Out of Body Universe - Part One

by Martin Chu Shui

  Chapter 10

  Cathy landed the helicopter right outside of the little bakery, Croissant Classic. After they had climbed out of the machine Cathy waved her arm and the helicopter disappeared into thin air. Nathan neither showed any surprise nor asked any questions.

  It was the same humble bakery Nathan knew so well, but at the same time it wasn’t; there were some changes in this digital version of it. The street outside was nice and quiet, lined with trees, and had a spectacular bay view looking right at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. With its proximity to the neighbourhood of Kings Cross, the little bakery was a tourist hot spot in OBU.

  They walked inside the door of the bakery; the bakery’s exterior was merely fifteen feet wide, but the inside of it went back as far as one’s eye could see. It seemed that the contents of the business were far beyond the basic croissants and cakes; one could find every possible French delicacy that had ever existed.

  “What would you like?” asked Cathy.

  “Cathy, you should know exactly what I like.”

  “Well, that was fifteen years ago, people change. Anyway, let’s order the lot and spoil ourselves.”

  Nathan watched as Cathy made the order.

  “Nathan, why don’t we sit outside? I’ve always liked the bay view under the trees, just like the good old days.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  They walked out and found a table right in front of the store. No sooner had they sat down than a waitress brought their order out on a trolley. Nathan looked at the dozens of different kinds of delicious cakes, wondering how it’d be possible for them to eat them all.

  “This is a bit overwhelming,” Nathan said after the waitress left.

  Cathy picked up a piece of cake and put it onto her plate. “Although these cakes are just software, they still cost money to create, so nothing is free in OBU but the price is just a fraction of what it would be in the real world, and a hundred times more delicious. The biggest benefit of all is that you can eat as much as you like, but never gain weight.” Cathy started eating her piece of cake.

  In no time, Nathan had tried dozens of the French delicacies; it was a wonderful experience, a true treat to one’s taste buds without needing to worry about either your weight or stomach complications; he could keep eating for the whole day. Of course one had to have the money to pay for the luxury.

  Cathy put another piece of cake on her plate. “One of the biggest benefits of OBU is food revolution.”

  “Like you demonstrated at lunch time that we could taste whatever fancy flavour we wanted while only eating basic food in the real world.”

  “Exactly.” Cathy finished eating the piece of cake and then continued. “Fast food and junk food are completely gone, and slow, local and organic food dominates today. Nathan, you see, because most foods are produced locally, they are not only healthier, but also reduce the carbon footprint dramatically, and all of this is again thanks to OBU.”

  More and more people came and joined them sitting along the riverfront, so it got noisier. Even before Nathan suggested that they went somewhere quieter, Cathy signalled to the waitress. They exchanged a few words, the waitress nodded, waved her arm, and Nathan found the nearby tables, together with the people, had simply disappeared, leaving Cathy and him alone.

  ‘Wow, this is much better, but how did you do it?” asked Nathan.

  “It’s quite easily done in OBU, digital compartments, but it costs a bit more money; it’s their marketing trick to get people to pay more for the privilege.”

  “Well, no matter where you are, making profit is still the goal for businesses,” said Nathan. “It seems that software is able to create almost everything out of the real world, but why would people bother to use OBU cameras to replicate it all?”

  “Regardless of how fantastic the world the software is able to produce is, people still like the wonder of nature, the real thing, and that’s why people come to visit Sydney in OBU, rather than just seeing a theme-park-like replica,” said Cathy. She pushed her plate away, her taste buds finally satisfied.

  “Nathan, I heard Dave and Gary took you to Amsterdam, how was it?”

  “Well, we only walked along the streets in the red light district and visited a skimpy bar there,” said Nathan uncomfortably.

  “Trust Dave and Gary to do that for you on your first OBU visit,” Cathy laughed. “But there’s no need to feel embarrassed about it, everyone is doing it. OBU brought true sexual liberation for women, men and the world.”

  “I can see that,” mumbled Nathan.

  “Nathan, you have no idea how much OBU has done for all women around the world. They don’t need to worry about sexual abuse, diseases, violence and they can use their bodies in whatever way they like. They don’t need to worry about how society views their behaviour; they have finally been liberated from the male-dominated society in OBU.”

