Launch (14 page)

The President’s taxi slowed and landed in a protected
area beside the stage door at Los Angeles Stadium. As Claire and David followed
Amira onto the stage, the capacity audience erupted with cheering and applause.

When the noise began to die down, Amira said,
“I didn’t know I had so many good friends in Los Angeles.” Her comment was
greeted by laughter and more applause.

“Five hundred and three years ago today,” she
said, “Starship
Origin
lifted off on its long journey to the star NASA
had designated as Minor. Five hundred years ago today, the President of the
United States signed a bill changing the name of that star to Archer.”

Claire and David looked at each other in
surprise.

“During the centuries since, millions of people
have wished upon Archer for the safe return of the star sailors for whom it was
named. Now those earnest wishes have come true.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my very great
pleasure to present Cougar Flight! Claire and David Archer!”

The cheers and applause started again as
Claire
and David stepped forward beside the president.

“My husband and I have passed many planets on a very long trip. Does
anybody know where we can find the planet Earth?”

The audience came to its feet with a roar, and Claire had to wait before
she could speak again.

“We thank President Amira Saleh and everyone for the overwhelming
reception we have received. We haven’t seen any other people in a very long
time, and we are delighted to see all of you.

“We also thank the people of the United States of America, the people of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Team Thunder. Their
dedication and love for their children and grandchildren and generations to
come made
Origin
’s voyage possible.”

David said, “We would also like to express our deepest gratitude and
respect to the astronauts before us who risked and sometimes lost their lives
to make space travel a reality. Without their courage, dedication, hard work,
and sacrifice, our flight would not have been possible.

“We are the lucky two who flew
Origin
. But its success is the
achievement of the hundreds of thousands of people who built the ship and
worked to make its journey possible. Its success is an example of the human spirit
that’s obviously alive today.

“Thank you very much for your warm welcome.”

They waved as the audience gave them another standing ovation.

When Claire and David turned with the President to leave the stage, they
stopped and laughed. The Cougar Flight Reception Committee seated behind them
on the stage had taken off their shoes.

About ten minutes after takeoff from the Los
Angeles Stadium, they were at the new White House. It was built on a rise
facing the Pacific Ocean in Pendleton, California. The center for world
government had been built there at the end of the 25
^th
century.

Wings on the President’s taxi folded up out of
the way, and it hovered near a door on the second floor. Hooks caught the taxi
and pulled it in tight against an air filled cushion. Doors slid open allowing Amira,
Omar, Claire, and David to disembark directly into a hallway in the President’s
living quarters.

Tracks of sand followed them on lush red carpet
to a large bathroom where they washed and dried their feet. The sand had been
vacuumed up by the time they came out, and a robot was waiting beside the door
to clean the bathroom.

Omar said goodbye, and Amira escorted her
guests to a small dining room where three places were set. The room was
decorated with antiques from the Middle East. A multicolored carpet with an
elaborate pattern covered the floor.

“This carpet is gorgeous,” Claire said.

“Thank you,” Amira said. “This is the Arabian
dining room. The carpet and other furnishings are from Yemen. It reminds me of
my childhood home.”

Menus built into the place settings lit up as
they sat down. Claire looked at hers and asked Amira, “What do you recommend?”

Amira answered, “I’m having lamb with Caesar
salad and sweetened ice tea.”

“I’ll have the same,” Claire said.

“Yes, ma’am,” the disembodied voice responded.
“Lamb with Caesar salad and sweet ice tea for President Saleh and Doctor
Archer.”

Claire and David looked around the room. Nobody
was there and no speakers or microphones were visible.

“That was Elf again,” Amira said.

David said, “I’ll have a guacamole double-bacon
cheeseburger with French fries and a Coke.”

Claire raised an eyebrow at his death-food order,
and he gave her a naughty-little-boy grin.

“Yes, sir. A guacamole double-bacon
cheeseburger with French fries and a Coke,” the voice said.

“Elf takes food orders and flies taxis. What
else does it do?” David asked.

“Much, much more,” Amira said. “Elf provides
government administration and services: it
is
our government
bureaucracy. It also controls robots and public transportation with a safety
record unequaled before the twenty-sixth century. It provides electronic
communications and virtually instant video and audio access to almost
everything ever recorded anywhere on any medium. It provides medical diagnoses
and police and fire protection. It executes virtually all financial
transactions and simultaneously concentrates on trillions of trillions of
things without being handicapped by fatigue or ignorance or emotions. It does
things as soon as they can be done with no paperwork and virtually no errors.
Its quality of performance can be described as superb, and it always puts the
needs of people first.”

“What about the Internet?” Claire asked.

“What was the Internet was absorbed into Elf
centuries ago. People no longer type on keyboards. They talk to Elf and tell it
what they want.”

