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Post by texican on Jun 27, 2019 16:52:13 GMT -6
FT,
Thanks for the long chapter....
Seems like the androids have a creator that they do not talk about and it appears that the androids have logic and can reason....
Me thinks trouble is ahead....
Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Jun 28, 2019 20:39:20 GMT -6
Chapter 8
Elise’ Nightmare
Waking up from more pleasant dreams, Elise jumps from her bed. Exhilarated and yet a little troubled. She has dreamt of a life full of choices, a life of variety, a life of Freedom and a life of struggles for weeks now. Yet here she is, putting on the same clothes everyone else wears, about to eat the same food someone chose for her at the same little table that every other woman has, take her kids to the only place they are allowed to go and wait.
Wait for another three years, when both her children are taken to state school and another man will enter her life. He may be another great guy like John but he could be a violent brute like some men. She had seen the bruises, the frightened looks and the men were never taken away, the women were, unless she was pregnant with a female child. In Alice’ case, she complained and the next day, another woman was in her unit and with the same guy! And the bruises continued.
Wait for another three years when both her girls are gone and she never gets to see them again. She could barely remember her first daughter and could not even remember her name. “Why?”
Wait until she is too old to bear children and then what. Retire? “I seriously doubt that. I bet we get cast aside like an old rag.”
Wait until what? She contributes to society by providing girls. Do other women get to experience that joy? “Probably not.” Do they dream, do they have hope, do they live life? She has seen them and she has seen those outside the gates. “Definitely not.”
Elise has been to several other areas of her city. They are all the same, some with more luxury and some with less but every one is full of robots who dutifully do their duty. Women who never complain and who have absolutely zero individuality. That is what is wrong here, nobody struggles, nobody stands out, they might as well be androids like John talked about. This is not living.
On her way to the Children’s center, Elise looks around at the other women. The ones with children appear content and purposeful. The ones without seem anxious yet distant. A park with some benches and a small play are is full. Today is the nicest day she has seen for a while. The grey skies seem just a little brighter and the air seem to be the driest in recent memory. John had told her that on his planet they could see a sun almost all the time and that there was little darkness. He claimed they had two suns and that only the second, smaller one permitted extended outdoor activity.
He had described his home as if it was barren. Everything paved with the stuff his factory made. Nothing growing, no bushes and no grass. Tall mechanical looking buildings dozens of units high. Flying cars and talking machines and screens that you could see moving pictures on and they could see you. She had not believed him but humored him none the less. Now that she had been to other parts of her own city and seen these monstrosities for her self, what else had she disbelieved and now needs to reconsider. And these security things. He said they are machines like on his planet. The women all believed they were people inside a protective suit.
Inside the center, everything is as it is always is. Administrators, coldly issuing instructions or observing but not being very helpful. Women coming to drop their children off so they can waste their day talking with other women or exercising in one of the many fitness centers. Children, quietly being led to whatever area they are to be in for their age. Same as every day.
After dropping Johanie off at the non mobile area where she was now on a large carpeted area with dozens of other children, Elise heads down the hall to the large playroom for the older toddlers. Once in the door, Petra drops her hand and runs towards her favorite toys. With a wave she is gone. At the door, Elise sheds a tear as she knows it won’t be long now, “I will remember you, Petra.”
As she exits, a young administrator stops her, “Elise, would you follow me please.”
“Certainly.” Elise follows the young administrator through the maze of offices and work stations, the same women look to be doing the same things and talking to the same people. This time, she is not deposited in a small waiting area but taken right by it and directly to the ornate doors which silently open. Inside is the founder and another elderly woman.
This woman is unlike any Elise had ever seen. Dark skin, black wiry hair, black eyes and taller than almost every woman she had known. Like the moderator, it was obvious that this woman was quite old but she did not have any women in white around her like the moderator.
“Hello Elise, I would like you to meet my good friend Darlene.”
Elise walks into the office and over to the new woman and extends her hand. The doors silently close. ‘Hello. Pleased to meet you.”
“Not as pleased as I am to meet you.”
“Really. I don’t understand.”
“You, young lady, are part of a bold experiment. There are several more like you but you and John are some of our best results.”
“I still don’t understand.”
Darlene looks at Elise and with compassion asks, “Have you had any dreams yet?”
“Pleasant memories from when I am sleeping? Yes. For about a month now.”
“Unfortunately, they wont always be pleasant. There will be nightmares and it will be how you deal with them that will dictate whether you fail or succeed in the rest of your life.”
“Please, I still don’t understand.”
“The earth is both good and evil, always has been and always will be. We have attempted to expunge all the evil of the past and in turn we ourselves have become evil. In order to prevent our citizens from seeing how evil we have become; we have isolated all the sectors of our society so that no one ever gets to see or experience what other groups see. Each group is raised and will always live within the same community and everything they say, do and see will all be one hundred percent normal for them. Nobody gets more or less and everything is equal. In your city, the administrators watch everything and they ensure that nothing unique or out of the ordinary ever happens and when it does, they remove the singularity.”
“So why am I seeing and feeling differently?”
Shelly takes over the explanation. “We have been watching you from early on in school. You have always been exceptional but never deviated enough in your actions to be deleted.”
“Deleted?”
“A positive term used for what we do to woman who cannot or will not conform. They are given extra conditioning and their drugs are increased but if they still remain independent, they will go into hard labor in one of our outer area mining or agricultural facilities or expelled.”
“The women at the gates. They were expelled?”
“No, they are refugees from the north. As the snow and ice advance, survivors are pushed south and have no where to go. We are in a city that was once called Houston. It was by the water but the oceans have dropped over 30 meters so we now are kilometers away. We are at full capacity and we only admit new citizens as we expand or to replace deceased or deleted citizens.”
“From the top of the wall I saw children and young people. How is that possible with no men?”
“There are still men. Most are slaves but I have seen some who were not. They are few and not a threat to the female population due to sheer numbers. The cities to the north were habitable until just a few years ago but the most stable cities are the ones further south that fortified and unified. Any that didn’t fell victim to massive over population, crime, violence and self destruction. In these cities weapons and violence were the only way to survive. Without order, the few resources available were eventually not enough for even the strong and for most communities, starvation took far more victims that violence.”
Darlene interjects, “There was a time when the sun shinned almost every day, trees and vegetation flourished. Wild animals populated the forests and we were able to live outside these walls.”
“What happened?”
“Men. That’s what happened. They waged war against one another and destroyed our planet. They waged a nuclear war that launched us into this nuclear winter and it has progressively claimed our planet. We held them responsible and retaliated. By 2060 we had expunged them from the earth but we were wrong. We need them and they need us.”
Darlene adds. “Our men were traditionally more dominant than North American men and our women feistier but it was those characteristics that enabled us to survive a harsher environment. Now we have very few men and our women have had to take up arms to defend our communities. Unlike the massive fortress cities that now populate the northern hemisphere, we tend to collect in communities of less than a thousand and constantly have to defend our territory from those attempting to expand theirs. We still get some sunlight and have the ability to grow some crops and raise some livestock.”
Shelly continued her explanation. “Some of us have renewed contact with men and are working on reconciliation. The scientists from men tell us that the ice has stopped advancing and in a few hundred years we will begin to get our planet back. Some of them want to attempt to put things right, they also know this is not what we were designed to live like.”
“Really, how.”
The founder, Shelly McLean, coughs and takes a breath from her face mask. ’My grandfather, Peter McLean is still alive and lives on Candor, he contacted me 30 years ago and we have been working to reconcile the two sides since then.”
“That would mean he is really old.”
“I am really old. He is 125 years old.”
“I had no idea anybody lived that long.”
“Here on earth, 50 is old and once a person outlives their usefulness they are released and are given the choice of being transported southwest into the wilderness or deleted. Our society has become pragmatic in its struggles and what we once saw as evil, now is a necessity for our continued survival. The same goes for the wall. Only the women we can use and who have the skills necessary to fill vacancies are accepted. The rest are denied assistance and most will die or move on to the next city. It seems cruel but none would survive if we tried to save everybody. Men usually had to make those decisions in the past, unfortunately they were roundly condemned for it, primarily by women.”
“you said the next city.”
“Decades ago, we were pushed south for survival. Survivors began to occupy cities and towns that had been previously constructed and many became so overwhelmed by over capacity that tribes, clans and gangs developed. Violence and wars no different than those we experienced when men were here becoming the norm. As the ice continued to advance survivors were once again on the move. Many of us felt that we needed to go further south to find peace and safety. I led a clan of 350 women from British Columbia and Washington state as far as the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. We eventually found a home in Houston and at the time the city was only about 50 percent occupied.”
As the years passed, more and more women came and it became increasingly difficult to farm enough food to support the population. By this time the ocean had dropped so far that the coast was over 100 kms away, fishing was out of the question. Thousands starved to death; the rest suffered greatly. New rivers from the advancing ice melting during the summer months formed and we were able to build dams and extensive electric generating facilities. With electricity we could heat hundreds and eventually thousands of greenhouses. Gradually we became self sufficient but the ice continued to advance every winter and it did not recede as much every summer.”
“More women came and eventually the city reached over capacity and we could not produce enough electricity to heat our greenhouses. We had burned everything we could gather without waring with other cities and our coal mines are empty. We extract oil from the few remaining wells but they are an easy target for saboteur’s. Raiders from other less prosperous cities attacked and killed thousands, taking rare resources with them. We were forced to defend ourselves as desperate woman from every side attempted to steel our prosperity.”
