A Timeless Journey (8 page)

10

That evening, the nerves got the better of me. I couldn’t settle and to take my mind off the interview, started to search on Holo for more information about the personal bio microchip. As my search jumped from one subject to another, the need to have an alcoholic drink grew uncontrollably. I was ready to beg anyone to buy me a drink, but whom? I didn’t know anyone in this reality. The Link wasn’t going to offer me any free credit, nor buy me a drink and I knew for a fact that my brand new PBM had no credit. How could it store credit since I haven’t had a single day’s work?

It was in this precise moment, as I desperately was thinking of a drink, when Link gave me the best news since my arrival. It informed me that I had been paid some credit for the time I had spent in this facility. I was entitled to a little sum of VC for each day I had spent locked in this place. The sum would be available once the subject has completed the enhancement therapy final test. Since I had successfully completed the final test yesterday, I had 1120 VC transferred to my PBM after it was installed in my head, ten credits per every day. The credit had been transferred automatically, as soon as the PBM status had become active within the main system.

Thrilled that I had quite a large sum in my personal virtual account, I rushed towards the cube and travelled at once to the commercial floor where the bar and restaurant area was located. Breathless and exited, I entered the first bar I encountered. I felt like an alcoholic who had been deprived of a drink for months. I was relieved when the scanners on both sides of the entrance allowed me to walk through.

Once inside, I felt lost for a while and took my time to observe the surroundings. Thinking as I would normally do in my old reality, I searched for the bar, or a waiter from whom I could order a drink. However, this wasn’t to be. There was no bar, just a row of vertical narrow screens placed near one of the bar’s boundary walls and lots of drinking booths around, some of which had no shield on.

I stood speechless in the middle of the drinkery, as people called the bars in the future, looking around for help. Five people were sitting in one of the open booths near where I stood, having a serious conversation. A couple sat in another open booth discussing about the projection of something showing on a handheld Holo device. Most of the other booths had their shields on and I knew there were people inside drinking. It was a good thing I had done some research on Holo about the bars and restaurants, as it prevented me from being totally confused!

The Link explained to me how to order a drink in this drinkery. It was a good thing that Link operated as a personal assistant among other things. Like most bars in the future, this was a self-service bar. I had to order and receive my drink by choosing from the drinks menu on one of the vertical screens. I started to browse the drinks menu with my finger. The large range of drinks, most of which I didn’t recognize, added more to the confusion.

After reading through the whole of the virtual beer menu, I chose the one that appealed to me the most, an ‘old fashioned’ lager. I expected this lager to be near to the 21
st
century’s taste. The space under the screen menu opened and dispensed a frozen beer glass with a handle on the side of it. The glass stood on a tray that came out from the bottom part of the vertical screen. Then, a pipe came out and filled the glass with beer. Before I had a chance to grab the beer glass, Link with its metallic voice informed me that I was charged 9.30 VC from my virtual account. I thought this was expensive for a beer.

Link explained that beer as well as the other alcoholic drinks was considered a leisure item. Due to the shortage of bio products that were required in making this particular drink, it made beer a costly pleasure. As for the reason why it was called ‘old fashioned’, Link explained as it read the health warnings.

In the future, the modern beer was a lot lighter, different in taste and also more expensive compare to the ‘old fashioned’ ones. The old fashion beers were brewed using the old methods from past centuries and the only reason these beers were still around, had to do with preservation of the past history of manufacture. The excessive drinking of old fashioned beers was an obesity hazard and in this reality and obesity was something every individual in the future took it as a serious health risk.

Thanks to the advanced medical science, the body fat could be removed in any genetic repair centre. The only obstacle was the high cost since it wasn’t covered by the free health care due to the individual’s responsible or irresponsible health choices. The reason for such a high cost was to make everyone aware of the consequences of ignoring the health risks rather than the realistic cost of treatment.

Once the Link stopped briefing me on the health risks, I started to wander around the drinkery floor with my beer in hand. My view appeared to be obstructed here and there by the raised shields in some of the drinking booths. Link explained that most people used the sealed drinking booths when they wanted privacy. In there they would choose the background they fancied and enjoy the drink by being virtually someplace else but also in privacy.

It wasn’t easy to focus on the purpose I walked in this establishment in the first place. Then I remembered I was still craving an alcoholic drink. I picked one of the empty drinking booths and took a seat. Before I activated the privacy shield to choose a view, I had a long sip of the cold beer. The taste and the feel of cold liquid running down my throat created a state of immense happiness, more than I had anticipated.