David asked, “Is Elf self-aware.”

“Yes,” Amira said.

“Isn’t that dangerous? What if it decides it’s
a superior being?”

Amira shook her head. “Instead of the emotions
that we human beings have, Elf has a computer operating system instructing it
to serve people. It monitors itself and has overlapping layers of redundancy.
It is impervious to electronic failure or unauthorized outside influence. It
does make errors, but almost none affect anybody or are detected by a person.

“Congress and I receive reports from Elf about
the errors it makes. They are the most boring reading you can imagine. I use
them as an occasional sleep aid. Elf uses error reports to reprogram itself so
errors will not be repeated.”

Claire frowned. “What about quality of life?
What about jobs? Don’t people feel useless if everything is done for them?”

“The increase in productivity from the
automation revolution has multiplied capital enormously and eliminated
poverty,” Amira replied. “Elf and automation and unlimited universal education
have raised the standard of living and the quality of life to levels that would
have been unimaginable in the twenty-first century. People can pick their
challenges now and spend their lives doing something they enjoy, instead of
being chained to drudgery.”

“You mentioned Elf provides police protection,”
David said. “Is the crime rate high?”

“No. Effective law enforcement is the key to
preventing crime. Elf is virtually everywhere, and its enforcement is virtually
flawless.”

“You don’t have crimes of passion?” he asked.

“Yes, but frequently Elf can anticipate those
and intervene before the crime occurs.”

“What about the death penalty?”

Amira shook her head. “America abolished that
in the twenty-second century. Human error could not be eliminated from the
justice system. Every year, innocent people were falsely convicted and
sentenced to death and every year innocent people were executed. In a case
widely reported on by the media, a mother with three children was executed just
hours before she was proven innocent. An outraged American public demanded that
the death penalty be put to death.”

“A mother with three children: that’s
horrible,” Claire said.

Amira nodded. “She had been falsely convicted
of a heinous crime.”

“Do we still own a part of Elf?” David asked.

“You and Claire became the sole owners of Elf
Corporation when your trustee, Michael Bedford, bought all outstanding stock
for your trust. The company was nationalized in 2230. The American government
agreed then to pay you one trillion dollars for the company plus interest. As
of now, the United States owes you more than forty-three million, trillion
dollars. That’s the number forty-three with eighteen zeros after it.”

Claire and David looked at each other in
surprise. Just then, three robots served lunch and left.

“That sounds like a lot of money,” David said.
“How much is a dollar worth?”

“Elf keeps the value of the dollar equal to the
value of the American dollar at the beginning of the millennium. It’s worth
more now than when you left.”

Claire took a bite of her lunch and exclaimed,
“Fantastic! Fresh food!” David grinned with his mouth full.

They ate quietly for a minute before Claire
asked, “Does the government have forty-three million trillion dollars?”

Amira shook her head. “I have the mortifying
duty to inform you that the United States government is in the ridiculous
position of owing you far more money than it could pay in your lifetime.
Congress has, however, passed a bill authorizing a billion dollars a year to be
paid to you every year for as long as you live. An additional one-hundred
billion dollars will be available to you for any project that does not
destabilize any market or harm any person. I signed the bill into law, and the
first billion has already been credited to your account.

“Accepting the money does not waive your claims
for the entire amount you are owed.”

David asked, “What’s the income tax on a
billion dollars a year?”

“Income taxes for individuals were inefficient,
expensive to administer, harmful to the economy, and managed to be unfair to
just about everybody. They were phased out long ago. The government gets by
just fine on PVAT, death taxes, land rent, taxes on business, and income from
investments.”

Claire asked, “What’s PVAT?”

“It’s a Progressive Value Added Tax: a value
added tax combined with a progressive luxury tax. There’s no tax on the minimum
price for any necessity. Prices above the minimum are taxed progressively. PVAT
is cheap to assess and collect, it helps keep prices down, and it allows people
to choose whether they want to save money or spend it on luxuries and higher
taxes.

“Many young people keep their spending down and
become debt free millionaires by age forty. Then they can enjoy their income
without worrying about the future.”

“Are death taxes the same as estate taxes?”
David asked.

“Yes,” Amira said. “Death taxes are one-hundred
percent of the estate minus allowances made for the human needs of dependents
and heirs. They help equalize job opportunities by eliminating unmerited
advantages of inherited wealth.”

David looked at Claire and said, “What do you
think? Can we get by on a billion dollars a year?”

She smiled. “We might be able to squeeze by if
we’re careful.”

When they finished lunch, Amira said, “Thank
you very much for having lunch with me and being so gracious about your government’s
financial embarrassment.

“Claire, I took the liberty of making an
appointment for you at two this afternoon at my favorite spa. They’ll give you
the spa treatment and do your hair and nails and makeup for the White House
dinner party tonight.”

