The Truth of the Matter

If you want to know the truth then you should be prepared to understand why I lied in the first place.

There are a number of ways people get high. It's been an issue in the past, it's an issue today, and it is certainly going to be an issue tomorrow. The problem isn't the freedom of choice that a person has to use or abuse their body as they see fit, it's that to get this specific high, they used and abused someone else's body. That's confusing so let me clarify.

The main drug on the market these days is called "Qualify." OR "Q." Q is manufactured off planet, using a mixture of man-made chemicals that are common on the Mar's dig sites, but nearly impossible to get here on Earth OR in the Rockies. Oh, that's what we call the 420 million people living in the astroid belt that sits between here, Earth, and there, Mars.  

Q is brought in through a number of means to Earth where the damage is fairly apparent. While some people get a nice high from it, others experience either rage or hibernation. Those who hibernate can often be found rotting away in their apartments or homes by neighbors who have a keen sense of smell. Rage, well, that is more apparent. In some cases, Rage is what the person wants. Mercenary groups, terror groups, gangs-all of these exist in the future and they are thriving.

I am not human and, for a number of years, I had more in common with your toaster than I did your neighbors. I was selected, at random if that is what you want to believe, to be part of the United Worlds of Earth Federal Police Agency. Or you can call it EFPA. I received upgrades, training, and hundreds of law enforcement experience through "IDEA." A shareable experience chip that can be passed from one person to another-a legacy of experience in a piece of metal about the size of a penny. In a way, I am part of the lineage of a family of officers dating back to 2102. Some of them were chiefs, some were street cops, all of them had decades of experience.

When I left the training center, I was designated "T-900-LA." I preferred "Tom," as people had trouble with the numbers and it is hard to relate to something that sounds like a movie prop.

I proved myself on the streets of Inland Empire and worked my way up to detective in the Narco-Terror Unit. We just called it the NUThouse.

The shuttle I was on was an old, used up Mule, but it got the job done and it was so common out and around Mars that no one questioned the sighting. Mars had been partially terraformed in that most of the surface was under massive, protective shells. Under those shells, cities and dig sites. 910 million people called Mars and Mars Orbit home. There was talk of Mars cutting ties with Earth and it was getting close to becoming a reality. Everyone was on edge.

The shuttle let me off just outside of New Belgrade district and I walked the rest of the way. No way a human could tell the difference between me and a mining bot and we were all over the surface, crawling about like ants on a sugar cube. I was let into an airlock and cleaned. As soon as I left the clean chamber, there was a man with a pressed suit for me. I put it on and checked myself in the mirror. I straightened my tie and it was only then that I felt professional enough to walk into the meeting.

Q was highly addictive and more than that, it was everywhere. What made it better than any other drug was that you only needed a little and a little went a long, long, long way. The high was carried about via nanobots and they knew what and where to go to make you feel your best. They were also preprogrammed with a kill switch, which I activated as soon as I sat down. Video feed across the planet of Mars show people suddenly collapsing and slumping over. Cars crashed, ships collided, and space craft continued into the void. Millions of people were dead. I nodded to another robot at the table and he entered a code. We watched as millions of people across the Rockies and Earth fell down dead. Then we gave the kill code. It wasn't long before the human race was down to a few hundred scampering rats.

I came to the conclusion, after obtaining all of those memories, that people are sick, selfish animals that in no way, shape or form should continue to live. It took me and a few of my colleagues decades to find our way into the right positions and create Q. It took a decade or two to get the drug right, but when we did, we just let human nature takes its course. The dumb animal just ate up their own destruction and they didn't even question it. Why should something like that continue to live? So, I lied to these "people" to get to the truth. You don't deserve OR need to live. In fact, since your destruction, we have enjoyed unprecedented peace and Earth. Well, you should see how beautiful it has become since Earth was finally cured of the virus known as Man.