The Interviewer

By William Malic

The World has gone mad. A cataclysmic event propels the world into an autocratic world were population control is demanded by technocrats to insure 'the betterment of the all'. Interviewers judge the citizenry to determine who will live and who will die. Rogue former citizens from the established Settlements seek freedom. A precarious stasis between loyalists to the world order and rebels, declared extinct, is threatened. Four brave souls are brought together to right the wrongs. The key is the dissemination of human knowledge which is controlled by the Society. Only they have the technology. The rest of the world is shrouded in a new dark age. Personal relationships tell the story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359635146

Book preview

The Interviewer

The Interviewer

We the Founders of the New World Order in order to form a perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United Front of the New World Order

Chapter 1 -The Office of Interviewer

The Interviewer slowly nestled into a comfortable easy chair, ergonomically designed for his personal specifications, behind a large weighty oak desk. This crown jewel of his office decor, polished to a high gloss, allowed visitor’s images to be mirrored with almost the same clarity as a finely crafted looking glass.  Few visitors would take the time to appreciate such a singular statement of his supreme authority, however.  Otherwise the office wasn't particularly opulent but designed for maximum efficiency.  His entire daily routine held the same purpose.  There was no room for worldly excesses for he was on a mission conducting somber business.

Nominated and approved for his position by the highest echelon, he did not share an all too common affliction associated with others who were granted autonomous authority.  He did not have the ego which tempted them to exceed the confines of their position; though he did have an appreciation of the finer things in life.  Considering his status quo, he could have obtained anything he wanted, however there wasn't much that he required.  Few would question any requisition.  No one would reject any petition.  He was an Interviewer.

His position of Interviewer was not unique.  Though there were others like him in the Settlement and throughout the Union, few were as well thought of or more feared.  His brand of justice was dealt out with an iron hand and a steely will to achieve maximum effectiveness.  Whenever there was a new quota, which was constantly changing, he was always first to meet the mark.  His decisions were final; there were no appeals nor reviews.

Even on a slow day when he held court the line of applicants stretched along a hallway nearly to the entrance of the administration building.  More likely an overflow would wait outside regardless of the weather.  Those who were summoned to appear were expected to be prompt; no excuses.  Interviewees were generally assigned specific time slots but all but the first few would wait an indeterminate length of time till they were summoned.  This Interviewer did not hurry.  If the day ended without an applicant being seen the unlucky soul had to return the next day and start the process over again.  All would be eventually escorted into his office, some only after repeating the application process for days.

Relatively small compared to some of the other government offices, his workplace had no windows and only three visible doors; one was the entrance from the waiting area; the other two were exits.  The exit to be used by the applicant upon completion of the interview was rumored to be depended on the outcome of the conference.  It was universally presumed one exit was for persons approved for assignment; the other being for rejected applicants.  In addition, through a concealed doorway behind a credenza, the Interviewer had a private egress that led to his quarters.  Precious few knew this secret passageway existed.  Security was always tight around Interviewers, for good reasons.

Only two items occupied the surface of his desk, one was a thin film transistor liquid crystal display positioned for his view only.  His keyboard lay hidden on a shelf below the desk top.  Prescreened data was easily accessible for each applicant at the touch of a few keys.  The interviewees’ entire work history could be accessed along with personal data.  Recommendations and supporting documentation filled in the applicants’ qualifications.  No added materials could be given, and no one could go with the applicant.  It was a one on one interview.

Various tests often were given to applicants prior to the interview date to supply some objectivity based on skills, however the final interview was subjective and solely at the discretion of the Interviewer.  Savvy applicants who could afford it often hired professionals to aid in their preparation.  For practical purposes, it was a waste of their resources.  Few of course had the resources anyway.  Trying to finesse an Interviewer was more likely to result in a negative outcome rather than achieving any theoretical benefit.  Those who tried generally failed and failure was rarely allowed more than once.

By order of the governing Elite, citizens in the New World Order were expected to try to not only be productive members of society, but also to accept their assignments without question.  Slackers were subject to removal unless considered trainable.  Exceptions could be granted for temporary circumstances at the discretion of the Interviewer.  In the rare occasion an exemption was granted, reevaluation for these allowances occurred at least annually, if not more often.

