A Futures Opus to a Capitalist Dictator

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Noise silenced by the change in gravity. Killing all echoes and reverberations. The flashes of scans, creating a cocoon of stars enclosing the space. A body "in vacuo". The vacuum lowering gas pressures, stealing screams and removing matter. Transporting the sentient matter to a holding cell, a purgatory, while services are rendered. I was screaming, but my screams sounded muffled and distant even to my own ears. Maybe I was screaming in my mind. I felt the wind knocked from my lungs. My leg muscles cramping. Specifically my gastrocnemius spasming out of control. Flashes of light, then the feeling of two pricks in my arm. Itchy and irritated I could not scratch. After the first prick a metallic taste entered my mouth. A flavor that can best be described, I imagine, as sucking on a penny or foil. The second prick and the cramps in my legs disappeared. Blue lights flashed glittery and brilliant with a silvery sheen and then nothingness. Blackness all around. No feeling. Maybe even sleep. I awoke supine in bed. My head neatly placed on my pillow. A glass of water on the night stand, as I always have. The memories more a phantasmagoric past dream than a frightful ordeal.

The future had crept up with no one paying too much attention. No longer the democratic government of past years. Things changed dramatically in just a couple years and in front of everyone. It wasn't recognizable until everything had morphed to a point past revertion to the old way. Everyone playing a part in the change. The majority had voted the current president into power. He ran on a platform championing healthcare advancement, as well as a program he titled Quantum Work Force. His ideas for healthcare seemed progressive, promising help to all citizens. Quantum Work Force was exciting. It was a new frontier in work and wage earning. People purchased A.I bots as workers. The bots replacing the human form in jobs. Individuals could purchase designated hours for part time work if the full bot was too expensive. Multiple bots or multiple hours in different bots could be purchased for work. The bots do the work and the individual receives pay checks for the work or hours completed by the bot. The pay structure was determined by the kind of bot the individual purchased. Thus, a person could be in multiple places at once working and collecting pay simultaneously. The ability of an individual to be in multiple places at once was where the programs name, Quantum Work Force, derived from. A progressive idea that resounded with the people, and ultimately won the majority of votes. In practice the program proved worthy of it's promises. Quantum Work Force afforded people more time to learn other things, be with family or simply relax, etc. Buying in had an expensive initial cost, but paid for it self in the long run. Individuals just had to monitor the bots and handle any problems or errors that arose, as well as pay a small amount for maintenance of the bot. The bots acting as physical replacements for the humans who purchased them. Protocol required individuals to file in-depth reports weekly.

Doctors reign supreme in this new political utopia. An untouchable network. The U.S military in combination with a global union had developed ways for doctors to be invisible either by way of cloaking the eyes or other technology based means. The method depended on what the situation called for. Cloaking the eyes uses of an A.I. program that connects to the individuals neural network, essentially hacking in to the individuals optic nerve and other aspects of the eyes. The doctor or attending appears invisible to the other individual present. The Doctor or attending could be given an altered façade, but this function left too many possible questions and follow up complications to be useful. The invisibility cloaking being the preferred method. It wasn't error free or cheap however. The first generation of the software left a visible clear outline. Later generations of software almost entirely eliminated the visibility issue, but doctors were slow to acquire the new software due to the exorbitant cost.

Health care, once the president was elected to office, took the form of "Project Care Bears". A highly secretive program of implementing forced care. "Project Care Bears" was the name jokingly given by the general population and those who had started to be aware of its existence. The program was put in place a couple months after the election. The President must have had the program fully designed before officially accepting his place in office. He himself had a background in finance and took an interest in medical topics as a hobby. His knowledge went further than a hobby, bordering more an obsession. This, I guess, I had in common with him. I wondered what had occurred to grow this obsession with in him.

The doctors in this program were assigned patrons in the general population to oversee. This was the new universal healthcare. It was found to be cheaper and better for societies, civilizations and specifically governments budget if healthcare was provided in a more preventative and preemptive way. Later, it would be discovered that the programs existence was justified with numbers from longitudinal studies started years in advance. Spanning 4 previous presidencies. Humanity, I guess, had been judged, and could not be trusted to take care of themselves for the betterment of civilization as a whole. Implementation of the program would supposedly prove how expensive and damaging delayed care poor diet, and illness is to a society.

Accounts were formulated with the overseeing physician. Credits were given for purchases of vitamins, healthy foods, exercise, checkups, routine care and regular consistent work by individual or bot. The individuals at the top of the hierarchy no longer physically worked. Leaving plenty of time for yoga or other exercise classes, food discovery, travel, self care, etc. All becoming expert managers. Those with the best scheduling and managerial skills managed the most highly sought after bots pulling in the highest incomes. The bots not fully autonomous yet, but almost. Those lowest in the hierarchy had to physically work as themselves. Eliminating extra time for other activities due to exhaustion and scheduling conflicts.

Credits afforded an individual free intervention. If the individual had no credits, cost for intervention was taken through other means. An added tax on a paycheck or items confiscated that compensated the amount usually the "other means". Individuals not requiring dietary support or intervention in a given year built-up credits faster. These credits could be used for unavoidable care. Unavoidable being an accident or random illness. Credits rolled over year to year forming a new type of savings account.

