At the turn of the next century, a corporate oligarchy rules America
with an iron fist. Commercial jingles have replaced the Top Forty, babies come
from factories, and the race captivating the nation isn’t between
political candidates. It’s the cutthroat competition to find the formula
for No-Sog Stay-Crisp Cornflakes.
The battle pits cereal titan Todd Swindell, head of Flakes Alive Incorporated,
against Chad Scandalman of the Great American Flake Company. When Scandalman
hires a diminutive assassin named Twinkle to bump off his rival’s top
chemist, it sparks a war of the flakes that makes the bloody feud of York and
Lancaster look tame by comparison.
But not everyone in the Cornflake capital of Domino, Indiana, is happy with
the status quo. Ziggie Wexler, an unemployed pipefitter and all-around average
Joe, knows that something is deeply wrong with his country.
All history prior to 2040 has been banned, but old-timers whisper about the
days when people still voted for their leaders. After Ziggie posts fiery
polemics against the state to the Clandestine Journal, he becomes a marked
man. But in a world built on lies, there’s one truth he’s sure of.
Somebody needs to fight back.
EXCERPT
Chapter 1 – The Fly Trophy
Printed on a large, rectangular piece of manila paper, the following text could be found in every post office where drones drop off the mail, every school bulletin board that nobody likes to read, and on the front page of every newspaper in the country.
It also hung next to the window of Todd Swindell’s office at the Flakes Alive Incorporated (FAI) headquarters, where the wily Mr. Swindell served as chief executive officer (CEO). The proclamation marked the beginning of a new phase in stricter governance of the States of the Union.
January 1, 2098
The New America stands poised to prosper. Our new government boasts The Big Seven, that is, seven of the most skilled Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in the business arena, to guide America through good times and crises as well. This establishmentarian ruling body has aided us in assimilating the good and expelling the bad of previous systems. Just look at the results of fifty-eight years of governing excellence. The loathsome prison system has been abolished, as the new way of serving time involves laboring assiduously for an assigned corporation, while improving oneself for future endeavors.
Meanwhile, we have practically eradicated the black-market drug trade, creating safe places where one can recreate with substances while under laboratory supervision and with the knowledge that an antidote stands ready to be administered any time the user has a bad experience. We have eliminated big religion, with its plethora of money beggars, releasing its grip on politics and business. We have done away with the presidency, political parties and that annoying part of government that spends half of its time on campaigning for the next election instead of tending to its duties. Now the government serves you the full four years of each term. And those four years are ruled over by The Big Seven, who were appointed by the final president of the United States, Ghant Wackersham.
Over the fifty-eight years of Mother Earth’s existence, we have removed many distractions from the workforce and the workplace, such as sports and sex. The banning of the latter has ushered us into an era where less than one-half of one percent of the population has a sexually transmitted disease. Soon, STDs will be completely eliminated.
This modern America will shine like never before, as people live productive lives and help the corporate government build for the future. Now then, let the pages of your lives turn, my friends, and experience the New and Improved America here in the year 2098. At the bottom were the seven CEOs’ signatures, as well as a spot for the signature of whomever posted the document—in this case, Todd Swindell, FAI CEO.
Look! There’s Todd now! He’s having coffee while perusing the pages of the Wall Street Digest. Whoops! A fat fly just buzzed past Todd’s thin nose. Angry Todd grabs a flyswatter from a hook on the wall and WHAP! He nails that ornery sucker! The tiny creature’s brown guts make a smear on Todd’s office window.
***
“I refuse to clean that spot until the day Flakes Alive Incorporated overtakes the Great American Flake Company (GAFC) in flake sales,” declared a raspy-voiced Todd. “I’m tired of second place, goddamnit! Let those guts rot on that window until we make number one! Let them be a testament to our perseverance here at Flakes Alive Incorporated.”
The thin, hollow-cheeked, goatee-wearing Swindell brushed the three scrawny hairs that tried to cover a lot of naked real estate on the top of his bony head and uttered a plaintive sigh. On his office wall, a picture of a sword made in the year 2040 hung proudly. His secret collection of antique swords was only on display in his sumptuously furnished home, out of sight from any earthling who might care to turn him in for withholding merchandise made before 2040, which was against the law. But the rich could bend and stretch the rules a bit.
Todd’s office was cluttered with unopened boxes of cologne, candles, chocolates, and other assorted items, the result of job candidates groveling for recognition by bringing gifts when they interviewed. The gifts were carelessly stacked on shelves and on the floor. In the adjoining room sat larger gifts—an umbrella that shouted at you if rain was in the forecast, ultrafast microwaves, and even a fancy new quantum TV.
About the Author
Retired IT professional, James Owens is a trained computer engineer and
technical documentation specialist who earned an A.A.S. in computer
programming and a B.A. in English from Purdue University.
Immensely curious about human behavior, James spent the 1970s hanging out on
the streets to observe people, many of whom became inspirations for his
fictional characters. Later, he worked in cube farms at conservative insurance
companies, where the idiosyncrasies of corporate personalities sparked his
imagination.
James has spent the last decade reading and writing offbeat fiction about
bizarre protagonists. Corporate Almighty: 2098, a dystopian tale about the
rise of the corporation and the fall of democracy, follows his first two
novels, Animal Candy and Pods of Bubbledumb: A Study in Mass Depravity.
Born and raised in an industrial suburb on the south edge of Chicago, James
lives with his wife Sue and four cats in Evansville, Indiana.
Contact Links
Website
Facebook: Jimmy Owens
Purchase Links
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