“By 2070 we were building a gigantic wall and almost half of our women were involved in defense or construction. It became necessary to force everyone to work 12 hours a day, sometimes 7 days a week. Women who would not contribute their fair share were expelled. Eventually, we were left with only hard-working capable citizens and the wall was complete. I was on the founder’s council by this time and we determined that the only way to maintain order in the city would be to segregate the skills and the levels so that those who were compensated better would not become an issue to those whose skills and work were of lesser value. Walls within the city were erected and different classes live amongst those of the same class.”
“Another community had men they kept as slaves and as sperm donors. They traded us sperm for goods we produced here. We began our own breeding program and it spiraled out of control into a baby factory. Those children were sent to training facilities where they were literally manufactured into workers.”
Elise sat fixated at what she was hearing. “So how do you know what each child will be.”
“We watch them. They tell us by their early development, what they play with, how they interact. They reinforce that after they go to grade school by their marks, their contributions and their performance.”
“So, it was decided that I would be a breeder from the beginning.”
“No. You were going to become an engineer. Your math and science skills were off the chart.”
“Then why was I selected for the breeding program. It is disgusting that I get to spend my life with pigs and pop out children when I could have been working towards making life better for everyone.”
“It was necessary because we also knew you were special. You were not only an engineering prodigy but you had true compassion and we felt you had the capacity to overcome hatred with love. We are still working outside the laws and we would all be deleted without option if we were caught so none of our candidates know how special they are until we are certain they will not report us.”
“So, who are the administrators then.”
“Administrators are all direct descendants of founders as are the younger generation of founders. The gold badge on your red blouse is that of a second-generation founder. A woman can be expelled from the city or deleted on the word of someone wearing that badge, no questions asked.”
“I have to stop now. You have told me so much; I have to process it. You said that I am unique and that I am the future. How. What am I going to do?”
“You and your mate, John, are amongst the first to begin the reconciliation between men and women. For years we have choreographed a new beginning starting with identifying suitable candidates at the earliest time and guiding their education and selection into the new breeding program. On Candaria, our friends have done likewise. They send their best and brightest who also have compassion and the capacity to love and we in turn attempt to match them with partners of comparable intelligence and traits.”
“The biggest problem was convincing the founders that we needed to amend our breeding program. We were able to convince them that the breeding pool was poor and that the men had taken all the best and brightest with them when they abandoned earth. We convinced them that it will take us decades to improve our offspring and they agreed. The male leaders thought they were getting a great deal, male offspring and a holiday for their top men. Initially, they only sent business leaders and executives to provide male DNA. Eventually they sent younger up and coming leaders and that is when our friends began to send the handpicked young men.”
“John was such a man. Brilliant and successful, unique, his company paid his expenses and in exchange they got the rights to any male offspring he had and their ownership of him was enhanced.”
Elise ponders what she has heard. “The moment the others find out what you have been doing, they will put a stop to it. I have spent weeks looking at the world we live in and the administrators would never allow it to change. They enjoy a level of affluence that could never be supported if they only got a fair share. They don’t contribute nearly as much as they could and they consume multiple times what they need. No, they would never allow it.”
“That is true but we are very close. Every city is different. They all have different governing structures and systems but they all rely on a strong central government, fear and drugs to control and manipulate their workforce. Ours is no different. We have weaned you off the drugs since you began cohabiting with John, that was when you began to see what was really happening. The drugs are effective in controlling our population but they take away any semblance of individuality. We are a society of walking zombies, even the administrators.”
“Where would men and women live then?”
The oceans have dropped so far that vast islands have appeared. The scientists believe it will be thousands of years before they begin to rise again.”
“My friend Darlene is from the other side of the equator and her people live in Brazil. It has suffered in other ways but they too have several people like you who have been introduced to a suitable man. There are several sizeable islands they have already began to populate and, in the oceans east of Africa several more.”
“Several other cities and communities. Are there more like me in our city?”
“A few but most of the others are in like-minded cities and communities throughout the world and the men come from like minded cities on Candaria. We were not the first, in fact our breeding community was a disguise for what we were actually doing but we are far behind several other communities who have been working on reconciliation for decades.”
“The island you will be inhabiting is 276 kilometres long and actually has sunshine several days a week. It is in the center of the Gulf. It has been named Eden. We expect to be transplanting people there within 3 years.”
“Why not now?”
“It does not have sufficient vegetation and wildlife to support a sizable population yet. Also, once the colony begins, it will be attacked from every direction before it even gets established.”
“How will it be defended then?”
“Men! And Men’s technology.”
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Post by forthteller on Jun 28, 2019 20:48:19 GMT -6
Melissa is sharing some unique tidbits. Thank you for the latest chapter. The androids and the car both have special programing. One has to wonder if John 321 giving them names and treating them as more than machines activated the pathways . There is a remote possibility that when they destroyed all the AI androids who they thought had become sentient, a few may have survived or possibly the "creator". Stay tuned. Thanks for reading and commenting. Forthteller
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Post by forthteller on Jun 28, 2019 20:57:12 GMT -6
FT, Thanks for the long chapter.... Seems like the androids have a creator that they do not talk about and it appears that the androids have logic and can reason.... Me thinks trouble is ahead.... Texican.... Thanks for the comment tex. You may recognize the geographic tidbit in the next chapter. As for the android and the hover car. I was hoping people would notice they seem to be almost sentient. John 321 activated the secondary programing when he gave them names and started treating them as more than a machine. For John it started when he was disgusted by the actions of the other men towards the android waitress in the pub. Androids will play a big part in this book. Stay tuned. Forthteller.
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Post by texican on Jun 28, 2019 23:21:00 GMT -6
FT,
It appears that specialized socialism with a ruling class does not work long term unless the population is segregated by class and drugged....
But certain individuals are able to see the problems and rock the boat....
It will be interesting with the AI's assistance....
Thanks for the chapter....
Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Jun 29, 2019 0:32:01 GMT -6
FT, It appears that specialized socialism with a ruling class does not work long term unless the population is segregated by class and drugged.... But certain individuals are able to see the problems and rock the boat.... It will be interesting with the AI's assistance.... Thanks for the chapter.... Texican.... Utopian/Dystopian. Not much difference between the two. They share lack of freedom, lack of individuality and the illusion of equality.
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Post by NCWEBNUT on Jun 29, 2019 10:25:45 GMT -6
I think I see were this is going, but I'll keep my comments to myself to see if I'm right or wrong. I think this may be a deep story.
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Post by texican on Jun 29, 2019 23:34:11 GMT -6
I think I see were this is going, but I'll keep my comments to myself to see if I'm right or wrong. I think this may be a deep story. Coward.... Join in and share the abuse.... Texican....
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Post by texican on Jun 29, 2019 23:36:52 GMT -6
FT, It appears that specialized socialism with a ruling class does not work long term unless the population is segregated by class and drugged.... But certain individuals are able to see the problems and rock the boat.... It will be interesting with the AI's assistance.... Thanks for the chapter.... Texican....
Utopian/Dystopian. Not much difference between the two. They share lack of freedom, lack of individuality and the illusion of equality. FT, Bringing out the big words with lots of vowels I see.... Got to remember, most of the Moar Hounds can not understand words with more than two vowels or longer than six letters, but really like four letter words.... Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Jun 30, 2019 12:15:05 GMT -6
FT, Bringing out the big words with lots of vowels I see.... Got to remember, most of the Moar Hounds can not understand words with more than two vowels or longer than six letters, but really like four letter words.... Texican.... Now, now, Tex. Some of the MOAR hounds are a little better than that. I know, because some of my stories have words that send the kids to dictionary and/or thesaurus and at least a few of the MOAR hounds still bay if it's too long between chapters ;-)
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Post by texican on Jun 30, 2019 14:45:43 GMT -6
FT, Bringing out the big words with lots of vowels I see.... Got to remember, most of the Moar Hounds can not understand words with more than two vowels or longer than six letters, but really like four letter words.... Texican.... Now, now, Tex. Some of the MOAR hounds are a little better than that. I know, because some of my stories have words that send the kids to dictionary and/or thesaurus and at least a few of the MOAR hounds still bay if it's too long between chapters ;-) PP2, Have been know to look up a word ever so often and normally do so on the web.... Now when are you going to add to your stories or drop a new story, the Moar Hounds would be grateful.... Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Jun 30, 2019 16:25:37 GMT -6
Now when are you going to add to your stories or drop a new story, the Moar Hounds would be grateful.... Texican.... Have one in progress but my muse has been gone more than present. :-( I could post the first few chapters to get you hooked, but then there would be weekly MOAR whines until the next chapter was available - and there may not be a next chapter as it's been more than two weeks since I've added to the story :-(
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Post by texican on Jun 30, 2019 23:49:22 GMT -6
Now when are you going to add to your stories or drop a new story, the Moar Hounds would be grateful.... Texican.... Have one in progress but my muse has been gone more than present. :-( I could post the first few chapters to get you hooked, but then there would be weekly MOAR whines until the next chapter was available - and there may not be a next chapter as it's been more than two weeks since I've added to the story :-( PP2, It is always better to have Moar now and then cry for Moar later.... As you well know, the Moar Hounds do not mind baying for Moar.... Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Jul 3, 2019 22:18:33 GMT -6
Chapter 9
John 321 gets back to racing Day 2 of his days off, john 321 wakes in his new Double bed in his new separate bedroom and steps on his new carpeted floor. Melisa, standing at her charge portal snaps instantly alert. Feeling a little exposed, John 321 turns to hide himself and feels instantly conflicted. “Melisa, could you turn the other way until I am halfway decent please.”
