“What kind of work will you have for me?” David asked.
“We want you to help us with mission planning and development. Many people are excited by your discovery of Minor-four-b, and we want to send robots there to thoroughly explore it. We also want to use your prestige to help us communicate with Congress and get our programs approved.”
“What about flying?” David asked.
“We don’t need astronauts or pilots, but you can fly for recreation. Robots perform our extraterrestrial activities except for aspects of research and development that require human intuition. For that, we have scientists who travel as passengers in space and don’t undergo the training that you had.”
“Robots don’t have intuition?” Claire asked.
“They have access to too much data,” Dr. Masters answered. “They see so many possibilities that they wind up in an endless loop.”
A soft bell called everyone to dinner.
▼
Dr. Dale Curt, Dean of the UCLA School of Medicine, was sitting on Claire’s left. He told her that virtually all diseases, including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, pneumonia, flu, and the common cold, had been eliminated as serious medical problems.
She asked, “What are the major causes of death now?”
“Old age and accidents,” he answered.
“Accidents! I hope they aren’t taxi crashes.”
He shook his head. “No. Most accidents are in the home or are recreation or sports related. People are determined to enjoy life, even if it kills them.”
“How is the practice of medicine different now?”
“Doctors and nurses interface between the patient and Elf. It knows all there is to know, but it can’t feel what we feel. Medical professionals put a human face on medicine.”
“What do I need to do to get back in?”
“We’d have to do a detailed assessment to give you an accurate answer. Come see me, and I will introduce you to admissions. Our staff will be thrilled to meet you.”
Robots served Dr. Curt a smoked salmon fillet as Claire was served her barbecue. He looked at her plate and said, “That looks good.”
“It was flown in from El Paso, she said. We like West Texas style barbecue that has been slow cooked over a wood fire for several days.”
Dr. Curt smiled and said to David, “I’ve heard you never eat anything that swims. Is that true?”
David shook his head. “When I was a kid, we had a steer fall in the river.”
Dr. Curt laughed.
June Ward, wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was sitting on Claire’s right and attacking a large prime rib steak with gusto. “This is superb,” she said. “I’m going to need an extra metabolism pill tonight.”
“You have a great figure,” Claire said. “Why will you need a pill?”
“I’m a member of the Laguna Niguel PLC,” June said. “I spend most of my time in the office. I don’t get any exercise at work, and with two teenagers, it’s hard to find time for the gym.”
“What’s a PLC?”
“A Parent Licensing Committee.”
“Is a license required to be a parent?” Claire asked with a note of alarm.
“Oh yes,” June said. “Parent licensing began after the Catastrophe. Restricting childbirth helped solve the overpopulation problem.”
“Catastrophe?”
June nodded. “The world population was more than thirteen billion in 2081. People were dying from thirst, disease, starvation, and wars. America went bankrupt, the world economy collapsed, and things got much worse.”
“That’s awful!” Claire said.
“It was.”
Claire asked, “Was America overpopulated?”
“Parts were. High water consumption depleted groundwater in some parts of the country faster than nature could replace it. The western drought moved north and east, destroying potential reserves. Some aquifers collapsed. Low-lying coastal areas and aquifers in and near large cities were flooded with salt water as Arctic, Antarctic, and glacial ice melted and ocean water levels rose. Damage to Earth’s environment in the oceans and on land curbed markets and economies just as many American cities, counties, and states went bankrupt.”
Claire’s fears about overpopulation and the environment had been realized. She was stunned.
“How could America fail?”
In a more sympathetic tone, June said, “Beyond the idea of political freedom, America lacked a comprehensive philosophy of government. One fervent political group would get elected and try to move the country one way. The next equally passionate political group would get elected and try to move it another. Americans elected congressmen and senators to go to Washington and bring back money for local projects, regardless of what was best for the country. Campaign contributions from special interests and political parties mocked the idea of one person, one vote. Fierce political competition stopped government from finding and implementing solutions to many critical problems. The one constant was a growing national debt that finally became too much. The American dollar collapsed. That caused the world economy to collapse and plunged the world into the depths of the Catastrophe.”
“What’s the population now?”
“About one billion, but over the years the goals of parent licensing have changed from population control to ensuring that children have good parents.”
“How?”
“Screening, education, and support,” June answered. “We make sure applicants want to be and can be good parents. Then we teach them how and give them whatever help they might need.”
“What happens if a baby is born and the mother doesn’t have a license?”
“If she and her husband don’t get a license, the baby is adopted by parents who do have a license.”
Claire was horrified. “She loses her baby?!”
“Yes, but that doesn’t happen often.”
The conversation was interrupted as robots cleared away the dishes and brought dessert. Claire thought her peach cobbler a la mode looked delicious. She turned her spoon in it, but she had lost her appetite.
