The doctor hurriedly returned to the counter apologetically. "I'm sorry, Pat. He's been in prison for 50 years and is unaware of the current laws, he..."

"Laws? Who said anything about laws? That..." The man unleashed a barrage of profanities, only some of which he understood, directed at him. "How about showing some humanity?"

"Listen, he's 70!" pleaded the doctor. "He has been incarcerated for so long that he might have lost..."

"Get him out of my sight!"

Taken aback, the man allowed the doctor to guide him away. He stumbled along as quickly as he could in his unfamiliar attire, passing through the now eerily silent main room, past silent spectators, and into a hallway illuminated by strange markings on the walls. Finally, they arrived at a brightly lit corridor.

Upon reaching the end of the hallway, a small door materialized, leading them into an empty room with only a table and two chairs. The door swiftly closed, and the doctor leaned against it, panting.

"You fool," he hissed.

"I'm sorry!" pleaded the man. "Was it because I called him 'sir'?"

"You insulted her chosen gender, her identity ... her humanity. That is a crime, you ignorant old fool." The doctor's words were harsh, yet his eyes displayed a tinge of sadness and compassion.

"Listen," he continued after catching his breath, "we may only have a few minutes. Pay close attention. Do you understand?"

The man shook his head. "What do you...?" he began.

"No time. Look, if she reports you, they will be here within minutes. And without your RLE fulfilled, you won't face jail time. They will most likely terminate you ..." He trailed off, struck by a thought.

"Sit down."

The man complied, looking up at his savior pacing the floor. It occurred to him that he didn't even know the doctor's name. Was any of this real? Had he lost his mind, or was he trapped in a surreal dream? What kind of bizarre world had he stumbled into?

"Dear God," he prayed, "help me! Don't leave me alone out here."

"... a brief overview of what has transpired since your imprisonment. Are you listening?"

"Uh... yeah..." the man began. "You mean the nuclear war and..."

"OK, Millennial," interrupted the doctor. "No, I'm referring to things vital for your survival. Now listen... it might already be too late."

The doctor glanced at the door, satisfied that they wouldn't be interrupted just yet, and resumed pacing.

"Listen, let's start with the most vital: you must refrain from discussing people's gender, sexuality, faith, or anything else that distinguishes them."

"Everything is protected. You must... avoid anything personal. There are ways to navigate it, but you won't know them. If you use outdated language from a half century ago, you'll land in serious trouble."

"Do you hear me? Don't mention someone's race, gender, beliefs, or politics..."

"Just steer clear of it. Understand?" The doctor scrutinized the man, awaiting a response.

"Yes, I got it." It was evident that he didn't.

"Don't refer to someone as a man or a woman. Don't comment on their age or physical appearance... You won't encounter many overweight individuals, but that's another story..." the doctor trailed off.

"Just don't say anything!

"Look, these days you can do almost anything. Actions that were illegal when I was a child are now perfectly normal. Even your previous crime is no longer significant, but hate speech is. Do you understand?"

"What?" the man was bewildered. "At my hearing someone said that my offense was..."

"Listen. The bottom line is that you cannot utter words that might offend someone, or else you'll end up in jail... and in your case, old man, you'll simply be executed. If a doctor like myself examines you, we won't be able to guarantee your survival for at least five years. Consequently, you will be terminated. Period. Got it?"

The man's head spun. How could... it no longer be considered a crime? This must be a terrible dream.

He shook his head, attempting to focus. The doctor was still speaking rapidly...

"... the outside. It's probably all I can do for you. The air is barely breathable out there. If you don't have a mask, you need to breathe through multiple layers of clothing... do whatever it takes to obtain a mask."

"A mask?"

"You'll die within 72 hours without one."

"But why? What's wrong with the air?"

"Quiet! Listen. The world you knew is gone. The United States you grew up in has transformed into... a totalitarian state," his voice took on a different tone. His gaze fixed on the table, as if talking to himself. "There is no longer any freedom or democracy. It's no longer a republic, even though they still call it one. It's a dictatorship.

"You have no rights.

"Remember that," he turned his attention back to the man. "So, you need to keep a low profile. Don't offend anyone. Don't break any laws. Just don't say anything you don't need to."

"Okay, I can do that."

"Right. That will likely be impossible for you. Proceed slowly and cautiously. Observe what everyone else is doing and try to emulate them. Much of what was once considered normal is now illegal. Attempt to blend in. Keep a low profile and mimic the behavior of others."

The man raised his hands. "But what's wrong with the air? Why was it so strange outside?"

"That's because our entire planet is polluted, especially the cities. Listen, I can't provide a complete history, but the bottom line is that people lost trust in the government and the scientific community... global cooling, global warming, climate change, oxygen depletion, climate disruption, toxic oceans..." He sighed. "And then came the vaccinations. Oh, man, that's what caused most of the population to perish. A few celebrities exposed the lies, a few influencers pointed out how the science kept changing and scientists failed to predict the future accurately..."

He started talking to himself again.

"Sadly, nobody trusted any of us for years. A few scandals, a few documented lies, and centuries of trust in scientists evaporated."

"And then, of course, the tipping point was when the President..." He seemed to remember his audience once more. "He wasn't the President back then, of course. He gave the world his trash-to-oil conversion machine.

"That was the final straw. Now everyone converts their waste into fuel, eliminating concerns about natural resources."

"The good news is there's no shortage of energy. The bad news is..."

The door swung open with a loud bang.