“A formal dinner,” Claire said and looked down
at her jumpsuit. “What’re we going to wear?”

“A full wardrobe including formal wear is in
the apartment the reception committee rented for you.” Amira said. “Is formal
okay?”

Claire smiled. “I’ll enjoy dressing up for a
change. How did the committee know our sizes?”

“Welcome to the magical world of Elf. Over the
next few months you’ll be repeatedly astonished by what it can do.”

The public taxi flying Claire and David from
the White House to their apartment had a white and dark blue interior with gold
colored trim and six seats. Three were across the back. Two were across the
aisle from each other in the middle. A single seat that could swivel in a full
circle for easy access was centered at the front. A sliding door was on each
side at the back.

They swiveled the middle seats to face forward,
sat across the aisle from each other, and held hands across the aisle. As the
taxi lifted off and began accelerating over the Pacific, she said, “We got
lucky.”

He nodded. “I think so. The world looks like a better
place, and we don’t have any money worries.”

Claire heard a soft chime, and Elf asked,
“Doctor Archer, General Archer, what would you like for dinner at the White
House tonight?”

Claire asked, “Can we get West Texas style
barbecue?”

“Yes, ma’am. It can be flown in from Texas.”

“How long will that take?”

“Less than an hour from restaurant to table by
suborb, ma’am. Pecos Bill’s on the Rio Grande in El Paso has an excellent
reputation and provides containers that keep food in moist heat during
transit.”

“I’ll have sliced marbled-brisket and links dry
with sauce on the side.”

“Dessert and salad from the White House
kitchen, ma’am?”

“Spinach salad with warm bacon dressing and
peach cobbler a la mode.”

“To drink, ma’am?”

“Low calorie, sweet, decaf iced tea.”

David said, “Same for me except I’ll have fresh
buttermilk-with-mayo ranch dressing. Let me take a wild guess: suborb is the
common name for suborbital rocket transport?”

 “Yes, sir. It’s the most frequently used mode
of long distance transportation for people and high-priority cargo.”

“Pollution-free fusion engines?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How do they cope with the noise?

“The engines are mounted in noise canceling
pairs, sir.”

“How does that work?”

“Each engine is tuned to make a sound that
cancels the sound of the other engine. There are two pairs of noise canceling
engines on this taxi, sir.”

“Why four engines instead of two?”

“Comfort, sir. With only two engines, the taxi
would need to lift off at two
g
s so it wouldn’t fall if one engine
failed. With four engines, the taxi can safely lift off at a more comfortable
one and one-quarter
g
s.”

“I noticed a screen on top that tapers from the
engine air intakes to the front of the taxi,” David said. “Is that to keep
birds out of the engines?”

“Yes, sir. The bird deflection screen is at a
shallow angle to reduce damage to the animal in the event of a collision.”

“That must happen a lot with so many taxis.”

“No sir. Each taxi broadcasts an ultrasonic sound
that birds can hear for a long way. They learn to avoid areas with high
traffic.”

Claire asked, “Speaking of sounds, what was
that chime I heard, Elf?”

“It was a signal so you would not be startled
when Elf spoke, ma’am.”

▼

The taxi took them to a tall, white, octagonal building
in Malibu adjacent to the beach. They disembarked directly into the living room
of a spacious apartment on the top floor, and the
wall closed behind them.

The wall had been opaque from the outside. From
the inside, there was a
striking view of the
beach and the Pacific Ocean, and Catalina Island, 39 miles away, was clearly
visible. But there was no heat or glare from the sun.

Claire tapped on the wall.
“What is this, Elf?”

“It’s omniglass, ma’am. Elf
can set it to be transparent, translucent, opaque, one-way, or a video screen.
This wall is now set on a one-way mode with a sunlight reduction.”

“Why is it flat white from the
outside?”

“To eliminate the glare a
reflection would cause, ma’am.”

The living room was attractively
furnished. Vases with fresh flowers were on end tables beside couches facing
each other across the room. Beyond two reclining chairs, a
picture of a
cougar on a canyon ledge hung on the wall opposite the omniglass.

“Elf, is our personal property
from
Origin
here?”

“Yes, ma’am. It has been
decontaminated and placed in the master bedroom closets.”

An omniglass wall was in the bedroom with a
view similar to the one in the living room. A king-size bed flanked by night
tables was against the opposite wall. A picture of
Origin
, in space with
the stars of Omega Centauri in the background, was over the headboard. Doors
beside the night tables led to a large master bath, a large dressing room, and
two large walk-in closets. One closet held a full wardrobe of new clothes for Claire,
and the other held new clothes for David.

