A hundred miles off the Eastern coast of the New Republic, a pre-Disaster helicopter was about to land on a desolate island. From the air, the whole island seemed tilted to its side, with shallow waters on its western shore and vertical cliffs hanging from the east. Greenery covered most of the land; a few wooden huts and tents clustered around the center. Armed guards were stationed at every post on the perimeter of the island; electric fences enclosed the inhabited areas. 

The first thing Prime Minister Augustus did after landing at Prison Island Hana was to find Thomas. Wearing his classic white suit, walking with determination, he knocked twice and then burst into Thomas’s cabin, followed by his bodyguard. The young man sat at his desk working on a portrait, unaffected, carefully coloring the hair of a boy gold as he sat by the cliffs under the sun. Piles of sketches, some colored, were scattered around the room.  

“Thomas.” The prime minister spoke in his charming politician voice. “Rosa, my wife, was kidnapped 24 hours ago. I’m too old to pick up any new skills, but you are a smart young man. Your talents with navigation technology will be useful. Help me find her, and-”

“I don’t want to assist you with anything,” the young man answered calmly, his hands moving nonstop.

“Thomas, I’m giving you a chance to help me achieve what mankind has strived for since the beginning–the ultimate destination. I can’t allow Rosa to disrupt anything before I convince Congress to cancel the annual election day. Only then will the System be fully accepted.”

“Huh. Do you actually believe the System can bring peace to the New Republic?”

The Prime Minister, offended, sent his bodyguard outside with a wave.

“Perhaps I didn’t teach you well enough while you were at my mansion. Perhaps you’re no prodigy after all. It is I–” he paused. “It is I who brought peace to the New Republic after the Great Disaster. It is I who invented the M potions, our liquid gold and our only guarantee for the eternal peace of humankind.”

“Liquid gold, ha!” Thomas snorted. “Making M potions the only legal currency was just one of your tricks to secure your own prosperity. And now you want to cancel the only day in a year when people get to live without potion limits and exercise their freedom of choice? ”

“My young friend, progress comes at a price. Given time, you’ll see that I desire more than personal gain. Now that everyone’s emotions are regulated by the single hormone in M potions, society functions perfectly. Ever since billions of people implanted the microchips that make up the System, and since the Republic took control of M potion doses two years ago, crime has ceased, and–”

“But at what cost? Confining the last pure, System-free humans on this island, and turning everyone else into emotionless machines controlled by a tiny bit of silicon in their heads? Their monthly wages barely support them! If they ever allow themselves to genuinely feel anything, they’ll fall straight into O state, paralyzed and unconscious until their next dose of M potion!”

“Thomas! Why do you think the Great Disaster happened?” Augustus was spitting in Thomas’s face. “After your precious father died, I gave you the chance to study ancient knowledge with me in the hope that you’d join me on the right path for human beings. It’s your turn to repay me, willingly or not. Find Rosa, or see the System installed in everyone you cherish on this primitive island. You know terribly well what the O state is like.”

Afraid of losing his friends to the System, Thomas had no choice but to find the missing Rosa. Using the computer the prime minister brought him, the ingenious man hacked into ancient satellite technology on the island. The ancient people had left a giant antenna that Thomas used to think was some sort of amusement park attraction. After his studies at the mansion, he quickly realized that it was a tool that could connect to the satellites. Thomas intended to use the cameras on the satellites to search for Rosa, but he had never seen the mysterious lady during his studies at the mansion.

“Why don’t you give me a picture of your wife so I can locate her with cameras on the satellites? It’s the only way,” said Thomas.

 “You better not be playing any tricks.” The prime minister hesitated for a moment, then smiled with his classic charm. He gave Thomas a photo of a lady in a white dress, her hair hanging down to her waist, her delicate hands crossed before her body. Such a sophisticated face, Thomas thought, with red lips and mysterious eyes so deep that anyone would drown in them. Thomas was speechless for a moment. All the knowledge that he had read ceased to exist; his mind was captured by the sight of Rosa, a queen among people. 

“Normal people would have gone right into O state. You are blessed to have the chance to witness her beauty,” said Augustus.

“I have never thought seeing beauty should be a privilege,” Thomas replied, his eyes not leaving the picture for one second. “Don’t you think it’s unfair to take beauty away from people?”

“Privilege? That’s ridiculous. Beauty harms people by clouding their judgment. Only the system can guarantee a clear mind for all people. Otherwise everyone would be just like you, attracted to beauty, eventually forgetting who they really are.” 

“No–” 

“That’s enough.” The prime minister turned stone cold. “Get to work. I’ve got to leave for the election tomorrow.” He turned and whispered to his bodyguard. “Stay here with the kid, and report back once you lose him.”

The satellites soon had a result. The screen showed Rosa, impossibly, in the middle of the ocean. Thomas realized the world’s geography had dramatically changed since the Great Disaster. Overlapping the latest satellite images with the previous world map, Thomas found that Rosa was exactly here on island Hana. How was that possible with all the troops of the New Republic standing guard on the island? Had any of the guards seen her, they would have passed out into O state, but no guards had been found frozen or missing. If the satellite was right, then Rosa must be under the cliff around the east side of the island, the only place without guards. Thomas set out for the location, followed by the bodyguard.

