A Timeless Journey (6 page)

On my first day the test was mostly about the financial system and this is why at this point in my story, I am writing more about this topic.

The days went by and with the knowledge gained from my therapy, the need for my old life and people I loved grew together with my loneliness. After the excitement of the first week, when my thirst to learn everything about this world prevailed over the memories of my old life, I found myself thinking more and more about the world I had left behind. I was alone with no human interaction, just the Link reading my every thought and there was only so much a person could do inside a living space. Despite the existence of Holo and its vast world of information and entertainment, this dwelling started to feel more and more like a real prison cell.

Like in all the IEFs around the world, alcohol was prohibited in the facility due to this being a global government site. As I learned from the enhancement therapy, even if I was living in the outside world, I wouldn’t have been able to drink more than a certain amount since the PBM planted inside every individual, measured the units that the brain was able to maintain without showing signs of drunkenness.

If someone went in a bar drinking and the alcohol limit in the blood was reached, the PBM would put a stop to the sale of another drink. Also a friend wouldn’t be able to buy another unit, as it was a punishable act. Thanks to the always observing presence of the Link device, it was impossible to get away with an extra drink without risking a few days or weeks in the IEF. This rule had come into force over a hundred years ago since drunken individuals often had illegal thoughts, which overpopulated the IEFs around the world and started to cost the global government system a lot of credits. By stopping people drinking irresponsibly, the crime rate reduced and also there were less health and domestic problems.

8

Two months had passed from my arrival and my boredom had increased to an unsupportable level. So, one afternoon after I had finished my training session, I decided to test the limits of my freedom by walking around the circular hallway in hope of meeting other people that may be locked in the facility. I walked for a few minutes in a circle failing to meet another soul, until I lost the point where I started. Link made sure to guide me to the apartment 12-48C. I refused to stay inside and took one of the cubes to the commercial floors on the same level 12 to see what really went on there. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was allowed to move freely around the building since I was forbidden to wander outside, but it was worth trying. If I could travel to level 28 for my training, surely I could travel around GNPs on the 12
th
level.

The Link didn’t stop me and allowed the use of the cube. I found myself in a two storey of some kind of shopping mall, which ran along the whole circular outer layer of the building. I say some kind of shopping mall, because the way it looked was a lot different from the ones in my old world.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. I thought if I was able to travel outside my living space, I should be able to go outside for a wander, but Link explained to me that without a PBM and clearance from the panel, the doors will refuse to open on me and I might be assigned an extra escape test. Afraid that involuntarily I was about to extend my stay in this place, I explained to the Link (by thinking) that I wasn’t looking to escape, just wanted to enjoy a stroll in the outside world. However, if the rules forbidden me to do so, I would respect these limits and would comply by only walking around the GNPs. As long as I would be able to understand the rules and comply, not because of fear, but out of my own will, the system would understand and refrain from punishing me.

After this unpleasant episode with the authorities, fuelled by the euphoria of being outside my apartment, I carried on exploring the mall area. I walked slowly around, looking at people around me and the way they were dressed. Thanks to the advanced technology displayed around, I felt lost. It took me a while to concentrate on what was in front of me.

In this floor I noticed various restaurants serving old fashioned food among the contemporary organic dishes. This surprised me as I thought the organic way of eating didn’t exist anymore. I couldn’t believe that in two months I had been held in here, I didn’t know I could walk out the apartment, let alone observe a place that cooked real organic food. The menu was displayed on a Holo virtual screen and I could navigate through it easily by simply thinking of the next page once the Link was synchronised to the menu.

Pushed by a euphoric desire, I tried to walk in one of the restaurants just to have a look inside, but the glass panels on both sides of the door stopped me as I had no PBM and therefore, no credit. This turned a few heads, since it was unimaginable for anyone not to have any credit.

Immediately after the restaurant area, there were a few different themed bars and three types of music clubs, one of them accessible to members only and the other two accessible to all. Unlike in the 21
st
century, these music clubs were accessible 24 hours a day. From what I read on the advertisement display, anyone needing to burn some calories, release stress, or switch their minds off for a while, could walk in and dance away. Seeing what happen to me at the restaurant, I refrained from entering in any other establishment to save myself from further embarrassment!

