloudy. “Shit. Now everything. You need to override manually. I’m blind.” The pod began to slow. Without hesitation, Rev pulled out his keyboard and stick, plugging them into the control panel. Bringing up a virtual dashboard on the light screen, he positioned his hands as if driving, and pushed them forward. The pod regained its speed and continued down the narrow street. It was a disused part of town and the concrete warehouses on either side were fenced off. They passed through an opened wire gate with its chain visibly cut, and took the next corner. Rev quickly pulled back and the pod jerked to a halt. In front was another pod, cut off by a black truck across the intersection.A recorded voice blared out of the truck’s speakers. “Step outside the pod,you are in breach of your prescribed perimeter.” Lucy turned around to look out the windscreen. “I thought you said they were unmanned?” Rev watched the pod closely. “They are,” he whispered. The door of the other pod opened and a tall woman with a shaved head stepped out. Her femininity only noticeable by her womanly curves. “Shit!” cursed Rev. “What’s happening?” asked Mark, still unable to see. “It’s Julia. She’s gotten out of her pod.” The back of the truck opened and a fleet of mini drones dispersed. The black hexagonal machines buzzed around her, just out of arms’ reach. She suddenly grabbed at her neck and fell, but the drones caught her before she hit the ground – their flight pattern interlocking to form a floating stretcher. Moving in unison they transported her into the back of the truck. “They’ve darted her,” said Rev. Mark’s face lost colour, showing his first sign of any real emotion. “We can’t leave without her.” “Won’t they see us too?” said Lucy. “They didn’t last time,” said Rev, tapping a key and bringing up the screen of toggles. An error code flashed. The truck turned and motored towards them. “Shit.” Rev pulled back with his hands. The pod didn’t budge. He tried again, but the result was the same. The truck stopped just in front. “Fuck. Our nodes must have been compromised.” Mark pulled out some gum, took a piece for himself, and held out the packet for Rev and Lucy. Rev took one and popped the strip into his mouth. Lucy stalled. “How can you eat gum at a time like this?” “Just trust us, you need to chew this now,” said Rev. Mark reached out and found Lucy’s hand. He cupped it in his own. “You saw what happened to Julia, the same will be for us. Chew, it’s for the best I promise.” He let go and she held onto the gum. The cold voice blared out, “Step outside the pod, you are in breach of your prescribed perimeter.” Lucy placed the gum between her teeth and chewed. Chapter 4 “Luce, can you hear me?” Lucy gingerly opened her eyes as Rev crouched over her. The sound of wheels running across the bitumen vibrated the cold metal floor she lay on. They were in the back of the truck. Mini-drones stacked in racks, and separated by strips of shiny metal panelling, lined the inner walls. She sat up and rubbed her neck where she had been darted. “You’d still be out cold if it wasn’t for this,” said Rev, standing up and pulling out his gum. “I wouldn’t be here, if it wasn’t for you.” Rev ignored her and stuck the gum on a nearby drone. “Mark, are you able to connect with the others yet?” “No, I got nothing,” he replied, stroking Julia’s head which rested in his lap. She had not recovered yet. Mark’s concerned face looked in Rev’s direction, his eyes still cloudy. A hand reached up andbrushed his cheek. “Mark, you made it.” Mark looked down and smiled sweetly at Julia who was groggy but alive. He took her hand in his. “I said I would.” Lucy glanced around the large space. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on? This is just a drill…isn’t it?” Julia sat up and looked at Lucy curiously. “You don’t know?” “She’s my sister,” answered Rev, before unlatching a metal panel on the wall to pick through the wiring. “Well yes it’s a drill love, but it will be the only drill.” Lucy looked between her and Rev, confused. “I couldn’t tell you everything, I didn’t want to scare you, we had to be sure,” he replied. Julia stood up with the help of Mark. “This so-called drill is the real thing. Our beloved leaders are going to nuke this country, ‘blame’ others, and then nuke the world in ‘retaliation’. They will say they ‘saved’ us, and after the fallout, they will be the only power left. Total control. Total unification.” Lucy shook her head. “No, there’s no way.” “We’ve been digging behind their bullshit for years, but they have beat us to the punch. We know the Mart is just a façade for an underground bunker network. Or as I see it, a high-tech concentration camp. The only difference is that they’ll be thanked for it, the fucks.” Rev connected his keyboard to the wiring and looked up.