During my single digit years my grandmother, from England, used to send me adventure books; this was back when ‘books for boys’ category was all about adventures and heroes and such that often included a science fiction story or two. I’m talking 60-65 years ago so what I’m remembering as a remnant of a story from long ago may also include accounts of communist treatment of dissidents in Russian sanitariums the nuns used to share with us in grade school. Or it might even have been a reference someone might have made to the 1984 story; but I never read that one, believe it or not.
Anyway, the story, as I recall, was set in the future and opened up in the beginning days of a post-war, eastern European model country that was transitioning into a more controlled society based on the advances in weaponry that was made leading up to and during the short lived war that the subject country emerged from on the winning side.
It had a definite technocrat angle to the story which made sense since that term was in use during the 1930’s and my grandmother would have been familiar with it.
That story had the usual excuses for the taming of the emotional side of its citizens, citizens the leaders effectively managed into war after war ; but just before the end of the war to ‘end all wars, for real this time’, technocrats came up with a way to control everyone and at the same time keep them happy. All the citizens had to do was walk through a short electrical arch, I guess were like the metal detectors that we’re all used to today, and they were transformed. After undergoing the transformation, their data was tagged indicating the date and time it was completed.
The problem was, it was the enemy who won the war and they knew two things; how to keep secrets and how to kill humans.
The Happy Arch treatment did have a negative side effect that was hmmmed over and discussed to no end but it was never denied.
Meanwhile, people continued to line up for the Transformation even as they read news accounts of mysterious deaths of athletes of every level and sport and other normally healthy people of note dying before their time.
Humans being humans there was resistance. Dis-organized at first but eventually and effectively dealt with.
Anyone not submitting to the ‘walk through’ did not have their data tagged and when a health problem developed or a toothache or surgery for cataracts was needed or any invasive surgery no matter how minor was required, the enemy was alerted by the missing tag in the data record the patient shared on the first visit to the health care provider.
The health care provider, who’s only working because of the oath of allegiance they took, is instructed to use the anesthesia designated in the coverage approval and the resister is dealt an unexpected end, usually within thirty six hours after the administration of the specified anesthesia.
I can’t remember how it all ended, though. Perhaps reading that at a tender and impressionable age I decided to suppress the ending. Denial is a very effective tool for many people. Doesn’t change anything but it allows an individual to avoid the scary monsters.
Right up until they start eating you.