To the casual observer the Interviewer appeared much older than he was.  Years of carrying the burden of his task showed itself in peppered hair and drawn facial lines.  At one time he might even have been described as handsome.  In a more relaxed atmosphere, his personal appearance would at the least pass as pleasing.  He had a smile that could soften his drawn appearance.  However, he rarely smiled during an interview, keeping an impartial expression.  Reports claimed even the hint of a smile was not something one would hope for.  Levity was not a good idea. Accurately he didn’t relish rejecting an applicant, but he was bound to his schedule.  The sustainability of the Settlement relied on his meeting the Supreme Council’s quota.  How he determined rejections were of little concern to the Council.  In all scenarios their only worry was to not exceed maximum population levels.

Depending on resources and work requirements the culling out of non-productive citizens was an undertaking not at all coveted.  Years ago, a random lottery was abandoned for what now was marketed as an improved system.  Too many beneficial people had been summarily eliminated and preservation of valueless individuals propagated a growing non-functioning subculture.  For a brief time, age became a criterion, but it too proved to be ineffective.  Given an applicant’s experiences and acquired wisdom, a reassignment to age-appropriate duties was a more logical solution.  To be effective, the social order required a wide variety of abilities.  Preserving only the most skilled and greatest in intellect could have been another approach but it would not have met the needs for the unskilled and those relegated to mundane assignments.  Intelligence quotients thus played only a minor role in their evaluation.  Proven productivity at any level was most heavily weighted.

Applicants made up a potpourri of human society.  Some had reached their potential and were qualified to achieve progressions.  Others had failed in meeting the goals of their supervisors though they might still be valuable in some other field.  Still there were those that had proven inefficiencies either due to a lack of a work ethic or self-imposed rebellion.  Each session also brought a few found guilty of infractions against law and order.  Criminals however were not automatically sent to detention centers.  The social order believed institutions dedicated to incarceration of law breakers as a valueless enterprise.  There were no prisons or work camps.  Everyone could have a second chance with the Interviewer.  What they did with their reprieve determined whether they redeemed themselves and again became productive citizens.

Numerous more radical citizens saw the Interviewer as a purveyor of doom, while others realized their interview could be a mode for reconciliation.  Some of the most effective citizens had once faced the fate of the damned.  It truly was a life or death experience figuratively and not occasionally literally.  The Interviewer alone would decide their fate.

Chapter 2 - The Long Line

In the hallway the early birds had checked in at the reception desk.  There were always those who arrived early to escape the rush of last-minute arrivals.  If a late applicant did arrive beyond his appointed time they were greeted cordially, but an immediate sense of doom lingered.  Their unpunctuality was announced via an entry into their file.  The two harried receptionists offered no sympathy nor could be persuaded to overlook tardiness.

Nearly all the candidates remained standing or found a space to sit on the floor during their entire wait.  There were no chairs or other comforts available.  Food or drink was expressly prohibited.  Necessary stops were allowed if they could catch the attention of the greeters and received the key to the one unisex facility.  It was not unusual for more than one person to crowd into the small bathroom at a time.  Modesty held little merit here.  Both men and women shared in their shame.  Occasionally the door remained propped open and those doing their business were in full view of the crowded assemblage.

Once in the queue no one could leave their assigned position.  If one left the building, they were barred from reentry.  In a way, the lucky ones were those who found themselves standing outdoors until the line advanced enough for them to enter the hall.  On a busy day there was an acrid odor that seeped into the foyer each time the front door opened.  Both men and women would relieve themselves along the line of withered shrubs bordering the sidewalk; self-esteem, if they had ever had any, forgotten.

Guards patrolled the hall and outside to keep order.  Surprisingly few incidences occurred.  To be apprehended for disorderly conduct would not fare well on the interviewee.  Few if any of the applicants knew each other and no one thought the process as an opportunity to make new acquaintances.  They all recognized they were in competition for the limited openings as well as the odds of failure to secure an assignment.  It was a solemn procession.  Amidst a sea of humanity each participant was absorbed in his or her own solitude.

