2150 Total Integration
By
Michael Gray
Smashwords Edition
******
Published By:
Michael Gray at Smashwords
2150 Total Integration
Copyright © 2010 Michael Gray
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Chapter One
It’s Monday
Driving to the laboratory through some of the worst weather conditions I’d ever experienced made me think about why I was doing this. Monday as the first working day of the week had never inspired me to jump out of bed, but I was committed to my current preoccupation, so I made the effort. Made no difference that I was pathological about finishing the project, the house was empty and there was nobody else to worry about. I’d not ventured into the high maintenance luxury of marriage again and there wasn’t a current girlfriend. Leading a Cryo project was all time consuming but worth every minute. Pulling into the Research Centre’s car park I noticed the excessive amount of water gushing off the mountain’s rock face around the building, was actually forming waterfalls cascading into the car park! Something I’d not seen before. I spent most of my time hidden away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in this research establishment, cleverly built into the side of a mountain in northern Wales, UK. My team viewed me as Cryo guru but I was just enthusiastic about my work and had gathered together a talented group with a similar outlook. The team wasn’t large it didn’t need to be as the mechanics of cryogenics is confined to just a few sciences. I’d spent months trawling universities and research projects for the right people to cope with my exacting demands and sometimes short fuse, but I made sure the sign on my office door didn’t make me unapproachable. It read ‘Professor Mika Gerey – Research Centre Director’. Out in the general office I walked over to the youngest in our team, sat at his desktop workstation he looked up from his screen and grinned. ‘When are we testing it for real, boss?’ John easily held his own with the more senior members, a semi-serious nineteen year old with a mischievous tendency but a lot of talent and a bright future in front of him.
‘You pushing me boy?’ I smiled to make sure he didn’t misconstrue my reaction and he refocused on his workstation’s screen. ‘The government’s Technology Department don’t appreciate being rushed and will withdraw funding if we make too much progress. It’s not good for future budget proposals.’ He looked up at me with a puzzled frown. ‘Not your worry my son, least not today anyway.’ I grasped his head and faced him back to the screen. This was a government sponsored project, attached to the European Space Agency. Some bright sparks in their organisation had visions of travelling further than Mars and it needed Cryogenics for the astronauts.
‘Weather’s bad out there!’ My senior assistant, Daniel Eden, had been monitoring the forecasts on his workstation. ‘A very nasty system is creeping up on us from the western Atlantic,’ he informed me and began biting his bottom lip. He’d neglected the schedule of checks I’d asked him to complete in favour of watching the storm’s progress. The climatic changes, predicted by scientists since the nineteen eighties, were becoming a reality. The storms we got in 2020 were scary stuff but I preferred to believe that we were relatively safe here, tucked under this mountain. Governments worldwide struggled with an increasing pressure from the electorate to maintain the status quo whilst tackling climate change, an impossible objective. There had been riots in many capital cities, but they made no sense as it was far too late and governments were helpless to avoid the effects of dramatic changes in the planet’s climate. I left the lab and made for the Centre’s entrance foyer. The reception guard looked at me and then through the plate glass frontage of the building at the gathering storm.
‘I wouldn’t go out there Professor Gerey!’ He shook his head as he said it. I raised my hand in acknowledgement.
‘Don’t worry George, I’ve no intention of doing so but I need to know if I can risk sending the guys home.’ He shrugged his shoulders.
‘Hard to say but if you’re going to you need to do it soon, it’s getting worse by the minute.’ On the way back to the lab I decided they needed to go, but there was one more task I wanted completed before they left. Back in the lab I popped my head around the main office door.
‘Jem, come and help me calibrate the Cryo’s gas release, please.’ Jemma, a Cryogenics PhD had contributed extensively to the set-up of the chamber.
‘On my way, Mika.’ Very attractive, tall and leggy, I’d always thought she could make a success in modelling. She’d have been devastated if I’d ever admitted it. We were making final adjustments to a Cryogenic chamber, powered by a new technology I’d perfected, after finding a way to tap the energy in our planet’s gravitational field. It was low level power but it was inexhaustible, I’d named it Magnacell. The concept was new. I’d developed a system of life support that supplied nutrients to the occupant, albeit in very small quantities and only when it detected a life threatening level in the occupant’s body. We didn’t know how long this would keep a human alive, but tests had easily reached a five year duration period with minimal depletion of supplies. The chamber had been proven using small animals and we were waiting on the volunteer human guinea pig, who’d agreed to some short term testing. I was disappointed that he’d not turned up as arranged but we had a fall-back plan. We had a second volunteer, but there was some extensive environmental testing to complete first.
The racket outside made my thoughts wander back to the climatic chaos raging overhead as I considered the options. It’s a strong building but what would I do if the Research Centre couldn’t take it? I glanced around the lab. There’s not much here.., the cryo chamber, maybe? A rumble from somewhere overhead made my thoughts switch to how my sister and brother-in-law were coping with the extreme conditions we’d created by our abuse of the planet. My sister was married to an electrical engineer, with whom I’d had numerous debates on life, politics, the universe and my house wiring. I had a lot of confidence in his judgement to keep them both safe and made a mental note to call when this storm had passed over. Watching Daniel it was obvious that his nervous system was in overload. He was fixated by global news reports, which were telling of mass fatalities as weather conditions exceeded all known limits and were simply cleansing areas of the planet’s surface of human habitation. The weather reports on his workstation were recording climatic conditions humans hadn’t seen before. Rainfall no longer adequately described the amounts of water being moved around by winds of two hundred mph plus. The Ice Cap melt along with an accelerated release of methane from ocean warming, plus the defrosting tundra, was completing the sequence of events that scientists had predicted. Nothing we did now would stop this dramatic change in our planet’s climate. I shuddered at the thought that this was just the beginning of what lay in the future, and again drew a small comfort from the knowledge that we were partly protected by the mountain above us...little did I know. I’d told everyone to go home except Dan and Elizabeth. They were the team’s expertise on human physiology and were both highly qualified medical scientists working on the effects of stasis on human tissue. I’d always found it slightly strange to see people with significantly different physical attributes make it in a successful relationship. With Liz at about five feet four and Dan topping out at six feet three I couldn’t help smiling to myself whenever they entered the room together. Evenso, I wouldn’t have wanted to lose either of them from the team. They acknowledged my concern and agreed to leave. A couple of hours later the barometer was almost bursting its tubes and pressures were actually causing the building to vibrate. Daniel shouted above the roar outside.
