A Place Called Harbinger

By R. Leland Smith

A visit to Harbinger is a visit fifty-five years into your future. A trip where you will view conditions as they are likely to be given the current trends within todays world societies. Humans remain human, all other conditions are subject to change, sometimes very radically, but usually because of human resistance, more gradual than planned or hoped for. It is hoped that your trip there and back will be a thought provoking learning experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 19, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462817665

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Copyright © 2009 by R. Leland Smith.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Contents

Introduction

Forward

The Blessed Triage

The Bridge Of Hope

Emanuel Wisdom

The Good Black Friday

Reg’lah Fellahs

Shout The Hell Out

Shun All Naivet’e

The Black Colossus

The Knight Lights

The Success Express

INTRODUCTION

A visit to Harbinger is a visit fifty-five years into your future. A trip where you will view conditions as they are likely to be, given the current trends within today’s world societies. Humans remain human, all other conditions are subject to change, sometimes very radically, but usually because of human resistance, more gradual than planned or hoped for. It is hoped that your trip there and back will be a thought provoking learning experience.

FORWARD

This tale grew out of a reaction to the meaning of the term HARBINGER. The concept triggered a series of imaginings which gave rise to dormant urgings that stir every would-be writer. The writing became an experiment in style, form, and content. It serves as a release of ideas and impressions which had been in harbor for years, seeking an expression. The tale simply grew of its own accord.

1

The capsule approached the metropolis of Harbinger via the Freeway Concourse around sunrise on 5 October 2065 A.D… The electronic display flashed ‘Prospect Heights 15km’. This was the QLMP Team’s signal to prepare to leave the main transport artery and transfer to a slower mode of travel. They had been moving at the rate of 225 mph and now needed to reduce their speed, come above ground and connect with a transport to Priority Lane if they hoped to reach Provisional Square before the morning sunrise. When they reached Egress 209 where they were to disembark, a heavy ground fog blanketed the areaway which led from the bank of elevator shafts leading up from the lower level concourse.

TW activated his sonar compass and set the dial for Priority Lane. They walked quickly to the moving tread-way and began the ride to Priority Lane Junction. His assistant, Sternly Rightman, adjusted the zoned climate controls to suit the team member’s stated preferences and then regulated the sound shields to ensure privacy. As Chief Research Investigator and Director of the Quality of Life Management Project, TW took this opportunity to restate the objectives of this mission and reviewed their system of strategies with his team of investigators.

We must stay aware of Albrecht’s Law! . . . Intelligent people, . . . when assembled into an organization, . . . will tend toward collective stupidity! he stated. You are not doubting our abilities… Are you? asked Oratio Stediman. "I only want to remind each of you… that this is a most delicate operation and each of you have my full confidence in establishing effective relationships… with key agents among the various departments we will be surveying! . . . you are each… the best in your field! . . . so trust your own instincts regarding professional matters! . . . How… we do our work… may prove as important

 . . . as the work itself! . . . We are breaking new ground and are likely to meet with more resistance… than previously anticipated! TW replied. We shall be held in the closest scrutiny during this project! . . . therefore… we must maintain the highest standard of professional and personal conduct!" declared Oracle Wisdom.

Each person was reminded of his special assignment and encouraged to indicate any negative aspects of the project which caused a particular concern.

Oratio Stediman, Chief Investigator of Public Affairs expressed, I have a concern that the constraints are not flexible enough to satisfy my desire for more in-depth discussion and debate into the human aspects of this project.

TW sympathized with his feelings but reminded him, Matters of human concern always warrant more timer than can be allowed… when an investigation of this sort is being made.

Persistence Noble, Chief Investigator of Economic Strategies stated, I am only mildly concerned about how well the World Society of Banking Managers will receive my penetrating inquiries, . . . but I am really… looking forward to the challenge!

Hardy Workman, Chief Investigator of Labor Practices informed, I do have a few bothersome concerns! . . . but I feel competent enough to handle any situation… which may arise!