The beer had a lighter texture and the taste and smell was out of this world, a lot better than the beers in the 21
st
century. It was well worth the money I had paid. If this was an old fashioned beer, I couldn’t imagine how much more lighter and nicer the actual beer was and I had a feeling I was going to find out very soon, after finishing the first one.

Since I had missed Ripon, I selected a live view of my home town for the surroundings of the drinking booth. The never-ending view of a Mega City appeared in front of me. Everything had changed beyond recognition and some of the old buildings that had survived the last big war and the years of course, blended perfectly with the new ones in what I thought it was an architectural masterpiece. It wasn’t just the view that surprised and amazed me. The information that Link disclosed about the size of the city also left me astounded.

Ripon had now joined together with the nearest town of Harrogate and other towns and cities in the surrounding West Yorkshire area. The view came from some kind of drone travelling between the buildings at some considerate height. I sipped my beer slowly as I admired the tall skyscrapers and the blue and red lights that dominated the city skyline.

This city no longer resembled the place where I was born and raised and I thought it would be a better idea exploring other places as well. I thought of the view of London to see what had changed in this already-big city. Again the fusion of old and new was remarkable and very hard to describe it to someone who has never been to the future and seen it for itself.

The art of architectural engineering had developed beyond my understanding. This is why I am unable to explain how the old and the new structures appeared as if they were melted together. It was after midnight in the good old English isles and the London sky was lit by the infinite lights which covered almost every building surface like an illuminated blanket.

Link explained that most of the old London was vaporized during the last big war. It made sense that important cities like London, Paris, New York, Berlin, Moscow and many similar others were going to be a primary target in a chaotic world war. The old landmark buildings were rebuilt after the war using old photographs and videos found online.

Most of the skyscrapers I had seen so far were shaped like round cylinders and looked as if they were super giant pipes that rose out of the ground and pierced the clouds as they raced towards the sky. In between these skyscrapers were smaller modern buildings and a scattering of even smaller old fashioned buildings all of which lit by bright white, red and blue lights. The skyscrapers had in between every so many floors, a round black mechanism which controlled the gravity and protected the giant structures from earthquakes. Every building in the future had to have a gravity defying mechanism to keep it stable against earthquakes and sudden extreme weather conditions.

Occupied with admiring the sights around me, I didn’t realise I had already finished my beer. I decided to leave the drinkery and have a light modern beer with a meal in one of the restaurants. Thanks to my research on Holo, I knew all grade B restaurants covered every international dish known to man, well the modern man that is, not me.

I entered the first restaurant I came across and chose an eating booth. As soon as I sat down Link connected with the restaurant’s virtual menu and brought up a virtual screen on the table. Although I had longed for a real meal and I was eager to order, it took me fifteen minutes to decide what I wanted. The virtual menu was never-ending, but eventually I managed to find and order a grilled sirloin steak with air-fries, mushrooms and tomato, a proper old fashion steak and chips English dish.

As soon as I placed my order, a voice filled the booth and for the next five minutes I had to listen to the health warnings that came with consuming beef, salt and other products I had ordered. What I didn’t know at the time was that by simply saying the word ‘skip’, I could have stopped the automated health advice at the very start.

While I waited for my meal, I decided to order another beer and this time, it had to be a modern lager from 26
th
century. As soon as I placed my drink order on the virtual screen, the middle of the round table where I sat opened. A beer tap and an empty tall, thin glass in the shape of a flute, rose up from underneath. An automated voice asked me to confirm the percentage of alcohol in my blood in order to allow me to fill my drink. Link interacted with the drinks device confirming the percentage of alcohol in my blood before I was able to pour my drink.

The colour and the texture of the beer were similar to that of champagne and the taste was something literary out of this old world. Thanks to the modern technology, beers had evolved so much that it didn’t have anything in common with the ones we have in the 21
st
century. It had an exceptional taste and a pleasant aroma that I will never forget.

The meal also proved to be very tasty. I couldn’t understand at the time how they had managed to enhance the flavours to be way tastier than the ones we have in the 21
st
century. As usual, Link found it necessary to explain the reasons behind the great taste. Every food product, including meat and poultry, in the 26
th
century had to grow organically with the help of the advanced genetic science. The use of manmade chemicals and food preservatives was banned in the farming and food industry. The standard of every product was required to be of a high quality thanks to organic genetic modifications. In the 26
th
century, vegetation genetic modification had advanced beyond my comprehension and this was the reason the food tasted so good.