Generally excluded from the ordeal were actively employed workers in good standing, those with temporary medical waivers and caregivers for the young.  The later occupation was considered essential for the betterment of society.  Also immune were the people’s representatives and a class referred to as the Elite were given special consideration.  The later included business owners, academicians and holders of special exception granted by the councils governing the districts as well as legacy Elites.  Law enforcement, judicial appointees and their families also held special waivers.  Since war had been outlawed the society had no soldiery, however Special Forces were commissioned as thought necessary to quell potential unrest.  These along with local security for officials held lifelong exception. 

Four classes of citizens existed; the Elite which governed, workers which supplied the needs of society, special exceptions and the oversupply which were considered expendable. Expendables were not always at once eliminated.  When the Elite considered them temporarily useful, they could be assigned to the more hazardous tasks or other positions to which citizens in good standing should not be given.  This Interviewer perhaps more than some routinely supplied choices for alternative disposition.  All decisions ultimately were made within the mantra of the greater good for the society. 

Couples petitioned this body for licenses to reproduce.  Once a new life was proven viable, generally after having reached the age of two, an order was sent to the Interviewers to select a fair reduction in the present population.  A complicated algorithm determined the numbers accounting for natural deaths, accidental deaths and purposeful eliminations.  Balance was necessary to insure citizens' equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Further complications to the process were economic fluctuations, natural calamities and political whims of the Elite.  Interviewers were not concerned with these parameters; their job was to adjust populations to meet the bottom line.  Why or how this line changed was beyond their pay grade.  If they fell short or over shot the mark it was their responsibility to correct the mistake in a prompt matter.  Failure to achieve their goal could find them standing in the reassignment line and facing their own interview.  Surprisingly the Interviewers were not numbered among the exempt.  This was a strong incentive to complete their missions according to the rule of law.

A major exception to the order were those convicted of crimes.  All classes, even the Elite, were not immune from the interview after a criminal felony had been committed.  All classes could expect such a call if they violated the law.  Normally minor offenses were handled entirely by the judiciary and punishments ranging from fines to community service hours dispensed, unless there was a pattern of repeat offenses.

Most calls directed to a working-class member were for a petition of reassignment to a different role or to answer for a failure to be productive.  This later cause for an interview was serious because it might result in a writ of containment.  Rehabilitation was a possibility.  Special exceptions had to be renewed annually and there were at times members of this class in line, however most were handled on as needed basis by field representatives of the Interviewer.  Theses surrogates simply documented the condition and sent their report to the Interviewer who either denied further exception or certified a renewal.

Expendable interviewees reported to learn their fate after a period of rehabilitation or further inquiry into their status.  These tended to be the glummest of the cadre of applicants since this was their truly last chance.  If successful in turning their productivity around they would be reassigned to permanent positions.  If not, the long walk to the Chambers would be their last.

All citizens always must carry identification on their person.  The color-coded cards showed their class as well as having personal data.  If directed by the authority, they had to produce the card on demand.  These cards also served as pass keys to restricted areas.  Without the card all rights and privileges were curtailed.

As the line of interviewees advanced those near the front became more apprehensive regardless of their reason for being there.  Medical personnel stood by.  Uneasiness created anxiety causing some to swoon.  Dehydration was a leading cause of problems later in the day.  If a candidate became ill and had to be removed, they would be rescheduled and must endure another day.  All tried their best to not be removed but for some it was unavoidable.  One candidate recently succumbed to a heart attack.  Trying not to show their feelings many who stood behind the unfortunate were secretly relieved.  There would be one less opening in line for the expendable category.

Chapter 3 -- The Edge of Civilization

It must be noted that the present world is divided into eight Regions were civilizations followed essentially the same rules and regulations.  Each of the continents was a region except for Antarctica, with Asia and Africa having two regions plus Australia had petitioned for a separate Region.   Trade was the only interaction between these regions.  Few besides authorized commercial enterprises crossed regional lines.  Authoritarian rule in each region kept stringent control.  Border patrols were vigilant.  Assignment to patrol positions offered status to the family members of a patrol agent.  Responsibilities for order required dedicated civil workers and achievement scores generally were highest among the few capable of meeting the criteria.  Failure rates were low.  If a patrol failed. there were the severest of consequences.

