Status: So, got this idea like 4 years ago and finally found what I'd started writing while unpacking boxes. Amazing all the stuff you find when you start cleaning.
Contact
Prologue
‘…Long awaited bills have finally been passed, and today is the last day that we have free physical contact. The government has decided, in light of this year’s devastating outbreak of HIV/AIDS worldwide, that physical contact is to become illegal for a short time. Hopefully this will help stop the spread of disease and slow the death count, which has already reached a staggering sixty-million. This vicious strain of HIV is unprecedented in history, with normal medication ineffective, and this is a last resort by the government to save those left. The population is being given one month to adjust to the no touching policy, after which punishment will be dealt to anyone seen or caught touching someone else. There’s no telling how long this will last, or if it will stop anyone else from dying…’
The man folded his newspaper and tucked it under his arm, shaking his head. He was wearing a mask, just like everyone else. Beside him, his wife had an identical mask over her lovely face. She reached out to touch his arm, a quizzical look on her face. He took her hand, their fingers intertwining tightly, and both of them sighed.
No more touching. The government had to be insane to think this would work. Then again, the man had already lost his father and both of his sisters to the new, hyperactive strain of HIV. His wife had lost her entire family. This disease wasn’t just limited to those who had unsafe sex or used dirty needles; this could come from anywhere and start out as innocent as a flu virus before evolving into your worst nightmare. Sick on a Tuesday, diagnosed on Thursday, dead by Sunday. Maybe they could go a year or so without touching and then be alright again.
The couple walked down the pathway in Central Park, noticing how others were clinging to each other and giving the newspapers in their hands disbelieving looks. Desperate times called for drastic measures, they supposed. And sixty million people were already dead from this disease. Sixty million in four months. It didn’t seem like a lot when you considered that there were ten billion people in the world, but the latest toll had just been taken that morning and already more people were dead. The major cities had been hit the hardest, and this was Manhattan. Just walking to the coffee shop that morning on the way to meet his wife, the man had seen seven stretchers carrying corpses and two new quarantine zones set up. A few months of no contact would be worth the lives saved if it really worked.
‘…It’s been six months since the temporary Contact bill was passed, and the results have been astounding. While the total death toll came to a horrifying seventy-six million people, so far the lack of physical contact has aided in effectively ending the spread of HIV. Schools have opened again, and people are able to go out and enjoy the Christmas holidays as much as possible. We can only hope that the bill will be revoked soon, after the final vaccines have been given and the last body buried. This has been a tragic time for America and the rest of the world, but it’s a time we’ve managed to come through together.’
-Taken from NBC News, December 10th, 2043
‘…The president made an appearance at the White House today to confirm the passing of the new Contact laws. This solidifies the temporary bill passed two years ago in June of 2043. As of today, any and all physical contact has been permanently banned. This is said to be for the safety of everyone, as it has effectively curbed the outbreak of HIV/AIDS and also brought an abrupt halt to many other contact spread diseases. Nations worldwide are also adopting the new laws, with China and India being the first while France, Spain, Brazil, and the United Kingdom have opted out. Others may soon follow, as this has caused some unrest in the UN. Protesters in the U.S. are claiming that these laws are unnecessary and go against our basic rights as human beings. Others are supporting the laws full tilt, with the events of the past few years still too fresh in everyone’s minds to think of risking another outbreak. There’s been a dramatic increase in passport purchases and citizens leaving for the United Kingdom just since the broadcast this morning. ‘Free zones’ are being set up in the U.S. for those who can’t afford to leave the country. Active next week, these cities will be considered free zones: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Anaheim, Chicago, and New Orleans. To read more on this, turn to page 2…’
-Taken from The New York Times, August 5th, 2045
‘...More Runners were spotted today loitering outside the city limits. Their numbers have been increasing over the past several months, and the government has issued a call for control against these vigilantes. More children have been reported missing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and are thought to be joining the Runners. The recent amount of contact violations amongst the younger generations is something that ‘must be addressed swiftly to curb rebellion’ says President Whitmore when asked about the issue. Between the Runner outbreaks, contact violations, and the Taggert vs. State trial in Nevada reaching its conclusion of a death sentence last week, the country is sparking with tension…’
-Taken from the Minneapolis Tribune, December 13th, 2059
‘…Lucy and Nikoli Taggert were found guilty of charges yesterday morning after a grueling month long trial that’s held the country captive. The two teenagers were convicted back in November of having physical contact with two other teenagers in the Las Vegas area. Both of these teenagers have denied any affiliation to the Runners and claim they were forced into touching the Taggert children. These are the youngest American citizens convicted of having physical contact since the laws were instated, and the punishment for having illegal contact is a maximum of twenty years in the Nevada State Penitentiary or lethal injection. Lucy Taggert, who is only 15, will spend three years of her ten year sentence in a juvenile facility. Nikoli Taggert is nineteen and will face a death sentence. Protesters are saying that these sentences are too harsh, that the children deserve a slap on the wrist because of their ages. However, the judge has remained stern and the charges will stand…’
-Taken from NBC Online, December 8th, 2059
The man folded his newspaper and tucked it under his arm, shaking his head. He was wearing a mask, just like everyone else. Beside him, his wife had an identical mask over her lovely face. She reached out to touch his arm, a quizzical look on her face. He took her hand, their fingers intertwining tightly, and both of them sighed.