Seeing that the cliffs were more than 100 meters tall and impossible for any man to climb, the bodyguard began searching in his pack for ropes. Seizing the opportunity, Thomas jumped off a cliff, piercing the water like a missile. Hearing gunshots and shoutings from above, Thomas swam at full speed and soon reached the shore under the cliffs. From below, the cliff looked as if it had been broken off from another piece of land, with sharp and geometric rocks forming a roughly flat surface. 

Searching along the shore, being sure no one’s following, Thomas found a metal door the size of a man. The entrance appeared like a tunnel that had also been cut in half, with wires and steel parts exposed in the air on the rim of the door. With just a gentle push, the metal door opened automatically. Inside there was a narrow hallway, pointing downward into the earth. Every few meters, a strange monitor beeped from the wall. Deep into the tunnel, Thomas finally made his way to an octagonal room. In the center, a long tube hung from the ceiling. Wires spread from the tube, connecting to the computers. Thomas was fascinated; he had never seen any room like this. 

“You haven’t let me down, hacker.” Thomas turned around and gasped. Though she was wrapped in a gray dress and covered by a veil, Thomas immediately recognized her eyes; it was Rosa. 

“Madam Rosa,” Thomas said in a shaking voice. He couldn’t help staring for a second, but then he quickly lowered his eyes. Perplexed to see her appear here alone in unconventional clothes, Thomas asked, “So, you weren’t kidnapped at all, were you?" 

“Ha, another joke of Augustus. You can’t be silly enough to believe him, right?” 

“Then why did you come here?” Thomas asked.

Rosa smiled at Thomas. “I came here for you, and for the antenna. You see, this room is the control room of the antenna. The whole structure is a pre-Disaster bunker. I don’t know how to operate these computers and cameras, nor can I tell anyone else without driving them into the O state. But you can look me in the eye without freezing, and having witnessed your talents at the mansion, I know you’re an expert at this technology. We must stop Augustus before he cancels election day forever, before that arrogant and selfish man crowns himself king at the cost of humanity. With the equipment here, we can tell the world what we know and liberate humanity. Together, we shall see the end of the system and the start of a brand new world.”

“I’m not sure if it’s my job to do,” Thomas hesitated. For a moment, in his mind’s eye, he saw Augustus standing on a stage, inspecting a new batch of workers, among whom stood every one of his fellow prisoners, monotonous and obedient.

“Thomas, there’s no one more suitable than you. Your father died for the very same cause 20 years ago, in the Rebellion. You lead a life totally System-free. The way you appreciated art back at the mansion... I’ve never seen others doing it. You have acquired the perfect blend of rationality and emotion; the key to the mind is in your hands! You are the living proof that the System is only limiting humanity's potential.”

Sitting down with a frown, Thomas thought for a long while. He recalled books he had read relating stress, anxiety, turmoil, and war, and he feared the destructive powers Augustus had over this world; even worse, he harbored the slightest worry that Augustus was right about humanity. His eyes now closed, everything he had learned back in Augustus’s mansion came rushing back. The walls were lined with ancient artifacts, majestic or humble; marble sculptures and colorful paintings; piles and piles of ancient wisdom, countless portrayals of love, friendships, growth, and beauty. In no way could Thomas give up such a splendid civilization, nor let some potion pollute the purity of humans. “Ok, I’ll help you. But we must hurry, we don’t have long before the Prime Minister finds us. Election day is our only chance. We must help people see the injustice of the System before their dose control comes back on ”

The ancient world left millions of devices and screens that could connect to the satellites and transmit signals. No one knew enough to operate them, or cared enough to tear them down. Using them, Thomas could broadcast live to people around the world and show them how the System is a tool for the reign of Augustus. 

The rest of the day was spent adjusting the satellites and connecting to TV networks around the world. Most ancient technologies went out of use after the Disaster. With the System, no one had become interested in learning and developing technology anymore; instead they devoted themselves to agriculture and manufacturing M potion.

While Thomas was restoring power to the center and setting up the camera, Rosa moved away dusty boxes that said “Nuclear Launch Sequence” on them to clear some room. Ancient metals had become brittle with time. The air smelled like the peaceful old days before the Great Disaster. By the end of the day, everything was set for the broadcast. The anxious two stayed up all night before the dawn of election day finally came.

Watching over the capital city through the satellite and surveillance cameras, Rosa and Thomas waited for people to start their days. To their disappointment, though M potions were not limited on election day, most people had become used to the emotionless lifestyle; by around 7:30, people had, out of muscle memory, formed into rough lines and marched towards the square. Though chit chats arose now and then, and a few kids started running around and laughing, most people remained silent. “Don’t worry. Humans won’t let us down. They just need time to recover,” Rosa said to Thomas. 

By the time people gathered at the Memorial Square, a few clusters of friends had formed. Up on the stage were three guards in their black uniforms, each holding a teenager on their knees. 