I have to admit, if it wasn’t for the holographic projection advertising above and around the entrance what type of establishment it was, I would have never known the difference between a bar, a restaurant, or a music club. None of it looked similar to the ones in the 21
st
century. Instead of the conventional windows, the space which divided the outside from inside the establishment was covered by a dense Holo screen curtain advertising non-stop the services offered inside.

A little further on, there was a comedy club. It also operated 24 hours a day. It was one of those places where random people would go voluntarily on stage and tell their funny stories. Judging from the seriousness of the people I had met so far, the idea of someone from this future was able to say something funny, made me laugh.

Straight after the comedy club, a big holographic sign announced an electronic era opera and theatre. At first, I questioned what an electronic era was and then it occurred to me it might be the timeline where I was from. Link confirmed my doubts and explained the electronic era was a big attraction in this future due to its primitivism compare to contemporary technology. It was called the electronic era due to the electronic revolution by the end of the 20th century and during the 21st century.

Once I had completed a full round of the leisure floor, I decided to visit the floor above by taking the floating transparent cube in the middle of the lobby. The floor above had the same architecture as the one downstairs. It circled around the facilities core and instead of apartment spaces there were GNPs only, different house names but more or less the same facilities offered by all. It was a matter of choosing the one that adverts appealed to an individual’s mind the most. I couldn’t see inside a GNP because of the advertising virtual screens which showed the different services offered. If the shop inside was like in the advertisements, it would really confuse everyone in our old reality.

After walking around and enjoying everything around me, I was captured by a feeling of regret for not being aware I could leave my apartment. Since I couldn’t enter in any of these places, I decided to call it a day. I returned to the apartment and, as I waited for the ‘food’ cabinet to open, I thought of the real food I’d seen on my wanders. At this point, my mind lustfully wondered when I was going to be able to try this future organic food.

The Link intercepted my thoughts and explained. Due to the increase of the world population and decrease of available farmland, organic food was rare and therefore expensive. Most of the organic products, including meat and poultry, were used to supply the restaurants. After supplying the restaurants, the remaining products were sold through Holo and delivered to the address within 24 hours from anywhere around the globe. Since the energy which powered the Emzes was free and limitless, the transportation cost was almost inexistent.

Even with the advanced technology and the use of every possible resource, the global food production was enough to feed just about the half of the population and it was therefore decided the main places on earth someone could try these products would be in a restaurant. After furnishing all the eateries, what was left of the food products was sold, as I mention earlier, on Holo on a higher price. The pills were the modern alternative to feeding the earth’s population and mostly accepted as a healthy way of living which explained why I hadn’t notice any obese people around.

After taking my evening of vitamin pills, I placed myself inside the rest chair to spend some time on Holo until sleep would push me to bed. Seeing a lot of new stuff on my walk around the mall area, pushed me to search for videos of restaurants on line to see how they operated in this reality. There were a lot of advertisements and commonly in most restaurants tables consisted of a closed space like inside a cubicle where, once inside, one could choose the view or the place wanted to admire while dining. The Holo connection would then turn the table and chairs into a virtual platform surrounded by the chosen place. If someone decided to dine on top of a mountain, not only would it show the surrounding views, but it would release the natural scent of that place too.

The scents came from a small container in the shape of a box which stored and mixed various chemicals to create the desired scent according to the place showed on the Holo. This was in fact the same type of scent box I happen to notice when viewing a tale-trail. These cubicles were called dining booths and created absolute privacy while you shared a meal with a friend or a loved one. However, if you fancied a traditional dining experience, there was always the option of taking the booth’s shield down.

The electronic era theatre and opera were the same type of show we would see in today’s reality, but they had the added advantage of advanced technology which was used to create the stage and the sound effects. The concept of theatre and comedy has radically changed in the future, in such a different way that it has nothing to do with the way we experience it in the 21
st
century.