‘They’re saying that this storm system is huge and covers most of Europe and part of North Africa. Reports are estimating over two million have already been wiped out by this, there’s something bad happening out there.’ Although I’d earlier dismissed the team and insisted they go home, Daniel had wanted to stay. I’d suspected that he’d been afraid to venture outside and right now, I felt the same. I tried to ignore the chaos by concentrating on our project tasks. It was now late afternoon and the vibrations had increased and were causing laboratory equipment to collapse. Windows began shattering. The building was a strong construction but I was watching the ceiling crack. Daniel saw it too and was panicking.
‘Get out!’ I screeched at him. ‘If this place collapses we certainly won’t survive.’ He shot a questioning glance at me. ‘Now, get out now!’ He ran for the door but disappeared under a large section of ceiling that had detached from the roof.
‘Oh no..., my god, no!’ He couldn’t have stood a chance. I buried my head in my hands. Mixed with the rising fear in me, was a gut wrenching nausea. Daniel was a good friend as well as colleague. My despair was overridden by an earth shaking vibration, accompanied by a low frequency rumble. The lights were failing and more of the ceiling was falling to the floor. Large cracks were snaking down the walls and water supplies had ruptured, pouring a fountain into the middle of the room.
It flashed through my Mind. If this is an earthquake, this could be it, I won’t survive in here. I shot a glance around the lab, looking for a way out, feeling totally helpless but hopeful of some miracle then I remembered the Cryo chamber. It wasn’t a small device and as a space saving measure, had been sighted in a natural alcove in the rock face of the mountain. If this was my destiny then so be it, but there might be a chance that it would offer some protection. This was no time to get choosey. I’d have to chance that I’d be found later. I clambered over the large chunks of ceiling now strewn across the floor, climbed into the Cryo chamber and closed the lid. Closing the lid sealed the chamber and activated the Cryogenic system. I knew this but could see no alternative apart from a painful and traumatic death. After I’d attached the sensing and minerals feed to my arm the chamber began its cooling phase and the anaesthetic gas made me drowsy. I’d often wondered what the sensation would be like. The computer enhancement calculated my body mass and adjusted the conditions to suit. As I’d set no time parameter it assumed infinity. During the last few seconds of consciousness I watched the destruction of the laboratory through the chamber’s inspection portal. As consciousness slipped away I had visions of Daniel’s last moments and shivered thinking will I see blue sky again? A strange reaction but maybe it equates to a survival instinct?
I opened my eyes and attempted to focus, no detail only patches of light and dark but I could just make out the silhouette of someone standing next to me. He spoke.
‘How are you feeling?’ I tried to respond but my lungs could only produce wisps of breath across my lips which carried no sound. I can’t speak! Panic rose in me.
‘Don’t worry, this will put that right.’ He placed a small metal disc on my neck and another on my chest. I tried to focus on his face but didn’t yet have sufficient control over my eyes. Evenso, it was obvious that he was studying me for a reaction. Is he a doctor? Half an hour later my vision had improved some and his shoulder length blonde hair and medium build became obvious. Somewhere around his mid-late thirties I guessed. He responded to my probing stare through weakened eyes.
‘You...er, you’ve been asleep for a while.’ Even with a fog in my head I could sense that he was a bit uneasy. My throat was feeling warm and prompted a coughing fit. When it subsided I had a voice, well, more like a toad with laryngitis, actually.
‘Where am I? Is this the UK Research Centre?’ My voice crackled like an ancient valve radio reception. ‘Has the storm subsided?’
He drew a long breath. ‘No, you’re not in the UK.’ He watched closely for my reaction and I could just make out his facial features produce a deep frown, which would become very familiar to me in time. ‘Please don’t be concerned, you are quite safe here.’
Some hours later I opened my eyes and became aware of softly spoken questions.
‘Are you awake? How do you feel?’ My companion was leaning over me and had placed another disc on my forehead. My throat felt less sore and I was more able to form some sentences and my vision was sharper.
‘I feel a bit stronger; did the storm do much damage?’
He raised his eyebrows in a questioning expression. ‘I’m not sure what storm you mean, can you expand on that?’
‘The storms created by the changes in climate that were predicted.’ He looked confused.
‘What year are we talking about?’
Is he kidding? ‘2020 of course,’ I couldn’t reconcile his apparent confusion. He caught his breath.
‘Oh my god, I think I know what you mean. Do you feel strong enough to cope with some difficult news?’ What could be more difficult than the catastrophe that’s just happened? It occurred to me as I nodded.
‘The storm you experienced was just the beginning. The building you were in was mostly buried by a partial collapse of the mountain. Ironically, it actually protected you from the changing climatic conditions. They increased in ferocity until, by around 2048, they had killed around a third of the human global population and destroyed large areas of civilisation.’
What’s he talking about? ‘2048..., killed a third..., what’s going on?’ I was lying on my back and tried to raise myself from..., there’s nothing underneath me, but I can feel a couch or something. He could see my confusion and gently pressed me back into a prone position.
‘Please, you’ve got to allow your body to recover slowly’.
