All according to plan

The warning signs had been there for months, but when the economy finally buckled, it sent shockwaves across the globe. The stock market, once a towering symbol of prosperity and stability, collapsed in a matter of days, erasing the life savings of millions. Pension funds that had taken a lifetime to build vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the elderly and the soon-to-retire staring at a bleak and uncertain future.

As despair and outrage grew among the populace, the powers that be—those shadowy figures behind the curtain of global power—realized the need for a diversion. They had always known that the illusion of control depended on keeping the masses distracted, and now more than ever, they needed something to divert attention from the economic catastrophe they had helped orchestrate.

Tensions in Europe and the Middle East, long simmering under the surface, were suddenly and dramatically escalated. Strategic leaks, provocative rhetoric, and clandestine operations fueled a frenzy of nationalism and paranoia. The drums of war, once faint, now beat louder with each passing day. Old alliances were strained, new enemies were declared, and the world teetered on the brink of another catastrophic conflict.

In the corridors of power, the talk of war was no longer whispered in darkened rooms—it was broadcast on every screen, blared from every speaker. The inevitability of conflict became a self-fulfilling prophecy, and soon, the narrative shifted to the need for sacrifice. As if on cue, the media began to speculate about the return of the draft. But this time, it would be different. This time, no one would be spared.

For the first time in history, there was serious talk of drafting women alongside men. The announcement, when it came, was wrapped in the language of equality and shared burden, but the truth was plain to see: the powers that be needed bodies to fight their wars, and they would take them wherever they could find them.

The public, already reeling from the economic collapse, was stunned. The specter of war loomed large, and the thought of being forced to fight—of sending sons and daughters into the maw of conflict—added to the growing sense of fear and helplessness. But for the powers that be, this was all according to plan. War, after all, had always been the ultimate distraction.