Mars Needs Books!. Gary Lovisi

one set of facts, one truth—one way to think and act for everyone.

      She hated it.

      These days all information and history in the digital record was audited and amended instantaneously. History and facts changed as the DOC decreed. People fell out of favor, or ceased to exist with a keystroke. Yesterday’s hero, might be forced to become today’s suspect, then could become tomorrow’s non-person. At that point he or she would be erased from the digital record and cease to exist. No record would ever be found about them, anywhere, not ever.

      But just as “Arabella Rashid” had been born on that dark and terrible day five years ago when she’d taken her new name and new her persona—upon that first rape by Simon—she had known she would fight to win her freedom if it took her a hundred years. She was still a slip of girl but she steeled herself to her new life. She learned, and she grew in power and intelligence. And boldness. Her fear drifted away from her as she planned her revenge on Simon...and upon the world that had betrayed her.

      Then she found the old books.

      When she found those old books five years ago she naturally began to read them, in secret, for all were forbidden and unapproved. She learned their secrets. She learned their stories and messages. She saw the hidden worlds the words on paper told her about. She felt those words deep in her heart and she was able to see their truth. She knew then that “Dear Simon” now “Dear Old Simon,” her superior, her mentor, and her lover, was the devil incarnate and she began to make her plans.

      She smiled lovingly at Simon right now, all the while keeping up the pretext, but he did not return her smile. Did he suspect? That could mean her doom. Strangely, now she did not care. She hated him, hated what he had done to her, and what he had stolen from her. She hated what he had done to the world too. It was the Old World that spoke to her now, the Old World she read about in all those old books. The books told her that the world had been such a wonderful place before Simon and the DOC controlled everything. Well, maybe not exactly wonderful. To be sure, it hadn’t been perfect, there had been severe problems in those old days, but at least people back then had been free to make their own choices. Free to fail, even. More free, she corrected. Today the concept of freedom was dead on Earth, the heart of Man had become blank and empty, the mind of Man closed shut. And that was just the way Simon and the DOC wanted it.

      Arabella Rashid was growing older too. In fact, at just thirteen, she felt so old; for she had experienced so much. She had seen too much darkness. Truth be told, she was now also too old for Simon. He preferred his “mistresses”—as if they had any choice at all in what befell them—quite a bit younger. Though no person but she knew this most intimate truth about him. It was, in fact, the most secret of all DOC secrets. She was too old for Simon now. She knew his eyes had already wandered to others. She didn’t regret this at all, she only felt pity and fear for those others. She was determined now that if Simon had in fact destroyed all freedom on Earth, there would be one place where it would not be destroyed.

      “Simon?” she asked sweetly.

      “Yes, my dear?”

      “Will you let me set up Mars? Let me set up the outpost and the colonists. You want it to be a dumping ground for incorrigibles and troublemakers, well I think I could help cleanse our planet of these undesirable elements. Putting them all on Mars is a good idea. Then we can deal with them all later as we like.”

      “Easy, Arabella, I have my plans for them. DOC scientists have done endless studies, reports, extrapolated future crisis data from current trends. There is a method to my plan. I ask you, why has every great empire in the history of this world—why have they all eventually fallen?”

      She was quiet and did not answer; it had been a rhetorical question, his way to allow her an inner glimpse of his wisdom, knowledge and power.

      He told her, “Ancient Egypt and Greece, Rome, Britain, Soviet, American, Red China, it does not matter. The reason they each fell, is that they rotted from within. They lost control. Control is what is important; it is the only factor that can stop this inner decay from occurring in our own time. Total, complete, uncompromising Control. Control over every aspect of life, of thought, of being. Now we have achieved that here on Earth. Complete totalitarian control over every aspect of the human citizen.”

      Arabella Rashid acknowledged his truth, “Yes, the Department of Control is the total master.”

      “And I am the master of the DOC,” Simon laughed with a sinister power he knew only too well, and held so tightly to his being.

      “That is true, Simon,” she said finally.

      “So we have achieved total control on Earth. For now. But that is not enough, Arabella.”

      “How so?”

      “Total control must be achieved for all time—forever. And there lies the rub, my dear. I want myself and the DOC ingrained in this world and its people unto their very soul. To do that our scientists have determined that unless certain challenges present themselves at certain nexus points in our history in the future—all this, all I have built here—will eventually collapse.”

      Arabella Rashid felt a brief surge of emotion, actual joy at the prospect, but she camouflaged it well. “So Mars is part of your plan, master?”

      She knew he loved it when she called him master.

      “Yes, these incorrigibles and troublemakers—men only—they will not be allowed any women to procreate and enlarge their vile numbers—will be set up as a future enemy. An enemy for DOC to destroy and be victorious over. These are to be my straw men, Arabella. Their existence and rebellion will ensure the DOC’s supremacy forever. They will become the great bugaboos of our Earthly citizens, we’ll brainwash all to accept our truths about the men on Mars. They will become the enemy of us all. Feared, hated, despised. And it will work. And because of that, I shall live forever as the master of it all.”

      Arabella Rashid stood stoic and silent but within her soul was anger and fear. This man—this monster...so twisted by hate and power.... It was not sane. It could not be done. Nevertheless, she knew the combination of his ultimate power, mighty intellect and relentless drive for conquest made him supremely dangerous. Anything could be possible.

      “Are you familiar with the term—the antiquated term these days to be sure, Arabella—of God?” Simon asked softly.

      “No, I....”

      “Come now, I know you read, even some of the old forbidden hard copy texts. Those paperbound books from a hundred years ago. It would take all day for me to have your brain transcribed and then whipped clean of it all, but then you would loose so much of yourself, so don’t try to play dumb with me, girl!”

      “Yes, I am familiar with the term—I mean, the concept of—God.”

      Simon smiled divinely and it was horrible to see, “Well, Arabella, I can tell you with all certitude, that I am now God here, young lady. I am the new God of our Earth, a new God to reign forever. Our science has ensured that I shall live forever...as a God....”

      Arabella Rashid was stunned and revolted by his arrogant words but she could ill afford to let him see even an inkling of her true feelings. She had played this game for years, had learned it when she’d been so much younger—at the feet of the master.

      Instead she smiled sweetly and nodded pleasantly.

      “How little you truly know or realize, my child,” Simon added in paternal disdain, now leaning back in his huge chair, all-knowing, all-powerful, laughing all-insolently....

      “What?”

      “My dear, you have no idea. Our science, our technology, the DOC—we have learned so much from the past. It is all ours for the taking, for the using. Billions of memories, and the manipulation of those memories, facts, all that data—all of it to give us the outcome we want. It really is quite amazing. It is all now in the digital record, just electronic impulses, bytes and bits, nothing more, nothing less. Electronic impulses to be manipulated as we see fit, whether in a machine...or the human brain.”