PROLOGUE

Nov. 1, 2009

In an increasingly democratic and connected world it becomes difficult to maintain public support for wars fought against even the most radical and dangerous of groups. The requirement for the minimization of civilian casualties is always imperative in the minds of those seeking election, and in that vein the Democratic Party, shortly after winning control of the executive branch in 2008, created the department of humane weapons research. It was the goal of this organization to investigate the possibility of weapons of mass effect that did not inflict physical harm yet still achieved the end goal of civilian acceptance of democratic nation-building.

Oddly enough, the personalities chosen to head up this research were those formally in charge of the development of weapons of a near opposite nature: mass casualty with minimal damage to infrastructure. An example were the early phases of the Neutron bomb, a fission-fusion thermonuclear weapon that generates a burst of neutrons through a fusion reaction whose energy is intentionally allowed to escape rather than kept inside the weapon to produce extreme blast and heat. Raw radioactive energy is released in the aims of destroying all life while keeping buildings and roads intact. The desired effects of said research were more theoretical than realistic considering that all working examples produced blasts in the kiloton range.

The chief executive role of the organization landed in the lap of an experienced military commander by the name of Jack Spears, formally trained in psychological warfare and propaganda techniques. He was a hard-line conservative, the kind that felt the Bush administration of 2001-2008 was too soft. He was chosen by the democrats because of his exceptional qualifications, unwavering patriotism, but primarily because no one of their ilk came even close to fitting the bill. One of the benefits of a two-party system, that some would declare its downfall, is the production of individuals with an absolutely myopic approach to their chosen life path. Through this we see the proliferation of expert psychotics, focused on the goals of national interest, people that were quite literally born to do what they do.

It was commander Spears’ invention, the Tactical Amnesia Bomb, or TABs as they came to be known amongst the pilots who dropped them. It was a concept before it was a technology, something that usually only plays out in science fiction novels but, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, fiction became reality. The idea was to create a device that could be dropped in an area as a seed, releasing a chemical across a wide area that would induce a form of amnesia on all that came into contact with it. The effects would be a complete wipe of all memories, personal, religious, and a removal of national identity, while maintaining all motor functions, language and other primary abilities, as well as all professional skills. Subjects would be left as highly-skilled, strong and healthy individuals with the minds of children. They would be scared, confused, and completely susceptible to direction from behavioral experts that could be flown in once the effects had taken hold. These experts would mold the minds of their subjects into completely subservient citizens of the invading nation, never requiring force to ensure compliance, and strong subjects could even be transformed into soldiers when necessary.

The development of the drug itself was not as difficult as mastering the methods of distribution. If used on isolated sample sizes simple contact was effective enough, but it was theorized that in urban environments it could not be ensured that enough people would be touched by the drug to achieve 100% saturation. If the minds of those affected were turned into blank slates, anyone, including those in the surrounding area that escaped infection, could re-educate and reverse the effects of the weapon rendering it useless in large populations. To combat this problem a viral component was introduced so that those infected would spread their condition to anyone they came in contact with. Once it was determined that enough of a population was under the effects of the drug soldiers treated with vaccines would move in to remove any remaining exceptions. In this way even those who managed to escape in a panic would only spread the condition further.

This collection of stories will serve as a history of the events that unfolded as a result of the invention of this technology and its application. It has given rise to the most sweeping change humankind has ever faced, a benefit or a damnation, depending on your perspective. A fate so strange that God itself forgot it existed.