After a certain point, I grew tired of searching for information about the leisure ways of the future. The curiosity pushed me to search for a comedy act or a drama from this era. I decided on a popular comedy and, the truth is, I wasn’t impressed. The whole point of a comedy is to make you laugh and forget about life’s seriousness, this one made me scratch my head more than laughing. Being from an era over five hundred years ago, it was hard for me to understand what the joke meant. To me, it was a bit too clever and not funny at all.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. I wondered why, the entire time I have been locked in this apartment, I hadn’t thought of this before. I never, not once, thought to search on Holo to see if in this future humanity had discovered alien life.

Eagerly, I started searching the Holo, but every time I formulated the question about aliens in my head, Link would block the search. It said the purpose of the ban was to protect the information in case I had to return to the 21
st
century. It seemed they were very strict about future information travel back to the past and later on I learned the reason why. The only indication that aliens existed was when Link explained that in this reality the word ‘alien’ was an offensive remark to beings from other planets and the right term to use was ‘interplanetary’. I took this explanation as a half-truth until I would know for sure.

After being unsuccessful in learning if there is life beyond our planet, I thought of an alternative way of finding information and searched for an interplanetary tale-trail. I had a lot of doubts in my mind due to Link’s seriousness about the right name for extra-terrestrials and giving up wasn’t an option.

There were plenty of tale-trails to choose from and as usual, I chose the one with the highest ratings. There is a great general interest in the extra-terrestrial existence in the 21
st
century and, as much as would love to describe in detail what I saw, I really won’t. The only comment I have following this tale-trail, is that the whole experience was literary out of this world.

After watching the tale-trail, Link read my mind and understood that I was going to believe the story, anyway. I did truly believe the places I virtually visited, were real. Surely there is no mind that could create such a sophisticated imaginary universe. It had to be real. Link requested permission from the main government system to allow me access to the information. The system replied within minutes and had decided to allow me have partial access to the information about interplanetary life on Holo. It came with one condition. I had to keep, whatever I was going to learn from browsing interplanetary life, confidential.

At first, I didn’t know why the main system insisted on keeping all this information away from me, but once I saw for myself, it became clear that it was important to keep the details of this information a secret. Today, whilst writing this I can only admit they do exist, however, any detailed information would affect our future and not in a good way, so I have to keep this knowledge to myself. I have pledged my loyalty to the main system in the future and I would be liable if I shared the information. In case I return, they would know I have betrayed the system.

I am aware all this sounds mysterious and extreme, but seriously, I cannot share what I know with any government in today’s reality. It will have awful consequences if this information fell into the wrong hands, not to mention the religious backlash. We are simply not ready for this kind of truth until our conscience has reached the standards of 26
th
century thinking.

Our hunger to create conflicts is stimulated by the greed and selfishness we possess and only when we would be able to understand that this planet is for all of us humans to share regardless where we reside, we would be ready to face the future.

Intrigued by my latest discovery, I decided to look back at the past and find out what happened during the last few centuries for things to change so significantly in the future. This happened to be the longest night since my arrival here. The hunger to know the fate of my old reality was insatiable.

A terrible chaotic world war had happened during the course of the 21
st
century due to corporate control over governments and politicians, the collapse of the financial system and the failure to control large angry crowds in a peaceful and honest way. It had been the kind of war that no one knew who the real enemy was and everyone fought against everyone. In the 26th century they blamed the old banking system for the collapse of civilisation. They considered loaning money at high rates, a legal scam at the expense of the population. The politicians around the world, as we all are experiencing today, have forgotten the purpose of being elected, which is in the interests of the voters and not against their representative’s financial interests.

The behaviour of 21
st
century’s politicians, the greed of the financial institutions and the unjustified domination of powerful corporates, had brought up new ideas and created the bases for an Artificial Intelligence governing body, which resulted in the financial system that run in the 26
th
century. They regretted the last big war, as they called it, and the billions of victims who suffered, but ultimately something better had come out of it, an everlasting peace.