Chains of Our Progress(David V. Mammina) What is it that you cannot live without? For millions of years, history has shown us that water, food, and shelter were crucial to humanity’s survival and growth. Taking even one of these vital elements out of our lives would result in certain death. Without question, they are necessities to us. Yet, years ago, they were also indulgences. The few squandered these elements when the many craved for them. This is when they added an extra element to our crucial few.

Clearly, this fourth element did not belong, for God or natural design did not bestow it to us. What once was a convenience swiftly transformed into a necessity. My brethren, this is how it was until 2028. We live in a very different world today. That fourth element is gone. It is a power that only nature can control. It had existed long before life was breathed into this world. Because it did not belong in our hands, Organism took it away forever.

I was a capable young man when it happened. The Electromagnetic Smart Pulse, or EMSP as it was called, was first used in the Middle Eastern warzone. It was a missile that dug into the sand and emitted a powerful pulse potent enough to nullify enemy technology. In time, the United Nations used it as a proactive approach to pigeonhole terrorist organizations and nations that supported them. It also worked well as a negotiating tool, warning all potential threats to submit or lose that fourth element: electricity.

When I was working as a U.N. soldier, they placed me in the EMSP response team. After the weapon had done its deed, we had to go in and make sure the area was neutralized and safe for allied arrival. If the weapon was left unchecked, the nullified zone could become heavily unstable. People reacted to the loss of power in the same way all the time. First, they panic. Then, they cry out for help amongst each other. Lastly, they destroy themselves. It was a terrible three-phase horror story come to life. We never wanted that.

Whoever held the weapon held the power. Any nation could lose their fourth element with the touch of a button, for that missile became the bomb of the 21st Century. It didn’t kill. It would just take away everything you depended on for all your life. It was not the nuclear bomb. It did not turn people to ash or vaporize the food source. It did not poison the water or discharge nuclear radiation. My brethren, it just eliminated the power supply. That was the world until 2028.

As I remember it, it was a Sunday afternoon here in New York when we learned that Beijing, China had lost all power. The entire city was out of commission. The whole world reacted gravely. Were they attacked by a nation wielding the EMSP? Were they trying to make it themselves and tragically blundered? Members of the United Nations turned on each other to uncover the culprit. They all denied launching the missile. In days, Beijing was evacuated. It took that long for Shanghai to be the next to fall. Hong Kong followed a week later.

With China’s three major cities drained of all electric power, the once prevailing nation was a dark void. No one dared to go there. Stories told of the hell that ensued. Tales that one would never speak of at dinner, I can tell you that. To spare you the details, imagine a mass of people losing all power in the blink of an eye. Imagine the chaos. Imagine the horror.

As the world feared an economic collapse, thousands upon thousands of displaced Chinese immigrants wound up on the United States’ western shores. There were too many of them, of course, and the rapid overpopulation of California proved to be too much for the country to handle. This was just the beginning. In the days to come, San Francisco went the way of the Chinese cities and blacked out indefinitely. Sacramento followed suit and then Los Angeles in three days’ time. The terror that the Chinese immigrants faced in their homeland had tracked them to the United States. This inexplicable nightmare was finally here on our home soil. The thief of the fourth element was among us.

It was as if the hand of God came down and smothered our technological advances out. How arrogant we must have seemed to the heavens. The Lord created all that we needed, but it was not enough. We had to manufacture a better, more convenient world. Well, that world was falling into oblivion. Stationed in New York City, I knew that this phantom thief of electricity was going to strike here one way or another. What kind of force was causing this? Whoever or whatever it was, it had travelled the Pacific Ocean to make us its newest prey. How far would it go — the whole world?

Once California was dead, the government shut down our borders and issued an unenforceable background check on every man, woman, and child that recently entered the state. It was too late by then. This terrorist was finished with California. From Albuquerque to Oklahoma City, Memphis to Cincinnati, and Pittsburg to Philidelphia, it came straight for us. In a week, we received a tip that it was going to strike New York next. By this time, the country was breathing its last. Doomsayers cried in the streets, looters and rioters laid waste to cities, and all order had broken down for good. The heavy boot of Darwin crushed the idea of police saving the day.