Walker Bondsman assured, I am confident and certain that my position alone, as Chief Investigator of Criminal Justice, will allow me enough latitude… to accomplish my goals!

Charity Bledso, Chief Investigator of Health Operations informed, Actually! . . . I expect full cooperation from all… health care C.E.Os… since I have been in an on-going correspondence via internet… since my last visit to Harbinger.

Oracle Wisdom, Chief Investigator of Education and Information, the last member of the QLMP Team, stated simply, While I am hoping for the best… I expect the worst! This was done in a wry humor in his attempt to capsulate their general expectations because they had all heard about the problems in Harbinger.

He also realized that the wise prophet always predicted more negative outcomes than positive outcomes. He knew that, due to human nature, the odds were in his favor.

They proceeded in silence for the remaining few minutes before they reached Priority Lane Junction. A small customized people mover was awaiting their arrival and they boarded with dispatch. Each seat was equipped with a set of touch points to provide relief from tensions, fatigue, heat or cold, lethargy or numbness. They each adjusted his seat to suit his individual preferences. The people mover began to slide on a cushion of air and head North on Priority Lane toward Provisional Square.

The ride was exhilarating and left them feeling refreshed and ready for the day’s work before them. It had taken only fifteen minutes to reach their destination and they were left longing for a little more time for relaxation. When they approached the gate to Provisional Square, TW was required to place both palms down on the Identification Sensor Panel. He did and his name ‘Trust Worthy’ appeared at the trop of the ID panel. He then entered the QLMP code by touching the numbers zone which registered their authorization to have complete access.

Each member in turn, placed his palms on the ISP and was officially registered under the project code. They entered the square through a security canal and proceeded to the designated station where they would receive whatever equipment and software they would require to carry out their assignments. They were also provided an access chip which allowed them to enter data at any point on the Master File Storage Unit, from any location within the limits of Harbinger.

The status of full access also guaranteed them any provisions requested, such as food, clothing, support, and services, during their tour of investigations. They went first to Acquisition Place where each one picked up a set of computer discs to enable them to select appropriate research designs for their selected tasks.

Sternly Rightman acted as their tour guide by explaining the various steps required to gain entries throughout Harbinger. He would later explain each procedure as it occurred to keep the team oriented and clear in their expectations. He would also inject little anecdotes he recalled from previous visits to Harbinger. TW had selected him as resource person because of his extensive knowledge of the history of the city. He was able to tell of the various changes that had taken place during each decade over the past forty years. He was knowledgeable of population shifts, business growth and failures, building constructions, and the improvements in public works and services.

Sternly had monitored this aspect of the process, and had served as legal advisor for the team. He had gained a great deal expertise, through his training and work experience at Constitution Hall, when assigned by The Covert Society He fully understood the procedures of availability and accountability required, by The Covert Society, to avoid total forfeiture of access.

After they had completed the required steps and the research designs were distributed by code, they were ready to pursue their respective sets of tasks and operations. TW personally checked each member’s assignment packet and imprinted his official seal in the upper right-hand corner. This bonded them as a legitimate team of investigators with authorization to operate throughout Harbinger under the sanction of The Covert Society.

The CS had established a system of complex guidelines as a means of shielding its group’s membership identities. This had been developed over the years since it’s formation by means of The Patriot Act. The Covert Society was the result of a merger of several covert agencies within the International Circle of Espionage Agencies.

The CS had gained its reputation for effectiveness in maintaining world peace through control of world resources. It uses covert activities to regulate the distribution of resources. It had actually became instrumental when the United Nations General Assembly failed, through negotiations and sanctions, to ensure stability between the nations.

Conflicts between systems of governments had allowed far too many shifts in power, and world resources had been squandered and pilfered to such extent that mass revolutions sprang up around the world of trade. The covert agencies of major nations, because of their unique character, were left unaffected and drew together as a natural consequence of having of having double and triple agents working within chaotic situations. Once enough significant covert agencies began networking to maintain solvency, the nucleus of The Covert Society was forged. This group then seized power unto itself and assumed the role of benevolent dictator and incorporated all of its skills, talents and cunning to reinforce its position among the nations of the world.

