This book is an original publication of E. A. McKenzie.

This is a work of fiction. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Any resemblance or similarities to real persons, living or deal, is co-incidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2015 by E. A. McKenzie

All rights reserved.

PROLOUGE

In the not too distant future, the society we live in is very much a perfect society. There are no national boundaries: the world is borderless, with free movement of people, talent, goods, and services across former national borders. There are no wars or civil disputes. Instead, collaboration is recognised as vital to advancement of this society and man as a species. The result is that medical science has advanced to a point where a cure for most diseases have been discovered. In particular, there is no ageing: a cure for ageing has been discovered. People work in stable jobs tailored specific to the strengths and abilities of the individuals; there is no unemployment or poverty. Distant planets have been settled and colonised, forming a network of colonies where people could have new lives and new jobs tailored to their abilities, and where a population which never age can be distributed and resettled to solve any potential overcrowding problems on earth. Earth, as a result, is no longer overcrowded. People no longer have to live in places where extremes in climate make life unpleasant, such as in desert towns or cities with extreme cold climate: the population on earth is evenly distributed along zones of perfectly mild climates. Every city has fresh air, expansive parklands, and flowing rivers. Automation has advanced to a point where robotic droids are used extensively to carry out tasks human no longer do, such as waste disposal, mining on uninhabited planets, and manual labour. The society we live in is very much a perfect society.

CHAPTER 1: 0700 - 0800

It was a little past seven in the morning when I woke up to the sound of chirping birds. The morning sunlight was starting to fill the bedroom. I opened my eyes gently and watched the silky white curtains danced in the morning breeze which flowed through the two open bedroom windows. I could feel the balmy breeze on my skin. I continued to lay in bed for a little while longer. I listened, and started to hear more than birds chirping. There was the sound of rustling tree leaves, the faint whirr of electric cars gliding up and down the street, and the occasional bark of the neighbours’ pet dogs. Mara was lying next to me and she was also starting to gently rouse. I could feel her move as she started to snuggle up to me. I turned around slightly. I could see she was still in a sleepy stupor, a faint smile lighting up the corner of her lips as snuggled up to me. She was quite possibly still dreaming a sweet dream at the same time.

I wanted to lay in bed for much longer but I had to get ready to go to work. I picked up the glossy white Samsung mobile phone on the dresser table next to me: it was already seven thirty in the morning. I gently peeled myself off Mara’s lithesome arms, and slid quietly out of bed. I walked into the bathroom, and the bathroom skylight quietly opened to let in more natural light and breeze. On the console next to the mirror, I looked thru the breakfast options:

TUNISIAN SHASHOUKA OF POACHED EGGS WITH TOMATOES, CHILI PEPPERS, AND ONION SERVED WITH PITA BREAD.

FRENCH STYLE LEAN MEAT SAUSAGE WITH LENTILLES DU PUY STEW.

SCOTTISH CREAMY FISH PIE, SERVED WITH SOURDOUGH BREAD.

CHINESE STYLE RICE CONGEE WITH SHREDDED CHICKEN AND FRESH SPRING ONIONS, SERVED WITH FRIED DOUGH BREAD.

I selected the Tunisian Shakshouka. A comforting soft ‘ping’ on the console, followed by the words ‘MEAL WILL BE READY IN 5 MINUTES’, reassured me that by the time I was finished in the bathroom, the automated kitchen would have moved the breakfast meal from the refrigerator to the oven, well heated, and ready to be served. I selected next on the screen for a pot of green tea, and an accompanying fresh fruit salad.

When I reflected on the menu and its national flavours (eg Tunisian, French, Scottish, Chinese…), I cannot help but wonder how different things were in the past as described in history text books. It was difficult to imagine how nations used to stretch across different parts of the Earth, with varying climates and varying geography. I recalled reading how some countries were entirely tropical, while others were temperate, and yet others spanned across different climate zones. Nowadays every country had a defined area evenly distributed along zones of perfectly mild climates, not just on earth, but on distant colony planets.

While national borders did exist on paper, in practice it was really a borderless world. There was free movement of people across the nations, and as long as one was tailored to a job specific to one’s strengths and abilities one could live anywhere. In fact, when this society introduced tailoring of individuals to a job specific to the strengths and abilities of the individuals, movement across former national boundaries was the key to the concept’s success. Too many talented engineers in one country, for example? Redistribute them to another part of the world where there were insufficient engineers. Within a short space of time unemployment and poverty ceased to exist. Our society had moved a long way from national borders and division. Instead, collaboration had been recognised as vital to advancement of this society and man as a species. There were no longer wars or civil disputes. In a society of peace and collaboration, science can flourish and advance.

