藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
I wrote a fiction Archive America in 2016 with worrying first Trump predidency destryoing public web information, and now, I saw a news that the scientists started to archive public documents for escaping from destoryoung by the coup of Trump and Musk.
I did not wrote the prejection, but the real hit my shoulder, “knock knock, I’m here”.
This is the story.
Archive America
“Thirty-two petabytes… incredible. Thank you, Jumbo.”📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
A man, having spread out his MacBook on the vast space between the cab’s driver and passenger seats of the trailer, whistled. This was Gerald Bauer—the man who had commissioned the acquisition of petabyte-scale storage.
“It wasn’t much. I just bought them and hooked them up,” I replied.
I pointed behind me with my thumb. Towed by the tractor unit was a container crammed with twelve server racks.
📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
“There are 512 Drobo5Ds here. They’re bundled and mounted with an Xsan. Then come 2,560 hard drives—given that, on average, one or two crash every week, I even loaded about 500 spare HDDs. When an alert lights up on the dashboard, you just swap out the drive with the indicator light.”
Gerald kept nodding and repeating, “That saves us, that really does,” to which I said,
“But it’s America that’s being saved, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.”📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
Gerald pulled out a map of the United States from the door pocket and pressed it against the steering wheel. On the map was drawn a route from our starting point in Michigan—a desolate industrial area—heading toward Boston, then tracing the major East Coast cities such as New York, Washington D.C., and Richmond, before veering westward at Jacksonville at the base of the Florida Peninsula.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
An alternate route followed the South West, curving southward en route to a border-crossing with Mexico—a place where constructing a wall was simply out of the question.
“You mean the ‘Indians’ who span the border—”
“Don’t call them that when you’re going through the reservation. And neither the Papago. That name was coined by the Spanish conquerors, meaning ‘little beans.’ In fact, they refer to themselves as ‘Tohono O’Odham.’”📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
Seeing Gerald nod with pursed lips, I added firmly,
“When you reach the reservation, call a man named Aleph. He’s an aide to the elder. I already arranged the payment for him. He’ll show you the place where you can cross the border with your trailer.”
Gerald’s journey was going to be harsh. Over the span of three months he would visit the major cities, download all the information that the American government had made public—from every hotspot—store it in the Drobo, and then head for Mexico.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
“Good luck,” I said as I patted Gerald’s shoulder and stepped down from the high passenger seat. In the driver’s seat, Gerald was already wearing a red cap—an accessory whose front bore white-thread embroidery proclaiming “Great America Again.”
I laughed.
“Nice disguise! No one would ever suspect that you’re trying to rescue open government data from a deranged president.”📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
Gerald gave a soft laugh as he closed the window and fired up the Cat® C15 engine—squeezing out 500 horsepower. With a roar that made the air tremble, the trailer loaded with containers started moving.
As Gerald sped past before my eyes—making me instinctively dodge—I couldn’t help noticing that he appeared to be gritting his teeth for reasons unknown.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
I was summoned to a desert camp. The bribe I’d handed over had been discovered by the elder, so both Gerald and I were forced to explain directly why we were heading for Mexico.
At the camp, workers were busy dismantling the fence that marked the border cutting across the desert.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
As I got out of my vehicle, an elderly man in a somewhat dowdy suit walked toward me. Even if you happened to spot him in a city Starbucks by his loop tie adorned with turquoise, you probably wouldn’t suspect he was connected with Native American affairs. He looked like any ordinary man.
“Welcome,” the elder said as he shook my hand, while gazing out toward the western horizon.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
“Until 1998, we could cross the border freely. If the president wants to turn back time, we will just do the same. Over there beyond that mountain, they’re trying to build a thick, tall wall—well, you know.”
“I’ve been on site. Supporters and opponents of the wall were glaring at each other.”
The elder gave a warm, affable smile.
“In other words, for that Gerald fellow to exit on the Mexican side, there’s no choice but to go through the reservation—right?”📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
I nodded.
From the north came Gerald’s trailer, kicking up a tremendous plume of dust—he had parted ways with us in Boston three months earlier.
Gerald stopped his trailer and stepped down from the driver’s seat, tilting his head as he took in my figure. Three months of travel had tanned his once white cheeks and left him with a scruffy beard.
“Jumbo, what are you doing here?”
“The bribe didn’t work. This is the elder of the Tohono O’Odham reservation,” I replied.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
When the elder extended his hand for a handshake, he shook his head.
“No, his supporters won’t allow him.”
“He’s different. Hey, Gerald, toss that hat aside—you have to prove you’re not like the others.”
Gerald caressed the brim of his hat.
“I voted for him.”
“What did you say?”
The elder, standing next to me as I exclaimed, slowly but decisively pointed northward.
“Return. After about fifty kilometers, you’ll be back to the America you love.”📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
“Hey, Gerald. You’re regretting it now, aren’t you?” I interjected. Gerald shook his head.
“No, it needed to be done. Had that woman won this time, there would have been no chance ever to speak up.”
“True enough,” sighed the elder, folding his arms and speaking in a leisurely tone. “With the 2020 census, the composition of the presidential electors will change. Even if last year’s supporters again vote for him, he can’t win anymore. So… how’d it go? You made him win?”
Gerald grimaced.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
“Damn fool.”
“Of course I knew it.”
“It was a matter of degree! Who could have imagined someone overturning open government completely? Even data.gov, the photos uploaded to Flicker, all the declassified government documents—they’ve all been shuttered!”
“Open government, you say? You…”
“I preserved America. I brought as much documentation as possible. Twenty petabytes worth of history. I’m asking you—let me through.”
The elder shook his head.📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
“No can do.”
“Why not?”
“The data is now in our custody. Jumbo, won’t you show us how to maintain it?”
“Fine… but—”
Turning his gaze to the container, the elder smiled broadly.
“The public documents released by open government once contained records of how the American government was buying and selling this land at will. Even photographs of our ancestors were there. When the previous president released them once, how joyous that was! And now, it was all on the verge of being lost.”📜
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
It was as if Gerald had come to himself when he spoke:
“...That’s why I’m taking it to Mexico. When open government resumes, I’ll provide the data.”
“You’re returning.”
The elder pointed along the route Gerald had taken.
“And in 2020, maybe you’ll vote for someone better for a change.”
--fin
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