No one knows for certain who constitutes its membership, where it is headquartered, nor the true extent of its powers. To most world citizens, it is simply the highest earthly power and must be accommodated. Any failures, to comply with CS guidelines, are likely to result in dire consequences as determined by The Mediation Court. If acquitted, of any or all charges, then a just compensation is made by a Council of Magistrates at renowned Retribution Hall located at Priority Place.

This served a dual purpose. It attempted to make restitution for an error on the part of the system of justice while still pointing up weaknesses in the system which may require adjustment, modification or correction. This process had been refined to the point of near perfection whereby retributions are rare indeed. The criminal justice system as it presently exists was born out of a need to meet and fulfill the judgments rendered by the body of Mediators. The positions of mediator and magistrate are interchangeable with an order of rotation established to minimize a groupthink phenomenon.

In order to serve as a mediator or magistrate, a citizen must clear all improprieties in his personal and business dealings and become certified by a board of examiners, who in turn were appointed by the Managers of Education and Information. Walker Bondsman and Oracle Wisdom were equally familiar with and competent in the methods of analyzing and evaluating the operations of mediation and arbitration. Their expertise was now being called upon to investigate operations and determine the predictability of anticipated outcomes.

This would provide The Covert Society with data to make vital economic and human resource decisions. Because earthly powers had come to rest in the hands of The CS, any single nation had become impotent in garnering enough strength to over-power another nation. World power had become concentrated within the confines of The CS.

Attempts to form national alliances had been attempted but had fallen short of workable unity because of selfish motives. A lack of mutual trust between nations was usually at the root of these failed attempts to organize from a position of strength.

This condition had resulted in creating a common ground from which national leaders had to negotiate their relationships. The fact that the identity and location of the world powers were kept highly secret diminished the need for military warfare and its weaponry. Without a specific target, military weapons were rendered useless.

However, the old weapons of propaganda, misinformation, and even superstition had been revived by negative factions in an attempt to discredit the good works of The Covert Society.

Information Central, through the use of state-of-the-arts technologies was extremely effective in debunking ill-founded claims and criticisms. This situation had created a tenuous state of peace between nations, unlike any other period in human history. This factor concerning human relationships had been discussed, critiqued, and debated throughout the academic and political societies with no conclusive position being reached.

TW had long ago decided to support any position which he deemed most positive and supportive to the common good, as opposed to that which served any special interest group. A brotherhood of nations had taken form and was growing stronger over time, TW had been convinced by Oracle Wisdom that life itself remains a dynamic process which cannot be confined nor constrained by any one philosophical position, but rather it influences and shapes all philosophies to accommodate life’s forces.

We must exercise the courage of our faith in God and our own abilities in meeting the challenges of life… as perceived from our human perspective! . . . To become bound up by any one philosophical position… is about… tantamount to placing a strangle hold on one’s mental and spiritual development! . . . We are destined to be flexible and adaptable in meeting the demands that life imposes… The God of our creation… has gifted us with all the talents we need as brothers in peace! . . . It is our own selfish desires that cause us to behave irrationally… and thereby promote conflicts within the world society! . . . It is a matter of character and attitude! he exclaimed.

The Covert Society, through the International Circle of Governors, had established a world class system which placed a value on each person based upon his character, individual level of skills, and the measure of contributions made to enhance the quality of life and society. Racial, ethnic, and gender distinctions had been nullified.

Needless to say, those who have acquired the higher level of education and specialized training in the Arts and Sciences, make up the upper class in world society. The strata of classes range downward from that level to the numerical class made up of individuals who are seen as achievers and those chosen to remain ‘wards’ of the socio-economic system. They remain nameless, unrecognized, and are often unwittingly used as subjects in experimental research projects. Names are used to identify, describe or reflect the true nature of the person as determined by the Computer Central data bank.

