Launch

by Richard Perth

  “We wish a happy home for you and your family, and we will do everything we can to help you achieve it. Do you have any questions?”

  “Yes, sir,” Claire said. “How long do we have to complete the requirements?”

  “You should complete all of the requirements so you can have your full license before your baby is born.”

  David said, “Thank you, sir.”

  Claire said, “Thank you all, very much.”

  Dr. Mansfield smiled broadly as he came around his desk to shake their hands and said, “Welcome back, Cougar Flight.”

  Bernice Moore and Jason Kim frowned.

  ▼

  As soon as Claire and David returned to their apartment, she walked quickly toward their bedroom. “Take off your clothes and come to bed, Buni.”

  He unbuttoned his shirt as he followed her. “What? No foreplay?”

  As she stepped out of her skirt, she said, “You had a marriage ceremony and fair warning. You will do your duty, and you will enjoy it!”

  And that brief exchange was ample foreplay for both of them.

  ▼

  Later, as they rested in each other’s arms, she whispered in his ear, “I want to stay here until the baby is six months old.”

  They lay quietly for a minute. Then David said, “Hey! What about your birth control?”

  “I stopped injections three months before we landed. The last mechanical device came out just before we went to meet the PLC. I should be ovulating today.”

  He grinned, “You don’t mess around do you?”

  She kissed him and whispered in his ear again. “Oh I do. I do mess around with you, darling Buni.”

  Chapter 35

  The next morning, Claire woke up early wanting an old fashioned breakfast. Quietly, she slipped out of bed without disturbing David and went into the kitchen.

  While she was cooking, she began to think about maternity clothes. What do modern styles look like? How would she look?

  She smiled. Wishful thinking, you silly goose.

  David woke up to the smell of frying bacon. That was enough to get him out of bed quickly and into the kitchen. Claire was busy trying to make everything finish cooking at the same time. She kissed him and told him to set the table and have a cup of coffee.

  He was delighted to be served real bacon and eggs, sausage patties, and biscuits. His wide smile told her how he felt about it.

  When he buttered a biscuit, he discovered the butter was soft. He thought it was a spread, but it melted like butter. Then he tasted it.

  “Hey! This is butter!”

  She smiled and shook her head.

  “Not butter? What is it?”

  “Fish oil,” she said. “It’s good for you. Have all you want.”

  Claire and David were relaxing with their coffee after breakfast when she said, “Elf. Are there any large shopping malls around here?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I haven’t seen any from a taxi. Where are they?”

  “They are in tall buildings, ma’am, for convenient taxi access.

  “I would like to go shopping.”

  “That can be arranged, ma’am.”

  “Arranged? Can’t we just get in a taxi and go?”

  “No, ma’am. You and General Archer are the most famous people in the world. Your unplanned presence in a public place could cause an unsafe gathering. People could be hurt. Children would be especially vulnerable.”

  “You mean were trapped? We can’t go anywhere?”

  “Escorts and disguises can be arranged at your convenience, ma’am. In the meantime, you can take an aerial tour by taxi.”

  “What do you think, David?”

  “How about a taxi tour this morning and shopping this afternoon?” he said. “And I would like to arrange access to a gym, before I turn into an oozing blob.”

  “What time would you like to schedule a gym, sir?”

  He looked at Claire. “Six okay?”

  She nodded and said, “Six a.m., Elf.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Your taxi will be here tomorrow at ten to six. When would you like to go for an aerial tour?”

  Claire asked David, “One hour?”

  He nodded his head and said, “We’ll be ready for the taxi tour in an hour, Elf.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  ▼

  Their taxi flew low-and-slow off the Malibu coast toward Santa Monica and Los Angeles as Elf explained what Claire and David were seeing. Widely spaced tall buildings with striking architecture of many different designs were near the beach. Variations on architecture resembling stacks of tapered buckets were the most popular. A narrow base would flare outward for one or more stories. Then there would the base of another bucket shape surrounded by a flat area with taxi landing pads, tennis courts, swimming pools, even outdoor restaurant tables.

  Most of the tall buildings close to the beach were apartments and condominiums. Local shopping and service facilities were usually on the lower floors.

  Buildings and homes occupied less than half of the access to the beach. The remainder was available for public use with taxi landing spaces and parks. Included were a variety of recreation areas, picnic tables, and grills. The beach adjacent to the ocean was open to everybody.

  As they flew inland, Elf pointed out a tall building on the right and said it was the Santa Monica Mall. The curving sides gleamed and swooped up, like petals on a flower. Beyond that, Claire and David saw a large, cone-shaped rocket ship with the wide end down launching from the top of another building.

  “Is that a suborb?” David asked.