How could they not have seen that that day would come? There was no one prepared for it, not even the stupid geniuses that created the damn weapon. There was no point in debating then, for the dreaded thief of the fourth element advanced for New York. While New Jersey was in the dark, we were busy evacuating the city. How sad. People asked us where they were supposed to go. I could only lower my head and close my eyes. Even my own family snuck onto a ship in route to Europe. Everyone knew that the thief of the fourth element would hitch a ride on one of them, much like it did from China. Still, the hope of just having a small promise of light attracted a mass exodus of sorry souls like the moth to the flame.
In traveling up to the city, Americans from all over cried at the sight of Broadway. Soon, even I knew that these lights, my phone, those supermarkets, and Penn Station were going to die in a day. The military escorted people out of the city and tried to stop the thief of the fourth element from even reaching us. The problem was that no one really knew what it was. Did anyone ever really see it? Was it a man with a special EMSP weapon? Was it a cyber-virus? My brethren, I came to terms about my life from that moment on. I was going to live in darkness forever. Times Square never looked so beautiful as that evening.

As promised, New York City had turned into a ghost town. The military and the EMSP response teams cleared the streets the best they could. Only crazed and terrified stragglers remained. Newspapers and garbage littered the streets amongst broken glass and bodies of lifeless strangers. I remember crying as I walked up 8th Avenue. Everything I thought I knew about my world was going to change. I thought about my family. It pained me to reminisce, because there was nothing hopeful on the horizon — only blackness and silence.

And then, in the middle of the night, the wave of everlasting darkness came over us all. My phone blacked out and my communication gear froze. The city that never slept fell into a deep sleep. I heard shouts and cries from outside the hotel. Looking out from my window, I would rather not convey to you the sights of bitter sadness and regret. I vowed that I would let it rest. My sorrow was their sorrow. The moon above gave us a stark reminder of who we were going to be now. The many stars shined in the sky like a diamond-encrusted ceiling. That vision of great beauty stemmed my fears. I had never seen such a magnificent spectacle before. The overbearing lights of the city were always in the way.

It was then that I saw him. From behind me, he passed my room and peered at me through the open door. When I turned to look upon his face, he smiled at me. This smile warmed my heart and calmed my soul. It was like he understood my pain, but did not partake in it. The feeling was indescribable. As I stood there in my darkened room lit only by the night sky, the man approached me and put his hand on my shoulder. Seeing him face-to-face, there was something strange about him. His eyes seemed to glow a feint white and his head was completely bald, as if he never had hair to begin with. This, my brethren, was Organism.

I joined his many followers on the roof of the towering hotel building and sat on the ground covered in gravel. The starry night was enchanting, easing my nerves. There were dozens of people sitting around me, nodding their head and welcoming me in different languages. The days behind me were so strenuous that I started to feel some peace. I was the only one carrying a pistol. The others had makeshift weapons from natural environments, much like spears and bow and arrows. Where were these primitive minded people hiding all this time? How did they make it into the city? After a few minutes of watching Organism with his followers, it became clear to me. I was the primitive mind.

The city was absolutely silent upon the high roof. No planes soaring overhead and no loud honking far below. Still sitting in my place, baffled and confused, I watched Organism step up onto a powerless generator and address the crowd. At once, they all began to applaud and cheer his name. Hoots and hollers of praise shrouded him. Amidst the silence at his will, Organism spoke with a soft command, declaring, “My brethren, we have freed another farce city from the holds of the fourth element!”

Again, his minions cheered around me. I was far too dazed from the night’s demoralizing affairs to move a muscle. Their reveling high above the city portrayed the only trumpets of triumph, like those the angels used in Revelations. Tears were aching to pour out from my eyes a second time when Organism silenced the crowd once more. He pointed at me and smiled as he did when he first saw me.

“And with another city, I have chosen another to join us on our great journey to enlighten the world through darkness!” He said, “As it is ritual, we shall permit him to challenge my cause with as many questions as he deems necessary. He shall not submit to me, as no one should submit to anyone. Rather, he will understand, as all of you have, through the clear lenses of truth.”

At last, all of them had quieted and waited for me to ask the first question. They were patient, because I was traumatized. Yet, something in me crept up from my stomach and was determined to challenge this man. This single man orchestrated the fall of our neon silicone civilization. It was he who stole from us the power we refined so perfectly to rule our lives. But how? How did he do this? I had to know.

Therefore, I questioned him, feeling my voice break out the phrase, “How?”
Organism and many others broke out into laughter from my thirst to understand. I even felt one of his followers pat me on the back. He then raised his arms to quiet them all before saying spiritedly, “That is usually the first question. It is a good one.”

'I know,' I thought to myself, “So let’s hear it.”

