Today's #flashfiction #The36thAmendment

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

Nero* #quote

Today I hung out with CJ. Many things happened. Many things didn't happen. The select things that did happen were not things that didn't happen. And now you know. Anyway onto the flash fiction!

The 36^th Amendment

            In the year 2113 the Cybernetic Uprising devastated the United States of America. By the year 2113 there had been many humans who had been enhanced beyond normal capabilities and a group of them had gathered and attempted to overthrow the government in a series of attacks. Their numbers had not been great enough to win but they had been enhanced enough to wage war with the military for seven months. These humans had no bombs or tanks. They didn't use battleships or helicopters. They just used the cybernetic enhancements in their body. Soon after these events transpired the 67 states ratified the 36^th Amendment to the Constitution which read as follows:

          No person in the United States citizen or otherwise will obtain cybernetic enhancements that push them beyond normal human ability. Violation of this will result in the death penalty. People with pre-existing cybernetic enhancements before the passing of this Amendment will not receive the death penalty as long as they do not use their increased ability in any way. If they are to use their increased ability for any purpose they will receive the death penalty.

         Most enhanced humans used their abilities for work and immediately lost their jobs and left the work place. They thought they could find work elsewhere but discrimination soon followed. Also “normal human ability” was so loosely defined they had behave so weakly as to make sure that there was no chance they would be seen as exceeding normal.

       Thomas was one of those enhanced humans who walked in a slump. He moved his arms weakly and carefully. He could lift trucks like a normal human could lift a pillow. He would make a fine superhero and leap tall buildings in a single, precisely timed jump. Though he had to hold all back, especially when he saw the patrol cars pass by. Though even civilian eyes could were a danger, as he was not one of the enhanced humans who just used their enhanced abilities and left no witnesses.

        While slumping along one day Thomas saw a crowd. He looked in the direction they were and saw a massive car wreck on the road. Somehow a semi-truck had pulled itself on top of a cruiser and black van. The cruiser and black van were being slowly mashed by the semi. The semi driver had escaped the wreck fine, but the people inside the cars, though saved from the initial wreck, couldn't escape as the doors had been constricted enough to prevent their escape. A police officer was calling for help. The cop cursed when he learned that it would take thirty minutes for assistance to arrive.

        Thomas knew he would get the death penalty, but he didn't care. He left his slump and ran to the wreck. He used his enhancements and pulled off the semi-truck and tore away the pieces of the other vehicles and rescued the people in the cars. The people thanked him and Thomas turned towards the officer and let himself be arrested without resistance. People recorded this entire incident on their cellphones starting even before Thomas arrived as at first they were just thinking of the car wreck.

       As the Amendment demanded he was sentenced to death. But the videos of his rescue blazed through the media and arrived to the attention of everyone. He received a pardon from the President. And soon after the 37^th Amendment was ratified and it completely repealed the 36^th Amendment.