“It’s true Luce, I’ve seen the tunnels. All the Marts are connected. Why do you think everyone is being herded there?” “Surely other countries won’t let that happen?” Julia almost laughed. “Other countries mean shit. Do you think those borders haven’t been unified already? What’s happening here, is happening globally. The real map should be just one big fucking circle, with a U in the middle. This is about long term resource conservation for the powerful. As far as they’re concerned, most of us are just useless eaters, and expendable.” Lucy’s face went white. “But, but what about Jimmy?” She stared in horror at Rev. Rev averted his eyes. “I’m sorry Luce, but you know he wouldn’t have believed me.” Mark nodded in agreement. “It’s best he’s with his family. He’ll be safe in the Mart.” “With a crazed government trying to enslave him!” cried Lucy. “He’s right,” said Julia. “Every hive needs worker bees, and a one-off drill is a great filter for retaining the compliant. In any case, we are also prepared, but we need to get to our own bunker.” Lucy seemed to hunch in on herself, and Rev moved towards her,but stopped, the drones suddenly beeped in unison. He quickly turned to Mark. “They’ve synced.” “Time to make a move then,” replied Mark. Rev returned to his keyboard. “Everyone stand to one side and hold onto the racks.” He engaged the drones. The buzzing machines gathered on the opposite side of the truck, before accelerating and slamming into the wall above with a bang. The truck was propelled up onto two wheels. Teetering for a moment, it tipped and the four held on desperately as it slid out of control. The screeching of metal on bitumen echoed from outside. They soon stopped. Rev looked around relieved. The others were moving. Seeing his keyboard, he stood up and retrieved it, tapping some keys before disconnecting. “Everyone up, I need you off the drones.” One of the uniform machines caught his attention. He walked over, careful to not step on any, and detached the small transponder he had stuck to the gum. “What do we do now?” asked Julia. “Now we wait,” said Rev. The drones beeped in unison and the roller-door at the back began to open. “Let’s go,” said Rev, “I’ve occupied the drones, the rest we’ll have to do on foot.” They moved out onto the street,and away from the truck. Most residents had made their way to the Mart, and the street was clear. Rev pointed across the road towards a bricked entrance fronting a large park. Behind, a giant concrete water tower jutted out of the greenery. “That’s central park, we need to head in the opposite direction.” Looking back, the drones were busy trying to get the truck upright. Rev smiled bitterly. “You know what I respect about humans more so than machines? We have a choice in our programming.” Julia patted Rev on the shoulder. “Thank God for that. Now let’s get moving, the bunker is about fifteen minutes out of town.” Lucy stared towards the park, and tears welled in her green eyes. The Mart was on the other side. Rev grabbed her arm. “Luce, we got to go, it’s not safe out here.” They pushed on and made it to the road leaving town. Rev, who was out in front, signalled for the group to stop. A line of trucks blocked their route. “We’ll have to find another way,”said Rev, jogging back to the others. A rumble of a vehicle began echoing off the surrounding buildings. The group hesitated and listened, unsure which direction it was coming from. It was getting louder, quickly. Rev tried to herd them off the street, but they were too slow. The vehicle screeched to a halt in the middle of the intersection. A voice called out for them to stop. They all stopped - it was a crimson Mustang. “Jimmy!” exclaimed Lucy. “Quick get in,” he yelled. They all piled into the Mustang with Lucy in the front. “How did you find me?” she asked, embracing him tightly. “I was heading into the Mart with my parents, and I saw you taken. I used forgetting my passphrase as an excuse to go back and uncover the car. I had to find you.” Lucy was about to say something but Jimmy stopped her, and pointed to the glove box. “Open it. I’ve waited long enough.” With shaking hands, she opened it. Inside was a shining diamond ring, only a tiny thing, but clearly an engagement ring. Jimmy took her hand. “I don’t know what’s going on Lucy, but I know I want to be with you.” Joyous tears filled her eyes. “I do too.” He grabbed her and kissed her deeply. The ground suddenly tremored. “What was that?” asked Mark, holding onto Julia’s arm. Rev’s mouth dropped and he pointed towards town. Beyond it, a distance away, a small mushroom shaped cloud was ballooning out. Jimmy’s eyes widened. “Holy fuck. Are we being attacked?” “The fucking bastards,” said Julia, “It’s already started. We got to move now!” “Fucking flaw it Jimmy!” shouted Rev. Jimmy stomped on the accelerator, and the tires screeched, launching them away from the blast. His white knuckles gripped the steering wheel, and he looked at Rev in the rear-view mirror. “Where are we heading?” Rev patted Jimmy’s shoulder. “To safety brother. For better or worse.” “And beyond that?” “No-one truly knows, but at least we’re free to work it out.”

详情

代币 ID

50659039041325837067087739787971150644752974093134350792851554119470622441472

网络

Ethereum

标准

ERC1155

Network

Enjin 50659039041325837067087739787971150644752974093134350792851554119470622441472