They don’t know I’m here. I’m on my island. It’s the year 2121. I live here because I want to be free from iTerra. I used to call this island “Xanadu” because I thought I could make it into a paradise. I was wrong. This island is hell. I can’t leave it, but I can’t stay. The sea is the real Xanadu, and so I named my boat.

iTerra...where can I start? It used to be called Tami, and it made the fastest computers in the world. In 2019, it gained so much money and power that their net worth surpassed even the government of the USA. When we hit carrying capacity, China was about to break down when Tami stepped in. It overthrew China’s government and soon, it controlled much of Asia. That’s when it changed its name to iTerra and controlled much of Asia.

On my island, I watch TV, filled with iTerra propaganda on every channel. I fish, I garden, I go on long rides in the Xanadu. They’re the same things I’ve been doing for five years. Before that I was a rebel against iTerra at a branch called Kronos. I was an expert spy, retrieving secret documents, eavesdropping, cryptography. I knew every trick in the book-until iTerra caught me. It couldn’t kill me-that would mean the rebels would know I had been caught and would know even more about iTerra.

It sent me a virus through the mail. I was in the rebel’s hospital for 6 months. Ordinary hospitals had the cure, but iTerra controlled them and I couldn’t go there. The disease attacked my left leg, and now I walk with a limp. It is impossible for me to sneak around. I couldn’t help the rebels because I couldn’t spy, I couldn’t fight, and I didn’t have any implanted powers. I bought a boat, some seeds, a fishing rod, a bow, arrows, and some bait, and came to this island.

Back to iTerra... It launched its population-lowering propaganda in 2050. It said that pregnancy was evil and the lower the population, the better. More than half of the world followed iTerra, and soon a lot of major countries’ governments were overthrown, including England, France, Canada, and the USA.

We have all sorts of ridiculous laws to lower the population and keep it that way. Pregnant women are shunned and can’t travel, and a family can have only one child-although, none is preferable. The worst of the laws is that is a family is found to have a second child, the whole family will be executed. The first child will be given a choice; be executed with the rest of the family or serve iTerra as a guinea pig for their terrifying medical experiments. In my opinion, death is preferable. This population propaganda has been effective- the population is now only 3 billion.

However, this is not the main reason for my hatred.

It’s the prepackaged and packaged lives. When a baby is born, they gene-test it to see whether it’ll be an asset to their world or be a burden. If they might be a burden, it’ll simply be put down, and another baby will be replicated to give to the parents. The worst of it is that now, thoughts are implanted in those children’s minds to make sure that they worship iTerra from the cradle to the grave. Those children want to do what’s best for iTerra for reasons they can’t control.

You don’t have to be a baby to have a packaged life. iTerra did the same thing to criminals and poof-they were changed. People come of their own free will, and they are also persuaded by propaganda. They follow iTerra like sheep.

Earlier, iTerra was doing experiments on thought monitoring and control. They disguised a government lab as a school for gifted children. They monitored and tried to control the children’s thoughts. All of them hated iTerra with a passion. Some died. Most went crazy. One escaped with the help of a group of rebels. Her name was Delta. She joined the rebels at a branch called Sayshal and is now a leading opposer of iTerra.

When I first heard about Delta, she could only speak in cryptic messages derived from ancient songs. She still speaks cryptically, but her messages are much easier to understand and sometimes she even speaks clearly.

I hear the holo-phone ring. The address is KronosProject. The rebels! I haven’t heard from them in 3 years. Sussy, the leader, appears in life-size. She speaks urgently, her eyes wide.

“iTerra knows you’re there. Get off the island. Just get off! We at Kronos can’t take you back, but you need to find another place. iTerra officers will be there in about 20 minutes. LEAVE NOW!” The hologram goes away. I sit down, waiting for iTerra. Maybe I’ll be happier with thoughts implanted-you never know! Suddenly, the TV goes on. Delta is speaking- and speaking clearly- on the rebel’s channel that they’ve managed to keep undercover for the time.

“...years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. worked for equal rights for people of all races. If he still lived today, he would be extremely disappointed with iTerra. From this same spot, where a great leader’s statue once stood, he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, which rallied people of all ages, faiths, and races for equal rights. Dr. King was jailed many times, but he never gave up. He was a great man that we should all admire. Don’t give up. The world is in a crisis, but there is always a way we can win this battle! In old Chinese, the characters for “crisis” were “danger” and “opportunity” combined. Yes, we are in danger, but we have opportunities around us! We intend to use these opportunities so once more, we can live in a world where there are no thought implants. A world where there is no killing of children. A world where there is no propaganda. A world that is free!” Delta finishes triumphantly.

I stand and pack my things. When iTerra arrives, this island will be deserted. I walk out of the house, down to the Xanadu, get in, and paddle toward the future.

My Island

Zoe Madonna1.19.06

Sec 73HR19