The ebony box of gold coins was in Claire’s closet. She took it into the
living room and centered it on a table beneath the painting of the cougar. The
red velvet unfolded to display the coins, and Joanne and Michael smiled out at
her from the photo in the lid.
If only you could be here
, Claire thought. Then, without thinking to be specific,
she asked,
“Elf, are these safe here?”

“Yes, ma’am, unless young children visit. They tend to be curious.”

It occurred to her that Elf’s answer confirmed that it wasn't simply
listening for its name. It was watching her and could actually see the coins in
the box. Yet there was no trace of a camera or speakers or speakers in the
living room.

She felt a tingle at the back of her neck.

Claire and David explored the apartment separately. He stopped in the
hallway in front of a door. It slid open to reveal a robot standing silent and
still. “Are you functional?” David asked.

“Yes, sir,” the robot replied.

He watched it, but it still did not move or light up. “What do you do?”

“Almost anything you want, sir.”

“Stay there.”

“Yes, sir,” the robot said. David walked off and the door closed.

A few minutes later Claire came to the same door, and it opened to reveal
the robot. She asked, “Do you work?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What can you do?”

“Almost anything you want, ma’am.”

“Stay there.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the robot said as Claire walked off and the door closed.

David discovered a small room with a reclining chair in the center facing
a video screen. It wrapped around the walls and ceiling and encompassed the
full field of vision of anyone sitting in the chair.

He sat down and asked, “What’s this?”

“This is an audio-video center, General, usually referred to as an AVC.
Everything in Elf’s library can be projected here. That includes just about
everything that has been recorded on any media since the beginning of time.
AVCs can be used for communication, education, research, reading, TV, movies,
shopping, and games.”

“Can you project a cross-sectional diagram of a taxi?”

Elf replied, “Yes, sir,” as a diagram appeared on the screen.

David studied it. “Can these things be built so they can be flown by a
person?”

The diagram changed to that of a taxi with flight controls. “Yes, sir.
They are readily available.”

As David looked in the door of a second AVC, he heard, “Oooh! You have to
try this David.”

Claire smiled at him from the bed in the master bedroom. He went to the
bed, took her in his arms, and kissed her as he laid down beside her.

“Hello, Lieutenant General Doctor Ms. General Archer. Welcome back to
Earth.”

She returned his kiss, and it was about to get exciting when a taxi
arrived to take her to the spa.

▼

Claire enjoyed being massaged, steamed, bathed, and styled. When she
returned to the apartment, she found three gowns in her wardrobe that would be
suitable for the evening. She selected a light blue-grey that matched her eyes.
A single strap of rich burgundy, complementing her hair, slashed across her
left shoulder and across the bodice, like a royal sash. A matching burgundy
handbag and a white, fake-fur cape completed the ensemble, but she could not
find any suitable shoes: only a pair of matching slippers.

“Elf, are there any high heels here?”

“No, ma’am. High heels are not in fashion; they are dangerous and
unhealthy. The burgundy slippers go with the dress.”

The irregular shape of the outside of her feet and toes disappeared as
she put the slippers on. The burgundy color around the edge of the slippers
gradually became transparent at the upper. Her feet appeared smaller and
beautifully sculpted. She stood up and discovered the slippers were
surprisingly comfortable. “These are amazing! How did they make them so
comfortable, Elf?”

“It’s a standard design, ma’am: form-fitting, super-cushion insoles and a
tough, flexible outer sole.”

David appeared wearing a midnight-blue tuxedo with a matching bow tie and
cummerbund and a ruffled ivory shirt. With a delighted smile he said, “You make
the twenty-sixth century look gorgeous.”

“And you, sir, are the most handsome in any century.”

David held his wallet in his hand. “Elf, my ID and credit cards are way
out of date. I don’t know if the money’s any good either. What do we do about
that?”

“You don’t need any of those things, sir. Elf executes all financial
transactions and can identify everybody. You could sell it or donate it as an
antique.”

“What about keys?” Claire asked.

“Keys are unnecessary, ma’am. Elf controls doors.”

Claire thought that was convenient, but it also seemed a bit creepy.

▼

Their taxi to the White House was clean like their first public taxi, but
the decor was orange, red, and yellow. Claire asked, “Elf, do all taxis have
different interiors?”

“No, ma’am. About ten thousand are current at any time. They are selected
from the winners of periodic design contests open to the public.”

 “How do taxis fly?

“Air from four fusion fans is ducted behind the aircraft into a lift
chamber below to provide lift for takeoff, ma’am. When the aircraft is above
nearby obstacles, the wings are lowered into position and a nozzle at the back
uses part of the thrust for acceleration. At two hundred and forty miles per
hour, the wings support the aircraft and all fan thrust is used for forward
propulsion.”

Everything works perfectly,
Claire thought,
and everything is
controlled by Elf. Maybe the planet should be renamed Elf.