Forced care was making the general population uneasy. The distrust stemming from the fact that the program did not officially exist. Since it did not exist, it could not be disputed. The programs secrecy as well as governmental denial, starting to be points of contention. People felt violated. A persons domain inconsequential: be it home, work, or outdoors. Care could be intervened anywhere. Homecare was the preferred method. Preferably intervention provided at night, when the individual was less likely to be aware of it, but it could be done any time. Time constraints, scheduling conflicts, or emergency care were all reasons for providing care outside of the preferred method.

General care took the form of: administering shots or medications, general check ups, and dentistry. More invasive forms: surgeries, drawing blood, and running tests on bodily liquids or tissues. Homes no longer felt private or safe. An individual body, didn't feel your own. These doctors regularly screened each patient they oversaw. All checks, cures, and prescribed treatments were under the prescribing doctors discretion, or the attending they gave intervention rights to.

There were claims by a few women, two children, and a handful of men that they had seen clear moving outlines in the rooms. The outlines accompanied by odd lights and flashes of various beautiful hues. Some people reported odd pet behavior. Claiming pets became defensive or protective, out of the blue, from a resting state. Now, when stories on the news reported of strange deaths or missing persons there was a new fear; A fear that whatever oath these doctors took and the consequences threatened for mismanagement would not be enough. A growing fear that the network of doctors had become too powerful, too all encompassing, too god-like. After all, corruption had always existed in every pocket of civilization. One just needed a history book to find examples to prove this.

The doctors themselves had a rigorous protocol to answer to, one that included strict supervision. The doctor had to personally supervise every intervention even if the procedure was done by drone, bot or machine. If an attending was designated the doctor had to review and supervise the care provided by the attending. Thorough and routine checks, more than an expectation. Surprisingly, as a government program, it was impressive. It ran more like a privately owned, well run, company.

A global union was formed of doctors and other elite professionals from around the world. The groups purpose included collaboration, as well as a acting form of checks and balance on interventions and the program as a whole. It consisted of doctors, scientist, material scientist, economists, researchers, historians, law officials and government cabinet members. Anyone who was a leader in a field or profession.

The populations fears were not exactly unfounded however. Project "Care Bears" was also functioning as a population control tool. The doctors being privileged with deciding who could birth children and who was birthed, in a "Gattaca" reminiscent way. On the opposite end of the spectrum Doctors determined how individuals passed away after age 90. Health and quality of life being the determining factors in the decision. In earlier times everyone was obsessed with immortality and extending life. Now, death was accepted as a process of life and beneficial to the next generations. Death freed up bots for purchase by others. The criteria applied to every 90 year old, each individual scrutinized. If an individual had an exceptional life at 90, life could be extended. The rest, more commonly died in sleep. Doctors given the conviction to make the hard decision. All parts of the process carried out in a respectful yet systematic way.

Rumors circulated that some members of society were targeted for outstanding debts or a lack of credits. Rumors giving way to a full theory that marks against an individual were equally given as freely as credits. Most were just stories to scare people, but these theories remained. Kept in the back of everyone's minds daily. Most people compared the program to the real life prosopopoeia of the movie "In Time".

The program worked with a branch of law enforcement and began to be a means of crime deterrence. Patients being supervised regularly, almost around the clock by doctor or program, could easily be monitored . If a doctor should discover an illegal act during a routine observation the information was immediately passed on to the branch of law enforcement. Litigation went forward from there. Evidence always miraculously found on the guilty party. Always a enlightening moment that sealed the verdict.

A few years after waking in bed after my ordeal, I decided on becoming a doctor. I wanted to learn the ins and outs of the program. I started by purchasing a few hours in a single bot and saving what I could. Eventually, I could purchase two full time bots with great salaries. Next, it was on to becoming a doctor. Sounding simpler than it actually was. It took hours of study and many twilight hour study sessions. It was not easy. More than once I felt like pulling my hair out and giving up on the whole plan. Defeat was not something I welcomed. My obsession with learning where my mind had gone, what intervention had been applied, what I had experienced all kept me focused on my goal.

I followed leading gossip to locate important doctors thought to be high ranking in the system. I managed to befriend one suspected doctor. The most promising. A pleasantly plump, white haired man, with glasses. Always seen in a white coat with a pen in the pocket; A proud display advertising he's a doctor. Underneath the white coat, always pressed khakis and a collared button-up striped shirt. It took months to befriend him. Doing little tasks, becoming overly interested in health and healthcare, showing a genuine interest in becoming a doctor, proving my knowledge as well as many discussions over dinners and drinks. He did seem a promising lead. I gave wooing him my full effort.

It took three years before he admitted his position as a founder of the "Care Bears" program. A program known in his circles as A.H.I.. Standing for Active Health Intervention, I guess, as opposed to the passive style democratic freedom allowed for in the past. Positive data was already being collected. Data confirming the program was stimulating desired results that reinforced the purpose for its existence. He showed me proof the day he officially recruited me to A.H.I as an overseeing physician. What a meeting that was.