No more touching. The government had to be insane to think this would work. Then again, the man had already lost his father and both of his sisters to the new, hyperactive strain of HIV. His wife had lost her entire family. This disease wasn’t just limited to those who had unsafe sex or used dirty needles; this could come from anywhere and start out as innocent as a flu virus before evolving into your worst nightmare. Sick on a Tuesday, diagnosed on Thursday, dead by Sunday. Maybe they could go a year or so without touching and then be alright again.
The couple walked down the pathway in Central Park, noticing how others were clinging to each other and giving the newspapers in their hands disbelieving looks. Desperate times called for drastic measures, they supposed. And sixty million people were already dead from this disease. Sixty million in four months. It didn’t seem like a lot when you considered that there were ten billion people in the world, but the latest toll had just been taken that morning and already more people were dead. The major cities had been hit the hardest, and this was Manhattan. Just walking to the coffee shop that morning on the way to meet his wife, the man had seen seven stretchers carrying corpses and two new quarantine zones set up. A few months of no contact would be worth the lives saved if it really worked.
‘…It’s been six months since the temporary Contact bill was passed, and the results have been astounding. While the total death toll came to a horrifying seventy-six million people, so far the lack of physical contact has aided in effectively ending the spread of HIV. Schools have opened again, and people are able to go out and enjoy the Christmas holidays as much as possible. We can only hope that the bill will be revoked soon, after the final vaccines have been given and the last body buried. This has been a tragic time for America and the rest of the world, but it’s a time we’ve managed to come through together.’
-Taken from NBC News, December 10th, 2043
‘…The president made an appearance at the White House today to confirm the passing of the new Contact laws. This solidifies the temporary bill passed two years ago in June of 2043. As of today, any and all physical contact has been permanently banned. This is said to be for the safety of everyone, as it has effectively curbed the outbreak of HIV/AIDS and also brought an abrupt halt to many other contact spread diseases. Nations worldwide are also adopting the new laws, with China and India being the first while France, Spain, Brazil, and the United Kingdom have opted out. Others may soon follow, as this has caused some unrest in the UN. Protesters in the U.S. are claiming that these laws are unnecessary and go against our basic rights as human beings. Others are supporting the laws full tilt, with the events of the past few years still too fresh in everyone’s minds to think of risking another outbreak. There’s been a dramatic increase in passport purchases and citizens leaving for the United Kingdom just since the broadcast this morning. ‘Free zones’ are being set up in the U.S. for those who can’t afford to leave the country. Active next week, these cities will be considered free zones: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Anaheim, Chicago, and New Orleans. To read more on this, turn to page 2…’
-Taken from The New York Times, August 5th, 2045
‘...More Runners were spotted today loitering outside the city limits. Their numbers have been increasing over the past several months, and the government has issued a call for control against these vigilantes. More children have been reported missing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and are thought to be joining the Runners. The recent amount of contact violations amongst the younger generations is something that ‘must be addressed swiftly to curb rebellion’ says President Whitmore when asked about the issue. Between the Runner outbreaks, contact violations, and the Taggert vs. State trial in Nevada reaching its conclusion of a death sentence last week, the country is sparking with tension…’
-Taken from the Minneapolis Tribune, December 13th, 2059
‘…Lucy and Nikoli Taggert were found guilty of charges yesterday morning after a grueling month long trial that’s held the country captive. The two teenagers were convicted back in November of having physical contact with two other teenagers in the Las Vegas area. Both of these teenagers have denied any affiliation to the Runners and claim they were forced into touching the Taggert children. These are the youngest American citizens convicted of having physical contact since the laws were instated, and the punishment for having illegal contact is a maximum of twenty years in the Nevada State Penitentiary or lethal injection. Lucy Taggert, who is only 15, will spend three years of her ten year sentence in a juvenile facility. Nikoli Taggert is nineteen and will face a death sentence. Protesters are saying that these sentences are too harsh, that the children deserve a slap on the wrist because of their ages. However, the judge has remained stern and the charges will stand…’
-Taken from NBC Online, December 8th, 2059
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This is just the prologue, please tell me what you guys think. I started talking to one of my friends years ago about this story idea and I finally found all of the stuff that I'd started writing down. Comments make me smile :)