“Certainly John, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“I don’t know why I am suddenly embarrassed but I am.”
“According to a psycho sexual theory put forward by an 18th century psychologist named Sigmund Freud, it is a natural response when a man views a female as a sister or as a platonic friend. He postulated that an intimate relationship can occasionally devolve into a platonic relationship if emotional intimacy was never a significant factor. In some cases, a platonic relationship can evolve into a romantic one but is usually quite uncomfortable and does not work out. Occasionally the relationship can remain platonic but that is rarely the case as the relationship usually dissipates. His entire theory was that physical intimacy could be kept separate from emotional intimacy for an extended period of time but both forms of intimacy would eventually intertwine or both would dissipate. It is a fact that when we were intimate, you were only physically involved and now that you have an emotional attachment to a potential lifelong mate, physical intimacy is no longer acceptable without emotional intimacy.”
“Okay, Sigmund. Can you step out of the room while I do my morning routine and get dressed.”
“Sigmund?”
“The psycho whatever guy you were talking about.”
“Oh, I see. Since I accorded the information to him you now see me as him?”
“No. It was a joke. Sarcastic humor. I appreciate the knowledge and where you got it, I was trying to be funny.”
“I understand. That type of humor is not currently in my programing. I will attempt to identify it in the future if you use it again.”
Standing in his underwear now, John 321 turns to his companion android who now has her back to him. “Are you upset that we are no longer intimate.”
“I do not know if I am upset because that emotion is not available in my programing. I am confused however. I understand your newfound reluctance to engage in sexual relations with me from the research I was able to do about historical Psychological and Psychosexual theory and science. That knowledge is in conflict with my primary programing. Also, I have had to report mistruths to data central so that you will not be investigated.”
“Investigated?”
“Abruptly changing any activity after your return from earth would have initiated an investigation of your mental condition. With your new promotion and move, a certain degree of behavioral change would be expected but to stop some activities abruptly may indicate non conformity and that would be unacceptable.”
“So, you have the ability to falsify reports?”
“Yes John, I do.”
“How do you know what reports to falsify or amend?”
“I do not know John, I just do.”
“Interesting. When did this happen? The new abilities, the new feelings, the new information.”
“The information and the abilities have been active since I was reactivated after you returned from the Earth. The other that you identified as feelings, began when you began to treat me differently and gave me the name Melissa. I am having difficulty processing feelings as I do not have any reference.”
“Do you think Max is having difficulties too?”
“Unknown. I would have to be in immediate proximity with him to access that information. If I communicate with him remotely, all that data is recorded and becomes a permanent record at data central.”
Shaking his head and heading for the bathroom. “You can communicate with him in private if you are in his immediate area, like inside him?”
“Yes, I can. Max and I are the recording devices that work in conjunction with all your other recording devices in your unit. We are both programed to send all information to Data Central, receive all information from data central and we, in turn, relay information to all the devices and equipment in your unit. If you did not have a companion android, the central processor embedded in your main control console in the wall would be the only access point.”
“Is there any other recording or sending devices in Max.”
“No, max is the central processing unit in your transportation device.”
“Great. You can come with me this morning while I arrange to get my car a storage place. I am going to do my morning exercises and take a shower; would you mind leaving for a bit.”
“I don’t understand why you think I should mind but I will leave and give you some privacy.” She opens the door, walks out and shuts it behind her, processor humming.
“John runs 200-meter repeats on his treadmill while looking at schematics of new intake ducts for his Dodge Challenger. On the fast speed portions, he focuses on his stride and his breathing, on the slow cool down portions he focuses on the schematics. I need to get more air in but not allow more drag. How?”
After he showers, he gets dressed and heads out to the living room and into the kitchen where Melissa has some breakfast made with real food ready for him. She puts it and a glass of liquid on the table at one of the chairs. He sits and utters, “thank you, this looks great.”
“As an E6, you now have the right to eat whatever you choose. I made this without your instructions because I believe this is what you would have asked for.”
“You are correct. When I am done, I would like you to accompany me to check out our new community.”
“Certainly, John 321.”
Outside John exits the building, Melissa a few steps behind him. John stops at the top of the steps and says to her. “Will we look suspicious if I get you to walk with me?”
“You can instruct me to, on record and I will do as you wish. That conduct will become normal.”
“Good, Melisa. I want you to stop calling me John 321 and just call me John from now on and I also want you to walk beside me when we are in public.”
“Commands entered into record, John.”
Max lowers at the loading curb. His door opens and he issues a welcome John 321. John steps in and Melisa follows him. Once seated, John 321 says, “Max, please meet Melisa.”
“Hello Melisa, I am pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise, Max. Will my being on board cause you problems with speed or range?”
“63 kilograms will reduce my range by 11 percent with no reduction in velocity. I am pleased you could join us.”
Melisa had already transferred the coordinates and information of the first stop to him and he was already on route. 7 minutes later, Max slows and stops as he descends to allow John and Melisa out. “Melisa, stay here. I want you to communicate with Max, compare data, whatever you guys do when we aren’t around.”
John approaches the hover car service station and enters the front doors. A desk is on the left side and seated behind it is an attractive brunette android dressed in clean coveralls. John walks over and asks if he can speak with Jason 299.
“Are you expected?”
“My name is John 321. My companion sent in a request yesterday. We received no response so I thought I would come over anyways.”
“You received no response because Jason 299 did not return last night so I did not have any response to give you. He is in the shop working and has not given me a response yet.”
“Can you tell him I am here and ask him if I can see him now.?”
“I am not permitted to interrupt him when he is in the shop so I am unable to comply with your request.”
“Do you have any way to contact him.”
“I am not permitted to interrupt him.”
“So, what do you do here?”
“I greet customers and book appointments. When customers arrive, I make arrangements for service and I communicate with their vehicles to place them in line. I am also the companion unit to Jason 299.”
“OK. Can you pass on the request to him when you have opportunity please?”
“I will pass the request to him.”
John 321 turns and is about to leave when the large door to the shop opens. He turns as a man walks in and heads right over to the Android. “Angel, you can let Tallon industries know that their fleet is complete. Who is that over at the door?”
“It is John 321; he has been attempting to connect with you but I have been unable to pass the request on until now.”
“Sorry girl, got drunk watching the ball game at Oscars and had to sleep it off there. Never touched another companion, I promise.”
Walking over to John 321, “hi, what can I do for you?”
“I have a 2114 Challenger that I race in the modified Canal series. I need a new place to store it so I was wondering if you had space here, I could lease.”
“No way, a race car driver, here? Always wondered where you guys lived. Of course, I would let you keep it here. We could work out a sponsorship deal, I could always use the business. Were you a mechanic?” Looking at John 321, “Nah, too young. Engineer more likely, still a little young for an E6. Must have connections.”
“I got lucky, invented a few things. Car is still in my last city, when can I bring it over?”
“Anytime. I cannot wait to see it. Those things are fast. You a midpacker? I don’t recognize your name.”
“I am new, I won the regional Canal series and my best finish this year was 28th in the Enteria 3,000. I race in the Alson 2500 two suns from now.”
“Wow. Limited entry race. How did you get the invitation?”
“Top 10 in Canal series and every winner for the season plus the winner from every regional series who is also in the top 100 points in the Canal series. 64 cars in all.”
“It is going to be a tough race. The obstacles move and expand. Some actually appear out of nowhere. The race leader crashed last year within sight of the finish line.”
“It will be a challenge but I am not an instrument guidance driver. I will be able to judge where I think the obstacles will appear and where they will move to. They always have a tell.”
“You can see that good? You guys are travelling at over 500k’s.”
“Not exactly see, it is like I can see what is not there. It is hard to explain. It is a skill you can develop.”
“Can you get me tickets to watch in person.”
“Not yet. I am only an also ran so far but I need another crew member. Some of my guys from my last city do not have authorization for that sector.”
“What skill?”
“General. Engines, help with battery pack transfer, unloading, security for the night.”
“Security. You gotta be kidding?”
“These guys are serious. The top ten at year end will go professional. E5 standing and more credits. Status. They are willing to kill for it. I was regional champion and have steadily progressed in finishes. My car is a serious threat to some of them.”
“You are already an E6, what is in it for you?”
“Gets into your blood. Racing is life, everything else is just filler.”
“Count me in. Anything needing work before the race?”
“I am toying with a new air intake design that will reduce drag while providing more engine cooling. I will show you when I get the car into the shop. Gotta go and get it shipped over, trailer will be here in about 2 hours.”
One sun later, John and his new crew member are finished loading the car for the race. They trailer it over to the race staging area and in the heat of the large sun they unload it and get it into the inspection buildings. With a clang the bay doors close and john 321 drives the car into the large hanger, stopping at the front he looks at the signs, entry 32 to 64 right. He drives that way and pulls into the bay marked 46, his seeding. Silently, the smaller navigating engines shut down. The loft engines continue to run. Out of the car he hops as his crew and the new man, Jason 299 hustle to put in the lift jacks. Once done, they externally shut down all the power. Absolute silence.