At birth, everyone is given a name chosen by both parents. These names are of a great variety and range from those that sound interesting or pleasant to those which denote a particular function. Some names are given to inspire and influence an attitude or behavior. For example, TW was named Honest Bookman at birth and progressively matriculated and evolved to be called Trust Worthy. Names are acquired, beginning at age ten, based upon the character profile in conjunction with a performance evaluation. If no substantial growth is evidenced by computer data, then a name change cannot be affected.

Some persons have several name changes during their lifetime while others may have only one. If the name applied at age ten years is not substantiated by character and performance documentation by age twenty, the individual is assigned a numerical value and is placed in that classification. A mandate, by The Covert Society, is that an individual’s name must reflect his character and function as designated by Computer Central.

Once a name is acquired, it is instrumental in role selection and reflects a functional expectation. Opportunities to matriculate within the system are afforded to all citizens and determined by individual choice and determination. Each ten year birth anniversary is the event when an application for name change is granted. This practice has led to the disuse of naming streets and locations after individuals, since their names are not fixed and permanent, but are based upon character and function, which may change too frequently to be practical for use in naming streets and places. Therefore, the practice of naming streets and places after a condition or function was instituted several decades ago,

The Forum remains the Forum and describes its utilitarian function and purpose. Constitution Hall describes its purpose, Monument Circle its purpose and so on. Names of individuals are transitory by determination while names or places are established by The Covert Society’s declaration.

The investigations that QLMP were assigned to conduct would provide vital statistics needed to modify the data-base of the Computer Center. If QLMP is efficient and accurate in its undertakings, Computer Central would remain free of racial, cultural, sexual, and religious biases. The human value of each individual will remain paramount, thereby reducing the number of instances where restrictions and limitations are imposed for any reason other than that of human value to the world community.

TW had conceived of the QLMP to make systematic investigations at regular intervals to prevent the likelihood of groups forming to revert back to the chaotic practice of making discriminations based upon physical appearances, birth place, group membership, or manner of worship. Man had come to finally realize that those are feeble and invalid reasons to make life-determining decisions. But there were still forces at work to undermine the operations of The Covert Society by holding out the promise of better advantages through selection, exception, exclusion, inclusion and personal preference.

Harbinger had evolved into a megalopolis as the result of a number of neighboring cities and towns merging out of necessity. When national resources had become unstable and unreliable, as a result of extravagant out-sourcing of labor contracts, citizens found it advantageous to pool their few resources with friends and relatives in neighboring communities.

This practice had proven so effective that many others joined in and established residence which linked cooperating communities. The Covert Society simply incorporated the various sections under one jurisdiction for managerial purposes.

Since its incorporation, Harbinger has undergone a series of partitioning to better regulate the distribution of goods and services and to maintain more effective security. QLPM investigations were planned to study sizable samples from each section of the megalopolis. The population count at the last census was twenty-six million, three hundred and forty thousand, six hundred and eighty seven residents, (26,340,687.)

2

When the QLMP team left Acquisition Place and stepped out into Provisional Square, they were in the midst of thousands of citizens heading for their respective destinations. They synchronized their radar cuffs to make certain they would be able to easily reassemble should the members become separated. This was a convenient precaution since the citizens were disciplined to traverse the huge square grounds by using the conveyer walkways, which connected all facilities within the square.

A magnificent obelisk, in the center of the square was a grand communication device. It gave up-to-the minute reports of time, weather, sports, finances, imports and exports, breaking news, and schedules. It was equipped with a set of odometers which maintained a running account of Casualties, School Drop-outs, Graduates at each level, Divorces, and Unemployment.

Many citizens came to the square only to monitor the obelisk for information.

As the team moved across the huge square, a panel on the obelisk flashed, Quality Life Management Project Investigators arrived at 6:10 a.m. today. This was the precise time TW had entered the project code onto the ID Panel. Public Information Services were mandated by The Covert Society to keep the populace informed of all but covert activities, to which