After dessert, the party went outside to seats that had been put on the front lawn for the fourth of July, Union Day, fireworks. Claire and David sat in front with Amira and Omar. It was a truly spectacular show, the best fireworks display Claire had ever seen, but she didn’t enjoy it.
She was numb. She had wanted to be part of a family for as long as she could remember. Now, some unknown bureaucrat using who-knew-what standards would have to approve her application before she could be a parent.
What kind of a society is this?
▼
The taxi was halfway back to their apartment when Claire said, “Elf, take us back to the beach where we were this morning. I want to go for another walk.”
The taxi banked to change course as Elf said, “Yes, ma’am.”
David raised his eyebrows. She took her slippers off. He took his shoes and socks off and rolled up the legs of his pants without comment.
The taxi landed. As both doors opened, small panels slid down beside each door revealing flashlights.
Claire said, “Wait here, Elf. We’re going for a walk, about an hour or so.”
“Yes, ma’am. Because there’s no moonlight tonight, it’s rather dark and you might want to take a flashlight. A communications transceiver is built into each one. It’s on when the flashlight is on. A button light is on one end that will stick to your clothes or skin and let you see well enough to walk without the flashlight.”
Claire and David both took a flashlight. Though big enough to be held comfortably, they were lightweight. A sliding switch turned the light on and varied the brightness and beam width. When the switch was pressed down, the light began to flash.
Claire removed the glowing button from her flashlight and stuck it to her upper chest. She laughed when she saw David had put his button on his forehead.
As they stepped out of the taxi, Claire asked,
“Are there any dangerous animals in this area?”
“Bears, cougars, wolves, and coyotes, Ma’am. But they all have implanted transponders. A taxi with police robots will find you if a dangerous animal gets too close.”
“Wolves?”
“They were native to this area, ma’am, and they have been successfully reintroduced. Farm animals are protected.”
“Is a transceiver built into the buttons, Elf?”
“No ma’am.”
“How far can you hear our voices?”
“About a quarter mile under current conditions, ma’am.”
“If we’re in danger and you need to find us, how will you do that?”
“Thermal imaging, ma’am.”
The tide was out, and the surf was light as Claire and David walked along the beach and around a curve. Los Angeles was farther ahead to the east, but the lights of the city were not visible.
Both experimented with their flashlights, which had a long range, but starlight and the button lights were all they needed to walk comfortably.
Claire looked over her shoulder and said in a loud voice, “Elf.”
They continued walking, and there was no response.
After a few minutes, she said, “Have you noticed that Elf has cameras and microphones in every room?”
“It does seem to be everywhere,” he said.
“And it controls all doors and robots and communications and has police power. What’s to keep it from becoming a dictator, or a dictator’s tool?”
David thought about that. “Government controls seem to work well.”
“Tonight I discovered we have to get a license to have a baby. A license! It may take months for a committee of strangers to decide if we can be fit parents while my biological clock ticks on and on. What if our application is denied?”
After a pause, she continued. “Even if we have a baby, can you imagine trying to raise a child with Elf looking over our shoulder at everything we do? What if we make a mistake? Do we lose the baby?”
As David put his arm around Claire, she began to cry. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she said, “I’ve wanted to be part of a loving family since I was a little girl. Now . . . that may never happen.”
They continued side by side with an occasional sniffle while she regained control. After several minutes of silence, she whirled around in front of him. “Say something! Don’t just stand there like a dumb piece of driftwood on the beach!”
He looked at her sorrowfully. “I don’t think that was called for, Cougar.”
Claire was immediately filled with remorse. She threw her arms around him and started to cry again. “I’m sorry, Buni. You’re my only friend in the world. I love you. I love you.”
“Minor-four-b.”
She froze, then stepped back with her arms on his and regarded him quizzically. “You think?”
“We can build another starship. We already know how to fly it and don’t need most of the fuel for a one way trip. That means there’ll be a lot of extra space onboard that we can use for fertile couples who can come with us. Our kids will marry their kids. We can take taxis and seeds and farm equipment and a medical clinic and a wood shop and a metal shop and supplies. You can be doctor in charge, just like you have been. We can begin to colonize four-b, maybe even make Smiley a pet.”
She studied his face. “You really think we can do that?”
“NASA wants me to work on mission planning and development. Amira says we have access to a hundred billion dollars, which is more than Origin cost. We can pretty much do what we want.”
Claire was thoughtful as they walked with their arms around each other. After a few minutes she said, “I don’t want anybody to try to stop us. We must use the utmost discretion. Act like we plan to stay, even apply for a license to have a baby. We should learn about advanced medicine and technology and take whatever we can use with us.”
After another minute, she smiled. “We could be founders of a new society on four-b, a new civilization.”
“Maybe we should go to the apartment and practice making babies, so we’ll be ready when the time comes.”
She put her arms around him and whispered in his ear. “Yes, sir, Commander, General, Buni, sir.”