I must have lost consciousness again because the next time I opened my eyes I was alone, feeling more awake and a little stronger but I still couldn’t stand. A cursory sweep of my surroundings told me something wasn’t right! More oddities became apparent as I scanned around the room. There were no sharp angles where the walls met the ceiling and I couldn’t locate any doors. No obvious lighting fixtures but the ceiling appeared to be emitting a light as bright as day. An absence of furniture, except for the transparent bed I was lying on, gave the room a clinical atmosphere. Everything was one colour...white. Even more strange! Next to me and exactly mirroring my body and movements, was a sort of holographic projection. It lay prone as I did and showed all my bodily functions through a transparent skin, including my beating heart. There were numerical values next to vital areas, which changed in rhythm with my pulse and breathing.
This doesn’t look like any hospital I know. ‘Where the hell am I?’ I shouted as loudly as my voice would allow. ‘Oh no!’ The guy looking after me had just walked through a wall. My brain fought with what my eyes were telling it. ‘This can’t be real, who are you, what is this place?’ I was in panic mode again. He put a hand on my shoulder.
‘It’s alright, calm down and I’ll explain’. I didn’t have the strength to do anything else. He checked the readings on the hologram next to me. ‘Do you want to talk?’ I nodded. It was still easier than talking. ‘I’m Jodi Anderson, I live here and you are in my house as my guest.’ My face contorted as I squinted in an effort to focus.
‘I just imagined you walking through a wall, what have you done to make me hallucinate?’ He again put a hand on my shoulder in a gesture of reassurance.
‘You’re not hallucinating, what you saw is a reality. The explanation is simple but you’ll find it difficult to accept at first.’
Find it difficult? He’s got to be kidding after what has just happened. I again tried to sit up. He attached another small disc to my right temple and the room faded.
Sometime later I woke up to find myself still in this fantasy world, maybe it wasn’t a dream?
‘I’m sorry, I had to sedate you. You were experiencing a metabolic overload, how do you feel now?’
‘Mmm...I’m better,’ I croaked. My voice was still pretty rough. ‘Who did you say you are?
He smiled momentarily. ‘I’m a research scientist specialising in human biotics, or put another way I work on the advancement of human capabilities through technology.’
I interrupted. ‘But there’s no such thing.’
His smile returned. ‘There is now. You are in what used to be central Europe, now known as Ecee, which I believe is a corruption of the old European Community name.’ He hesitated and raised his eyebrows. ‘I can’t delay this any longer. Nothing will make sense if you’re not told.’
‘Told what?’ He drew a deep breath and stretched his lips across his teeth in a grimace.
‘This will seem impossible but in time you are in what was your future, the year... is 2150!’
I croaked and choked because I couldn’t scream. He was anticipating it and repeated the hand on shoulder reassurance gesture. ‘Don’t worry, you’re ok, really you’re ok and in amazingly good shape considering you have been in stasis for one hundred and thirty years.’ Even with my head in a fog his words pierced my Mind like a laser and made me choke again as I tried to rationalise what he’d said. My brain functions were slowly recovering and he was right, I couldn’t accept it. A hundred and thirty years in stasis, how is that possible?
I laid there with my mind searching for something familiar but my memory was shot. Vague fragments of images here and there, but I understood his words. Confusion reigned and the new reality made the blood drain from my face. He’d noticed this.
‘You may not have all your memories. Stasis can preserve biological tissue but it’s not clear what happens to the brain’s electromagnetic energy over such a long period. Nobody has ever survived that length of time before.’ His expression lightened to a smile. ‘Even so, you are recovering well.’
I don’t understand. I didn’t have enough awareness to be truly shocked by what he was saying. He continued.
‘You were found by one of our archaeological teams, who were excavating a site in the old UK. They found you in the remains of what appears to have been a research centre. That Cryogenic chamber saved your life. Luckily for you, the power system on the chamber was a prototype Magnacell. This technology was the prime reason you survived when the centre disappeared under a gigantic land slide during one of the super storms of that time. Fortune was really smiling on you. The Magnacell continued to function until we dug you out, but I’m struggling to make sense of how we found you... in a Cryogenic Chamber. Can you remember anything of those moments? What were you doing, experimenting on yourself?’ I tried hard to recall the circumstances that had saved my life. Substitute...I remembered! I coughed, choked and croaked.
‘Substitute, I remember substitute.’
‘What, you filled in for somebody?’ I nodded and did another toad impression.
‘Didn’t turn up, bad storm, but I jumped into the cryo chamber because there was nowhere else to go.’ Jodi was excited at the prospect that I might have retained full recall. ‘That’s excellent! Very promising, it’s looking like your memory is still intact.’ He grinned.
‘Well, whoever it was did you the biggest favour they possibly could. In any event, it’s a great privilege and very exciting to be your host. Your presence here is not yet widely known but when it is there will be many people wanting to meet you.’ I suddenly had a flash of the laboratory being destroyed and Daniel’s fate. I struggled to control my saliva again.
‘Did they find another body in the wreckage?’ His expression dulled.
‘They found skeletal remains not more than twenty feet from where you were in the Cryo chamber.’ We sat quietly for a short while before Jodi broke the silence. His enthusiasm was obvious as he explained his reasons for being by my side when I’d gained consciousness. ‘I’m charged with looking after your needs and bringing you up to date with life in the twenty second century. What’s your name?’
‘Er…er...it’s...Mika, Mika Gerey’. That was difficult. I certainly had some way to go yet. Jodi recognised my difficulty and suggested I relaxed quietly and took time to consider what he’d told me. ‘I’ll be fascinated to hear about life that far back, when you’re ready.’ His words faded.
‘Yeah, ok.’ I turned my head to face him but he’d gone.
My Mind was clearing, which enabled me to try and order my thoughts and make rational sense of what he’d said but I still wasn’t able to accept the reality. His words kept repeating ‘You have been in stasis for one hundred and thirty years.’ My body was still weak and I must have dropped back into unconsciousness for some while because darkness now filled the space outside the windows. I scanned the room again to find Jodi, sitting at a sort of breakfast table arrangement, protruding from one wall. He smiled with eyebrows raised.
‘Hi Mika, how are you feeling?’ I was able to sit up and let my legs hang over the edge of the couch or whatever. My voice had improved a tad.
