Electronic Gags (4 page)

“This
is the strangest idea I have ever heard,” Collins said. “Reed,you―”

“Shut
up, Collins,” the president ordered. “Let him speak. This might work.”

“Thank
you, Patriot President,” Professor Reed said with a bow of his head. “The main
purpose of ordinary electroshock weapons is to immobilize their target with as
little pain as possible. Unlike ordinary electroshock weapons which do not rely
on pain, the electronic gag’s electroshock belt relies on pain to subdue its
subject.” The professor scanned the room and was hurt see no one taking notes.
“Ordinary electroshock weapons use voltages as high as one million volts to
interrupt neurological impulses that control voluntary muscle movement, causing
muscle spasms and leaving the subject dazed for minutes.” He took a gulp from
his glass of water, wishing he had a blackboard where to write points for his
audience. “Unlike ordinary electroshock weapons, the purpose of the electronic
gag’s electroshock belt is not to immobilize or confuse its subject. Its
purpose is to inflict pain on the subject to remind him that he has crossed the
line. To achieve this, I lowered the voltage of the electroshock belt to only 3
kilovolts and raised its current to seventy milliamps DC.” He looked at
President Brandon Ward and was pleased to see him nodding his head. “When it
comes to electric shocks, it is current that causes pain and death, not
voltage. After getting a ten second shock from the electronic gag, the subject
remains in good physical and mental state to take corrective measures to stop
the electric shock.”

“Go
on, Patriot Reed,” urged the supreme leader.

“Thank
you, Patriot President. I have also configured the system to recognize certain
words that rebels use. The moment the subject says words like democracy,
justice, good governance, human rights, American dream, United States or
elections, the electronic gag sends a signal to the computer system to start
recording the person’s conversation.”

“Brilliant!”
interjected President Ward. “Brilliant! Go on Professor.”

“Thank
you, Patriot President,” the professor said, trying his best to contain his joy
at the supreme leader’s acceptance of the electronic gag. “The system also
recognizes banned songs. Since the electronic gag has GPS and cellular
trackers, CIB agents manning the central computers will be able to pinpoint the
subject’s location. The system will also identify all the people sitting near
the subject and this will make it easier to arrest all those who take part in
political gatherings. On top of that, the system gives the CIB a trajectory
showing the subject’s movements in the last seventy-two hours.”

“Wonderful!”
extolled President Ward. “Go on professor.”

“Thank
you, Patriot President. Right now, with your permission, I shall entertain
questions from members of the Cabinet,” Professor Reed said with growing
confidence. With the supreme leader on his side the professor had nothing to
fear.

“Patriots,”
Brandon Ward announced, “the good professor is open to questions.”

“What
will happen when a citizen tears an electronic gag from his neck?” asked Dr Kirk.

“The
moment a citizen breaks any of the electronic gag’s wires, an alarm is sent to
the server, showing the subjects last known location. The culprit’s face
automatically appears on TV as a wanted person and the CIB and the police rush
to arrest the culprit.”

“That’s
not enough, Patriot Reed,” the supreme leader said. “When someone tampers with
an electronic gag, the device must explode, instantly killing the culprit. The
CIB and the police should only come to make sure that the criminal is dead.”

“That’s
a brilliant idea, Your Excellence!” Reed said with boyish enthusiasm. “I will install
that feature onto the electronic gag.”

“How
accurate is your tracking system?” asked John Wallace, the Minister of
Information.

“Outdoors
where it’s possible to use the hybrid tracking system that combines GPS and
cell tracking, the system can locate the subject with an error margin of less
than a meter.” Professor Reed looked at President Ward and was pleased to see
him nodding his head. “However, GPS doesn’t work indoors because the receiver
needs to be in the line of sight of at least three GPS satellites. When the
subject gets indoors the system resorts to cell tracking, which uses
multilateration of cell towers to determine the location of the cell receivers
in the electronic gags. I urge the government to increase cell towers in some
rural areas to make cell tracking more effective.”

“What
will the state do when a citizen sabotages the electronic gag and claims it
died on its own?” Campbell said, thinking he had finally got the professor.

Reed
suppressed a smile. He had anticipated the question. “I suggest that the state
gives citizens electronic gags for free and make each citizen liable for the
safety and maintenance of his gag. When a gag breaks down, the state will
replace it at the citizen’s cost. Since we shall make electronic gags explode
when people tamper with their circuits, citizens won’t take the risk.”

“What
about battery?” asked Retired General Steven Sanders, the Minister of Defense.
“How long does the battery last and what happens when it goes flat?”

“Good
question, general,” Professor Reed said. “The battery lasts for at least four
days and it will be the duty of citizens to make sure that the batteries of
their electronic gags have power. We will issue every citizen with a charger.
When the battery is about to go flat, the electronic gag administers electric shocks
into the subject every fifteen seconds to remind him to charge the battery. Ten
minutes before the battery goes flat, the electronic gag sends a continuous
shock into the subject. When the battery goes flat, the server makes an alarm,
giving the CIB the subject’s last known location.”

“When
the battery goes flat, the device must explode,” Senior Minister Christopher Ward
said, warming to Professor Reed’s idea.

“We
can arrange that, senior minister,” Reed said.

“Arrange
it,” Brandon Ward said. “The device must explode when the battery goes flat.
That will be good punishment for those who fail to charge their batteries.”

“Consider
it done, Your Excellence. The electronic gag has a life span of about ten
years. Its battery has a lifespan of four years. We will give citizens spare
batteries.”

