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Enliven (Part II)

How will Jakes and Yania fair during their night in court?

By Skyler SaundersPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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The future of auto.

Jakes looked about the street that October night. He noticed the cool breeze and the clouds. He also noticed Yania with a gait that suggested excellence. Her blonde locks flowed over her white skin like wind through a spoiler. Her thin frame seemed to glide with the moving air.

“Are you ready for this?” Jakes asked.

“More than ever,” Yania answered.

They took each other’s hands and ventured into the Center for Altruist Concerns, or CAC, in Wilmington. Yania traveled at a clip faster than her male companion. She had rehearsed in her head what she would say to the judge explaining why they both had disposed of their transponders at their homes and on their vehicles.

As the two of them entered the building, a slight odor of mildew hovered in the air. Brown tables and yellow fluorescent lights didn’t invite anyone so much as deter them from wanting to stay in the building too long. They proceeded through the courtroom doors. There remained a court reporter, a smattering of people filling the balcony seats, a judge, and about five council members flanking her. A bailiff read the case.

“In the case of Jakes and Laslow, the Center for Altruist Concerns is trying the two individuals for disregarding the various equipment that were designed to aid a number of groups through their monetary donations. All please rise for Judge Cera Toff.”

Jakes and Yania stood. Their faces remained steely.

“Alright, we’re going to try to make this as expedient and productive as possible, is that understood?” Judge Toff asked.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Miss Laslow, as an attorney, you’ve elected to speak on your own behalf as well as Mr. Jakes’. You may proceed.”

“Thank you, your Honor.” Yania gulped down oxygen like an engine sucking in air to produce sustained combustion.

“Now, with these measures in place to help the needy, or the poor, or the less fortunate, or whomever seeks succor or alms from productive people, I must say that it is a travesty to coerce people into ‘helping’ others. I have no qualms with the poor. I don’t care about the poor...necessarily. I care about the selfish, ambitious, greedy poor. This state of Delaware recently passed legislation to allow for licensing laws to be eliminated, and for minimum wage laws to be abolished, drugs to be decriminalized and legalized. But everything from heroin to cocaine has been made available to the free market. While these substances ought to be viewed as vices in a moral sense, politically, they’re symbols of autonomy. To counter these freedoms, the state instituted all of this forced alleged virtue signalling to quash the liberty and independence that are the hallmarks of this great state. While the cops were so concerned with the equipment we destroyed, they neglected to consider the fraudster that attempted to steal Mr. Jakes’ information. Thankfully, there were still enough good officers on the force to catch him. Mr. Jakes and I smashed our transponders and home devices to show that it is immoral to provoke someone to do something that he or she wishes not to do. From bedpans on down, the capacity to not contribute to something that you know is a tax on not only your wallet but your life, should be an individual’s chief guiding principle. When faced with overbearing regulations to compensate for the freedoms that Delaware now enjoys, the people of this state are not granted the opportunity to think on their own. If they want to assist the less than well off, then that should be their prerogative. Let us do! Let us decide for ourselves what is right or not. Let us be adults and live as such without the CAC berating us for not doing what is wrong but doing the right thing. I see a day where these pop-ups and reminders and advertisements that get us out of bed, dress ourselves, eat breakfast, leave the house, get in the car, go to our places of business, and fulfill all of the activities of the day, will no longer be a burden. May we be free? May we at long last taste the sweet vittles of self-government? I yield my time.”

Judge Toff’s wide cheekbones and weak chin quivered with age. She looked down at Jakes and Yania.

“I have heard your testimony, Miss Laslow. I find it to be unfeigned.”

Yania smiled.

“However, for the offense of destroying government property, I find you both guilty.” She didn’t bang her gavel as Jakes raised his hand.

“Your Honor, speaking technically, we didn’t destroy any government property. In reality, we smashed private company wares that stood against our basic set of beliefs. And, with the upcoming separation of State from economics, science, education, and ideas, we are not to be held accountable by law to replace or reinstall the devices that presented a menace to us. If those private companies would like to challenge us, I would welcome it.”

Jakes and Yania looked around the courtroom. Not a single private company showed up to the hearing for fear of losing their government contracts.

The judge mulled over this fact. She straightened up. “Alright, you are not guilty of destroying government property. I will see to it that the private sector and the government sphere are set apart except to protect individuals from force and fraud. You, in due time, will not have to worry about all of those messages and indications to put more credits into said appliances. You are not guilty of defaming or wrecking the instruments provided by private companies in conjunction with government programs. You are both found not guilty.” Toff banged her gavel. “Next case, please.”

Jakes and Yania waited until they exited the CAC. Once they broke through the doors, they rejoiced and embraced in jubilation. He fell on her mouth. Once they had broken their hold, they stared at their vehicles. Jakes’ fishscale white miracle and Yania’s lean machine the color of forests beckoned them.

“We still didn’t shoot that fair one down the quarter mile,” Yania said.

“You know that we can go to the Dover International Speedway. I mean we did just escape from paying heavy fees or going to prison. Let’s not start illegal street racing just to add to our credentials.”

“I agree with you, honey,” Yania said. They kissed again.

They reached their respective vehicles and allowed the whinny of the thousands of horsepower to guide them downstate with flash and exuberance.

science fiction
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Skyler Saunders

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