After the meal, I returned to my apartment with a big satisfactory smile on my face. How could I stop smiling? I have had the best evening since my arrival. The fact that I had some real food and most importantly, an alcoholic drink, had made me a very happy person.

The reminder of my old reality perks brought memories of my old life and the people I had left behind. I sat on the rest chair in my apartment and my mind couldn’t help but think the different scenarios that may have happened in the past three and a half months since I disappeared.

I couldn’t imagine the pain my parents were going through the entire time I had been missing. Probably they had given up searching for me and had resigned to the fact that I had die, drowned in sea.

What about Sophie? I wondered if she had moved on. I wondered if she had met someone else. At the time, I wasn’t sure anymore if I was ever going to get back my old life and even if I did manage to return, it might take months or even years before another anomaly appeared. By the time I would return, Sophie would have forgotten me and moved on.

Even if by some miracle, I would have managed to come across another anomaly, there was always the prospect of facing an alternate parallel reality, if the anomaly took me back to the same timeline I came from, that is. There was always the chance the anomaly might take me to a completely different timeline, like in the Middle Ages for example, or in the chaotic period after the last world war and I would be lost in time forever.

In the light of these disturbing revelations, I had to seriously start considering of building a new life in this reality and maybe, why not, finding someone to spend the rest of my life with. Although, I knew it was too early to think of planning a family in the 26
th
century, I couldn’t help worry what was coming for me in the next few months. Confused by the surreal thoughts, I gave up thinking and went to sleep in anticipation for my big day tomorrow.

11

When next morning arrived, my final interview became a frightful reality and the joys of the night before had all but disappeared. The thought of failing the interview sent shivers through my body. What would happen if I failed? Do they extend my sentence and make me study from the beginning, or do I simply repeat the test the next day and so on until I pass?

Soon, everything was going to become clear. After all, thinking too much and having doubts, wasn’t going to be a big help for me, since Link could read, register and report if necessary all my thoughts. The main system already had a report of my thoughts and my views about this reality and this interview was no more than a formality.

I entered, hopefully for the last time, the same room on level 28 where I had spent the last three months. In front of me, on the virtual screen, sat the same people I had faced on my first interview. Only this time, I was showing signs of nervousness instead of curiosity.

Despite my uncertainties about spending the rest of my life in this reality, the panel was satisfied with my test results and had agreed to release me into society to enjoy life as a free man. Unless my mind thought of a serious crime, I had no reason to return to the IEF ever again. As soon as I heard that I am to be free, my nerves relaxed and all my worries disappeared.

The panel asked where me to choose a residing place, giving me the choice to live anywhere on the planet. I had a difficult choice between where I was born, anywhere else in a world I didn’t recognise anymore, or in the city near the anomaly. Thinking of the anomaly and the possibility that it may appear again, I choose to stay in one of the tall residential buildings along the shore where I first appeared in this reality.

To my amazement, the panel agreed to my request, even though they knew my real intentions were to return to the 21
st
century. The panel had no choice but to accept my decision as it was my right to decide where I lived and the rights of every individual were highly regarded in the 26
th
century.

The way people treated and respected individual freedom in this reality was really inspiring. Not a single individual or AI system could dictate or forbid any other individual from thinking and acting upon their wishes. However, every decision made by the individual had to be within the laws and rules of society, otherwise those liberties were restricted by the system and individual had to be sent to the IEF for therapy. The person making the decision was the only person held accountable regardless the mitigating circumstances.

For someone like me who came from a less developed world, was hard to fully understand and adapt to such liberties and restrictions, whereas for people born in this reality was simply a normal way of living. Given the old and different mentality I had compare to a person born in 26
th
century, it wasn’t easy to control some of my rebellious thoughts. I feared my way of thinking would land me in trouble very soon and I would end up back in the IEF. 

The panel registered with my personal Link the address of my new home and then changed the discussion to the job I would be doing in this reality. Due to the time where I originated from and, the unusual upbringing compared to the 26
th
century standards, it wasn’t easy for the main government system to choose the right job for me.

The system had selected a few suitable jobs to consider, three to be precise. One of the jobs was to work as a tour guide in a pre-war life museum, since I had fresh knowledge about that era. However, due to the different way I spoke compared to the modern speech, the panel feared that people wouldn’t be able to understand me correctly.

