The Note
© Alicia, December 31, 2001

In 2039, a handwritten note dated from 2014 was discovered in the ruins of Phoenix, Arizona.
This note was found along with the personal effects of one Eli Miller, who had died
at the age of 38 in 2026. Eli Miller was one of the most important figures in the
battle against the Malevon corporation. In 2015, aided by the death
of Malevon’s CEO and a worldwide unrest, Tyander Inc. took over a majority
of Malevon’s assets, removing Malevon from world control. Miller spent
the next 10 years fighting what he called a “new tyrant”.
After Eli’s death, the note provoked a surge of romanticism over the man,
Eli Miller, as well as he cause he had fought for. Tyander Inc. relinquished
some of it’s power to other corporations. When this journal was discovered
in 2056, Tyander used it to display their heroism
in taking over Malevon. Two years later the journal, proven to
be by the same author, was reunited with the note in a place
of honor at the new Tyander museum in London, England, where it remains today.

We were truly the last people on earth who knew what was going on. Circumstances were very bad. But were things really so different?
Seven years ago scientists abandoned the study of cloning human beings to concentrate on freezing the essence of a living creature in order to make a duplicate. This theory was revolutionary because the duplicate person would have the same memories, feelings, and other mind patterns that the original had at the time he was saved.
The experiments worked. Science took leaps and bounds over the next 3 years. Soon, regular computers that one would type and control manually were obsolete. The main form of communication was visual/audio screens. All computers were linked, and a huge number of computer-savvy workers was called up until the majority of the world’s technical brains were working for one organization: Malevon Inc.
As of 2 years ago, the average world citizen lived with a computer, controlled from a Malevon station to perform ordinary daily functions such as making the new version of phone/email/fax calls, programming the route for one’s daily commute, and ordering all required groceries and basic necessities. The owner of these new super-computers would not be able to use the machine for any unauthorized or, as deemed by Malevon, unnecessary activity.
It was during this time period that some concern arose over Malevon’s vast monopoly. Intelligent people, who were mainly church bishops, pastors, priests, and rabbis, spoke out, beseeching the United Nations to rescind the massive international power they’d given to Malevon Inc. These protesters were never given a voice in the Malevon-biased media. The U.N. was becoming more and more a Malevon-lead organization. If the average citizen ever questioned the new world leadership, they never knew there was a group of those willing to stand up and fight what they considered a worldwide terror.
I was a part of that group. I cannot give my name, and I will not give the real names of any one else in my tale. I write this in only a vague hope that it will be found, read, and perhaps tell a little bit of the story of the brave people I have worked with for 2 years now.
The more outspoken people in our opposition force began to disappear within months of the beginning of our protests. My father, a rabbi, was among them. There is a general anti-Jewish sentiment now. Malevon promotes this feeling in the masses while at the same time very aware that their employees are 65% Jewish. My father was not a computer person, but he was a very popular, and very conscientious, rabbi. We lived in Chicago, Illinois, and it was just the two of us, as my mother had been gone for some time. I was 18 by the time my father and several other men had formed the group we call simply The Opposition. This was when I met Elijah. He was one of a very few who had escaped Malevon after being an employee. Elijah and his friends were computer experts, and as they were no longer with Malevon, they were outlaws. Elijah was 24. He was scarred, inside and out, from growing up too fast and from several close calls on the run. He immediately asked me to sleep with him, and I was surprised, because he and my father got along so well and I didn’t think he’d want to jeopardize that. He was surprised when I told him no.
Not much more than a month later, when my father was killed, he was very kind to me. I knew he was sleeping with my friend, Anna, but I didn’t care. I had been helping my father with every phase of his projects, even while staying off of Malevon’s public radar, and Elijah helped me step into my father’s place in The Opposition.
The Opposition required almost 100% new leadership in the next 2 months, as the original founders continued to disappear. Finally, the rest of us were able to disappear on our own initiative. In our own way, we went underground. Really, we were living in the home of an as-yet-unrecognized member. Elijah and the 2 remaining ex-Malevon technicians had access to computer equipment this way. They had to be very careful, but they were very good. We were now aware that we would not be able to petition any higher organization to take down Malevon. That was what my father had been fighting for. The new group and I decided we were ready to push for any display of opposition that would be directly seen by the public without Malevon’s interference or consent. In the beginning, we dropped flyers, thrust signs and banners in front of live running news cameras, and spray painted buildings with protest slogans.
But Malevon was not to be taken lightly. Many of us were killed. We were not a large group to begin with.
By hacking into Malevon’s computers –they didn’t have just one mainframe- Elijah and his friends at last found the best chance we were going to get for a worldwide exposé.
