Launch (19 page)

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
.”

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 37
^th
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.”

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 20
^th
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 nations 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.

The nation was flooded by applications from
countries wanting to join the union. Multiple simultaneous assimilations began
with the poorest countries first. The bigger the United States grew, the faster
it grew.

▼

Education
policy in the United States required students to learn at least one other
language in addition to English; it was the most widely spoken language, the
native language for many, and the predominant lingua franca. Requiring students
to learn two languages helped preserve cultural differences and improve
cross-cultural ties. Students were also required to learn Standard English
pronunciation to improve their employment opportunities and to facilitate worldwide
verbal communication.

▼

By 2447 all nations and states on Earth were
members of either the United States or the European Union. They eyed each other
like shy, would-be lovers, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
The President of the European Union acted first with a message to the President
of the United States:

“The European Union wishes to unite with the
United States for the benefit of both on two conditions.

“One, the Constitution of the United States shall
be rewritten in modern English and include all current amendments integrated
into the body of the document.

“Two, the following language shall be added to
the Preamble to the United States Constitution as a guide for ethical law and
government:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident:

“All people have emotional and physical needs
that must be met if they are to survive and thrive.

“
Anything is a human need if absence of
its fulfillment endangers the mental or physical health of a person.

“Security and self-reliance are both physical
needs and emotional needs.

“Other human emotional needs include, but may
not be limited to, love and self-esteem.

“Anything is beneficial for people to the
extent that it meets human needs and does not injure a person.

“Any act that deliberately injures a person is
a crime.

“Justice is the absence of injustice.

“The government of the United States shall maintain
environments wherein people can meet their needs and shall make every
reasonable effort to ensure that all human needs are met.

“The government of the United States shall eliminate
and prevent crime and injustice.”

Several hours later the President of the
European Union received a reply from the President of the United States:

“We accept pending approval by the Congress and
the states and completion of the assimilation process.”

▼

Sir
Winston Churchill, leader of Great Britain in World War II, Nobel Prize winner,
and author of
A
History of the English-Speaking Peoples
, hoped
all English-speaking people would one day be peacefully united.

On July 4, 2476, seven hundred years after the
signing of the Declaration of Independence, a constitution that united everybody
in the world under one government became effective. As a result, all members of
the European Union—including England, Wales, Scotland, and all of Ireland—became
part of the United States. Independence Day became Union Day, and Sir Winston’s
hope was realized.