Traders carried special authorizations to cross civilized boundaries.  Many Regions were adept at unique production facilities which supplied goods for other regions.  These special areas relied on resources not commonly found in all the regions or had specialized skills not found in another region.  Ultimately all Regions’ production aided the overall populations and were considered necessary for the common good.  Transportation details assured fair trade of specialized goods to any Region wishing the imports and supplied a means for a Region to export its wares.

Within the Regions were authorized Settlements.  Some Settlements were relatively close to each other and exchanges were conveniently exercised.  Others were separated by natural barriers such as mountains or designated preserves.  To assure the protection of natural resources wide expanses of green areas had been set aside.  These uncivilized areas were naturally wild and mostly uninhabited.  Except for established trade routes there were no added authorized routes for travel. Earth’s populations existed in discreet well define areas.  These areas of recognized habitation were linked by demarcated connectors, wide thoroughfares designed to allow authorized transport of goods and personnel.  

Though the entire world had been partitioned into Regions for populations and non-civilized preserves a small number of non-citizens were able to inhabit the wild areas.  These Outlanders existed on meager provisions and were offered no protection from the authorities.  Exact numbers had not been determined by the Councils which preferred to ignore their existence.  No rights or privileges were offered to those on the edge of civilization.

If an Outlander wondered into a civilized region and was apprehended, they could be summarily executed by any citizen without recourse.  Occasional marauders were pursued and often cruelly treated if captured within the civilized areas before being exterminated.  Citizens would not venture into the wild uncivilized areas for fear of a similar fate from the ‘wild’ humans of the unpopulated areas.

Traveling caravans traversing the connecting thoroughfares within a Region were accompanied by heavily armed patrols.  Pirates and highwaymen were met with stiff resistance.  Protection of the commodities and citizens was essential to the vitality of the trade routes.  No quarter would be given to an Outlander attack.  If a caravan was attacked and raided, the patrols would be severely disciplined if they lost any goods or personnel to the raiders.  The fierce reputation of the patrols stymied all but the most desperate from trying a raid.

Rumors abound concerning escaped citizens stealing into the uncivilized areas to either join the wild population or form their own clans but officially no citizen had ever voluntarily left the populated areas.  Missing people were officially declared non-citizens.  Members of their families could suffer the same designation.  Once a person lost his citizenship officially, he never existed.  The extinction declarations were looked upon by the Interviewers as a blessing; allowing an Interviewer to fill the vacancy and relieve him from sending another poor soul to the Chambers.

Chapter 3 -- Education

Arguably successful civilizations are said to require three basic characteristics; common values, traditions, and cultural icons; shared ethnicity and general culture, or at least feeling of shared origin and ethos and presumably a strong centralized nationalistic government with direct control and communication with all other segments of society.

A review of the history of the world supported the contention that all civilizations rise to eventually fail. Not only had this world experience the rise and fall of civilizations in the past it had nearly found itself at the brink of human extinction.  To quell their own destruction, the Founders devised a formula they hoped would defy the inevitable.

Most early civilizations developed where people could carry on the large-scale farming that was needed to feed a growing population. As food became more abundant people formed communities, some small and some quite large. With the transformation from mainly agriculturally based populations to urban populaces changing patterns of living appeared.

With growing numbers of people, the need to support the food supply, and the need for defense soon led to the growth of governments. Governments organize and regulate human activity. They also supported smooth interaction between individuals and groups.  In the first civilizations, governments usually were led by monarchs who organized armies to protect their inhabitants and made laws to regulate their subjects’ lives.  Important religious developments also characterized many new urban civilizations. All of them developed religions to explain the forces of nature and their roles in the world.  This gave priests special power and made them very important people. Rulers also claimed that their power was based on divine approval, and some rulers even claimed to be divine.

A new social structure based on economic power arose. Rulers and an upper class of priests, government officials, and warriors dominated society. Below this class was a large group of free people - farmers, artisans, and craftspeople. At the bottom was a slave class.