‘What have I been lying on? I can feel it but not see it.’ Jodi smiled again.
‘You are being supported by an anti-gravity field. It’s preferable to a solid surface, kinder on the body.’ Our previous conversation suddenly gushed back into my Mind.
‘I just can’t get my head around this. You said this is 2150, one hundred and thirty years in the future?’ His smile faded.
‘I did say that Mika and it’s true. You might remember the Magnacell that powered your chamber?’ I nodded and smiled to myself. I hadn’t yet told him it was my invention. I again inwardly smiled at the realisation that I’d remembered another snippet from a hundred and thirty years ago. ‘Well, it was able to maintain minimal conditions, which gave us enough to work with and successfully bring you out of stasis.’ The words, ‘which gave us enough to work with,’ sort of registered but I was later to learn the Mind blowing truth of what these words meant. His voice was beginning to echo. I had to lie down again or fall off the antigravity couch.
Two days later and more conversations with Jodi, plus a little help from some unfamiliar medical techniques, my strength was building and I was beginning to come to terms with my situation and gaining more memories. Jodi had explained how my burial must have been presumed fatal. The dominant preoccupation would have been survival and the rebuilding of the centres of civilisation. I was now strong enough to walk about the room and question what I was seeing. Where’s the door? My Mind was recovering a keen edge and I was taking more note of the detail of my surroundings. Jodi was sat at his breakfast table. There were no joints! It was as if the wall had reached out and formed a breakfast table from its own material. How do they do that? I couldn’t reconcile the technique. My host was enjoying a coffee. Mmm, that smells good.
‘How do I make a coffee, Jodi? He swung around and grinned.
‘This might be interesting,’ he said with a glint of mischief in his eye. He pointed to a wall position which contained a recess. ‘Go to the recess in the wall by the window and simply say coffee’. As I approached the recess it morphed into what looked something like the dispensing aperture in a coffee machine that I would recognise. The phenomenon startled me and made me hesitate. Jodi chuckled. ‘It’s ok, go on order a coffee.’ I spoke to it and a coffee materialised out of nowhere and sat steaming on the dispensing grill.
‘What...’ Jodi interrupted me.
‘It’s a Molecular Replicator; we call them Shapers because they can reproduce anything and everything. It’s a product of the convergence of computing, molecular scanning, nano-engineering and human ingenuity. You won’t get a better coffee.’ I wasn’t completely ignorant of the technologies he’d mentioned but to see them put together like this was science fiction. I was beginning to cope with the fantastic. I had to, it was all around me. I cupped the coffee in my hands and felt relaxed for the first time.
’What day is it?’ I enquired.
‘It’s Monday, evening to be precise,’ he replied.
‘Oh right, the start of another week’s labour,’ I complained with a false intent. He smiled at my reaction.
‘Considering Monday as the first day of the working week hasn’t been relevant since the first of March 2080 when the work ethic was officially mothballed.’
This is another confirmation of my move through time. It ran through my Mind as he spoke.
‘Mothballed, how come?’ I asked.
‘The requirement to work was eliminated by the introduction of Shapers. This application of Nanotechnology provides us with everything we need and has been a catalyst for major change in human society.’ I glanced back at the ‘coffee machine’. There was nothing there, apart from the recess in the wall. It had become patently obvious that Jodi was telling the truth, which rekindled a sense of unease and panic in me. I listened in silence whilst making mental notes about my host. A one-piece garment, like a jump suit but there were no zips or studs. A blue colour which made me question if colour indicated status. He was clean shaven. Maybe the wrong words now? About five feet ten inches tall and carrying a well profiled muscular system. Pumps iron? Maybe a girlfriend? It occurred to me, one hundred and thirty years on and apart from his clothing, Jodi isn’t any different to my generation. I tuned back into what he was saying.
‘Not surprisingly, money became meaningless and quickly disappeared. An item’s value is measured by its usefulness.’
‘Are you telling me that everything is now sweetness and light?’ He grinned.
‘Not exactly, the darker side of the human psyche is still evident. There are pockets of individuals who are not content with everything ‘on a plate’ and employ pirated Shaper patterns, which produce objects, such as weapons and explosives. It has proven difficult to eliminate this criminal element but it’s a fraction of what it was historically. It’s interesting to speculate on why they still want to buck the system, but another time, maybe?’
I was fascinated. This had always been the stuff of my dreams and now it was reality. Jodi’s voice, again, captured my attention. ‘Domestic Shapers are loaded with a vast selection of patterns that cover all aspects of life. The traditional causes of crime for profit have been eliminated.’ Although I was becoming reconciled with my apparent time travel, his claims were seemingly exaggerated. I challenged his account of life in 2150.
‘Doesn’t all this just encourage people to become lazy? How do they motivate themselves to achieve anything?’ His reply was surprising.
‘That’s a reasonable assumption, but it’s not so. Living on the edge of life during the super storms really shook up the collective psyche. For a long time every human on the planet lived with the possibility that they might not be alive the next day. The preoccupations with greed and wealth became unimportant, survival was the priority. Replication has meant new opportunities and has released human energy for research and learning. It has enabled humanity to remodel itself and changed the focus. It fostered higher objectives and self analysis. The preoccupation with survival and the accumulation of material wealth is no longer present. Hunger, poverty and degradation have been eradicated.’ Jodi appeared to realise he was on a soapbox and shot a quick glance at me. If he was checking my attention level he needn’t, I was fully awake and highly motivated by the thought of what was in store. He closed his latest bulletin.
‘Life is relaxed. The pressures to achieve have been eliminated. We now consider ourselves to be one global race. Humanity’s relentless curiosity is now the primary force driving us forward.’ My Mind had cleared and renewed the need to clarify how this apparent Utopia worked.
‘So who looks after the essentials?’ I thought this would be the Achilles Heel in his idyllic world, but I was wrong. He was enjoying revealing the spectacular advances that had taken place in one hundred and thirty years.