  “Yes sir. Fusion engines are grouped in noise cancelling pairs on the bottom. A ring around the engine nozzles reduces noise further and provides mounting points for retractable landing gear. Fuel tanks are just above the engines. The baggage compartment is just above the fuel tanks, and the passenger cabin is above that.”

  “Why does it need landing gear?” Claire asked.

  “So it can be precisely positioned for loading and unloading, ma’am. Suborbs have wheels powered by electric motors that can swivel in any direction.

  At David’s request, their taxi slowly circled the suborb terminal. After few minutes, another suborb landed. From towers adjacent to the landing pad, loading ramps swung in to the ship. Taxis arrived at the towers and the terminal below to drop off and pick up passengers.

  “What company is that?” David asked.

  “Quantas, sir. The first suborb you saw came from Sydney and is continuing on to London. The second suborb is from London, and it will continue on to Sydney.”

  “Don’t they have nonstop flights between London and Sydney?”

  “Yes sir. These flights stop here for the convenience of Los Angeles passengers.”

  “Do other companies use this terminal?”

  “No sir. It’s a Quantas terminal.”

  “Where are other terminals?”

  “They’re scattered around the area, sir.”

  Claire asked, “Why aren’t they located in one place, like our metropolitan airports in the twenty-first century?”

  “Separation avoids congestion, ma’am. Taxis quickly link terminals for connecting flights.”

  Their tour continued through the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley. Then they flew through Orange County to Pendleton. There, classical architecture styles resembled those of Washington, D.C. and other world capitals in the twenty-first century.

  Transportation by taxi had eliminated the need for downtown areas. Everywhere, buildings were widely spaced, and the ground between them was covered by gardens, trees, and parks. Elf explained that the many trails through the trees were for walking, running, biking, and horseback riding. It also said that the few houses that could be seen on the surface were very expensive.

  “Why,” Claire asked. “Why are they so expensive?”

  “The cost of land, ma’am.”

  After their air tour of Pendleton, Claire and David agreed that
they had seen enough for one morning. Their taxi flew out over the Pacific Ocean and climbed to cruising altitude to get back to Malibu.

  On the way back, Claire asked Elf about earthquakes.”

  “Earthquakes can be forecast, ma’am, and tall buildings are mounted on shock absorbers. Small earthquakes are often not noticed by the people inside.”

  David said, “It would take a lot of taxi trips to stock a supermarket or shopping center. How do they do that?”

  “Tall buildings are connected by underground railroads, sir, subways. They are built first to transport the construction equipment and building materials to the site.”

  “Can people use the subways, too?”

  “Yes, sir. For short trips, subways can be fast and convenient.”

  ▼

  A taxi picked up Claire and David after lunch and flew them to a makeup studio. There they were given simple but effective disguises. A blonde wig covered Claire’s short auburn hair, and David was fitted with dark brown hair. They were both given large sunglasses with mirror lenses that covered eyebrows as well as eyes.

  Then they were then introduced to female and male escorts: both human, and both highly trained police officers.

  Since Claire and David’s twenty-first-century accents were easily recognizable, they were asked not to speak in public places. The escorts would do all of the talking.

  “Where would you like to go first?” Elf asked.

  Claire asked, “Where is the best department store?”

  “Astor’s is a highly rated, upscale store, ma’am.”

  A taxi let Claire and David and their escorts off at the 37th floor of a building in Beverly Hills. They stepped from the taxi onto a plush carpet. There were no display tables or racks of clothing on hangers. Instead, the space contained many realistic mannequins in a wide variety of attractive settings displaying women’s clothing and accessories. While Claire looked at several dresses, David left with the male escort for the men’s department on the floor below.

  A dress with a sweeping design, labeled “paintbrush,” attracted Claire’s attention. It was a cream color with strokes beginning just above the waist on the right. Varying shades of blue and aqua expanded as they swept left and around the dress.

  She felt of the fabric and looked around. Then she spoke into her transmitter ring.

  “Where are the sales people?”

  Her escort answered. “They have been asked to stay away, ma’am. I can answer any questions.”

  “Is this silk?”

  “Synsilk, ma’am. Synthetic silk made from cellulose.”

  Her eyebrows went up. “You’re kidding me.”

  “No ma’am.”

  “It’s biodegradable?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Claire looked at several dresses she liked. Then she asked, “Can get these in my size? I would like to try them on.”

  “Yes ma’am. There are dressing rooms here where dresses in your size can be brought to you. If you prefer, they can be delivered, and you can try them on at your home.”

  She selected six dresses to be delivered for trial, and then asked, “Can we see maternity dresses?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” her escort said, then took her up one floor on the elevator.

  Claire looked at several dresses before David appeared. With a quizzical look, he said, “Already?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Just looking.”

  Chapter 36

  Claire and David made reservations to attend parenting classes that were beginning the next week in Hollywood, a few minutes by taxi from Malibu. All other courses could be done in their audio visual centers.

