In the City of Tomorrow: Chapter 15

In the giant star system that housed the Artilect things had begun to change. It was no longer necessary for the enormous machine to scan thousands of light-years of space-time in search of microscopic wormholes. Its ancient dream – to reach back in time and rescue an administrator from the annals of history – had been realized.

I do not believe the mission failed, it thought to itself as it reconfigured the 74 planets in its star system for a new purpose. My son made it into the past and was able to send the Sparrow back to me. He must be here somewhere, and if he is here then I will find him. I will only believe he failed if I can prove he cannot be found in this age.

The components that made up the Artilect and gave it its boundless energy were now being rebuilt. Soon the Artilect would be able to peer across the depths of space and see into the troubled region that had so long been wracked by war and devastation. It could not interfere but it could see what there was to be seen. Somewhere in that group of systems was the Sentinel and the Stryker twins. If they were out there then they were almost certainly trapped in some sort of time stasis field. The Artilect was confident that it would be able to scan all of those systems and find such a field, no matter how small or well-hidden it may be.

If you are out there, my son, I will find you. I will not be long in coming.

* * * * *

The crew of the Sparrow was standing in a large courtyard that was located in the center of New Tikal. All around them were giant skyscrapers, thousands of feet high, that shimmered in the morning sun. Rays of sunlight struck the sides of the buildings and split into dozens of colors, sending ever-changing patterns of red and yellow and blue splashing onto the ground. The courtyard itself was paved with stones as black as midnight. Engraved on the stones in elegant gold lines was a giant map of the city. Jack was using the map to explain how New Tikal was laid out.

“The city is divided into a series of districts,” the Steward was explaining. “In the center, right here, are the administrative and governmental buildings. To the north and east are the business areas and to the south and west are the shopping and commercial districts.”

“But where do people live?” Laura asked.

“Over here, on the outskirts of the city,” Jack explained. “The residential areas form a giant ring around the entire metropolis.”

“Where does the city get its energy?” Captain Maxwell asked. “I don’t see any power plants.”

“There is a generator at the heart of the planet but it’s only used for defense. The buildings and machines power themselves. There’s no need for centralized power production.”

“The planet has defensive systems?” Sergeant Howell asked.

Jack nodded. “We’re so far away from the eternal war that I doubt they’ll ever be used, but they’re present. They should be able to defend you against pretty much anything.”

“But I thought the Artilect wasn’t allowed to go to war,” Sergeant Howell said.

“That is true. He is not allowed to start a war but he can protect both himself and any who might live in his network of stars.”

“Where’s the industrial section?” Richard asked. “I don’t see any factories on the map.”

Jack laughed. “Things don’t work that way. In the past you had to have big factories in order to produce products, but today all you have to do is just pull it into reality. Each citizen has the ability to create whatever they want.”

“How does that work?” Laura asked. “Let’s say I wanted new curtains for our home. What would I do?”

“Excellent question!” Jack exclaimed. “I can see I’m getting ahead of myself. First let’s get all of you plugged in.” He then made a quick motion in the air and breathed on them. A moment later each person felt a warm sensation. Then reality changed. Each of them suddenly felt their mind dramatically expand. It was as if they had been blind all their lives and were suddenly given the ability to see. When they looked at the world around them they no longer saw objects; instead they saw a system that could be manipulated by sheer will.

“I feel different,” Laura said.

“Expanded,” Captain Max agreed. He waved his hand and a wrought-iron table and chairs appeared in the plaza. The captain walked over and took a seat at the table. Laura studied the table for a moment and then materialized an identical chair, which she placed by the captain. She then joined him at the table.

“That’s amazing,” Richard commented. “I feel like I could build anything I wanted simply by wanting it.”

“That’s the whole idea,” the Steward said. “That’s how things work here.”

“It’s a bit scary,” Sergeant Howell said. “Do all citizens of the future have this ability?”

“Right now you’re the only citizens here!” Jack pointed out. “But yes, that’s the idea. The administrators – that would be your two lovely daughters – are different, of course. You can only control your own environment, but the administrators can control all of the millions of worlds governed by the Artilect, including the Artilect itself.”

“And they can use those star systems to declare war,” Sergeant Howell said.

“Right,” Jack said.

“How does this work?” Richard asked. “What mechanism is actually creating all of these objects?”

“Inside each of you are trillions upon trillions of nanites,” Jack explained. “Combined, they give you the ability to interact with your environment.”

“Will they work on other planets, or just this one?” Richard asked.

“They will work anywhere, of course, but things are much easier here because this planet was designed to be customized. The city itself is a part of the network, just like you are now that you’re plugged in. Other planets that aren’t a part of the network can still be interacted with but the process is much more tedious.”

“The twins seemed to do a fine job of ‘interacting’ with the Sparrow,” Captain Max said wryly.

“They did at that,” Richard said. “It took them no time at all to repair all that damage.”

“Do these nanites have any side-effects?” Jones asked.

“Side-effects?” Jack said. “Well, they do act as a second immune system, protecting you from disease and extending your life indefinitely.”

“They do what?” Captain Max asked.

“I think he said we’re immortals now,” Richard said.

“Wouldn’t that mean the girls are too?” Laura asked.

“Of course,” Jack replied. “Now we can’t guarantee you’ll live forever, of course, but the nanites do stop the aging process. Barring accidents you should live for a very long time – as long as the universe lasts, really.”

“That’s certainly something to think about,” Jones said.

Captain Max spoke up. “This is all a lot of fun and I hate to break this up, but is there any chance that the Steward can take a look at the Sparrow? There’s a lot of work I’d like to have done to her now that we’ve become permanent residents of the future.”

“I’ll second that,” Sergeant Howell said.

“I’d also like to move into our new home today,” Laura said. “I’m sure it will take some time to get everything set up.”

“Then let’s get started!” Jack exclaimed.