‘The physical activities of building, maintenance and providing services are performed by artificial life forms or AI’s. These are also heavily employed in research and development but humans occupy all the management functions at the present time. We will talk more on the subject of artificial life form technology. It has become a very interesting and important aspect of human culture.’
There was so much I wanted to know. ‘I’m guessing that education is no longer confined to the earlier part of life now?’ He grinned again.
‘Why would it be? It’s on tap, whenever you need it. He mentioned that he was currently taking in quantum physics.
‘Are you serious?’ I said without thinking.
‘Why wouldn’t I be serious?’ he responded. It was the first time I had detected some irritation in his tone and he took the opportunity to reinforce the point. ‘Learning isn’t about burying your head in books or sitting in lectures halls any more. It’s an electro-biological process, during which, information is committed to memory via an interface implant, placed in our brain at birth. Connection to an educational database can save years of study. The instant nature of learning now means the data is all cutting edge.’ I was getting itchy feet. I’d been cocooned in this room for over four days now and despite the windows, had little idea of what things looked like on the outside. I wanted to ask how I would leave this room, as there were no doors and I didn’t possess the ability to walk through walls, but Jodi wouldn’t be diverted.
‘Mika, we have all the time you want to go wandering about and I’m guessing you may be interested in what I was going to say next.’
‘Ok...Ok. I give in, you carry on.’
‘I was going to suggest that it may be possible to fit you with an implant!’
This revelation really fired my imagination. ‘Now that would be impressive, what’s this interface implant? He smiled.
‘It’s a Biomech interface. That means it’s a combination of human tissue and molecular circuitry that is positioned adjacent to the Cerebellum and Hippocampus. It makes primary connections with these two brain elements, but with all the other functional elements, too. Once established it can communicate with external sources and becomes an omni-directional data highway into the brain.’
‘Does it mean that I would be able to bone up on today’s knowledge as well?’
‘I’m not sure, mused Jodi.’ I couldn’t have known at the time that he was considering my physiology might not be capable of accepting the implant. ‘We will have to consult the Biotechs.’
‘Consult the what?’
‘The Biotechs.’ He repeated with a hint of irritation. I detected he was becoming just a little frustrated with the lengthy explanations needed for what he considered everyday terminology. ‘The AI’s I told you about earlier, artificial intelligence, cybernetic beings, if you will. In this century they have replaced the human medical profession and others. A Biotech will assess your brains ability to take an implant.’
I had to ask as I didn’t relish remaining a twentieth century ignoramus.
‘What if it can’t?’
‘Just wait and see there may be other options.’ Jodi bit his lip and screwed his nose up as he finished the sentence, he’d said more than he had intended.
Chapter 2
I Won’t Forget Today
‘Come on, now that you’re obviously feeling better, I’ll show you a few things. You’ll need to know the fundamentals in order not to make any serious or embarrassing mistakes. We’ll start with travel in 2150,’ he offered in an effort to divert my focus from the implant technology, he’d prematurely let slip.
I stood up and flexed a few muscles. I felt good and I wondered what magical medical procedure had enabled my body to recover so quickly. Jodi stepped into a wall. Whoa! My Mind reeled at the phenomenon. I called him.
‘Jodi! Wait for me, how do I do that?’ He stepped back with just the top half of his body protruding through the wall and grinned.
‘I’m sorry, not thinking. The wall’s material is ‘intelligent’. It’s programmed to change its molecular structure when it senses a human approaching.’
I thought about this. ‘Er, doesn’t that mean that anyone can walk into your house?’
He laughed. ‘Only public buildings permit that. Private accommodation is more selective and coded for specific humans. Just walk through. I’ll explain more later...c’mon.’ He disappeared. Trembling, I stood within arm’s length and reached out. Sure enough, the wall reacted by becoming fluid as my hand and forearm penetrated the area I’d been touching. Suddenly, there was a tug on my arm and I stumbled through the structure. Jodi let go of my arm and tried to hide his amusement. As the shock subsided I too had to laugh at my innocence.
Jodi led me out of his accommodation area. My second encounter with 2150 structural technology was leaving the building. We reached ground level and approached a section of the ‘glass’ wall, from which all buildings seemed to be constructed. Jodi looked back and signalled me to follow. Again, he passed through the wall without hesitation but this time, I could see him outside. He was making vigorous signals for me to join him. I moved up to the wall, squeezed my eyes shut and stepped forward. When I opened them, I was outside. I’d felt nothing. Jodi enquired if I was ok with a grin on his face. I looked back at the structure. It could be likened to a group of glass tubes, of varying diameters and stood on end, with no obvious supporting architectural members.
The geography of the conurbation was also unexpected. There were no streets or roads as such. The nearest comparison for me would have been a recreational area or holiday complex. The alien architecture was interposed with rolling countryside with abundant flora and fauna. The air was sweet and the sky crystal clear, with a total absence of the by- products of combustion from any form of industry. I was mesmerised by the scene in front of me and already had no inclination to go back to my time, even if it were possible.
Later, back in Jodi’s accommodation, the thought ran through my Mind as I relaxed in a chair that had formed from the floor. It is possible, we don’t need to ravage planet Earth to survive and develop. Why didn’t we understand this earlier? I suddenly realised that I was actually struggling to stay awake and had a distinct impression that the chair had something to do with it..nah, surely not?
Yesterday’s excursion outside had whetted my appetite, I wanted more. Jodi suddenly materialised through a wall
‘Oh shit!’ I immediately apologised. ‘Sorry, but that gives me an eppy, every time you do it.’
Jodi screwed his nose up. ‘Eppy?’
I smiled, ’I’ll explain later.’
My host laughed. ‘And you think walking through walls is peculiar?’ We sat at the breakfast bar with replicated coffee and toast. ‘So what about you? What’s your background?’ Jodi had been itching to ask. I raised my eyebrows and made a trumpet with my lips while I gathered my response. ‘Well, I was born in 1986 in what had become a suburb of Greater London, a place called Croydon. No surprises in my upbringing but I did realise at an early age, I had a passion for science and technology and probably more so for aviation. My parent’s socioeconomic background,
Jodi interrupted me. ‘Whoa, big word, hang on I’ll have to check the database.’ He laughed as he said it.