In the new 3 major airports of this continent –New York, Chicago, and Anchorage (North America has a huge oil supply now in Alaska)- Malevon would be flying in a group of Vice Presidents to cut the red ribbon on international TV. There would be enormous security. But we had only to get our reasons on camera. The rest we would have to leave to the sense of anyone else in the world. It was Elijah’s idea to clone himself. If, or when, we were all killed in the first mission, he could be ready to try it at the next airport. Anna was killed recovering the necessary equipment. We saved Elijah’s components and sent his duplicate, frozen, saved, to New York with a small team that was ready to ambush the New York airport when called upon.
I vividly remember our argument. Only I don’t remember ever being angry with him. He had caught me in the hall. He grabbed my shoulder, looked into my eyes, and said, “I know you’re angry that I don’t care about Anna.”
Elijah’s voice is beautiful. He has an accent, though he shouldn’t, since he was always American, that is a decidedly mixed-up version of numerous regions’ dialects. He says Anna like “Au-nnna”. I remember it made me wish he were saying my name that way. I didn’t care that he hadn’t loved her, and I wasn’t even jealous that she’d felt a part of him for a brief time. I kissed him. And he kissed me back, as though he’d been waiting and waiting for me to do just that.
We were together every moment until the mission. I told him I was afraid, because he was the one that was to reach the center of the crowd and be on camera. He told me there was no reason he couldn’t get out as easily as he got in.
And then he was killed.
It wasn’t easy to get in, of course. There were no guns left available to the public, and we had only a few hand-made weapons. Most of us had to gain control of the cameras themselves, and make sure they were all on Elijah at precisely the moment he was ready, so that the stations had no time to pull the live feed. Elijah had 30 seconds of time for sure. He only needed 15 to tell the people we opposed the power Malevon held over the world.
Somewhere he’d picked up a guard’s gun. I was 30 feet away as Elijah pulled it out, and I saw he was aiming at Mr. Malevon himself. I will never forget the look on the man’s face. He had no concern for his safety at all.
I saw Elijah being shot by numerous guns even as I was being pulled backwards. I was running through the airport, out a luggage bay. There were only 2 others with me. Even mute with shock I knew we were headed directly for New York.
Malevon knew it too. They delayed their own trip to New York and stopped anyone else’s.
15 days later I was in Anchorage, Alaska. The 3 of us had stayed together, and by walking, stealing, and hitchhiking, we had made it.
We were hiding for 4 months. Malevon’s police found the others in New York and Malevon then rescheduled the rest of it’s ribbon-cutting trip. The hideout we prepared here has a computer, but neither of Elijah’s old computer friends escaped with me. The 3 of us wanted desperately to attempt a suicide mission on the Anchorage airport ceremony, but we had no more inside knowledge than a person on the street.
The Monday before the Friday event, part of our New York team showed up. We had finally given up hope that they had escaped Malevon, but at last they had reached us.
They brought Elijah with them.
By the time we were able to unfreeze Elijah’s duplicate, my group was planning our Anchorage mission as a reality.
Once Elijah, who came out of his waiting state ready for action, found the inside information we needed on the computer, I was pushing the team to fix the holes we’d encountered at Chicago.
The only thing I questioned this old form of Elijah about was the presence of Malevon’s CEO himself. Of course Elijah had known from the beginning the man was a part of the group, and had planned to strike the blow of killing him at Malevon Inc.
Malevon would also be at the Anchorage airport. We all felt we should take the chance again.
I did, I do agree with them, but I was frightened again. I am just past 20 and I have lived through too much horror already.
Elijah wanted to talk to me. He looked into my eyes as he always did and said, “I know you’re angry-” for a moment, I was in a different time, a different place- “I didn’t tell you about Malevon from the beginning.”
I just looked at him. “But it doesn’t matter now,” I said finally.
“Tell me how it happened,” he asked me.
“I don’t really remember,” I said. “They released the gas… everyone that didn’t have a Malevon-issued mask was immediately wiped out. Shaoun said even though we were already running away from the scene, it could have affected certain memories from around the events.”
Elijah nodded. “I just hope we knew enough to fix where we went wrong.” He had looked away from me, and when he looked back into my eyes, I had to suck in air. “I was wondering. Why didn’t we ever get together?”
I knew what he meant. “I don’t do casual sex,” I replied.
Elijah smiled. He was handsome now, before he lied in little pieces on the airport floor… “I’m not so sure you and I would have been casual sex.”
I watched him walk away.
I am writing this just before we plan to leave for the airport. Today when the time comes I will pick up one of the guns lying on the floor after we fight off security forces we can’t avoid. I will seize my assigned camera and when Elijah starts talking to the people, I will leave my position and I will take the shot at Malevon before Elijah has reached for his gun. I will be the one the guards turn to as Mr. Malevon falls to the airport floor.
I left a note for Elijah. I hope he understood when he read it.

Okay so I remembered what happened better than I let on.
I remember the parts you weren't there for. I remember I stopped living when
you died. I never told you that I love you and I never will.
Forgive me.