The second job option was at The Institute of World History in the megacity of New York, which had a population of four billion and was the centre of the new world. This institute was one of the most important institutions of the new world. It curated the historical events and human behaviour from the beginning of time in an impartial manner. To work in the Institute of World History, I needed to learn how to operate an Emze since I needed to travel along the east coast of North America. The truth was that I didn’t have any knowledge of how this vehicle operated and needed a piloting course to get a pilot’s virtual licence.

The third option was a maintenance job for which I had to go through intensive training to learn the gadgets they used, cleaning solutions and the safety rules. This job was based locally in the city where I was going to reside and didn’t require long distance travelling. According to the main system, this third job suited the level of intelligence that my brain had shown during the daily tests. I thought of how a man from 15
th
century would think if he travelled to the 21
st
century and found some consolation in the fact that surely I was doing better.

I asked for a five minutes break to evaluate my options, as I didn’t want to rush my decision. The panel agreed and I was left alone with my thoughts. I wasn’t as keen in the other two jobs as I was in the job in the Institute of World History in New York. At some point I had to learn how to ride an Emze and if I had to go on an intensive training for the maintenance job, I rather trained for the Emze instead. The second option appealed to me more because all I had to do was verify and explain historic events of the time I had lived back in the 21
st
century. Besides, it was the job with more sociable hours out of all three.

It took me less than five minutes to make my mind up. The panel appeared on the screen as soon as five minutes were over. I told then what I had decided and why. They smiled and congratulated me on the wise choice. Ultimately, it was decided that I will work in The Institute of World History and live in one of the skyscrapers by the beach where I first appeared.

The panel requested that before I started work, I had to go through the Emze piloting course. They filled a form in the main system requesting to register me to the nearest piloting centre. The AI system confirmed the booking almost instantly. The piloting course in itself was fairly easy since it was the Link and the Holo system who guided the Emze. All I had to do was to learn some general knowledge about the technical side and also learn the global rules of riding in an Emze.

Emzes were machines able to travel around the globe at really high speeds. You could travel around the globe in no time at all. Since New York wasn’t that far away from the old Dominican Republic, only fifteen hundred miles, flying in a certain height and speed, the journey to New York would take only ten minutes.

The system that controlled all flights was called the global flight system. This system covered the airspace of the entire globe with the help of a specific network of satellites run from a Moon base and it connected via the Holo and the Link technology with the vehicle. Every Emze had to register with the global flight system before it became operational.

Every flight registered automatically with the global flight system once the Link communicated the destination to the Holo box. Then the global flight system would communicate to an Emze which height, speed and route it had to follow. After this instant process, the vehicle was able to fly from one city to another in minutes. This system was vital since there were people who worked and lived in different continents.

Megacities were the biggest communities on the planet and held a population of more than one billion. Then came the cities with a population well under one billion and lastly there were the air cities, the ones that floated above the ground, with one hundred million inhabitants limit due to the height and weight restrictions.

There were also huge holiday resorts which had the size of a 21
st
century town. Such places were used for holiday purposes only and not as permanent residence except historical old cities like Venice, Vienna, Florence, etc. where the old local descendants were the only ones allowed to live there.

Floating platforms which held the air cities were a new technology applied in the last hundred years, which explained why the surroundings there were up to date and immaculate. Every person on the planet lived on one of these three types of cities and the remaining land surfaces were used for farming and organized nature holidays.

The concentration of the population in such spaces as megacities, cities and air cities made it possible to preserve nature and control the environmental pollution. The control of population movement also made it easy to provide better services to the communities if they were concentrated in these designated areas.

I had learned this information and a lot more during my stay in the IEF and I can proudly admit I am now an expert on the future world history if such a field had to exist in the 21
st
century. Compared to three months ago when I appeared in the 26
th
century, I felt a lot wiser and my mentality had gone through some radical changes, changes that I never thought capable of. I could see clearly the point of having an IEF and totally agreed with the way this facility dealt with enhancing a person’s mind.

After the acceptance interview, as it was called, was over, the panel submitted their notes to the main system and the system officially approved my release after five minutes of wait. I was asked to collect my old possessions from the apartment and a team of Global Law Keepers was then going to guide me to my new home in one of the skyscrapers down on earth.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My brain felt euphoric by the thought of freedom. The things I wanted to do and the places I wanted to explore started to crystallise into actual plans. Finally, I was a free man, free to walk on the beach every day and wait for the anomaly to show up again and this last thought, made me really happy.

I thanked all those on the panel and rushed to collect my old clothes in case I ever needed them to return home. The two assigned global law keepers followed behind, more to assist rather than to keep an eye on me.