He started without any hesitation, saying with poise, “As an EMSP soldier yourself, you knew how influential that technology was to the world. For those who did not possess it, it was wounding. I, too, was a soldier from that division. A Chinese diplomat offered me an ultimatum. If I agreed to undergo a top-secret experiment that could kill me, I would become a hero to the new world. I knew the risks, for I was a nobody — an expendable asset. Perhaps, even a traitor? Nonetheless, if not for pride alone, I agreed to become their lab rat.

“What transpired was a major breakthrough. Their scientists had studied the various applications of the EMSP in secret for years. What resulted was a 72-hour procedure that made me a host for EMSP energy. Circuits run through my body, up into my fingertips, and even my brain. My core contains a nucleus for this great power even now. I had become a human EMSP weapon.

“However, they did not anticipate how powerful it really was. Within me, I had the ability to feel and control electric currents. I could switch power on and off at will. Unquestionably, I obeyed their will alone. However, there came a time when I chose not to heed their beckoning calls. I realized that this power within my very being was meant for greater things — a greater purpose. I was no longer a man. I was a conduit for God.

“So, I tested my power and used those who created me as lab rats themselves. With no strain at all, I disabled their entire facility. Realizing what I could accomplish, the mission became clear to me. Beijing was the first city I freed from the fourth element. From that moment forth, no city would be safe from my gift. People needed to be free to become humans again, rather than slaves to the technology they thought they controlled. It controlled them.”

Taken aback, my next question was, “The fourth element? What is that?”

“It is the element our world chose to rely on most.” Organism said to me, “It is the foundation of all our technological advances as a civilization. It is electricity.”

Still not satisfied with him, I continued, “Why? Why just take it all away?”

This question tugged at his heart. I could see that. From all the times he had to answer for his deeds, it never seemed to get easier. Organism turned to consider the dark peace of the city and replied, “Do you remember when you were young and the power went out in your home —your neighborhood? It was a sinking feeling. We always hoped that our service workers were working overtime to put the power back on. The one thing we should have been wondering during those times was what we would do if it never came back.

“Why were we so dependent on it? Were we not better than that? Are we not now? Do you remember using pencils and pens to write? Do you remember what it was like to actually interact with a person off of the computer — off of the mobile devices? It is time to think about what makes us human. It was fun for a while, until it raced past our understanding of what it really was. It evolved so fast, we never had time to see it clearly.

“Look at what we are without this power. What are those people down in the streets now without this element? They are stupid, scared, and useless. Behold how many lay down and die because they do not know what to do next. They were blinded for so long, they lost their humanity to it. Do you see now? Food shall no longer be manufactured. Social networks shall no longer give a notion of good will. And, most of all, lives will no longer be chained by the fake promises of progress. Nature has given us all we need. So, why are we fighting so hard to make it ourselves?”

The words of Organism sunk deep into my heart. The world was out of control, lost in its hope for perfection. My brethren, I understood, for there was no turning back. Humanity did not rule the world. The fourth element used us as hosts. I was still scared of this change. I wished to be weaned off it, instead of losing it altogether. But, as you heard, this was the point of no return.

As the crowd waited for any further questions, I only dared to ask one more. I said, “Why do you call yourself Organism? That is my last question.”

There, he looked at me with an expression of wonder and said, “You have only asked of me four questions, when others before you have asked so many more. Of all these, I have never had to answer this one. My friend, my name is Organism, because it is the one thing I wish to be and I am not and it is the one thing you are, but have taken for granted.”

That was the day I joined the brethren. Organism lost his humanity to his pride the moment he chose to become a cyborg. However, the moments following his transformation gave us hope. He was more human than most of us then. There were so many other questions I could have asked him on that roof, but I chose to let it go. Should I have fought for the millions of people who died because of his deeds? Maybe he would have given me another answer to convince me of the harsh truth. The chains of our progress put us all into an illusion of freedom. Were we ever really living?

After disabling the power in various other cities in the United States, Organism led us into Europe. How easy it was to hide and vanish from those trying to stop us. Without any devices that they could track on our person, we were practically invisible. It was frightening for me to change my life completely, for I never knew that I could live without the use of the fourth element. Organism offered me a second chance at life. At last, my brethren, I was unplugged.

Now, forty years later, I see a brighter future for all humankind. I can see his visions now, decades after his death. We are free from the fourth element still on the anniversary of that fateful night. The power is still out and we are still here. Therefore, I will ask of you what I asked of myself when I was there on that roof. What makes you human? Think about it, and then wonder if electricity was ever a part of it.

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