A Numbers Game
Flash Fiction February Day 22: Execution day
Flash Fiction February — Day 22
Theme: Execution Day
Genre: Sci-Fi
I’m taking part in Bradley Ramsey’s Flash Fiction February, where every like, comment, and restack earns points.
I’m not quite sure I have the writing skills to pull off the negotiations like I wanted, but hopefully there is enough there to give you an idea of what I was going for!
Read the story, cheer on the writers, and dive into a month of tiny tales. Check out all of the other amazing Week 4 entries here, or read the rest of my submissions here.
If you enjoy this story, a like, comment, or restack would mean the world — they all count toward the challenge!
It was a normal Tuesday night on Earth until 8.27pm, when every communication device paused as one. Every television, radio, and phone halted mid-broadcast as a message addressed the entire planet.
‘People of Earth,’ the devices declared. ‘Parole hearing 100.02.114 has just been completed. Due to your actions over the past 300,000 years, you have been deemed unsalvageable. As parole has been declined, and due to increasing space issues in your current prison environment, your race has been selected for termination. Termination will take place in 24 hours.’
There was a brief pause.
‘It is not our fault you were not able to attend your parole hearing, or any previous hearings. You were given ample notice of your appointments, and it is not our responsibility to chase attendance. We are very busy.’
Another pause.
‘Fine. As you have been selected for termination, we will grant you one final chance to plead your case. We will select a human being to argue on your behalf. They will be summoned in one hour.’
The world fell into stunned silence. Then, as the moment passed, news outlets and social media worldwide exploded in panic.
Meanwhile, on his train ride home, Alex heard the entire message through his headphones. Like most around him, he had been listening to podcasts. Suddenly, everyone broke into excited chatter—strangers debated its meaning, and others frantically called loved ones.
Alex sat in stunned silence. Who would represent the Earth? What arguments could be made to save the human race from extinction?
He got home and FaceTimed his family. They were okay, but scared. He now regretted moving so far away. Should he spend his time trying to get home?
He Googled flights. The air shimmered, the world shifted—he reached for the wall, but it was gone. His apartment had vanished. Suddenly, he stood in a boardroom-like space, facing three tall, silver-skinned beings. Apparently, movie aliens were pretty accurate.
‘Please sit, Alex,’ gestured one of the aliens. It didn’t so much speak as make the words appear.
Not knowing what else to do, Alex sat.
‘You have been selected by the galactic prison board to defend the human race.’
‘Why me? Why not someone in charge?’ His voice trembled.
‘We do not know the hierarchies of humans. We just picked a name at random. Now, why should you be spared? The human race has done no good since being sentenced to Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago. Plus, look at the state of your living quarters. It is being ruined, and it is far too crowded now compared to the blue-green jewel it was when you were first sent there.
Alex thought fast. He had done a bit of debating in high school, but nothing to prepare him for negotiations of this magnitude.
‘Umm, well, what were we sentenced for in the first place?’
‘You were charged with the death of other species, killed in cold blood while they couldn’t defend themselves.’
Alex gulped. Given their history of looking after the Earth, it was clear they hadn’t learned their lessons.
‘So how many people are you planning to eliminate?’
‘The current total population of Earth is 8.1 billion people, a relatively small number.’
The number appeared in the air to the side of the table.
8,100,000,000.
‘Small to you maybe, but that’s our whole species! That’s extinction!’ Alex exclaimed.
‘Just as you wiped out so many species. It’s a fitting punishment.’
‘Can we really be punished for crimes from hundreds of generations ago? That’s not fair.’
‘We have been monitoring you. Even with time in isolation on one planet, you have continued to harm other creatures and yourselves. More time won’t make you better.’
‘What about our children? Surely they aren’t old enough to be convicted of any crimes? What if it were your young?’
The alien paused.
‘I guess you are right, we will exclude all young beings.’
The numbers hovering in the air counted down like a timer, spinning until they reached their new total.
6,900,000,000.
‘And you can’t leave our young on their own, without anyone to feed or protect them. Otherwise, you are basically sentencing them to death.’
‘I concede your point.’ He clicked his fingers, and the number changed.
5,800,000,000.
‘And that includes both parents, right?’
Another alien spoke up. ‘Just being a parent doesn’t make you a good person.’
‘No, it doesn’t. But if you want the youngest of the planet to survive and atone for their crimes, you should be aiming for at least one legal guardian per dependent.’
The figure sighed and clicked his fingers again.
5,300,000,000.
‘And grandparents?’
4,800,000,000.
The alien on his right clicked his fingers.
5,300,000,000.
‘No, that’s excessive. Grandparents aren’t essential for survival.’
‘Okay, okay, fair enough,’ Alex conceded. He was starting to warm up to his role as negotiator.
‘What about those that don’t have technology? They never heard your message.’
‘What about them?’
‘If they’re unaware, punishing them makes you as guilty as us.’
‘Good point.’ He paused, calculating. ‘Many on your planet lack access to basic technology and amenities. You are cruel to other species, but just as cruel to your own.’
3,800,000,000.
‘Exactly. If you want equality, give us a chance to fix it.’
The alien rolled his eyes. Alex decided maybe he was pushing his luck. But the fate of the world was in his hands. He had to keep trying.
‘Who will care for the survivors? You? Will you feed them?’
The aliens looked alarmed.
‘We are just administrators, we don’t have the time to look after puny humans.’
‘Then you need to save the farmers and those who create the food. Not to mention doctors and healthcare workers, in case they get sick. And teachers to help them become educated and learn from their ways. And tradespeople to maintain everything.’
3,300,000,000.
3,200,000,000.
3,000,000,000.
2,900,000,000.
The negotiations continued. On the side of the room, the numbers whirred up and down as Alex argued with the aliens over who should be spared. Finally, the number seemed to settle.
1,700,000,000.
‘Absolutely not. No lawyers, no politicians.’ The alien slammed his fist. ‘That’s final.’
Alex raised his hands. ‘Alright. You get lawyers and politicians. I’ll even add billionaires as goodwill. But I want grandparents back.’
The aliens sighed. ‘Fine, keep your grandparents. But no more negotiations.’
1,200,000,000.
Alex looked at the number. That was still a lot of people. Too many people. People who now only had twenty-four hours to live.
But it wasn’t everyone.
One of the aliens, who had long ago given up on negotiations, was banging his head gently into the table.
‘Give them one more chance. What harm could it do? They are only humans. Ugh, I tire of this. Just send him back already so we can go home.’
The lead negotiator looked at his watch. ‘We will announce the change in 2 hours. But those who are spared are not off the hook. Next parole hearing 100.03.114 in 100 years.’
The number vanished.
‘Case closed.’
I would love to hear your thoughts on my story.
How many people do you think have redeemable qualities?
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← Read Day 21 Passing Through
Read Day 23 → Creative Spark Inc.
I think you did a great job with the negotiations! I liked seeing the numbers going up and down. It's tough to get everything you want into a limited word count, but I think these negotiations worked well without the full conversation.