Sussurus

The instructor walked up and down the room in front of the class, her pointer stick held proudly in her hand. As she walked she talked in a droning, dull voice, occasionally stopping to move a bit of her strawberry hair out of her eyes. Her dress, a long blue with interesting ruffles, made scrrrr scrrr noises as she turned.

"And in 2034 the government took the CyberTrackers, at the time thought to be only useful as devices placed in animals to find them, and made a new law that everyone had to have one as a way to have IDs that could not be forged. This made drastic changes in out laws and society. What were some of the ramifications of the new CT's? Sarah?" The instructor said, and pointing at a small girl in the third row.

The girl blinked and looked up at the instructor threw her brown hair, which seemed to be falling all over her body. Then she shook herself as though from a dream and brushed the hair out of her eyes, revealing their blue crystal exterior. Then she bit her lip, thinking as the instructor tapped her pointed on her palm.

"Well, it got rid of Identity theft, a new crime that had come with the advance in technology. When people could no longer do anything without their CT, it became impossible for Identity thieves to steal identitys, no matter how much personal information they had. There was no way for them to steal the information on the CT, because the CT was linked permanently to the person  it was placed in."

"Good," The instructor said, moving on. "Now, Mathew, tell me what effect this had on illegal immigration and crime."

A bright boy sitting in the front row sat up straighter, having been called upon to talk. He had long black hair, that matched his eyes perfectly and made Sarah think of Indians of old, what with his chocolate cream skin.

"It wiped out illegal immigration too, ma'am. Illegal immigrants could not hide the fact that they didn't have CT's. With CT detectors placed everywhere around the city, and all those found without arrested within minutes of being detected, all illegals were gotten out of the country within weeks of implantation. Thus making only us, the natives of America and legal immigrated citizens, profit from the works and benefits that come from living in America. Also, with the illegal immigrants gone, and the detection of the CT chips in any criminals, crime fell to almost non existent levels, because there was no way to break the law without being detected."

"Very good Mathew! Now who can tell me what this led to? Anyone?" No one raised their hands. They had never gotten this far ahead in a history class yet. Everyone, from when they were in pre school up had covered up to the implication of the CTs, no one had gone before. The students leaned forward in their seats. Where they finally to learn about the war?

"No one? Thats very disappointing." The instructor said with a sad tone. "Such an important event and all of you don't even know what it was? The implantation of the CTs led to the Great Civil War. The two sides were split on the issue of weather or not to use the CTs.

Some people felt that the CTs were the governments way of invading the common mans life. Everything he did would be known by the government, and if he didn't like it the government would know right away. Because they felt civil liberties were being taken away in the same of safety they called themselves the CivLib.

The other side said that the benefits of the CTs were to great to balk at. Sure, some of the rights people had enjoyed before would be done away with, but when contrasted to the new safety and freedoms the CTs gave the general people, they were more than well worth enforcing. With the CTs there would be no murder, no rebellions, no needing to carry tons of cards. Everything could be done with a CT, and no one would have to carry anything. Because of they believed the Cts would make life better for everyone they called themselves the LifeUni party.

The battle, that lasted seven years, was finally won by the LifeUni party. They also made it a law that the president, once elected, ruled for life."

The bell range and everyone scrambled to pick up their stuff as the teacher yelled over their heads,

"Don't forget, read chapter 5 in your text books. Tomorrow we will cover how the new laws of the government bettered our lives as a people. "

Sarah grabbed her bag and ran out the door, sighing relief as she ran into the cool air outside. The grass crunched under her feet, and it made her want to run, but her bag was way to heavy for that today. Some of the other kids in school came to her, and she shied from them, but couldn't get away.

"Hey runey tuney, is it true what they say about your grandpa?" Sarah tried to ignore them, but they kept on coming. "Is it true he refused to take his CT willingly, and they had to give it to him by force and THATS why he can't see? That they did it to punish him?" Sarah tried to ignore them, because she loved her grandfather. He was just a blind old man, but everyone treated him like some kind of criminal, just because he hadn't wanted his CT.

The kids followed her all the way home, throwing gears at her, and laughing. Sarah hated them, hated the hate they had for her grandfather. She ran into the house and up into her room, slamming the door shut behind her and burst into tears.

Out in the hall Grandfather Isman heard her and grabbed his blind stick. Holding it tentatively in his hands he slowly walked to the stairs. It tapped lightly on the ground as it searched for the stairs, then ting, landed on the metal rod that told him where the first step was. He climbed slowly, and with much trouble up to Sarah's room, opened the door and entered.

"Sarah?" He called in his gruff voice. "Sarah, where are you pretty one?" He slowly made his way to her bed and felt her lying on it. "Sarah, what is wrong pretty one?"

Sarah dried her eyes and sat up next to her grandfather before throwing her arms around him.

"Oh Grand-papa, the kids say such terrible things. They say your eyes were a punishment done because of your not wanting a CT. Its not true is it grand-papa? Your not a criminal or a bad man, the government wouldn't punish you so terribly!"

Isman stroked his granddaughters hair, an his eyes looked out into the past.

"Sometimes sweat one, when people think that they are right and you are wrong, they will do a bunch of terrible unfair things to you, in order to convince themselves that they were right. Losing your sight is, in the realm of the probable, not such a bad thing. It might have been my life, instead of my eyes, and I would never have seen you or your father."

"Oh, grand-papa!" Sarah cried and her tears fell in waves from her face. Isman sat and held her, until those, too, stopped. Then he hugged her and stood.

"Come, my little sweat one. Your mother has been making lunch for you all day and it would really disappoint her if I stool you away and you never ate it. Don't trouble yourself about the woes of a old man."

"But grand-papa, its not fair! You could never have done anything bad enough for that punishment!"

"Shhhh, shhhh little one. I am glad that you have such a high opinion of me, but don't ever say so where others can hear it.