"Fuck Me", Lyel muttered under his breath. Blood trickled down the side of his face. He noticed a pool of blood next to him on the sweltering asphalt. The pool spread quickly; making its way around the outline of Lyel's body. His eyelids began to feel heavy and his body quickly weakened. He tried to retain the thoughts he had been pondering just moments ago, yet the imagery blurred then faded before he could grasp any of it. Blackness crept suddenly into his mind and very soon there was just nothing.
Lyel's body lay there on the sidewalk of Venician Avenue as many Units glanced fearfully. Small children looked on sparingly as their parents frantically pulled them away. The Patrollers occasionally kicked him to test for signs of life and checked his pulse to ensure he was not dead. If he was dead then The Patrollers would drag him away with a sign that would read "Thought Betrayer." All of the onlookers would know that he had been punished for having thoughts against The State. However he was not dead, in fact he was very much alive, only unconscious at the very worst he would suffer a mild concussion. Because he was not likely to die he would be left to come to on his own, another way of sending a warning to The Units. A message that would clearly display the power and ability of The State to know all things.
In the listening room, two Patrolmen stared blankly at the surveillance camera that portrayed the young boy lying in his own blood. The bottom of the screen displayed captioning...
Lyel Summers
Multiple offenses: Including but not limited to,unlawful
dreaming, criminal thoughts, and treachery words.
Classified: Highly dangerous Unit. Threat to The State.
Possible Terrorist.
http://gizmodo.com/5923980/the-secret-government-laser-that-instantly-knows-everything-about-you
The above link is to the article that inspired my short story. In my story the United States has become The State, where the molecular laser technology is used to learn every thing about every citizen. There is no longer freedom of thought in a society where the government can know every thing and anything about you.