  They began their high school studies with the subject they most wanted to learn: history since the 20th century.

  ▼

  As a result of the Catastrophe in 2081, the American Constitutional Convention of 2082 was convened. It had been almost 300 years since the other one.

  Michael Bedford was one of two delegates from California.

  The Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was not a delegate, opened the convention. “In my opinion,” he said, “the government of the United States resembles an enormous limousine powered by a malfunctioning, antique engine that leaks oil and gets less than one mile per gallon. It’s your task, ladies and gentlemen, to build a modern government that can run this country justly and efficiently.”

  Michael Bedford and a Massachusetts delegate, Harvard professor of political science James Lee, sponsored an amendment to the Constitution. It required the federal government to pay all costs of campaigns for federal office and banned campaign donations from all other sources.

  The Bedford-Lee amendment quickly gained wide support and became part of the revised Constitution. As a result, people elected to public office were no longer obligated those who made large campaign donations in expectation of special consideration. Instead, Congressmen, Senators, and Presidents could honestly support what they believed was best for America. And because they no longer had to spend half of their time raising money for reelection, they could devote full time to doing their job.

  Coincidently, bulk purchase of media and efficient distribution of campaign information provided clear pictures of issues and candidates. Without the confusion of political hyperbole, it was much easier for voters to make informed choices. In addition, costs of political campaigns were dramatically reduced, and that saved money for all Americans.

  The Constitutional Convention also increased the size of the House of Representatives to one representative for every 100,000 voters and made gerrymandering illegal.

  The size of the Senate was fixed at 100 senators, about one third of whom were elected by the House of Representatives every two years. As a result, every Senator represented every American.

  A House of Delegates was created as a permanent Constitutional Convention with two delegates elected by each state’s legislature.

  The president of the United States was given a line item veto.

  The president and vice president were elected by popular vote for one 12 year term in an odd numbered year. During congressional elections in even-numbered years, a presidential referendum was held. If half or more of the referendum votes did not support keeping the current president and vice-president in office, a presidential election was held the next year.

  ▼

  During the years following the launch of Origin, Michael Bedford bought Elf Corporation for Claire and David’s trust. One of the few changes he made was to put a clause in the corporate charter that required the company to be socially responsible.

  Enhancement of Elf from a flight control computer began as a laboratory project. It went through 100 generations of development to become a fast, self-replicating, self-programming, general-purpose computer that could also repair itself.

  Elf Corporation began selling computer services and powerful computers to business and government in 2107. Within five years, Elf became the dominant computer provider for both business and government.

  While this was happening, Elf Corporation acted to comply with the social responsibility clause Michael Bedford had put in its charter. The company worked with Congress to develop a retraining tax on automation equipment sold in America. The tax financed the Retraining Act of 2116, which became a key element in America’s infrastructure for coping with the Automation Revolution. People replaced by automated systems were paid good salaries while they were trained for something they liked and could do well. Retraining included many fields that would not be replaced by automation including art, music, writing, acting, singing, sports, medicine, and law. People who dreamed of being self-employed were helped to establish their own business.

  The combination of Elf’s expansion and better government in America resulted in explosive economic growth. American assets doubled in real value, then doubled again, and redoubled. The United States of America was debt free by 2153, and income taxes were abolished.

  Other nati
ons did not have America’s infrastructure and did not cope as well with the Automation Revolution. It was a cause of social disorder in many nations where the rich became richer and others lost their jobs to machines.

  Poorer countries depending on low wages for economic growth lost their advantage when competing against the United States in international trade. Not even poor people could work for less than fully automated production.

  Mexico’s sales to the United States fell drastically. Its growth stopped, and it still had many severe social and economic problems. During a friendly dinner with the President of the United States in 2166, the President of Mexico proposed merging Mexico with the United States.

  Four years later, a merger plan was approved by both countries. While guaranteeing the protection of law and rights to all people, the plan also guaranteed that cultural differences would be respected and protected.

  By July 4, 2215, the standard of living in Mexico was very similar to America’s. On that day, Mexico’s states became states in the United States of America.

  Temporary movement across the previous border between Mexico and the United States continued without restriction, but permanent movement was restricted. One person or family was allowed to permanently move north or south for every person or family who moved in the opposite direction. Many people living north of the border who preferred Mexican culture had to wait to move south because fewer people wanted to move north. But within ten years, permanent movement stabilized, and restrictions were removed.

  In 2225, after much discussion, the merger of the United States with Canada began. On July 4, 2235, Canada became part of the United States of America.

  A reform government gained control of China in 2243 and tried to make China like the USA. After six frustrating years with little progress, the Chinese government asked to merge with America. The unification process with China began in 2251. It was completed on July 4, 2293, and the United States of America was renamed the United States.