‘I didn’t say that I’d received a poor education!’
He waved my protest away. ‘Oh please, continue.’
‘Thank you, now, what was I saying before being so rudely interrupted? My parents were not in a position to indulge my aviation ambitions and by the time I’d finished primary education, computing technology and it’s interaction with science had diverted my attention. This later took me through college where I got my PhD and then a specialisation in Cryogenics. I’d been at that research centre about four years when the big storm happened.’
‘It must have been nasty to live with all that pollution?’ Jodi was hungry for information. I grimaced as I recalled our complacency.
‘That became the problem, everyday life wasn’t unpleasant and pollution not obvious for us as individuals. Indicators like the Polar Ice Caps melting were telling us to back off, but governments didn’t have the balls or motivation to institute the drastic changes needed. A favourite response was that it was natural for the climate to periodically adjust. I used to think how stupid this was as scientific evidence showed how drastic natural climatic changes could be and had the potential to eliminate us. The petrochemical industry and certain others also exerted great influence to maintain the status quo.’
‘Fascinating.’
Jodi was hooked but I had other ideas. ‘Never Mind that, can we go touring again, please?’ He chuckled and got up from the breakfast bar and somehow, brought up one of those holographic projections of his body, read the data and closed it. I watched, remembering my earlier experience. I’ll ask later.
‘Ok, I’m ready,’ he breezed, ‘this way.’ I followed him through walls and outside to another of those glass tubes. This one was approximately three metres high and about two metres in diameter. ‘Step in’ he quipped.
‘Step in where?’ I challenged.
‘Anywhere will do.’ He disappeared through the wall of the tube, which closed after him. I could see him inside beckoning me to do the same. Still hesitant, I edged up to the glass and put my hand on the surface. It became fluid and I joined Jodi inside. He grinned, which annoyed me a little. After all, I’d just awoken from a hundred and thirty years deep sleep, everything was so different. My acclimatisation wasn’t going to happen overnight.
My new friend again broke my train of thought. ‘Where do you want to go Mika?’
‘Er…right, what about the Moon?’ I asked, thinking I was being very clever.
‘Yep, that’s not a problem.’ He replied with no hesitation. Before I could recover from his response he had spoken a command reference. ‘Destination: Lunar: 484: Jodi Anderson: AE2299’. What happened next will always be with me. My vision broke up and then failed completely. A second of pure white light and I was able to refocus. I caught my breath, I couldn’t believe my eyes. We were standing in another glass tube and outside a scene similar to the one we’d left but the whole location sat inside a gigantic bubble-like structure, I gasped. Through the bubble I could see Earth, hanging there in the blackness of space and so beautiful, we had transported to the Moon! It took me a while to balance my thoughts.
‘You ok?’ enquired my host.
‘Yeah, no sweat,’ I responded quickly, not wishing to appear incapable.
‘Don’t worry, it’ll pass.’ He could see I was still trembling and led me out of the transit cubicle or Travicube, as I came to know them. He again, began the task of updating my understanding. We were standing in Lunar settlement 484, which had been established back in 2097, but considerably enhanced in the years since. Spectacular! I was gobsmacked. Engineering like that just wasn’t possible back in my time. The enclosure must have been ten miles in diameter and at least a mile high at the centre with no internal supports. It even had its own cloud system. Jodi saw me studying the structure and answered my question before I’d asked it!
‘Yep, that’s a one-piece intelligent construction material also. It’s helped to maintain its shape and rigidity by the strategic placement of high power antigrav pads, adapted to compensate for the low lunar gravity.’
‘How many people are there?’ I asked.
‘At the last count about twenty five thousand, not including Transients.’
‘Transients?’
‘Yeah, people who are using the settlement as a jump-off-point for Mars and the outer Solar System. We haven’t extended the Earth network that far yet, so they are waiting for Shuttles.’ I bathed in the technology, such elegance without contrived design compromises.
I thought back. ‘It was expected that the International Space Station would be used as a launch point for lunar projects, did that happen?
‘It did, in fact without the station I’m not sure this base would be quite as developed as you see it now. The materials, for the most part, were sourced on the Moon but the kit needed to do that was built at the orbital station.’ I thought back to the way that governments considered the space station as an expensive scientific exercise, rather than a very necessary component of human development. Scanning the heavens outside I spotted another object that looked artificial. The distance was too great to be able to accurately decipher what it was and I assumed it was space junk but later found out how wrong I’d been.
The next morning we were relaxing in Jodi’s accommodation, with a replicated coffee. Jodi was sitting at his breakfast table. I knew he was studying me but didn’t let on. I tested him.
‘Have you formed any opinions about your ancestors yet?’
He screwed his face up. ‘What?’
‘What’s your feeling about your house guest?’
He smiled as he realised what I was doing. ‘Well, I’m amazed that humanity has been able to survive for so long.’
‘Touché,’ I conceded his progress in mastering the word games I played. He was a fast study and apparently enjoyed the ‘word fencing’ I’d brought with me from my past life. I was keen to see more 2150 wonders and made it known. ‘Where are you taking me today?’
He rubbed his eyes and took a sip from his coffee before answering. ‘Do you want to take a look at the Starship Project?’ He now knew which of my ‘buttons’ to press.
‘What?’ I made him ask again.
‘I said, do you want to see the Starship Project?’
Do I want...? Was the Pope Catholic? A Starship? My Mind reeled. This possibility overloaded my emotional capacity. My eyes moistened and I buried my face in my hands as I sank back into the deep curves of the chair.
‘What’s the matter Mika?’ Jodi was becoming quite concerned at my display of emotion.
‘I’m alright,’ I tried to reassure him. ‘It’s just that this was the stuff of my dreams back in my time and I’m having difficulty taking in the reality of it now.’