We met out for drinks and appetizers. A routine meeting. Except when I arrived there was another man with him. A lanky man with deep set-in features. Both had million dollar smiles on their faces. The kind that comes from inner confidence and a salary to match. The man, part of the global union, had a large black envelope in his hands. The variety that holds papers. He told me to read it once I got home, patting it softly as he spoke. Then we sat and talked. He asked me questions about my past, interests I had, and a few medical related questions. Vetting me, I assumed. They both looked content with every answer I provided. They shared data with me about the program. Data proving the importance of it's existence. For example, "50% of U.S. health care costs from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes come from unhealthy diets". Each statistic provided a staggering number that shocked. Political propaganda based on fact. At the end, both welcomed me in. The man, Mr. Clansey, Patted the envelope again and said we will thank you for your service.

Although the scientists, government and doctors were all pleased with the program the general unease in the population was a growing concern. People were already altering normal behaviors; avoiding activities that might cause injury or illness. Group activities, especially sports, were dwindling outside the professional realm. Giving a precarious future to professional sports as entertainment. Social interactions diminished as people saved money for ideal diets, hygiene and self care; attempts to earn as many credits for their futures as possible. A sort of persistent gloom existed across society like a low hanging fog in the morning by the beach. The doctors and union members were not oblivious to this, but conflicted on the topic because companies catering to health triumphed over others in the markets. A general consensus was forming in A.H.I that the issue needed to be addressed in some way.

The program put in place by the new presiding President. A President elected by the people, who was turning out to be more of a capitalist dictator. He was taking commander and chief to the furthest extent of the meaning. Acting as an invisible hand of god. Progressive, but radical. His appearance deceiving. A tall, slender man, with a stoic look. His dark hair and deep set dull eyes hiding the complexity of the man. Friendly and a compassioned speaker, he could sway any argument with his enlightened rhetoric.

Previous studies of German prisons ignored. These prisons designed in an octagonal shape with ever present wardens watchful eyes in the center, watching all the prisoners along the perimeter. The prisoners in these examples were driven mad from never having private moments and constantly being judged by the wardens. The wardens noting each mistake that was punishable by a prisoner. This example and its warning ignored for the programs development. Instead, used as a reason for protecting the programs secrecy. A way to implement and stress the severity of the Hippocratic Oath with real severe known consequences. A fear tactic held over the doctors to cement the programs secrecy. A fear tactic with impactable expectations.

In ten years the programs secrecy was almost entirely gone. A fault not traceable to one doctor in A.H.I.. Instead a natural occurrence stemming from services rendered in an imperfect human flawed program. I had worked as an attending for 5 years, my outline only being seen once. I was proud of this. The job was not easy. I had to quickly familiarize myself with all the various technology, software and programs. While also familiarizing myself with supervising/administering interventions and getting to know the patients themselves. There were detailed reports to be filled out in multiple programs and rigorous reviews to survive. By the time I was made Doctor, with my own batch of patients and attendings, I knew the program inside and out. Maybe the best in the whole entirety of the program. I did have an agenda, the others did not, from the outset that aided me.

Half the population was outraged, demanding for impeachment. The other half arguing in favor of the cause, just with alterations. The heads of these groups summoning the powers of will, begging, demanding to be heard. The leaders of these groups as feared for their courage as appreciated for it.

Once the program became impossible to deny, the people won a small victory. The victory came in the form of a superintendent's phone number. An individual now had the power to call a number. The number then text or emailed a form that could be filled out outlining the complaint. Too many complaints from one individual under the presiding doctor and that individual was shifted to another doctor.

Doctors were not spread to thin, although most carried hefty case loads in the thousands. An A.I algorithm helped monitor patients and communicate with a scheduling program that could send mini drone devices out to patients to conduct scans, administer shots, take vitals, etc. The schedule was approved by the doctor and would push notice the doctor when services were being rendered so they could supervise. If a doctor had to personally complete a task, which rarely occurred, another doctor or member of the union supervised. With so many drones, bots and machines available to doctors only a unique case or circumstance required the physical doctor. When everything was in place the program ran as a well oiled machine.

This was about to all change. A small glitch began to spread with an update that was added to the system. The update, intended only for the newest model of software, made no specifications about this on it's release. The update was applied to all models of software in the program. An erratic error that crossed systems and programs and distorted A.I. algorithms. A mistake lacking sinister intent, but with huge consequences. Instead of transferring the mind of patients to the vacuum void during intervention, the individuals were transferred out to bots. The very bots they had purchased for work! The smooth operating machine was punctured. Next thing we knew, oil was all over the floor, seeping in and staining everything.

References

A General Google search on topics of : space vacuum, health facts, etc

Dictionary.com

"Gattaca", Andrew Niccol, Slawomir Idziak, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures, 1997

The Secret Rules of Modern Living Algorithms, The Open University, Curiosity Stream, 2015, curiositystream.com

iHuman, Ro*co, Curiosity Stream, 2019, curiositystream.com

"In Time", Andrew Niccol, New Regency and Strike entertainment, 20th Century Studios, 2011

Curious Minds Future Medicine, Curiosity Stream, 2015, curiositystream.com