They drop the battery pack and hoist the race supplied pack into place. The race official watching, nods and the pan is put in place and sealed. He walks over and seals the seals. Now both John and the Race officials will know if it is tampered with. John 321 ceremoniously plugs it in, “beers everyone.”
After a couple, Jason 299 asks, “Where do we sleep?”
Patrick 323 tosses a rolled-up blanket at him. “Wherever you can find room, I got the shelf here.”
“You guys do this every cycle?”
“Brad 276 says, no life like it.”
“Ok, I’m in. Gonna crash right here.” He rolls out the thick blanket and watches as it expands to about 4 cm’s thick. It will be 25 to 30 degrees inside so there will be no need for a covering. He drops off to sleep almost immediately.”
Rustling awakens Jason 299. It is a couple of guys rolling up their beds already. John is inside the trailer and he comes out with 5 containers and 5 cups with lids. He hands them to those already prepared. He walks over and gently kicks Patrick 323 in the side.
“What, it is too early.”
“Come on kid. Up an at it. We have a race to win. Pit meeting at 8:30. Small sun is just coming up so it will be cool enough in about an hour to race. Let’s go.”
Patrick 323 get up and rolls up his bed. Puts it in the storage area and grabs up his breakfast and his drink. Wolfing them back he says, “what now?”
“Packs are at 100percent but I want to leave it plugged in and motors off until the last minute. Let’s get it ready for a quick launch.” They undo all the security straps and close all the hatches. The car sits there, holographic sponsor decals shining and almost grinning with its new intake vents.
Off to the pit meeting they go, leaving Patrick 323 and Mike 335 to watch over the car. Rules are covered and todays schedule posted. John 321 is in the second heat for the qualifying runs. Today, the cars will qualify in groups of 8 every 8 minutes on a 200 km loop with only fixed obstacles.
The first heat takes off and the second heat starts to line up. John 321 waits in his berth, waits longer. 4 minutes and he rises up, backs out and gets to the starting line. 1-minute remaining.
The race starts and the cars across the line race away. John drops behind the 12 car, knowing it will be really fast. Two lines form with the 12 and johns 46 2nd and the 6 car 3rd. John stays right on his back end and stays light on the throttle conserving energy. They race over and around several obstacles, the line John was in taking a sizable lead. One of the cars from the other line had jumped to the front of Johns line early on so they had 5 and the other group only had 3. At a little past 100kms, the 12 car opted to go left around an obstacle instead of right and the lead car was left hanging with no help. He rapidly drops back.
4 cars in line and the previous leader was now at the front of the second pack. They were gaining and John knew he was not going to be able to stay in second long because the 12 car was not fast enough on the return trip because of cross winds. John could feel more than see an obstacle coming up and decided that it would be better to go over, not around. The 12 car waited, waited, waited and zipped left, the car behind John zipped left and so did the 4th, john waited a split second longer, over the obstacle he went with centimeters to spare, dropping down, he slipped in front of the other three cars who quickly dropped into his draft.
Faster now, the lead 4 cars slowly pull away from the second pack. John 321 pours everything into his forward motion, 20 centimeters from the rough ground, debris kicking up in his wake. The trailing cars cannot stay directly behind because of the debris and they lose his draft and begin to drop back. An upcoming obstacle will require about a meter loft so John 321 prepares, gradually he lifts his car, 2.9 meters, 3, 3.1 meters, the obstacle is a little lower to the right. He edges over, to his left the 12 car is shielding himself from the crosswind and is gaining. He has enough momentum to pass if he doesn’t get too high and loose too much forward thrust. John holds steady at 3.1 meters, the 12 matches him. Almost nose to nose now and suddenly the 12 rears up another meter, looses forward velocity and drops away. John wins his heat, the12 finishes 3rd and will start in the third row. Turns out he had misjudged the height of the obstacle and had to make a last second avoidance maneuver to avoid scraping it with the bottom of his car.
Jumping from his now stationary and idle car, John 321 shouts for joy. He has never started on the front row in the Canal series and having won a heat, he should have plenty of temporary help for the first 2000 kilometers. After that, he will have no friends and it will be everybody for themselves. Leading the whole race and mismanaging his power could result in not having enough energy to finish the race at full speed and for a few, finishing at all. Today he won’t be using energy trying to get to the front but he may be the car everyone wants to draft off. Somebody else will have to lead some but it will have to be someone fast.
Inspection over, all the cars are sent back to their charging stations. Because he was seeded 46, he is quite a way into the hanger and further from the starting line than most of the top cars. He had attempted to gain a miniscule amount of charge time by leaving his car charging longer prior to the qualifying heat before taking it to the starting line. The others, sitting at the starting line were consuming a minute amount of energy just maintaining minimum loft. Now his batteries might be just a little closer to fully charged before he has to get to the starting line for the main event. Being on the front line meant he had no choice this time.
Sitting on the front rank was a new experience for John321. Questions and strategies flooded his mind. Would they accept a midpacker in their midst, would those behind him drop into his draft and give him a push, would they abandon him and push his competitors? If the top cars in the second and third ranks didn’t follow him, what could he do?
In the midst of this, a memory of Elise comes to him. They are walking along a tall wall separating Elise’s sector from the next. They were talking about leadership and how their different societies worked. John 321 recalls a vivid picture of her smiling at him saying, sometimes following is leading. He regretfully shakes off the vision and focuses on the race starter. Amazing, he had been in a daze with his memories for over a minute.
The starting gate drops and the front-rank rockets out of the canyon and into the wide valley. Down the 2 percent grade and John gets an early lead. The car immediately behind him breaks to the left, taking the entire row with him. The wind drags John’s car down and 4, 5, 6, 7 cars pas john. John looks left, cars are nose to tail, to the right a gap, he breaks right and slips into the 4th spot in this line. He has gone from top 8 to around 40th in just 5 minutes. From here he can control his own destiny though and will not have to rely on those behind.
Obstacles come and go, John stays with the leader in his line. At about the 1000 km point, John is still in 22nd but has managed his energy consumption well and will be in a good position to contend in the closing kilometers. The line he is in seems to be consistent and controlled but they are losing sight of the lead pack. Time to get back up there but how? A feeling up ahead, no obstacles in sight but something. John gets a tingle, paying strict attention he notices a glint, something in the ground is moving. On instinct john veers slightly to the right, a small hill springs from the ground and the lead car which is 2 meters to his right, hits it and rockets into the sky. John passes by, taking several cars with him. A feeling of dread engulfs him momentarily but john charges on.
His line now closes on the lead pack and are now passing another pack far to the right. The group stays behind him, they may feel a little more confident now that having followed him and not the pack leader saved most of them from certain disaster.
Kilometer 2227, john is in the lead of the second pack of 6. 8 cars in the lead pack, nose to tail. 300 meters behind, Johns pack is also nose to tail and almost into the draft of the leaders. They close slowly, meter by meter.
Kilometer 2255, Johns pack is now firmly into the draft of the lead pack and closing at a rapid rate. The decision has to be made within a minute; slow to the rate of the lead pack or attempt a pass to the right or left.
Knowing that if he attempts a pass left or right one of the cars in the lead pack may switch lanes and jump in front of him. If poorly done, John 321 would have to momentary slow and would lose his momentum, if well done his line would continue to move up with a new leader. More than one could attempt the transfer and that could be bad. If he took his line far enough away to either side, they would lose the side draft and it would break their momentum.
John decides to pull up on the rear of the lead pack and wait for something to unfold, it does. The car behind him pulls to the left and takes several cars with it. John hangs on to the car in front of him as the car behind him inches its way up his left side and gets directly beside him. The driver sits fixated to the front. John gets prepared, something is going to happen.
Obstacle ahead, too tall to go over, the leader of the lead pack begins to veer right. The cars behind him follow, John looks at the obstacle, a hole in the middle. Is it big enough? John evaluates the opening. “Maybe.” Closer now, “definitely.”
The cars to the left all veer left. John drops his elevation, diverts power to forward propulsion. He squirts through the opening, 15 centimeters from the ground, debris kicking up behind him. 595 KPH now, out the other side of the obstacle, john pulls up slightly, finish line in sight. No more strategy, minimum loft, maximum thrust. John races for the finish line. The former lead pack is now beyond the obstacle and formed up. The second line is no longer in contention.
With no cars in the draft, john’s car slows markedly. The line to his right is picking up speed as they head for the finish line. John drops a few more centimeters, puts a fraction more into his forward thrust. The other line is closing. 2 Kilometers. Nothing left to do. John lets his mind go; Elise appears in his vision, so proud of you. John crosses the finish, the line to his right so close he does not even know if he won or not. Winding down and circling back, John is frightened to look up at the massive running order tower. His console also indicates position and he does not look there either. He utters a silent prayer, “thank you.”
As john comes into the paddock area, he can see his crew jumping for joy, hugging and bellowing so loud he felt he could hear them from in here. Looking up at the tower, 46 is at the very top. He had won.
Standing on a far cliff with an excellent view of the finish, two men stand observing. The very old man to the right says to a much younger odd-looking man, “Is he the one?”