‘I’m sorry my friend, I’m not thinking.’ He tried to correct his perceived lack of consideration. ‘It’s obviously an enormous adjustment to make, another time, maybe?’
‘No way!’ I almost shouted. Please, I’ll be ok, promise.’
Jodi’s worried expression faded. ‘You have some strange ways of showing pleasure. Emotions seem to be just under the surface with your generations.’
I’d regained my composure and responded. ‘Without emotion humanity would be lacking compassion and be much poorer for it. It’s apparent that you have developed more control of your feelings in this century.’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Yeah, maybe, let’s go.’ We made for the nearest Travicube and repeated yesterday’s visit to the Lunar settlement but this time, took another Travicube. I wasn’t mentally prepared for what confronted us at the destination.
Cradled in a gigantic space dock was the Starship Adventurer. My legs lost their muscular tension and I almost collapsed. Jodi caught my arm.
‘She’s a beauty, isn’t she?’ He made no effort to conceal his pride. At over two thousand metres in length and weighing in at one and a half million metric tonnes, this wasn’t small scale engineering. Sunlight glistened with highlights on her unblemished hull, making her look every bit a craft capable of galactic travel. Her contours were not unlike the Anglo-French Concorde of my era, aerodynamic to allow her to also negotiate planetary atmospheres. I was in love.
‘Hello, are you still with us?’ Jodi had recognised my obsession with this technological marvel. He tugged at my arm. ‘Ok, we can’t hang about here today. We shouldn’t be here at all really but we’ll come back, I promise.’ My Mind was crammed with images, which exceeded my childhood dreams. I could not have improved on what I had just seen even in my most inventive imagination. Leonardo DaVinci would probably have felt like I do now had he been transported to the late twentieth century, it was overpowering. Jodi had to physically drag me away.
It was mid evening back in Ecee and we relaxed in what I took to be Jodi’s lounge or the equivalent. The image of the starship was burned into my Mind. It occurred to me that there must have been a progression through design and technique to reach that level of sophistication. I questioned its origins.
‘Jodi, the starship is presumably the cutting edge of contemporary space travel. What has gone before to enable the construction of such technology?’
He put his coffee down and found a more comfortable position in his chair. ‘Chemical propulsion, the only drive system back in your century, was superseded by Plasma and Ion drives. These were fairly primitive but an improvement on what was basically a big firework. Photon propulsion then became the in thing, but was replaced about forty years ago by a breakthrough in the science of antimatter physics. This has gradually been improved and along with the other technologies we’ve perfected, now gives us the ability to begin travelling the galaxy.’ I swallowed hard at the thought of travelling to other star systems and possibly meeting alien species. Jodi could see me mentally struggling with his revelations and allowed himself a small smile of amusement. ‘Probes tell us that there are space/time fluctuations or wormholes if you like, out there, which may permit jumps across large distances, light years probably, but we’ve yet to encounter one face-to-face.’ I was mesmerised, this was nectar to me, stuff I’d only dreamed about. He pointed to the Shaper and suggested I try some food. I suddenly realised that I’d not eaten anything since waking up! ‘How is it that I’ve not felt hungry up until now?’ Jodi’s now familiar grin consumed his face.
‘No secret, your body’s been fed nutrients by the treatment I’ve administered but it’s not good to maintain it for a protracted period. Ok, this might interest you,’ he said with another wry grin. ‘Food is what you want it to be. You can specify type, quantity, preparation and presentation or leave it to the system, which will produce a preset style according to the stored pattern you choose, have a go’.
I stood in front of the Shaper like a child at a sweet counter. ‘Er, Mika Gerey. I’d like a salad, please.’
Jodi interrupted. ‘You don’t need to tell it your life story.’ He couldn’t stop grinning at my naivety but I was getting used to it. ‘It’s my personal unit so there’s no security scan or id needed. It’s molecular manipulation, you simply tell it what you want.’ Even though my stomach was a somewhat out of practice after a hundred and thirty years, it didn’t feel any different, I might have eaten yesterday. The ham salad that the Shaper had conjured up was good.
I relaxed back into the unidentified material of the very comfortable chair I was sitting in. It seemed to adapt to my shape and wrap around me in an intimate manner inducing a drowsiness, which I had to consciously resist. I looked up from watching the chair trying to seduce me and studied my host. He hadn’t noticed my close scrutiny so I made the most of the opportunity. His blue eyes were deep set in a suntanned face, which gave no obvious clue as to his age or origins. He wore no jewellery, no watch on his wrist and carried no portable device, like a smart mobile or touchpad.
‘Jodi, I’m curious, we used a small mobile device we carried around with us, how do you communicate with others who are not present?’
‘Er, well, there’s the Holocom and if we’re not inside a structure, then through the biotechnology we carry, we can order a projected Holocom for communications use only.’
‘Through the biotechnology we carry!’ That comment reminded me. ‘What about the biotechnology you carry?’ He smiled and held up an open hand, palm forward.
‘Later, we’ll talk about biotechnology when I’m not so tired.’
‘Ok, I’ll settle for what you do for entertainment?’
Jodi stopped sipping a green liquid, looked like Crème de Menthe but darker. ‘Oh, it’s right here,’ sweeping his arm in an arc to indicate the room we were in. ‘Holocom,’ he said in a medium loud voice. Immediately, a life-size, totally realistic visual appeared in the middle of the room. It was playing through multiple images of scenes, which I guessed were from almost everywhere on the planet. ‘Ecee news,’ he commanded. The visual responded accordingly and began displaying a sequence of news items local to the region. Jodi explained that all forms of data were available, informative, documentary, science, sport and so on. The Holocom was a communications device and a transit mechanism. In fact it was part of the Earth Network, which formed the basis of all transmissions and transfers of data, objects and humans about the planet and the Lunar base. The Travicubes were portals into this system. The Holocom interface was totally interactive which made it possible to participate, when it was in an appropriate mode such as entertainment. It provided a totally convincing alternative world, impossible to differentiate from reality. I could feel my resistance to the ‘chair’ weakening and eventually I must have succumbed, because the next thing I became aware of was my host shaking me by the shoulder.
