Newgrounds

"Jim, your crimes against us are numerous. Not only is the UNR the most outspoken group against Newgrounds, but also you’ve killed several high-ranking Newgrounds members. You’ve also bombed several of our facilities. Facilities containing women and children."

"No one will believe that."

"Everyone will, because I’m God and you are the most hated person in the world."

This actually wasn’t entirely true either. As I later learned, many people held a certain, secret respect for me.

"Newgrounds doesn’t have extremist followers. Nobody believes you’re God. It’s all in your head, Hatchkins. It only works because this country is too apathetic to see through you."

"You know," Hatchkins continued. "We had our execution room specially built. Once you lock the door, nobody can get in from outside. The walls can withstand grenades, rocket attacks, armor-piercing bullets-- you name it. Impenetrable. See you in ten minutes, Jim." Hatchkins turned briskly and left the room.

I sighed again. It was our first meeting face to face, but I had seen his picture before. It was on every newspaper and television in the world. The only Newgrounds members we had killed were the ones who had fired on us during recon missions even though we said we were unarmed. And we had never bombed anything. Bombs were for cowards. Newgrounds was actually rather fond of bombing abortion clinics, as word had it. Now both my legs were numb.

One of the guards was laughing.

"What’s so funny? Huh? What’s so damn funny?"

The guard stopped laughing and looked at me. His eyes narrowed. I was getting angry, angry with this second rate excuse for a human and angry with what Hatchkins had made this world become.

"Who are you?" I yelled. "I’m a martyr, you’re nothing but another cog in this machine! You do realize that, don’t you?"

He sneered at me.

"Yeah, I’m also the one who will still be alive in ten minutes."

I kicked at the chains.

"Your loss."

For a time I hung suspended in comfortable silence. I was condemned to die, but maybe death would be a respite from what this world had become. There were no gross human rights violations, sure, no calculated genocide. But the people had become afraid to think, or act. Everyone did their job, their dreams of stardom and fame and glamour replaced with aiding the ever-growing Newgrounds power. There was the underlying hatred of anyone opposed, because they had finally gotten it right. Almost all people who publicly opposed them mysteriously disappeared. By the end of the decade, Newgrounds goals were to be the dominant thinking force for every country in the world.

"Any minute now," said one of the guards, dangling a silver wristwatch in front of my face. He was taking great pleasure in this. Emotion, not reason, was what Newgrounds claimed should guide us in our actions. UNR weren’t extremists, but right now I felt like one. I could no longer move my legs at all, and my neck began to ache.

"Hey buddy," I said flippantly. "Want to loosen these things a little? My neck is cramping up."

"You’ll be out of them soon enough."

"Aren’t you going to give me a chance to repent first? Throw myself on the mercy of Newgrounds? Maybe I could come and work for you."

"Shut up."