[ WP ] So as it turns out , when you blink , you take a screenshot of that moment in your life and it 's sent to the FBI . One day , they call you in and ask you about the screenshots on December 20th , 2013 .

And there they were, stepping out of a slick, black limo and dressed in the suits to match. FBI, no doubt. Between two of the suited henchmen was a taller man. He was skinnier and had ginger hair, yet an air of unmistakable authority and entitlement surrounded him. He left the door open behind him and approached me, his shady buddies flanking him. 
 
 ‘ Mr Rowland. ’ He said firmly. 
 
 I gave him a faint smile. ‘ Hey, pal. ’ 
 
 ‘ I ’ m going to need you to step into the vehicle and come with us. ’ He gestured to the car expectantly. 
 
 I rattled my cup at him. Cold coffee splashed around inside. ‘ I haven ’ t finished my McCoffee yet, could you give me a second? ’ 
 
 He sighed and nodded to his bodyguards, who made a move on me. I let the cup go and rose from the park bench with my arms raised. ‘ Yeah, yeah, I ’ m going, I ’ m going. ’ 
 
 ‘ We only want to ask you a few questions, Mr Rowland. ’ The ginger said. 
 
 The bodyguards stuffed me into the limo, then followed me inside before shutting the door behind them. Their ginger boss came in through another door and sat opposite me. 
 
 ‘ I got ta say, haven ’ t been in a limo before. It ’ s pretty nifty. ’ I remarked, reclining into the comfortable leather seats. ‘ Smells like bureaucracy in here. ’ 
 
 The limo took off and blended easily into the bustling traffic of the sprawling metropolis. Ginger leaned forward in his seat and stared intensely into me, like he was trying to break into my mind with the sheer force of his beady black eyes. ‘ We would like to know what you were doing on December 20th, 2013. ’ 
 
 ‘ Sheesh, that ’ s an awfully specific date. How am I supposed to remember that? And why do you need me here for? You got screenshots don ’ t you? ’ 
 
 ‘ See, that ’ s the thing. ’ He said ominously. ‘ We don ’ t. ’ 
 
 I gave them a look of surprise. ‘ Oh, really? That ’ s tragic, sincerely. Truly tragic. Big Brother must have had a glitch. ’ 
 ‘ Mr Rowland, your attitude is rather vexing. ’ Ginger was getting angry. I couldn ’ t help but snicker. 
 
 ‘ Hey, real sorry about that. ’ I made an effort at appearing sincere. ‘ It ’ s the coffee, I swear. I ’ m on a rush, you know? ’ 
 
 Levity was one of the few things the government couldn ’ t take from us, and that ’ s what pissed them off so easily. It was our greatest and only weapon against them. Ginger gave a look to one of the guards, who didn ’ t hesitate in shooting his fist out and wrapping his beefy fingers tight around my neck. I gagged and latched onto his hand. 
 ‘ Mr Rowland, you will reveal to us what happened on December 20th or we will extract the knowledge out of you through force. ’ 
 
 I tried to speak, but all that came out was a gurgle. I tapped on the guard ’ s fist and gestured frantically for him to let go. He looked over to Ginger, who waited and watched me choke for a few seconds before giving a nod. He released me and I sucked in air feverishly. 
 
 ‘ Jeez, ’ I rubbed my throat gently. ‘ Go easy on- ‘ 
 
 ‘ Tell us what happened. ’ Ginger ordered. ‘ Now. ’ 
 
 I finished massaging my neck then brushed my clothes down. My hand slipped nicely into my coat pocket. ‘ You want to know what I was doing on December 20th? ’ 
 
 ‘ Yes. ’ He said through gritted teeth. 
 
 ‘ Okay, well. ’ I was stalling just to compound his wait. And to get closer to the objective. ‘ So, believe it or not… I was in a staring competition. ’ 
 
 The limo was silent. 
 
 ‘ Yeah, crazy right? ’ 
 
 ‘ There are screenshots missing for 9 hours. That is inhuman. ’ Ginger pointed out. 
 
 I shrugged, tightened my grip in the pocket. ‘ Not a lot of humanity these days anyway. ’ 
 
 ‘ Mr Rowland, we are aware of your political beliefs. We are aware of your inclination to the radical. ’ Ginger ’ s glare was burning with hatred. ‘ We understand that you are unwilling to conform fully to the New World Order. ’ 
 
 ‘ Why should I? ’ I felt my spirit stirring within my chest. One of my famous rants was coming on. ‘ Why should I relinquish individuality? Why can ’ t I be my own person? ’ 
 
 ‘ We are not here to prattle on about our ideologies. ’ Ginger barked. ‘ We ’ re here to learn exactly why you did not blink for 9 hours on December 20th, 2013. What were you seeing? What were you doing? ’ 
 
 ‘ Well. ’ I frowned, dropping my eyes shamefully to the floor. ‘ I didn ’ t want you to see. ’ 
 
 ‘ See what? ’ 
 
 I looked up and stared back into Ginger. 
 
 ‘ See me touching myself. ’ I grinned widely. ‘ I ’ m shy. ’ 
 
 Ginger didn ’ t break eye contact. He said coldly ‘ Stanley. ’ 
 
 And then my throat was once again in a vice, this time tighter. 
 
 ‘ This is your last chance, Rowland. ’ Ginger was nearly yelling at me in flaming anger. ‘ If you do not reveal what you were doing on December 20th, you will go to prison where you will labour until you perish. Answer my question! What were you doing on December 20th? ’ 
 
 Stanley let go and I gasped for air again, coughing and gagging. ‘ Okay, okay, you win… ’ I sputtered. Ginger seemed to ease a little. I peered outside the window. We were getting close to the Complex. My fingers tapped in my pocket in anticipation. ‘ I was building something. ’ 
 
 ‘ Go on. ’ Ginger said. 
 I kept my gaze out the window. Through the street and into the crooked alley, I saw the youthful faces of my fellow insurgents peering back at me from the shadows. I recognised some of them; Doc, Smitty, Sparrow... Cap. They were clad in tattered camo, holding rifles and getting ready to move in. Cap gave me a nod. I winked at him. 
 
 ‘ What were you building? ’ Ginger said impatiently. 
 
 I pulled out the detonator from my pocket. 
 
 ‘ You ’ ll know in a second. ’ 
 
 And squeezed the trigger. 