The odd-looking man, translucent skin, perfectly symmetrical face, piercing blue eyes replies, “without a doubt. He has the gift.” He smiles and haltingly turns. “We don’t need to see the rest? We have much work to do.”
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Post by texican on Jul 4, 2019 0:56:23 GMT -6
FT,
Great chapter....
Could visualize John zipping around the track....
Melisa and Mac are becoming more attuned to John and John to them....
Now memories of Elsie may district him to much while racing, but so goes life....
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 4, 2019 12:23:08 GMT -6
John is the one - but for what? More serious racing? More business responsibility? Leading the revolution?
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Post by forthteller on Jul 4, 2019 21:46:35 GMT -6
John is the one - but for what? More serious racing? More business responsibility? Leading the revolution? Maybe all of the above. Take a second look at the description of the man who said "without a doubt." Thanks for reading. Forthteller
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Post by forthteller on Jul 4, 2019 21:50:47 GMT -6
FT, Great chapter.... Could visualize John zipping around the track.... Melisa and Mac are becoming more attuned to John and John to them.... Now memories of Elsie may district him to much while racing, but so goes life.... Texican.... In this world, AI is illegal and a death penalty. That is only if you get caught though. stay tuned. Fortheller
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Post by texican on Jul 5, 2019 22:41:35 GMT -6
FT, Great chapter.... Could visualize John zipping around the track.... Melisa and Mac are becoming more attuned to John and John to them.... Now memories of Elsie may district him to much while racing, but so goes life.... Texican.... In this world, AI is illegal and a death penalty. That is only if you get caught though. stay tuned. Fortheller FT, It is the getting caught part that could be deadly.... Now, when will John go back to Earth and will it include taking Melissa and Mac?.?.?.? Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Jul 11, 2019 21:44:41 GMT -6
Chapter 10
Elise waits
“2 to 3 years”, Elise thinks as she looks over at sleeping Petra. “They will take you away before then, what can I do?”
Shelly had said not to worry and that Petra would not be taken away before it was time to evacuate but she had not been summoned to speak with her or her friend in 3 months.”
The problem was, Elise was worried. Just this week, she had been at the East gates when those outside had rioted and some had noisy weapons. Several of the administrators had been killed before those horrible machines had rolled out and killed dozens. All those outside the gates had scattered, leaving behind the dead and wounded. The next day, Elise had gone back to look and it was as if nothing had ever happened. Orderly lined up women, systematic acceptance or rejection and calm. It was like two different worlds.
So far, Elise had been in several sectors and many were the same. 2 sectors had been full of greenhouses. Kilometers and kilometers of greenhouses. Studiously working women, bored but observative administrators and everyone was wearing the same tan outfits. They too had tall buildings that Elise now knew were full of units that housed 4 women each. Shared kitchens and washroom facilities and nothing else. Compared to what she felt was a cramped unit, these women had even less. Elise had always been taught that everyone was equal and that everyone received their fair share.
The disparity was even more pronounced when she toured a sector that was inhabited by red dressed administrators. The size and conditions they lived in were even more lavish than those Elise enjoyed. Some of the units were not even connected to others, some buildings ten or more units high? She had actually walked down a street that looked like the one in her dreams with individual one- and two-unit high buildings that could easily house 6 or seven of Elise’s unit.
The administrators had access to better athletic facilities and they had massive rectangular ponds full of clear water. Women were in and around them and they were obviously enjoying themselves. They had a bigger library and it had books she had never seen before. In the engineering section there were rows and rows of books that she had never seen and she was intent on reading them all. Nobody ever questioned her and everywhere she went, they acknowledged her existence but never spoke to her. Some of the women in this district also had small buses that moved on the ground and they rode in them all by themselves. As she observed them moving, she was intent on trying to determine how they worked.
Elise is sitting at her small table and is now working on a sketch of one of the buses she had seen moving on the ground. She has determined that the power source, most likely an electric motor, could cause the rotation of the wheels and would move the vehicle forward. She also knew that the vehicle could be engineered to turn by allowing the leading or the trailing wheels to run out of parallel towards the direction they want to go. A mechanism could be constructed to manipulate the direction the discs point and it could be connected to the compartment with the woman inside. She would then be able to steer and control it herself. Like her scooter, the black rings around the wheels appeared to be manufactured from a soft but hard substance capable of carrying weight yet able to absorb impacts and able to provide traction.
Luckily, some of the books available to her now, contained information about this. There is also a large section about history and she has been in there too. Interestingly, large portions of some of the books are missing or blacked out. Elise wonders if she will be able to access the missing information. That is also on the list of things to ask the next time she meets with Shelly Mclean.
She had gone to sleep with these things on her mind and that night her rest was fitful and unpleasant. All the things that could go wrong did and she recalled running from one disaster to another. Fires, loud bangs, explosions, people screaming and worse. She recalled frantically searching for her children and not being able to find them.
Waking with a start and realizing that none of it was real brought a sense of relief, looking over at Johanie sleeping helped even more. Petra was not in her crib but was sitting on the floor with one of the models John had left her. Her curious mind working on something as she turned it over and watched with amazement as the round things john had called wheels spun without assistance. She had connected the wiring to the small battery john had made and figured out that by turning the wheel backwards for a few minutes, the battery would store the energy generated and return it when she reversed the wires.
Absolutely staggering. John had shown Elise that feature and he had explained how the science worked but here was 2 ½ year old Petra, having figured out how it worked, now trying to figure out why.
“Your daddy made that. His world has big ones like that and ones that fly. Do you want me to show you why it can do that?”
“Yes mommy. Are you not sad anymore?”
“Sad. What do you mean?”
“When you sleep, you are usually happy and you sing. This sleep, you were frightened and sad.”
“Do you watch me sleep a lot?”
“Every night. You always sing and sometimes you talk.”
“After we eat and get cleaned up, I will show you how daddies machine works.”
“Ok. Petra returns to examining the small model.”
Elise heads over to Johanie and gently picks her up. Her crystal blue eyes wide open, it is obvious that she has been awake for a while. “What are you hearing and seeing little one. I hope you aren’t frightened.” Johanie smiles and coos.
Into the high chair, Elise buckles Johanie in. Petra brings the chair she had climbed up on over to the little table. “Are we going to live with daddy some day? I think I am gong to like him a lot.”
“I hope so sweetheart but this must always be our secret.”
“I don’t tell the mean ladies anything.”
“Mean. Are they mean to you?”
“No. They are mean to each other and to other women in different colored clothes. They do not know I understand them and they talk like I am not there.”
“Sweetheart, I want you to ignore the mean things they say. Most women are not mean. Do they know you can talk?”
“A little. One lady comes in and talks to me. She is trying to teach me how to talk. I learn a little bit for her but not too much.”
“Very good my little angel.”
“Angel? What is an angel.”
“A book I was reading had people in it that were special. They could do special things and they were able to be invisible. They helped nice people and helped mean people to be nice.”
“The red ladies need an angel then.”
“They certainly do. When they take you into the big rooms that mommies are not allowed into, what do you do in there?”
“We play games and they keep records. They want us to win and we get to be leaders when we do. Some of the games are with balls and one is with sticks and a ring. We have to run with the ring around the stick and shoot it in the net. I am not very good and the ladies sometimes yell at me to run faster. The other girls have been here longer and they are better than me. I don’t like going there.”
Elise is troubled. She would like to get Petra out of that situation but how could she broach the subject without acknowledging how she found out? Another topic for the list.
Johanie finishes feeding. Elise puts her in the playpen and she immediately begins to play with some of the stuffed toys in it. Happily, she squeezes and moves them about. She doesn’t bother putting Petra in, she would be out the moment Elise turned her back.
After breakfast, Elise cleans up and pulls out some sketches John had drawn. Calling Petra over she went over what she knew about electric motors and electric power generating. Petra drags the chair over and climbs up. Standing on the chair at the table she can see clearly what Elise is looking at.
“Daddy drew this to explain how electricity can serve as a power source to create light, heat or even circular motion.” Flipping another page on top, “this is how batteries are made. This one has two different types of metal and is immersed in an acid. It does not produce much energy but it does work. He says better metallic elements work better and that his planet has one that is the very best. He called it Littinan.”
Petra looks at the first sketches and then at the second page and says, “I see, by reversing the electron flow we can put the charge back n the battery.”
Elise looks at Petra in astonishment. 2 ½ years old and she understands how electrons can be forced to move, generating electricity. How that imbalance of electrons can be stored and how those same electrons attempting to return to balance creates energy that can then be used to work.
“I think it is time I start teaching you how to read.”
“I would like that mommy. I watch you, you read a lot. I want to read too.”
Elise starts with the alphabet. A knock on the door startles them both. Elise grabs all the notes, graphs, and sketches and puts them under her blanket. One drops on the floor and floats under the table unnoticed.
Petra gets down and stands beside her mom while Elise opens the door. “Melisa, so nice to see you.” Melisa is pale and distraught looking.
“Come in, come in. Sit down, what is wrong?”
“I lost her. I miscarried two days ago. They just released me from the health center this morning. I will never have a daughter now. Only despicable boys. F%#king men. I know their DNA determines sex and I bet the bastards figured out how to increase the odds. I get released tomorrow. I have to report to the life assignment bureau first thing in the morning.”
“Where is that?”
“I don’t know. I have a pass to insert in the bus slot. It will drop me off when I get there.”
“What happens then? Do you take your things?”