“People! Before we start the election process,” the leading guard announced to the crowd, “I must remind you again: the unlimited M potion should only be used for electoral reasons!” He paused and ran his eyes over the crowd. “These three teens have been found guilty of pleasure-seeking, as they each consumed more than 2 doses of the M potion early this morning, wandered down the streets intoxicated, and broke the glass windows at the 57th M factory. They are therefore sentenced to a year of O state, beginning immediately.” Perhaps having forgotten how to care, the crowd kept chatting with each other, totally disregarding the events on the stage.  

Seeing the kids being unjustly punished, Thomas could wait no longer. “3, 2, 1 and we are live!” Thomas started the broadcast.

“Ladies and gentlemen! My name is Thomas, and I must speak to you. Look at yourselves! Living the lives of slaves, having no compassion for the unjustly treated. Is this really what you want for the future of humanity? The prime minister used your guilty conscience after the Great Disaster to trick you into supporting the System! With M potion, he has forced you to become careless and super rational machines. With time, I fear he wouldn’t even need the M potion to keep you that way!” Thomas took a deep breath. “I understand that after the Great Disaster, you may have had doubts in humanity and resorted to the safety that M potions seemed to provide. But the invention of the System served, from its very beginning, for the sole personal gain of the prime minister!”

“And what is your proof for that?” The Prime Minister broke into the room, right into the live transmission. Seeing the figure that appeared on TV every night accompanied by soothing music, the turbulent crowd eased again. “Hello, my fellow citizens around the globe. Good morning on Election Day! Welcome to this very educational clip made by my wife and this Hana Island prisoner.” 

“Don’t listen to that man! All he wants is to secure his own position! The System, the O state, they are all just a lie!” Shocked at the prime minister’s timing, Thomas hurried to block him from the camera in vain. 

“Is that so?” asked the PM. “What if I tell you I have installed the System in all of your fellow prisoners?” 

“What have you done?!” Thomas yelled as he knocked down the PM. "You crazy dictator! You think you can rule the world with these tricks, with the System? No! You are committing crimes to humanity!’

“Stop!” Rosa was yelling from across the room. First being addressed by a stranger, and then seeing their prime minister on the ground, the crowds were uneasy again.

As Thomas snatched at the prime minister’s collar and pushed him into the ground, the prime minister revealed an uncanny smile.

“You probably want to dig my grave and bury me. Well, be a man and do it now. If you wish to hang me without trial, go ahead.” 

“You filthy moron!” Thomas glared into the prime minister’s eyes, his cheeks twitching; inside, Thomas felt his heart drowning; he had lost everyone. “You’ll forever be remembered as the man who betrayed his own race!” Tears ran down his face as Thomas let go of the prime minister and leaned back, breathing heavily.

“Hah, wait til you hear this. Your father was never killed during the rebellion. The System made him into an ordinary worker, happy and content, freed from the burdens of his ‘great cause’ and from putting up with your teenage disobedience.” 

“No, no, you’re lying!” Thomas murmured, his face red.

“I gave the order myself. Would you like to see him? He probably doesn’t recognize you anymore.” 

“You!” Thomas was filled with hatred. “You think I won’t kill you?” 

The two men started struggling with each other. Gasping at the scene, the crowd went speechless. Finally, Thomas took hold of the prime minister with a dagger in his hand. “I’ll stab you, you monster!”

“Thomas! It’s not revenge that we seek!” Rosa cried desperately, trying to separate the two.

All of a sudden, just as Thomas lunged at the prime minister, Rosa pushed herself in front of Augustus. With his full force, Thomas drove the dagger into her heart.

Trembling, Thomas fell to the ground. Blood was dripping down his hands, his eyes desperate. Breathing heavily, he laid there in distress, his mind blank. Meanwhile, on the Memorial Square, relief had overtaken the confusion on everyone's faces.

The PM turned to the camera. “My fellow citizens, now you see how dangerous people are if their hormones are not regulated! Mr. Thomas is the proof. Look at him. He just murdered my wife, who had nothing to do with the conflict between us. He is clouded by hormones, by hatred, and can’t see who he really is. This is the result of too much M potion!

“Anger, depression, jealousy– have you ever felt the hormones rushing inside you? No, you haven’t. It’s when your body and mind lose control, when you do something you know you will regret, or even worse, when you lose sight of yourself. Thanks to the System, this frailty troubles humanity no longer! My dear fellow citizens, vote for me now and support the banishment of unlimited M potion!”

“You liar!” Thomas, his face covered in tears and agony, leapt up and struck again at the prime minister. Expecting all this, the PM smiled with confidence, holding up a small remote. In mid swing, Thomas suddenly stiffened, and his body fell back to the floor. “You’ve done your part.” the PM whispered into Thomas's ears.

“What I just did was clicking this button to activate the System secretly installed inside his body. You see, the System is the most effective way to keep people from being clouded by emotions so they can make the right decisions. How are you feeling now, Thomas?” 

With pupils dilated and eyebrows relaxed, Thomas remained unnaturally still. The storm seemed to have vanished, leaving only tear stains lining his face.“I feel like I’ve just killed someone who should have lived, sir,” Thomas replied calmly.