RICHARD UPRISING

It’s 2044, and the United States is in a dark place. Elections have consequences and America has chosen unwisely. The protesters are now in charge, and they’ve unleashed the enormous power of the federal government against their enemies. America’s new ruling class has eviscerated the First Amendment, eradicated free speech rights, and will stop at nothing to hold on to their power. The government has become a machine that will crush anyone or anything it cannot control. 

The regime cannot control Richard Uprising. He leads a rock band that stands up against the elites and their unquenchable thirst for power. What they do to Richard is unspeakable, but what they unleash may be America’s last best hope. Join the band on their journey to freedom and find out what they can accomplish when they have nothing left to lose.

This story is a work of fiction from the mind of Patrick Silken. None of the characters in this story are real and any similarity to any real person is purely coincidental. This story takes place in the future, so by definition it hasn’t happened, but could it happen? 

Well, you be the judge of that… 

Chapter One

The house lights cut off sharply.

Some in the crowd twitched at the sudden change in light. In normal times, darkening house lights would have simply signaled to the audience that the show was about to start. Yet this gathering was anything but normal. These spectators were on edge. Most nervously milled around and occasionally glanced up from their phones or their conversations in order to survey the dimensions of the warehouse that was recently converted into a makeshift concert hall. Before the makeover, it was a stereotypical industrial building. It even had soot stain streaks on the walls. Whoever designed it didn’t expect a large gathering of concert goers. In fact, the only functional entrance and exit point was a large bay door in the warehouse’s front. The door was too small for everyone to escape during a stampede. Other potential escape routes were narrow doors in the corners of the room. Most of the windows had cracks running through them, which caused the imbedded steel octagonal grids to appear angular and uneven. The most anxious among the audience imagined how those windows could double as escape hatches if the worst happened. Smart ones planned their escape route in advance.

The sudden change in light dilated the audience’s pupils. After a few seconds, their eyes adjusted, allowing them to focus on the semi-transparent sheet that enveloped the stage. There was a soft amber light behind the curtain. The back light barely illuminated the shadow of a tall human figure who stood behind a blurred microphone stand. 

A momentary burst of feedback pierced out from the speakers, causing the audience to recoil as the figure spoke.

“Hello New York City!”