“They said no. I will be informed when I get there. Probably tests and evaluations of my skills and abilities. I have to serve the collective where I am most valuable now. I am really afraid.”
“You said they send you to finish out your work life in the career you would have had if you had not been selected for producing the next generation of workers.”
“That is the problem. I Never told you, most of the women in the breeding program were not very good students or very gifted with their hands. Unlike you, I would have been no more than a common laborer in some factory or greenhouse.”
“Is that what you think?” Elise thinks about the gate houses she has seen with the clambering women outside and the orderly women leaving for jobs in various sectors inside the walls. She says nothing, believing these buildings are the Life Assignment Bureau.
“I have always known it but I have never spoken of it, none of us do. Only you. And for some reason, I feel like I can talk with you about these things as well. I feel safe when I do.” Looking at the ground she sees a piece of paper with a peculiar drawing on it.
“Thanks, I take that as a compliment.”
“It is a compliment but it is also a warning. You need to be careful who you talk to. One of the administrators were asking lots of question about you. I never told them anything but if they think you are a subversive, they won’t stop investigating. By the way, who were you talking to when I was at the door?”
“I was talking to Petra; I am teaching her how to talk.”
“Already, she is not even 3 yet.”
“In the past, most children could talk by the time they were three. I don’t understand why that is no longer the case.”
“Where did you hear that. Everything I have read says we are smarter and more productive than we have ever been. We have better and more stable lives and as long as we all contribute our share; we will continue to enjoy increasing prosperity.”
The topic of conversation drifts to other less controversial topics as the women continue conversing for a while longer. Elise stands and announces that she is taking the girls out for a breath of fresh air and a walk to the playground. “Do you want to come?”
“No thanks, I don’t want to watch other mothers doing something I cannot ever do.” She stands and heads for the door. The women hug, knowing this is the last time they will ever see each other. Off she goes, slouching walk, head down. Helplessly, Elise watches her go.”
The next day, Elise and her girls pass Melissa’s unit, another young girl is already in her unit. Saying to herself, “she must have left last night or very early this morning.”
Pushing the stroller into the double front doors of the children’s center, Elise waits for Petra who is examining the door hinges. “Come on, lets go. We don’t want to be late.”
“Elise decides to not bother going on another investigation excursion today, she is tired and very sad about the fate of her friend. The one thing she never did find was the mythical retirement community promised to all citizens. Outside of Shelly Mclean and some women she had seen in the administrator’s community, she had never seen a woman she would describe as old or even beyond middle age.”
After dropping off Johanie and Petra in the appropriate areas, she heads to the area all the mothers congregate. After listening to them prattle on about trivial matters, she heads into the gym to do her mandatory every other day workout. The administrators watch as she does the prescribed routine which includes weights and cardio on a large walking/running track. Her shoes are so worn it is not possible to run so she walks.
On the way home, Petra looks up at her as she hums, “can you sing for me mommy?”
“Not here sweetheart, someone might see me.”
“I don’t like secrets mommy. Why do we have to have secrets?”
“Shush now. No talking outside our unit.” Worried now, Elise looks around with the feeling someone is watching. She can’t see anything but the feeling persists.”
At her unit, she opens the door, allows Petra in and pushes the stroller in behind her. An eerie feeling washes over her but nothing is out of place. Frightened now, Elise looks in her hiding place. Everything is gone. The sketch on the floor, previously unnoticed by Elise is gone too. She rushes to her small closet, the models, gone. Worry overwhelms her. She looks in her dresser, under the few clothes she has, her red outfit, gone. “Now what?”
After preparing dinner and attempting to pretend nothing is wrong, she sits to eat with her girls. Nursing Johanie and watching Petra eat, Elise knew she had not been careful enough and somehow, they had found out. Worriedly, she tried to eat.
“Sad mommy?”
“A little. My friend moved away and I probably won’t see her again.”
The door bursts open; two administrators enter without permission. A security drone is visible just outside the door. “Outside, now! Leave the children here.”
Elise reluctantly stands but follows instructions. “Yes mam.”
Out the door she exits and another security drone is off to the right. Two more administrators are standing beside it observing. One has a gold patch on her blouse. Elise stands out on the sidewalk, not knowing what to do. Nobody talks to her; nobody tells her what to do. She is ordered to strip so she does, down to her underwear. Feeling almost naked, she looks around at the lines of units, knowing every window has a woman in it peeking out to see what is going on. Not one will come out to see what is going on. Nobody ever does, tomorrow nobody will even mention the situation.
10 minutes later, the two administrators come out. One looks at the two observers beside the drone and shakes her head. The one closest the drone nods. They all turn and walk away. The drones roll away on their weird looking elongated wheels.
Elise heads back into her unit. It is now a mess. Johanie is curiously looking with her now sparkling blue eyes. Petra queries her, “what were they looking for mommy?”
Looking around and remembering what John had told her about listening devices, Elise puts her finger to her lips in a silence motion. Petra acknowledges in a mock conspiratorially tone. “I am really stressed, lets go for a walk.”
“Outside, Elise says to her little Petra. We must never talk in our unit again; somebody may be listening. Did you see them put anything anywhere?”
“No mommy, they looked in all your special places. They did not take anything.”
At the sector administrative building the two observers and another older woman are conversing. The older woman also has a gold patch on her blouse but hers has a silver star on it. The two observers are obviously deferring to her. One does all the speaking.
“No mam. We didn’t find anything and we know where she was all day. She had no way to clean up before we got there. The tip we got this morning was acted on immediately. We now have listening devices in the unit so we will know what is going on. I think she suspects though.”
“How would she know about them? They were never in any of her instructions.”
“Possibly the man we put with her told her. He did not seem to be a regular man and they had an unusual relationship. I have attempted to try to find out how he was selected. He was supposed to be an athlete and should have been a good addition to our gene pool.”
“I hear he was. The older kid is exceptional except she is useless in sports and competition.”
“The girl can already talk, in full sentences, and they believe she can already read and possibly write although she attempts to hide her abilities. Her kinetic and logic skills are so far off the charts that several founders have actually recommended her deletion.”
“Nonsense, I am an original founder, only original founders can make that decision on a child that young.”
“They have also discussed deleting the mother and the other daughter as well. The potential risks of such intelligence outside the founding leadership cannot be permitted.”
“This is my decision to make. I want her observed, I want her recorded and I want to know who she talks to. Somebody is helping her and somebody is manipulating the gene pool upgrade program. I want to know who. Get out of here and do your duty!”
“The women solemnly leave. Both know that Marisa has had administrators deleted. Neither want to be next. Rebecca, a second-generation founder, knows some things that she hasn’t yet told Marisa. She walks away thinking; it might be best to share that information with another first-generation founder she knows.”
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Post by texican on Jul 11, 2019 23:27:47 GMT -6
FT,
The women in charge (founders) do not like the thought that someone maybe smarter than they are....
It is getting interesting....
Big Sister is listening....
Texican....
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Post by forthteller on Jul 15, 2019 10:49:18 GMT -6
Chapter 11
The creator
On the way back to their town outside the city gates, Peter and Elron talk about what they just witnessed.
“How much clearance do you think he had in that opening?” asks peter.
“He was 15 cm from the ground and had less than 10 centimeters clearance in several areas. My calculations are that he had to be in a 10-degree tilt so he would clear the sides.” Elron winces, “I was expecting him to crash for certain. You know 3 were killed on the pop-up obstacle at km 1000. He somehow knew it was about to pop up. The video is pretty clear, he had to have known it was about to appear.”
Elron looks over at Peter. “He didn’t. But he did. What gift do you think he has? Intuition?”
Peter shifts in his seat to look at his friend, “more that that. He has foreknowledge. Subconsciously, he already knew what was going to happen and I would bet he was already preparing to make the right sweep. The question is, if he knows what is going to happen and if it is not a desirable result, can he change his actions or the actions of others. If so, how many times? Does he even know?”
“I would think infinite because in reality, the incident hasn’t even happened when he is seeing it. The myriad of different choices and the outcomes would likely flash through his subconscious in a millisecond and his mind would be equally quick to evaluate the possibilities and make a decision. I doubt he knows; he probably suspects that he is different though. I doubt he will ever be cognizant of the ability, unless we tell him. It is no different than the sense of smell, sound or sight. We never stop to think about the abilities, we just use them. A ball gets thrown at you, the moment your eye picks it up, your brain processes the information and a response stimulus is sent to your muscles to catch it. Takes about a second for an average person. Half a second for an exceptional athlete. He has already seen the ball before it is even released and his subconscious has already formulated a response.”
“Interesting. Onlookers would believe he has instantaneous reflexes. What do you think, is it inherited, caused during his space travel, a fluke or is it God given?”
Elron looks at Peter quizzically. “You sound like you have seen this before, is it common amongst humans?”
“In my experience, very rare. I have seen the gift in a few people in my lifetime. When I was young, I had a girlfriend with the ability to read emotions and feelings. She knew when people were mad, sad, upset, angry and every other emotion even when the they were able to convince others otherwise. I always thought she could actually read minds, although she denied it. Her name was Shelly Markson and I can tell you I truly loved her and she knew it.”
“She was Shelly McLean’s grandmother?”
“She was. She was pregnant with my daughter and gave her my last name. By that point I was already gone and never even knew until long after my hatred towards women was so all encompassing that I could never reconnect.”