National boundaries may have ceased to exist, but restricted areas had been drawn up. Large swaths of inhospitable areas on earth were designated restricted areas. These included deserts, icefields, rugged mountain ranges, areas contaminated by industrial pollution from decades ago, and land masses contaminated by nuclear radiation accidents. The diversity of restricted areas made further categorisation necessary. There were: Category 1 – contaminated and experimental areas, Category 2 – experimental areas, Category 3 – (inter)national parks, Category 4 – buffer zones. Restricted areas were jointly managed by all nations. Owing to severe risk to health if exposed, category 1 and 2 designated restricted areas were strictly out of bounds for humans, and all required tasks in the areas were carried out by robotic droids. The launch sites to distant planet colonies, for example, were all situated within Category 1 sites – fuel and the activity of launching were long proven to be hazardous to humans.

Category 3 sites were designated the (inter)national parks, and entry to category 3 sites required a permit. With a permit one could spend a few nights out in these areas, either camping or in a lodge or hut, to take in the stunning natural scenery. Category 4 sites were generally wide expanse of spaces that buffered the cities from restricted areas, and were mostly used for agricultural and water catchment purposes. To ensure food bio-security, entry to Category 4 areas were similarly restricted, and robotic droids carried out most of the tasks in those areas.

I picked up my toothbrush on the shelf next to the mirror and started brushing my teeth. When I was done with that, I disrobed and stood in the shower. The shower started automatically. The warm beads of water from the rainforest shower head massaged my muscles, providing a refreshing morning wake-up call nothing else can match. A few minutes of blissful shower later, I stepped out, picking up the plush bath towel on the towel rack to dry myself. As I walked out, a small disc shaped robotic vacuum cleaner emerged from under the vanity and glided across the grey-tiles of the bathroom floor, soaking up the wet foot-prints and drying the floor.

By the time I wandered downstairs into the kitchen the inviting waft of warm pita bread and Shakshouka filled my nostrils. Automated curtains slowly drew back as I walked into the kitchen, bathing the room with natural light. Clear blue skies with scattered wisps of clouds hung over the city. I picked up the warm bowl of Shakshouka from the oven and set it down on the table, along with the mug of green tea and the bowl of fresh fruit salad. Some people like to read the daily newspaper while they have breakfast, while others review their daily work schedule; for me, however, I just like to sit and stare at the city outside and enjoy a little quiet time.

A soft ‘ping’ from my mobile phone rustled me from my reverie: It was already ten minutes to eight. With real-time traffic data, the mobile phone has done the necessary calculations and was reminding me I better leave the house soon if I were to arrive at work on time. I finish the last mouthful of the bowl of spiced tomatoes and eggs, drank up the tea, and headed upstairs to change and to check on Mara.

After I got dressed for work, I grabbed the tablet computer and my white coat. Mara had only begun to stir. With one eye open, and one close (rather like a puppy), she watched me as a walked across the bedroom to sit next to her on the bed.

‘Morning dear,’ she said in a sleepy voice

‘Morning,’ I replied gently.

‘What time is it?’ she asked softly while rubbing both eyes with her thumbs. ‘It’s ten to eight’, I answered ‘and I have to go to work.’

‘Oh? Can’t you stay for a while longer?’ she asked, almost longingly. Mara had the privilege of working from home as a magazine editor, whereas I did not.

‘No, I can’t,’ I answered. ‘I have a few meetings this morning.’

She snuggled close for a cuddle. ‘Smells like my man,’ she remarked as she sniffed my shoulder. I gave her a kiss and bade her goodbye for the day and stood up, while she sat up in bed, hugging onto the sheets.

‘Do you want me to order breakfast for you before I leave?’ I asked. Mara nodded with a smile.

‘What on special this morning?’ she asked playfully.

‘Well, I had Shakshouka and warm pita bread,’ I replied. ‘It’s really delicious.’

‘Ok, I‘ll have the same’ she replied enthusiastically. I tapped on the console panel next to the door, ordering Mara’s breakfast and summoning the car at the same time.

‘I’ll let you decide on what coffee or tea you want,’ I said as I glanced back at Mara. She had laid back down in bed and had wrapped the sheets around herself. Curled up in bed, she replied with a meek and sleepy ‘ok’.

‘I’ll see you later in the afternoon,’ I said as I walked out the bedroom.

By the time I got out of the main door, the high speed automated car stacker had delivered the gleaming dark blue vehicle right on my doorstep, ready to go. I was glad we put in the new Swedish made high speed automated car stacker last month – these new Scandinavian equipment worked so much faster and quieter than the ageing unit we had. I recalled the old