The Humanity Bureau

---

1

You are reaching...

Reaching...

Reaching...

Arrived.

You have left the security

perimeter of New America.

Your safety

is no longer guaranteed.

Agent Noah Kross.

Leaving security perimeter A57.

Please record

and confirm the following:

I'm aware of the danger.

I'm making this trip

of my own free will

and without coercion.

I'm aware of all Humanity

Bureau procedures

including subsection 2355.

Send all incoming messages

to my voicemail.

I will retrieve 'em

upon my safe return.

End communication.

Record and reference

the following:

Humanity Bureau

case file 56672941.

Chester Hills, white male, age 73.

This is my first visit

to Mr. Hills' home.

His motel room.

I'm 15 minutes early.

Mr. Hills' deportation is scheduled

for next Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.

Notes to follow. End recording.

Clean water and a clean start.

Agent Noah Kross, Humanity Bureau.

I'm looking for Chester Hills.

A new life awaits you

in New Eden.

Hey, buddy!

We have an appointment.

He's expecting me.

Yeah, I didn't think

you were here to rent a room.

Chester's across the parking lot.

Up the stairs to your right.

Room 223.

I'm obliged by management

to tell all city dwellers

not to drink from our taps.

But if you're interested,

I've got purified water.

Liter bottle seal's intact.

Nitrate-free.

No detectable liquid waste.

It's a long ways

back to the city.

You know unlicensed sale

of clean water is a felony.

Yeah, well, we all do

what we have to. Don't we?

There's a loose board

on the stairs. Don't trip.

Or do.

How sweet just to be

Alone with our dreams

This is it? You're not employed.

These paystubs are 12 years old.

Is this why I drove 300 miles?

I have a right to an appeal.

Last time I checked

this is still America.

Land of the free,

home of the brave.

Well, it is, isn't it?

I am here to help you.

I am not your enemy.

I don't want your help.

You have no right to come in here

and tell me how to live.

None whatsoever.

Well, I'm very sorry

you feel that way.

But I do believe

New Eden will provide you

with the fresh start

you so rightly deserve.

Don't you want a better life?

You have no income.

You've exhausted all of your

government benefits.

How will you survive?

You must be a productive citizen.

It is the law.

It is a crime to do otherwise.

You're destitute.

A burden to society.

You have no grounds

for an appeal

under the rules

of the Humanity Act.

And if you don't

agree to resettlement,

I'll have no other choice

but to have you arrested.

I'm no fool.

I know the truth.

And what truth is that?

This is a waste of time.

Remember warm summer nights

Walks through the tide

Mr. Hills, are you all right?

I'm just jim-dandy, Mr. Kross!

I am a citizen

of the United States of America.

I dined at the White House.

Goddammit!

It was a pretty good meal, too.

Chester, what in the hell is...

You little sh*t!

I got a look at the

coroner's report.

You fired three rounds.

One of which, caught that old man

right between the eyes.

He was the governor of Colorado

once upon a time. You know that?

How the mighty fall.

It was just

a lucky shot.

Well, look, good,

now management took notice.

You're getting promoted.

It doesn't bother you

that two men are dead?

It's a hostile environment,

you know.

What are you gonna do?

You looked after yourself.

People are desperate. Can't find

clean water. Soil won't grow food.

I've seen children

drink their own piss.

Which is why

I rarely leave the city.

Nice.

It's a shame there are

no fish left in the ocean.

When I was a kid,

there were all kinds of fish.

My mother would take me

up north to Canada.

Jackfish Lake.

I believe the cabin's still there.

Know what, when you were a kid,

your mother starved to death.

Almost took you with her.

There's nothing

up there but desert.

You don't know

that it's all desert.

Yeah, I do.

Radiation contaminated

everything, Noah. Everything.

And that's restricted information.

Why do you insist

on livin' in the past?

- Monet?

- You like it?

I like the monetary value.

Where's your Dogs Playing Poker?

It's hangin' in my bathroom.

There's little enthusiasm

for New Eden.

There are rumors of

overcrowding and disease.

People would rather stay put.

But that's not an option.

Is it?

Chester Hills said

he knew the truth.

The truth?

He was determined to stay put.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Chester Hills was a sad old man

who probably drank his own piss.

There ain't no stars

in faded Gloryville

We've chased our dreams

into the ground

If disillusion has some

hope to kill

Here nobody wears a crown

The road can break you

coming down a hill

But going up is always fun

Record.

Case file 56672996.

Rachel Weller,

single mother, age 30.

Son Lucas, age 11. This is

my first visit to the Weller home.

A two-story farmhouse.

Display photo of mother and son.

Do I have to wear these shoes?

They hurt my feet.

They're too tight.

Lucas, it's just for today.

And don't get those dirty.

I have to return them

in the morning.

- But mom!

- Lucas!

If you want to stay on this farm,

we have to prove

that we can take care of ourselves.

So, best behavior, please.

Mrs. Weller.

I'm Agent Noah Kross,

Humanity Bureau.

We have an appointment.

It's Miss.

This is my son.

Lucas.

So, please come in, Mr. Kross.

So, how do we begin?

I assume you've done this before.

Many times. Relax and

don't worry. It's painless.

Mom, these shoes

are pinching my feet.

He's a growing boy.

They won't be

a factor in my review.

He's free to take them off.

I'm taking them off.

Well, don't get the laces in a knot.

You received the registered letter

listing the documents I require?

Yes, I did, they're

in the living room.

Perfect.

No worries then.

Sorry.

What kind of gun do you have?

It's a Beretta PX4.

- You like it?

- Yeah.

It won't make you sick.

It's boiled and filtered.

We don't want you

dying at our table.

That's most considerate.

Thank you.

Why are you writing

all those numbers?

I'm attempting to verify

your mother's productivity rating.

As citizens of this great nation,

it's our duty to contribute

more than we take.

- You sound like my teacher.

- Mm-hmm.

We all must pull our weight.

She says that too.

Shouldn't people with more

help those with less?

In theory, yes.

But in practice, it's a

difficult concept to sustain.

Is that why we have to move?

Our score is too low?

We don't contribute enough?

You look thirsty.

My friend Bobby Sloan

moved to New Eden.

He promised to write, but he didn't

Not to me anyway.

I bet has new friends.

I bet he's forgotten

all about me.

I bet he drinks

lemonade every day.

I wouldn't be so hard on him.

Where is he now?

According to his itinerary,

Kross is reviewing a deportation

order in the town of Oliver.

Oh, she's a pretty woman.

The appointment was

scheduled for noon, so, uh...

Yeah, he should've returned

and filed his report by now.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes