Purity

Britain was cold.

Despite centuries of global warming, rising sea levels, melting ice caps and all the climatic consequences that came with it, Europe's neighbour was still cold. And right now, standing on the tarmac of Airstrip One, George Samuels knew it. He could feel the wind chill his skin, penetrate his bones, rattle his spirit, even with the coat he was wearing. Earth had been in decline ever since the 22nd century, and although that decline seemed intent on increasing, Mother Nature seemed intent on getting back at her delinquent children.

A natural reaction. And Samuels would have felt better for it if the chill in his body was only due to the cold temperatures...

It was ironic that the source of his unnatural chill actually warmed him up, at least in the short term, courtesy of the hovercraft descending from above, its engines sending powerful blasts of hot, oily air along the airstrip, washing over the governor and his entourage. Fossil fuels were all but depleted, but somehow, the United Powers League had been able to get their hands on the last sources of hydrocarbons while using everything from solar power to hydrogen cells to sustain the living standards of the world's population...however many humans that was. Still, when a body controlled ninety-three percent of the planet, that was to be expected.

And for better or worse, Great Britain is among that land...

Samuels shook his head as the craft touched down. For all its heavy handedness, the UPL had at least restored order to a chaotic world. He could remember the years before the body came to power, back when the mainland had been divided into quarrelling states and Britain seemed intent on heading the same way. London had managed to retain some of its grandeur, even if it was overcrowded with people with not a day going by without some suicide bombing from a humanist or religious faction, or a heavy handed police action from one of the corporate factions, not caring who got caught up in the crossfire. He'd been only a boy at the time and while he was young enough to not realize the direction the world was taking, nor realize the nature of the direction that the UPL had chosen for humanity, he knew that he was living in a world he didn't want to be part of.

In a way, things had changed. But given the events of Project Purification, the UPL rounding up every hacker, dissident and genetically altered person on the planet, the governor could not help but wonder if society was going back to its pre-2229 roots...

"Governor George Samuels, I presume?"

The governor nodded, watching as Agent Delphi and his own entourage descended from the hovercraft. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, taking deep breaths and forcing himself to adopt an expression of calm he did not feel. True, Project Purity hadn't been going well in the UK-despite being one of the UPL's most stable territories, that didn't change the fact that there were still those who either rejected UPL rule or were 'societal refuse." Still, things were progressing, the governor having seen to it himself. He'd lost his mother to dissidents back in the old days, the gene therapy she'd undergone in her youth apparently making her an "abomination" in some of the hardliners minds. True, people like her were being rounded up for execution, but people like them were being rounded up too.

And that, thought Samuels as he walked forward to greet Delphi, is all that matters.

"Yes, that's me," said the governor, answering Delphi's earlier question. "As governor of Great Britain, it is an honour to welcome you to our-..."

"Spare me your banal platitudes Samuels," snapped Delphi, he and his entourage having cleared their craft to stand face to face with their hosts. "I didn't fly all the way from Geneva to practice decorum."

Looking up at the agent, his blue eyes, blonde hair and athlete's body, Samuels decided not to point out that there were formalities that had to be observed and that regardless of Delphi's orders, he was still the governor of this island.

"So, agent," said Samuels, walking along with Delphi to the waiting hovercars that would take them into London, currently a main focal point of Project Purification. "What brings you to the UK?"

Delphi laughed hollowly. "Don't act ignorant governor. Your territory is out of control. Your cities fester with degeneration, your soldiers are useless, the media is ignoring UPL guidelines and you, good sir, have done nothing to prevent this.

"Oh come on!" protested Samuels. "I think you overstate the seriousness of the situation. Yes, we've had trouble, but Britain is hardly out of control. Hell, London is the only true focal point of dissident activity."

"Good," said Delphi, entering the backseat of the hovercar. "It makes my job easier."

After what seemed like a lifetime, the relentless clatter of rifle fire had finally subsided, replaced by sirens and the crackle of flames. Looking down from his command post in Big Ben, Delphi was satisfied that he'd done his duty.

It had all been so easy really, looking back on the events of the last few weeks. It had been a simple matter to catch some of those targeted under Project Purification, specifically some mild psychics. Despite being representative of the degeneration that had gripped the human gene pool over the last few centuries, the UPL's enemies shared human instincts, including the desire to bond together in numbers. Catch one group, torture them for as long as necessary and Delphi had the location of a number of other targets. Repeat the process a few times, and within a few weeks, he'd sussed out the entire London network.

Then he'd called the troops in.

Samuels hadn't been happy about the damage his city had suffered, but Delphi was above such trivialities. The salvation of humanity was worth a few destroyed buildings and he'd seen far worse in the riots in Paris, the Eifel Tower still undergoing repairs. Besides, Delphi had personally co-ordinated the operation, ensuring that as little collateral damage as possible was sustained and of what was sustained could easily be blamed on the UPL's enemies, provided the media didn't fall out of line again. Or the governor for that matter...

Delphi smiled. He'd made sure of that...

"Alpha One, this is Sierra Three, do you copy, over?"

Delphi picked up his radio. "Alpha One here, over."

"We've secured the Houses of Parliament and Governor Samuels is in custody. Please advise, over."

"Hold position Sierra, an extraction craft should be there soon."

"Rodger that. Sierra out."

Sighing, Delphi leant back on his chair, pouring himself a glass of wine that he'd picked up in Paris. It was almost regrettable really. For all his incompetence, Samuels had been loyal to the UPL and had made an honest effort to clear up his country. Still, orders were orders and although it wasn't his fault that his mother had passed on her altered genes to him, Project Purity allowed no exceptions. All those deemed impure would be taken away for execution or as part of some colonization project that some scientist was planning. The details were classified, but apparently, a number of prisoners were being prepped for an extra-solar colonization effort.

Delphi shrugged. They can fire them into the sun for all I care.

It was tempting to just sit there, looking out over the city, waiting for the sun to rise over a new world. But there was more work to do. Protests in New York, food riots in Sydney, numerous separatist movements in Africa...Oh, and more Project Purification targets. Lots of them. Sighing, Delphi rose from the chair and headed down the stairs, ready to take on his next assignment.

The fight had to go on.

Humanity had to be purified.