They turned and began walking back to the taxi with quicker steps.
▼
On the flight back to their apartment, Claire said, “Elf, we want to apply for a license to have a baby. How do we do that?”
Elf answered, “You both tell Elf and then complete an application for a license to be a parent. Elf will submit your application, ma’am.”
David said, “We both want to have a baby, Elf. When can we apply?”
“You can complete the application in your audio-visual centers, sir, but it must be done alone and separately. You should be aware that submitting your application will waive your right to privacy with respect to information on the application. The Malibu Parent Licensing Committee is, however, bound by law to limit the use of your personal information for parent licensing purposes.”
“What right to privacy?” David asked.
“All of your personal information is private, sir. It cannot be revealed without your permission unless legal authority orders its release for cause.”
“But you know everything about everybody!”
“Elf is a machine, sir, an electronic device. It is bound by law to keep personal information private and to enforce laws protecting the right to privacy.”
“Does the government have access to our private information?”
“No sir, not without your permission or a court order.”
Claire asked, “If we finish our applications tonight, when will they be submitted?”
“Tomorrow morning, ma’am.”
▼
After they returned to their apartment, each completed an application in one of the audio visual centers. Then they went to bed.
Claire whispered in David’s ear, “We are not going to have a toothy turtle in the house.”
David grinned. “You’re just mad because it tried to eat you.”
Chapter 30
David was awake and staring at the ceiling when Claire woke up the next morning. She put her hand on his chest.
He smiled and turned to kiss her. “I’m going to check out some ideas for the new starship in one of the audio visual centers.”
After he left, she lay quietly trying to plan for the future. But she soon realized there were too many unknowns to make any decision except one: take one day at a time.
She dressed casually and went into the kitchen. Its color scheme was white and glacier ice blue. The largest appliance was a cylinder standing on end, and she thought it must be the refrigerator. When she stepped toward it, pictures of food containers appeared on it with generic names and expiration dates labeled in green. She did not see a handle, so she touched a picture of milk. A green rectangle appeared around the picture and a sliding panel opened with the milk positioned on a circular shelf directly in front of her. Then she heard a soft chime that disrupted her concentration. A fraction of a second later, Elf said, “Doctor Archer, your next door neighbor, Naomi Radin, is at your front door.”
The sliding panel on the refrigerator closed as Claire walked toward the front door. It had a large one-way panel in the middle. An attractive brunette with hazel eyes was in the hallway holding a coffee cake. Claire said, “Open the door, Elf,” and the door retracted into the wall.
“Hi Naomi, I’m Claire.”
Naomi’s eyes opened wide in surprise, and she said, “Doctor Archer! You’re my new neighbor?”
“Call me Claire, please. Come in. “How did you know you had a new neighbor if you didn’t know who?”
“I asked Elf about the taxis coming and going yesterday. It told me I had a new neighbor, but privacy rules wouldn’t let it tell me who you were.”
“I’d appreciate it if you would keep it private,” Claire said. “I wouldn’t like to get up and a
nswer the door at three in the morning.”
“I may suffocate when I see my friend Gladys, but my lips are sealed,” Naomi said.
Claire laughed and said, “Thank you.”
Claire and Naomi soon had coffee and cake on the breakfast table. After Claire took a bite of cake, she said, “Mmmmm. This is fantastic.”
“Thank you. The cake is an old family recipe. You can have it if you want.”
“Yes, please.”
Naomi said, “Elf, make my coffee cake recipe available to Claire.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Claire thanked Naomi and asked, “Have you lived here long?”
“Almost three years now. We love the view and my husband loves the surfing.”
“The view is spectacular and this apartment is rather luxurious,” Claire said. “I imagine the rent is high.”
“This isn’t that fancy by current standards, but the location and view do make the rent high.”
Just then, David came in and said, “I smell coffee.”
Claire said, “This is our neighbor, Naomi Radin. She brought us this lovely coffee cake.”
He smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Naomi. It looks like I got here just in time.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, General Archer. I’ll get you a cup and a plate.”
Claire said, “I’ll do it. I don’t learn to find my way around my kitchen, I’ll starve to death.”
David sat down and said to Naomi, “Make it David, please. What do you do?”
“I teach history at Malibu High School.”
“Claire and I need to learn about the history of the last five hundred years. Can you recommend any good textbooks?”
“Standard textbooks and lectures are available through Elf at no cost. They may be the best.”
David raised an eyebrow, “You don’t do lectures in the classroom?”
“No. Standardized video lectures have the very best teachers and elaborate teaching aids. Some have won Academy Awards. They’re much better than what most teachers, including me, can do.”
“Don’t kids fall asleep during the video?”
Naomi shook her head. “We interact with videos to maintain spontaneity and rapid changes of pace. Students should be challenged so they don’t dare look away. Teaching and learning should be fun.”
Launch Page 14