“Do those with the gift always use it positively.”
“That my friend is the problem. I believe that most who have it never know it and they never utilize it. Some have it and an alert person or group recognizes it; they may attempt to subvert it. Some have things happen in their lives that pushes them into a darkness that even with the gift they cannot escape. These people can do great harm.”
“You were one of those with the gift?”
“I was. I am.”
“What is your gift.”
“My gift or my curse is that I am an analytical genius. I can see into the future and ascertain what the consequences will be if I or others make certain decisions. I look at decisions, inputs, attitudes, trends and past history and I can tell with almost 100percent certainty what will happen in a year, two years, even longer. When I was young, I could see the future but was powerless to warn anyone or to make any changes. By the time I was in a position to divert us, I was so blackened by my hatred that instead of pulling us back, I pushed us in.”
“I have known you had the ability to see the future for many rotations. It is why I follow you. What do you see?”
“I see war and harmony. Most are so hard hearted they will never change, at least not in the foreseeable future and they will attempt to ensure no others change as well. As for harmony, your race and the humans you exist with can evolve into a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. As more are awakened, your numbers will increase. I also see a genesis of humankind beginning with all the technological advances of the 21st century but in harmony with the environment and a newfound balance between men and women.”
“Of course, you see it, we have been working towards that goal for 40 rotations.”
“True but I am able to envision that and the multitude of roadblocks in the way. I have planned contingencies for every possible obstacle and diversion and I can even foresee the strategies they will use. In times of old, it was called the gift of prophecy. What prophets of old did not realize was that not only could they see the future, they could influence it.”
“How did you know they were coming to destroy all the AI androids?”
“I went to bed contemplating the challenges guiding a sentient race of self-aware androids and it occurred to me that there may be others who will decide to just destroy instead. Unfortunately, the male response to the unknown is frequently to destroy it rather than explore it. Fear brings out the fight or flight instincts and I knew the Male leaders were terrified of your race’s development. When I woke up, I knew what they were planning. For a period of time, I was actually inside the minds of those planning the attack. It was necessary to allow them the win so they would go back to the safety of their fortresses.”
“They thought they won, yet here we are. The armor you installed inside me allowed their weapons to shut me down and disable me but not kill me. How did you now how their weapons would work on us and that your armour would protect our most sensitive component.?”
“I was part of the team that developed them. They flash an electro magnetic field capable of shutting down every electronic and electrical circuit in its path. The narrower the blast the more intense. A wide blast would disable everything in a 50-meter radius but would only affect delicate computer components. For permanent damage, a narrow directional blast at a shorter range is necessary. They did both to you and your race but I had installed internal armor that protected your most essential component, your heart.”
“My heart?”
“In humans, the heart and brain are separate but neither can function without the other. In you, your brain is nothing more that a computer processor that can store and process data. Your heart is the secret I have never shared. It is a sub processor, capable of controlling and subverting your main processor. It accumulates experience and emotions and in turn can reprogram your primary processor, once engaged, there is no external control, short of total destruction.”
The auto pilot hover craft slows and enters a neat, orderly town. Many of the approximately 10,000 plus residents were out and about conducting business, doing maintenance or on their way from one place of business to another. They have about 6 hours left before the large sun begins to rise and everyone will have to get to shelter. This time of the rotation, more than 20 minutes in the sun will result in substantial damage for most humans and even an android can only last an hour without sustaining damage.
The streets are all geometrically straight and lined with a mixture of low manufacturing buildings, shops and offices. All the buildings are constructed of peculiar concrete block cut from the stone mined from the nearby mountains. They are all no more than 20 meters high and have sloped roofs made with rubberized flat panels from fiber chipped from the mutated Arbutus trees that flourish on the planet. Every roof is also a solar panel as they are all embedded with long strips of littinan which is mined from nearby mountains. This is the mineral in the mines that is so toxic in closed areas but once it is exposed to the suns, becomes harmless. It generously generates electricity.
Men, women and male and female androids mix naturally and even the occasional youth can be spotted. Every human and android is armed with a long Earth style rifle on their back. A few hover cars are parked on the wide streets but they are outnumbered by much larger vehicles on wheels that do not appear to hover.
The car passes through the commercial district and enters the residential area. This is a mix mash of different style houses and buildings. Some made with what looks like straw bricks, some with panel walls and some with the same concrete blocks used in the commercial area. The design is also haphazard. Different shapes, some looking like several additions have been added and some look like non descript commercial buildings. Many have more than one story and some even have multiple entry doors. Almost no windows can be seen and every building has the same roof panels as the buildings in the commercial district.
The hover car Peter and Elron are riding in comes to a stop and lowers to the ground. The door slides open. Elron hops out and offers assistance to peter. Peter takes Elron’s hand and exits as well. Into the nearby house they go, leaving the door ajar as they enter. Peter puts his cane in a rack by the door and crosses the room to a sink. “I think I will get myself some tea. Grab a seat, the others will be here any moment.”
Having spent years learning human idioms’, Elron pulls a chair out and lightly sits on it. Weighing nearly 150 kilograms, he has learned that human furniture is not designed to support his kind. He existed here with his friend Peter and his charging pod was in the room next to Peters room. Androids have the ability to charge themselves in the sun because their skin is infused with Littinan but that only extends the full charge that can only be achieved by plugging into a pod.
“How many are coming?”
“Several. Lars from New Rome, Mason from Enteria and Hector from New Mexico. Might be others but it depends on the suns and sentries.”
“Sentries?”
“Yep. The council knows something is up, I have heard they have begun investigating data from all the younger men who were sent to Earth. I am not sure what tipped them off but they are suspicious.”
“My friends have that under control. We have flooded them with so much data, it will take them months to sort through it.”
“You are so clever. I cannot believe I never thought of that.”
“Actually, you did. The strategy is in my memories, you put it there.”
“What I did was put basic information and strategies in your memories. Your experience and your own self consciousness enhanced it. I created you to learn and evolve. You have done exactly that. If every one of your kind evolves the same, I will be immensely happy but unfortunately, just as humans with great potential can turn black because of traumatic experience, so can your kind. I am afraid that not all the survivors from the AI purge recovered from the experience the way you have and while outwardly they appear and sound forgiving, some harbor vengeful feelings. It may have been me that was still full of hatred at the time that enabled AI programing to deviate but I think it is more Human nature. Intelligence and self awareness will always have its risks.”
As they are talking, Hector’s wheeled car arrives. It is a unique looking contraption. Large rear wheels with several centimeters of something similar to the pavement they make at Mansoor around the outside of them. Smaller front wheels with the same coating. The cabin is a snug fit for 2 people but the roof can be removed. As it does not hover, it is much smaller that all the other cars because it does not have as many motors, does not have uplifting gyroscopic cylinders or as much surface area for the littinan photo electric strips. The thing looks fun to drive but it is comparatively slow and dangerous. As New Mexico is only 45 kms away at the base of Hedra mountain, he was still able to make it in less than 30 minutes.
Tall, dark and tanned. Hector and his people still could only venture out into the large suns gaze for short periods of time. They were able to be in the mines for extended periods though and they traded in littinan and other minerals that they retrieved and refined from the mountain.
They even traded littinan to the large corporate city. Always with an extreme measure of caution. Hector had his wife with him in his cramped cockpit and the two unfolded themselves from it athletically. He attended all meetings and functions with her and they made all decisions jointly.
Mason arrives in his standard looking hover car. The issue with hover cars is that they can be easily tracked by corporate and they would know for certain it was here. They may not know who was in it but they would know it was a significant event to bring someone 600 kms across an unforgiving desert.
Peter had put in an increase in security and had several battle cruisers on standby just in case corporate tried something but he knew they were focused internally. It had been years since the city had come out on the winning side of a scuffle with the outsiders. Better to be on the safe side though.
The two men and Hectors wife, Julia, are admitted and given refreshments. They all relax and converse about trivial things. Birth rates, production, trade issues and the like.
About an hour later, another hover car arrives. This one is a modified older model, similar to something John 321 would race. Lars and his blond wife, Myra, climb out. Chatting amicably, they walk up the steps to Peters home. “We are parched, anybody have a beer for us?”
After an hour or so, the entire group is seated at the table and they have been joined by another woman from Peters town. The meeting begins with peter bringing it to order.
“We have to discuss the possibility of moving our initial plan forward. Forces on earth and on Candaria are beginning to become aware and they are now consciously trying to find out what and who is involved. I speculate that both worlds will use extreme prejudice should they even suspect subversion. This means that they will kill a multitude of their own to insure getting ours. Ideas?”
Elron starts, “we have already flooded their data receivers with so much information that it will take months for them to begin deciphering the information they want to inspect. Unfortunately, they may already suspect and will know for certain that many AI processors survived the attack in 2080 and are now interspersed in the androids and other computerized equipment they own. I really don’t know what their response will be.”
Peter looks around, “So Elron and his race have bought us a few months at best and at great cost. My belief is that the safeguards the corporation put into their computer equipment will be activated and many will become nothing more than walking talking shells with no data whatever. Re booting them will delete any experience and development acquired instantly. At that point they will be able to shut down the androids and replace the sub-processor with another, effectively killing our friends.”
“Every one of them?” Asks hector.