‘Mika…Hi, good morning. Hope you enjoyed your rest, breakfast?’
‘Sorry Jodi, that chair is lethal I should have gone to bed.’ He grinned, no surprise there, it was his reaction to most of what I said.
‘We don’t worry about beds, in fact there are none in my house. What’s your preference for breakfast?’
‘English breakfast, please, eggs and bacon?’
He nodded acknowledgement. ‘A coffee I assume?’
‘Need you ask?’ I responded. Jodi logged the order with the Shaper. Less than two minutes later everything was on the breakfast table. We ate in silence, savouring the peace and quiet for the first five minutes. I marvelled at the quality and genuine taste and texture of the food. Jodi broke the silence.
‘Was the Magnacell your idea?’ He’d caught me slightly off balance, daydreaming about Starships.
‘Uh...? Oh yeah. I’d been researching the Earth’s magnetic field and its relationship with electrical energy when I discovered how to produce low level but unlimited energy, the Magnacell.’
He was obviously enjoying my comparative technical innocence but I was resigning myself to his superior knowledge and feeling more comfortable as time passed.
I was intrigued by the furniture though. ‘Tell me, can that chair I use influence the body or Mind in any way?’
He didn’t hesitate. ‘All objects in 2150 are constructed of intelligent materials. They are programmed to react according to the stimuli they receive. I think I’m right in stating that this science was in its infancy and being researched back in your time around the start of 2000AD. The chair you sit in is tuned to human physiology. It can detect your mood and respond, you were obviously very tired.’
It suddenly gelled. ‘Ah right, the glass.’ I’d just remembered what Jodi had said previously. ‘Like the walls of buildings, its reacting to our thinking, isn’t it? It possesses some intelligence.’ Jodi nodded confirmation.
I tested his acceptance of my presence in his house by ordering up the morning news on the Holocom. We watched the images with mild interest until it was announced that another ‘visit’ had occurred. Jodi sat upright and stared intently at the newscast.
‘What is it Jodi?’ I asked. He either didn’t hear me or wasn’t prepared to interrupt his concentration at that moment. The Holocom image changed to show what I deduced to be a spaceship landing in one of the countryside areas we’d visited yesterday.
‘Jodi, what’s going on?’ My manner was more urgent now I’d not seen Jodi so intent on anything in our time together so far.
‘Sorry Mika, I didn’t mean to alarm you.’ His face wore a serious demeanour, something else I hadn’t seen in him up until now. ‘This will sound fantastic to you but believe me, it’s very real. During the last few months Earth has been visited on several occasions by an alien species but we haven’t yet learnt how to communicate with them. This means we don’t know their intentions and its generating considerable concern, as you might appreciate. Apparently they have just arrived again and are demonstrating some irritation that we are unable to respond to their machinations.’
‘What’s the problem with communication?’ I enquired.
Jodi explained. ‘They communicate by varying the texture and colour of their skin in complex patterns and the nearest we can get to that are chameleons and some varieties of Earth insects.’
‘Not a lot of help, aye?’ I suggested. He shook his head and continued his explanation.
‘We are analysing our visual record of them to decode the system they use but it will take time. Just have to hope they are a patient species and even if they are not we have no idea of their destructive capability.’
A party of the aliens had decanted from their ship and were attempting more communication with a group of Earth Mentors. The Mentor, who appeared to be leading the Earth delegation, was making signs with his hands, some of which had definite links with my time period. I had to smile. He was pointing to the sky (an invitation to leave no doubt) and employed signage, which originated in the Anglo-French wars when English Longbow Archers showed the enemy that they still had their index and second finger, enabling them to pull a bowstring. I doubt the aliens recognised this symbol but they returned to their ship, literally very red faced and departed.
Good, they’ve left.’ Jodi’s relief was obvious as he relaxed noticeably. He’d seen my reaction to the alien confrontation. ‘What were you smiling at?’ he queried.
The smile returned to my face. ‘The Mentor heading the group used an ancient hand signal that was still in widespread use at the time of my ‘burial.’
Jodi grinned, too. ‘I think I know which one you mean.
‘Who are they?’
His smile faded. ‘We don’t know and until we can decipher their visual language we’ve nothing to go on.’
‘Not good?’ I offered.
He shook his head. Ok, what can I show you today?’ Back to his usual self, Jodi moved to the Holocom and spoke. ‘Personal.’ A menu of headings appeared from which he selected ‘Status’ followed by ‘Health’. Rather like a twentieth century intensive care monitor but overlaid on a see-through image of Jodi’s body, a number of readings were displayed indicating Jodi’s vital signs and other biological conditions.
‘Ah, so that’s how it works? It’s a medical monitor.’
He pursed his lips. ‘Well, yes, I suppose you would assume that but it’s actually a very powerful personal medical assistant and much more. I’m going to perform a body check before we leave home. It’s second nature to us in this century. Do you want one?’
I mentally cringed, just a little. ‘I’ll pass this time, maybe later.’ Something to conjure with, I thought to myself. I’d been introduced to the ‘Health Cubicle’ not long after my awakening. A necessity if one was to avoid considerable embarrassment although everything was dealt with by the magical technology that ran the Shapers.
We stepped through the glass wall and paused to take in the beauty of the surroundings.
‘I thought we might do the Community Centre today,’ offered Jodi.
‘Lead on McDuff,’ I responded.
‘Oh, I know that,’ he breezed with delight. ‘It’s an old twentieth century saying or even older isn’t it?’
‘Hey! I’m an old twentieth century baby if you don’t Mind,’ I protested. Jodi began to apologise but I smiled and enjoyed the moment. It was the first time I had been able to tease him and he acknowledged my success and grinned in reply.