“How
will they change the batteries?” Perry, the deputy Minister of Natural
Resources asked. “Won’t the device explode when a citizen removes the battery?”

“It
won’t,” Reed assured. “The system has a backup battery that lasts for twenty
minutes.” The professor paused, joy blazing in his heart as he looked at Collins
and Campbell who were hanging their heads in defeat. “The system also has
geographical fencing.”

“Patriot
Reed,” growled the supreme leader, “spare us the technical jargon. What the
hell is geographical fencing?”

“Forgive
me, Your Excellence.” He cleared his throat. “We mark a virtual boundary over a
satellite map. When a subject crosses this boundary, his electronic gag shocks
him and an alert is sent to security agents guarding the boundary. We can set
virtual boundaries round Your Excellence’s residence, round army barracks and Cabinet
House. We can also set a geofence at the country’s borders.”

“Wonderful!”
enthused Vice President Butler. “Electronic gags will improve the country’s
security.”

“Thank
you Patriot Vice President,” Reed said. “Fifty meters before a subject crosses
a virtual boundary, he receives warnings and electric shocks. If he crosses the
boundary, he receives a continuous electric shock till he retreats from the
prohibited area.”

“This
is a brilliant idea, patriots,” President Ward said. “I think we must adopt
it.”

“Long
live Patriot Brandon Ward, the great statesman!” Derek Henderson, the Minister
of Foreign Affairs shouted, punching the air.

“Long
live!”

“Long
live the National Party!”

“Long
live!”

“Long
live the Ten Districts of America!”

“Long
live!”

Henderson
cleared his throat. “Your Excellence, Patriot President, I’m worried the
electronic gags will attract a lot of international criticism of our
government.”

“We
are a sovereign nation,” Brandon Ward said, banging the table. “We are the most
powerful country in the world and we have veto power in the UN Security
Council. Other countries can shout themselves hoarse but they cannot interfere
in the internal affairs of our country. Long live our sovereignty!”

“Long
live!” replied the Cabinet.

“Long
live our super power!”

“Long
live!”

“Anyone
else with something to say?”

The
foreign minister sighed. He knew he would have a hard time defending the
electronic gags on international fora.

 “Long
live Patriot Ward, the supreme leader of the Ten Districts of America!” Dr Kirk
shouted, waving a fist.

“Long
live!”

“Long
live our economic prosperity!”

“Long
live!”

“Your
Excellence, the program will cost a lot of money.”

“Dr
Kirk, this is an important program and you must give it the priority it
deserves,” the president ordered. “Cut down on education and health. We need
electronic gags to end this problem of rebels once and for all. The economy
cannot grow without peace and tranquility. The gags shall guarantee peace and
tranquility in our country. Besides, the state will make money when citizens
start buying airtime. Arrange money for the program.”

“Yes,
Your Excellence,” Dr Kirk said sadly. She knew the president was being
paranoid. There was no rebel threat to warrant such waste of money. It wasn’t
easy being Finance Minister of the Ten Districts of America. President Ward
always started expensive programs outside budget. It was a miracle the TDA’s economy
was still running.

“Test
the gag on the prisoner,” President Ward ordered Reed.

“Yes,
Your Excellence.”

The
professor’s rivals watched, hoping the device would fail.

“Say
democracy,” the professor ordered Michael.

“Democracy,”
echoed Michael.

 Immediately
the laptop beeped.

“Say
human rights,” President Ward ordered, enjoying the spectacle.

Michael
obliged, sending the laptop beeping.

“Say
United States.”

“United
States,” Michael echoed and the laptop bleeped.

“His
location, picture, name and ID number will also appear on the computer and the
system will record everything he says. If the subject is in a political
gathering, we will know the names of all the people in the gathering. One more
thing... the electronic gag recognizes distorted human voices. If a citizen
tries to fool the system with voice-changing devices, the electronic gag will
immediately send an alarm to the main computer. If a citizen starts whispering
the system will charge him three times the normal rate.”

“Give
him ten seconds of airtime,” the president said with a child’s delight at the
sight of a new toy. “I want to see how the electroshock belt works.”

“Okay,
Patriot President,” Professor Reed said, tapping the keys of his computer.
“Count from one to ten,” he ordered Michael.

Michael
counted nervously. Before he finished saying seven, an electric shock enveloped
his neck, jerking his head. He felt as if a thousand needles had pierced his
neck at once. “Oh God!” he moaned, bringing back the electric shock.

“Wonderful,”
President Ward said. “Professor Reed, you are a genius. The electronic gag will
give us total control of our citizens.”

The
professor giggled, basking in his newfound glory.

“Can
you hear me, Mr Rebel?” the supreme leader asked Michael.

Michael
nodded.

“What
is your name?”

Michael
remained silent.

“Are
you ignoring me?” President Ward demanded. “What is your name?”

“Michael,”
he replied, his voice triggering an electric shock that spread all over his now
sweaty body, sending him into fits.

“I
didn’t hear you?” the supreme leader asked, enjoying Michael’s suffering. “What
did you say?”

“I―oh―said...
my―oh―name is Michael,” he answered, squinting with pain.

“Now
I heard you,” the supreme leader said, breaking into laughter.

The
whole Cabinet joined in the laughter.

“Professor,
you will work with our defense industries and help them manufacture enough
electronic gags to fit every citizen over the age of fifteen. After that you
will help the CIB set up the computer network that will control the electronic
gags.”

Professor
Reed almost jumped with joy. The supreme leader had not only accepted his idea
but he had also made him manage the implementation of the idea. “I am at your
service, Your Excellence,” he said as humbly as he could.