It had been over 300 years since anyone had seen a fingerprint. Back in the 2000’s when security systems were controlled by scan cards, fingerprints, and iris recognition, too many criminals figured out ways to break the security systems. Too many men and women lost eyes and fingers in the fight to protect their precious property.
Fingerprints were obsolete, because nothing was owned, nothing needed protection. On April 10, 2112, when the Committee created the Agreement deciding that the best way to keep people safe was to meet everyone’s basic needs of food and shelter without competition, humans became less aggressive. They spent time with their spouses and children. The Agreement meant that no one had to go to work. Before the Agreement, people were employed to receive payment that they used on food, shelter, other basic needs, and entertainment. People complained about work, because it took them from their families, but they continued to work so they could buy things. The irony was that the people used the things to make them feel better. Once the Committee realized that things could not take the place of people and that people were miserable when they were away from other people, the Agreement was an easy sell and the people of the world accepted the idea enthusiastically.
Starving people could eat three times a day, so they weren’t starving anymore. Working people could spend their whole day with their family because they didn’t have to work anymore. Everyone was happy. The only people who were not happy were the owners of corporations who no longer had customers to buy their products. The Committee knew that the people didn’t like corporations, so that made them even happier. The Committee took care of everything and the people were grateful.
Not only did the Committee take care of basic needs, but it also took care of the health of the people. To protect everyone, the Committee required all people to be Natural which included wearing Committee clothing, having a Committee haircut, and removing all distinguishable marks. Scars, moles, fingerprints, and other marks were rubbed away in a special procedure. Fingerprints were removed at birth. Scars were removed at age 13, because most children stopped injuring themselves by that age. If other marks were present at birth and age 13, they were removed, too. Bodies were scanned every 300 days after age 13. The procedure was not painful.
Everyone’s shelter was exactly like everyone else’s shelter. If furniture was damaged, it was replaced by the Committee. The homes of the past did not exist; everything was from the Committee, free of dirt and distinguishing marks. The Committee took care of sanitizing to keep the people healthy. Life was basic and people were happy.
Calendars no longer existed. The Committee made sure that the people returned to have marks removed and other than that, the people did not have to worry about dates. At night they slept and during the day, they played. So, the actual date that the fingerprint was found is unknown.
A family was at the Committee Play Area in Area Red. A son saw a shining, circular pattern on the low climbing wall. “Mother, what is this?” He pointed to the mark.
“I do not know, Son.” The Committee removed unique names; familiar names – Mother, Father, Son, Daughter – were all that was left. The first generation resisted at first, but by the time they attended their second body scan, everyone used them without a second thought. “Do you see any more of them?”
“No, I only see this one.”
“How did it get there?”
Cameras were no longer needed because every day was the same and people didn’t need to keep their memories as belongings, so they could not take a picture of the fingerprint. This was the twelfth generation living Committee-style, so they had no idea what to do about the anomaly. Creativity was gone.
“Let’s go to shelter. Maybe it will be here next day.”
The following day the mother and son brought Father with them. Son pointed out the mark. Father did not know what it was either. He did not have a boss or a friend to ask. Since everyone had families, friends weren’t needed. He did not know about fingerprints, no one did anymore, since they were removed at birth. Only the Committee knew.
If the family knew to ask the Committee questions, they would have known to ask about the mark. The Committee took such good care of the people that they did not have to wonder.
Since the family went to the Area Red Play Area each day, the Committee did not notice the fingerprint.
Thirty days after the son saw the fingerprint, another son saw the fingerprint, too. While he was looking at it, a daughter came to look, then a mother. Very soon, more mothers, daughters, and fathers appeared to look at the mark. The Committee noticed.
The next day the fingerprint was gone. No one asked any more questions.
Life continued on and the people were grateful.