Chapter One



The letter drew the colour from his face. Its sibling on the table, meant for his brother, was of little consolation. He felt foolish for thinking it wouldn't come - it was always going to come. He wished he could have had the optimism of his twin, Luke. They were identical but for that - he was a little more cautious and measured whereas Luke was headstrong and enthusiastic.

"Dear Sam," it read, "Our records indicate that you will shortly reach the age at which you are required to be drafted into the nationwide PR (Population Reduction) programme. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to society and future generations. Please find enclosed your Registration Pack and details of your induction on May 17^th.

We look forward to welcoming you into the programme and supporting you on your future journey.

Regards

PR Team"

His heart sank. May 17^th was just two weeks away; his and Luke's 20^th birthday.

He set the letter down and rifled through the stack of paper that accompanied it. Directions to the nearest Intake Facility, an Information Booklet and a questionnaire comprised of exactly one thousand questions. He exhaled sharply. It was a lot to take in.

He'd known, of course, about the Government programme since its introduction four years ago, but had never known any detail about it. There were no advertisements or Youtube videos - nor even online forums frequented by past inductees. All that was officially known was that for the last four years, if you happened to turn twenty, you were conscripted to National Service and sent away to do your duty. Where they were and what they were doing nobody knew, not even their parents, but not one person from those four years had come back yet. This year, the fifth, was the last of this term, the cycle to be repeated five years apart but only twice more. According to the experts, that would sufficiently stem the population boom.

Sam's head was spinning. He knew Luke would be pleased to finally have his call-up letter but the reality that it was actually going to happen was beginning to bite. He grabbed the papers and headed upstairs to commit the time to going over it all properly.