In 2137, the American goal of equality had been achieved fully. Every single person was absolutely identical in every way, mentally and physically, with exceptions of gender. This led to obvious difficulties like mistaking your daughter for your wife, but the happily inclined people chose to ignore it.

One of these happily ignorant citizens sat on the bare concrete floor of his prison cell. His cell was in the empty section reserved for treasonous offenders. This man was currently talking to his wall.

“How,” he addressed his wall rather testily, “have we fallen to this medieval system of justice?” The wall failed to provide an answer.

It was this extremely dangerous questioning that got the “police” interested in him. Not that they resembled police anymore. Police defend the rights of their people, delivering justice to those who required it.

Nowadays, the police just delivered stakes of fear to the hearts of all people. They were called the reapers.
The job of the Reapers was to defend the equality of America. They were ruthless in exterminating any signs of abnormality. Their latest prey was the man tired of waiting for an answer from his wall.

“Slaughtering innocent children, and killing people for thinking differently. Have we not sunk to our lowest depths?”

The government, in the early 20’s, found the brutal, but effective, solution to equality. All abnormal citizens were massacred in the Great Purge of 2021. Any remaining unequal human was prosecuted, and always received capital punishment. Petty criminals were whisked away, and returned different men. Traitors simply disappeared off the face of the Earth.

The man in the cell was labeled a traitor.

A door opened.

In stepped a tall woman. Everyone recognized her from sight; she was the President of the Equal States of America. The President addressed the prisoner in the cell.

“This is your last chance. Repent for your actions, and you will be freed.”

“Never. I am not afraid of anything you may use against me.”

She snapped her fingers, and Reapers entered, restraining the prisoner. They all walked down the hall to a room of glass.

“You have no doubt wondered what happened to criminals in our states. Look inside and you will see…”

The prisoner turned, and his eyes widened. His friends, fellow criminals, were strapped to chairs and being forced to watch a collection of Reapers in the center of the room.

In the center of the room was a horribly mutilated man. He was strapped to a table, and the Reapers with knifes leaned over him. He was very obviously screaming.

The outspoken prisoner, shocked, took a step back. He was soon forced to move towards yet another glass room.

“That punishment is only reserved for the uncorrectable prisoners like you.”

They stepped into an identical room with Reapers and watching criminals. The only space left was on the table. The prisoner was forced onto the table, and locked down.

“Afraid yet?”

The man’s screams could be heard for days on end.