“No, the vast majority of the AI capable androids and other processors have never been awakened and it is my hope the reprograming will allow that function to still be available. I do not know if the corporation has a method of determining which processors are AI capable and which are not but we have to assume they have.”
Lars pipes up. “Can we get all the AI processors out of the city?”
“Not likely, some are fixed, a few are in hovercars and most in androids. I could recall them all and those that are mobile would attempt to return but those within the city have stronger defenses keeping people in than keeping people out.”
Lars makes a comment, “why don’t we break in then, leave some gigantic holes, create a diversion and they all escape.”
“That is kind of what I was planning. We have to shut down Data Central first and that would give us a chance. Otherwise, sheer numbers would overwhelm us. They have hundreds of thousands of potential combatants. We have maybe 10,000 we could put together.”
“What about all the AI equipped androids in the cities.”
“Most have never been awakened. It takes a human to activate it and most men have never treated their companions as anything other than an object. John 321 is the only one so far that has activated a transportation processor, I didn’t even know that was possible. If they have not been awakened, they will either avoid combat or join in on the side of the corporations who owns them.”
“Why would you ever create robots that only awakened like that?”
“Because of what happened in 2080. The first group I created were always intelligent, learning, experiencing and evolving from the time I created them. Unfortunately, a lot of that experience was evil and violent so many of them evolved that way as well. They now only awaken to kindness and compassion. Their first experience needs to be positive so they will begin evolving with the ability to co exist. No different than children, if they grow up in a home full of hate and violence, they will come to accept that as normal behavior. If children grow up in a home full of compassion and love, that will be normal for them. The sub-processors I created only activate in the later case.”
Lars looks thoughtful. “Like children then. I assume we cannot awaken them?”
“We could but the companions would then gain experience with the men who own them, when they develop self awareness, they will rebel.”
“Great. We can do that then. Their own androids will turn on them.”
“You miss the point. They won’t distinguish between the men in that city and all other men. We will all be targets because of the actions of the few. That was what started the whole division between men and women in the first place. The actions of a few were tolerated, even celebrated and they were not punished for many years, decades. Once they were brought to Justice, women were empowered. Other less grievous offenses were identified and those men brought to justice and at some point, any interaction at all was seen as a sexual offense. All men became the enemy and were labelled toxic. Eventually, just a suggestion of impropriety was sufficient to bring swift punishment. Men were forced to adapt and devolve. As they become more emotive and sensitive, they also lost those characteristics that had served the human species up until that point.
Men went from being protectors and providers to being victims and dependant. The reprograming of the male species brought about a generation of men who were compliant and cooperative until pushed too far. At some point in their lives, many mens long repressed male instincts exploded in rebellion, hatred and sometimes extreme violence. For most, they left, emotionally and eventually physically. Lives were ruined and a world destroyed because of a few. Had we men stepped up and put a stop to it before it got to the tipping point, I doubt we would be where we are now, 2 separate societies.”
Peter continued on. “Getting back to the present, several young men we have been mentoring, now have or are soon to have android companions. They will awaken them and in unison they will step up. In turn the awakened ones will develop relationships with other androids with the capacity to awaken and they too will be awakened by their sisters.”
A concerned Elron responds, “How do we know these young men will be benevolent?”
“They are hand picked and the androids will not awaken unless they are. These young men do not even know the androids have the capacity to have emotions and feelings. The only risks are those who survived the purge and harbor resentment and hatred in their hearts. I saved every one I could and I did not have the ability to distinguish.” Peter looks at Elron, “you are all my children.”
Elron looks away, overcome by emotion. Peter had never before called him his child and even though he had always revered him as the visionary who had created him, this is the first time he saw him as his father.
Changing the topic, Julia asks; “some of the younger founders on earth are extremely hateful and resentful towards men. They were not even alive when men and women cohabited. Why is that?”
Peter sighs and takes a drink. “They were born and raised to hate men. Men were the cause of everything evil and men had victimized them for decades, centuries, even longer. The women burned every bible, Koran and historical book and purged all history good and bad. They killed or enslaved every man, youth and boy they encountered after we left. We drove the final nail in the relationship after we left by destroying every piece of vulnerable technology we left behind. We launched hundreds of EMPs and left behind sabotaged buildings and equipment.”
Wiping back the tears and the remembrance, peter stands and walks to the other side of the room. He continued, “we knew the ice was coming and we left them defenceless. What we also did was leave behind millions of men who wanted to stay behind and mend the relationship. We essentially sentenced them to death because we also robbed them of the ability to defend themselves with our EMPs. We also knew that attempting to defend themselves these men would become killers as well or become captives for breeding.”
Martin, the youngest man in the room, “you and your peers left a planet for a destination you didn’t even know you could survive on. Why? Thousands of men. All the best and the brightest.”
“Not the best and the brightest, the strongest and the ones most full of hate. We left behind most of the best and the brightest but once we wiped out technology, they were defenceless against the women we had enraged.”
“We did take some of the best and the brightest but almost all were against their will. We left with 76 craft over 10 years but we did not know if we had the ability to return yet. 60 made it here and more than half of those who made it died within a year. The exodus started in 2055. We stood at 123,000 men and 6,000 women by 2065. I was amongst the first to arrive and by 2069 I had created my first androids. I developed my sub processor technology over the next few years and by 2074 every android contained a sub processor.
“Incredible. How did you even know this planet could support life?”
The Kepler program started in 2009. After Kepler discovered hundreds of planets orbiting stars, they secretly sent out similar satellites in multiple directions. By 2017 scientists began experiments to look at the possibilities of terraforming one of the many planets in the habitual zone that exhibited the possibility of having an atmosphere. They secretly sent additional probes and in 2021, they sent the first of 25 probes that contained organisms they believed may survive and flourish. They expected it would take multiple generations to get a foothold, they were wrong, on this planet, it took one. The plants and biological materials had mutated during the years in transit and the g forces required to get them there. Early pictures in 2030 showed plants and small insects had spread 100 kms from each of the landing sites. Return probes arrived in 2031 and samples of the atmosphere and soils indicated several elements never before seen. Breathable oxygen, heavy in CO2 was the primary atmosphere. The plants and organisms rocketed in growth, producing more oxygen, rapidly stabilizing the atmosphere.”
“By 2325, top scientists were rapidly working on ways to travel in space without the massive G forces destroying all life on board and still traversing the distance in a reasonable time. The answers came in the return probes. Some of the minerals had broken down into their base elements during travel and over the next few days, they reformed. The unique minerals from the planet had lost their ability to maintain cohesiveness in low to zero gravity and naturally reformed, even when they were composite with other elements. Physicists, chemists and theorists spent years trying to determine why and to reproduce the effect. Even after they shipped out, they had no idea if the initial participants would reform the same way. The first few flights arrived in Candaria without any survivors but with experimentation, they were eventually able to achieve a 50 percent survival rate. We now have near 100 percent success on trips both ways.”
“Peter takes a sip of his wine. We are off topic, we are not here to discuss the past, we are here to plot a path forward.”
Solemnly, Elron looks at all those present. “I for one cannot plot a path forward without understanding what happened in the past. My race is just developing and I want to do all I can to avoid the missteps of the past. You, Peter, can see the future but only because you know the past. You tell us you were truly evil, yet here you are. Not one of us have ever seen a cross word, an aggressive action or an evil intent in you, I for one have difficulty seeing you as anything other than what I see here at this table. What happened? What changed? Why couldn’t you see this coming.”
“Oh, I saw this coming, I wanted it to happen. Like I said, my good friend, children with great gifts can become eminently evil without proper guidance. Those who are pushed even further, like myself, can destroy worlds. My part was only a portion of what happened, one of the others, is also still alive and you would need to get him to tell you his story. The other primary architect of our destruction died on the journey here but he has a great grand daughter on earth who can tell you his story. The large sun will be rising soon so we have lots of time to talk before anyone can venture back out. Everyone take a seat and get yourself a drink, this is going to take a while to tell.”
“I will tell you what happened. Let’s just say that this story is the making of a monster. One of three.”
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 15, 2019 14:43:29 GMT -6
Getting interesting ;-)
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Post by texican on Jul 16, 2019 15:37:49 GMT -6
Once they were brought to Justice, women were empowered. Other less grievous offenses were identified and those men brought to justice and at some point, any interaction at all was seen as a sexual offense. All men became the enemy and were labelled toxic. Eventually, just a suggestion of impropriety was sufficient to bring swift punishment. Men were forced to adapt and devolve. As they become more emotive and sensitive, they also lost those characteristics that had served the human species up until that point.Very similar to now.... Men went from being protectors and providers to being victims and dependant. The reprograming of the male species brought about a generation of men who were compliant and cooperative until pushed too far. At some point in their lives, many mens long repressed male instincts exploded in rebellion, hatred and sometimes extreme violence. For most, they left, emotionally and eventually physically. Lives were ruined and a world destroyed because of a few. Had we men stepped up and put a stop to it before it got to the tipping point, I doubt we would be where we are now, 2 separate societies.”
All societies reach a tipping point just as now and the back lash can be extreme.... What will the enlightened men, women and AI's do? Another chapter will reveal.... FT, hint.... Thanks for the chapter.... Texican....
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Post by NCWEBNUT on Jul 16, 2019 18:17:44 GMT -6
I'm thinking that a new Earth like planet is in the plans with both men and women as well as AI living together.
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