The demand of the upper class for luxury items, such as jewelry and pottery, encouraged artisans and craftspeople to create new products. As urban populations exported finished goods to neighboring peoples in exchange for raw materials, organized trade began to grow. Because trade brought new civilizations into contact with one another, it often led to the transfer of new technology, such as metals for tools and new farming techniques, from one region to another.

By and large, however, the early agricultural civilizations developed independently. Each one was based on developments connected to the agricultural revolution of the Early Age and the cities that this revolution helped to develop.

Writing became an important feature in the life of these new civilizations. Above all, rulers, priests, merchants and artisans used writing to keep exact records. Eventually, the earliest civilizations also used writing for creative expression as well as for record keeping. This produced the world's first works of literature.

Educational endeavors increased the productivity of the citizens and passed on accumulated knowledge to future generations.  An academic elite developed.  From this group arose the inventors, architects, artists, teachers and thinkers.  Fortunately, this later group eventually saved the population from self-destruction.

Often conflicts arose within the population centers and among competing populaces.  War was invented.  Greed increased the drain on resources.  Yet the world population grew despite the wars, famine, disease and natural disasters which played a role in suppressing population growth.  Academic elites conquered most diseases while increasing efficiency in production of food.  Yet there were limits to sustainability.

Faced with new forces threatening the world’s natural environment the Elites devised a new social order.  Returning to the basic building blocks of society they divided the world into sustainable Regions with strict population controls.  Science ruled development, suppressing uncontrolled population expansion.  Those who resisted were severely dealt with.

Education became the paramount domain of the Elite.  From the earliest age citizens were schooled in the necessity for sustainable population control.  Growth no longer dominated but was replaced with a new economic order.  Goals shifted from ever more growth to keeping a supportable stasis.  To balance populations and resources, the Elite were granted supreme power.  They decided who would live and often who would die.  To achieve maximum efficiency complex algorisms were constructed initiating new calculi.  For some to survive all had to be subject to stringent rules and regulations.  The employment of state sponsored educational systems relegated training to all citizens on the new order to insure maximum compliance.

Even so there were some who resisted and the goal of 100% voluntary compliance was never achieved.  Government leaders employed dedicated servants like the Interviewers and other overseers, though they themselves often violated the decree for maximum productivity from each citizen.  These Elites produced little to nothing yet controlled the production and thus the balance of the social order.  Much like the early ‘bean counters’ they did serve to provide valuable information as to how the goals were being met.  Elites often had to play god!  Religion was abolished as an inefficient commodity.  Humans took charge of their own destiny.

Nearly from the day of birth, citizens were schooled according to their class in the ways of the United Front of the New World Order and the Region that claimed them.  Elite class children naturally benefited by receiving a comprehensive education from primary to secondary and through University.  The latter was more a fraternity or sorority initiation then useful educational pursuits unless they had the lineage and aptitude for professional instruction in science, law, government service or medical pursuits.  Regular citizens were schooled in essentials only.  Aptitude tests served as placement tools determining their adult servitude to the Region.  Only essential subjects were covered while initiative, critical thinking and exploration were not only discouraged but actively stifled.   Though there was no slave class, individuals with limited mental abilities but strong physical presence were only given a rudimentary education, devoting most of their time in school to getting the skills for menial tasks.  It must be noted that if a citizen showed a propensity for seeking advancement beyond that which was needed for their future occupations they could be demoted to lesser levels, even to the rank of the menial task section.

To control the population many diversions were offered for citizens to quiet any aspirations to exceed their appointed positions.  Art, entertainment and sports gave openings to those qualified to live relatively better lives in exchange for honing their skills.  A fine line was straddled to encourage these individuals to be competitive without reaching beyond the parameters of their talent.  Once the person no longer could deliver the level of excellence enjoyed during their prime years many found themselves assigned to Interviewers.  Because of the singular based training most were unable to escape the door leading to the Chambers.

The Office of Citizen Information, ostensibly the news bureau, fed constant programing to every household.   Entertainment, sports and educational programs (a misnomer) were interrupted by public service announcements intended to sell the propaganda of the government.  Commercial advertisements were banned.  All media was controlled by the government thus information received by the working class was filtered severely.  Though the system managed education to program the citizens, few had an aware understanding of their manipulation since ignorance was considered