  Nathan didn’t want to contradict Cathy; while agreeing with her points, he could still see that there were still a lot of body image issues and that’s why everyone wore masks. He wasn’t quite sure about the violence issue either because he had experienced one such issue himself. Nevertheless, women did have more sexual freedom in OBU.

  “I agree that people have more sexual freedom than any other time in human history, but at the same time, doesn’t all this causal sex destroy relationships, family and even turn love into a meaningless act?”

  Cathy stared at Nathan, smiling.

  “Nathan, it’s not a surprise that you would reach that conclusion but you are still inexperienced with OBU. Casual sex has always been there throughout human history; however the majority of men and women in OBU are still looking for affection and relationships despite their casual sexual encounters from time to time.”

  “Cathy.” Nathan felt the words were getting harder to force out of his mouth; he paused a bit, and then decided to proceed with it. “I suppose that you have found your real man by now.”

  ‘Oh, Nathan, over all of these years, you still haven’t got over it?” sighed Cathy.

  It had been fifteen years for the rest of the world, but only a couple of days for Nathan. He had been asking himself the same question since coming to the OBU age. Looking at Cathy’s striking face, Nathan felt relief. He had got over their breakup, thanks to the conversations and Tai Chi training with Master Wuwei. He could look straight into Cathy’s eyes in peace, and not feel the hollowness and pain in his heart and stomach.

  “Yes, I have got over it; maybe I didn’t realize that I had, but I have. Anyway, I was just wondering how you are getting on with your life.”

  “Well, I think I am doing quite alright; I work for the international environmental protection agency (IEPA), the kind of job I am passionate about and love. I get to travel all over the world in OBU, and I also get quite well paid, so I can’t complain too much.”

  “That sounds great. What exactly are you doing? I mean since almost everything is conducted in OBU, how much can you do to protect the environment?”

  “You would be surprised to know that there is plenty more to do, even more in OBU than in the real world.” Cathy drank some coffee. “For example, to inspect the impact of OBU cameras on the environment and wildlife. Apart from monitoring the old industries in the real world, like mining, construction, agriculture and the others, we also run educational campaigns in OBU as well.”

  “Obviously you guys have done a fantastic job in protecting the environment,” Nathan said. “What about your private life? Are you married and have you got any kids?”

  “Married and kids? Oh Nathan, I haven’t had either the time or energy for that. Times have changed; the concept of family has changed radically in the last fifteen years. We are in OBU age after all, Nathan.”

  “Changed? Are you telling me that people are no longer getting married and having kids anymore in OBU age?”

  “No, people are still getting married and having kids. You know what, Nathan? I don’t think I
am designed for monogamy, and that’s why we broke up.” After a brief awkward silence, Cathy said again, “Anyway, I am in a polygamy relationship, and am much happier.”

  “Polygamy? Are you living with multiple partners?”

  “Why so surprised? Yes, I am living in a commune, consisting of a few guys and girls; we all love each other and are in quite good and stable relationships.”

  “I am really glad that you have found your happiness,” said Nathan genuinely. He was even surprised by how much he really meant it; he no longer felt jealous or judged Cathy for her choice of lifestyle.

  “Nathan, you are a decent man, and I still like you very much. You know, despite the ultimate sexual freedom in OBU, it’s really hard to find real relationships. A genuinely good and reliable guy is very rare. Nathan, why don’t you join our little commune? I know you would like and feel comfortable with the guys and girls; they are from all over the world and all work for IEPA. Join us and we can work together to protect the environment, like the olden days. Please, Nathan.”

  Cathy’s soft voice triggered Nathan’s memories; he had so many fond memories and experiences with her. Looking at her pretty eyes, Nathan really wished he could simply said yes to her, embracing her again.

  A chilly breeze rippled the water’s surface, distracting him; although it was still summer, Sydney’s weather could be very unpredictable. The cool breeze dragged him back to reality, or OBU to be more accurate. Nathan blinked his eyes and focused on Cathy’s face again.

  “Thanks for the invitation, but I need time to think about what I am going to do; I only got back yesterday.”

  “Of course you need time to settle down. Nathan, can I ask where you learnt all those martial arts skills?”

  “How do you know? Oh, it was Dave, wasn’t it?”

  “You should have known he would tell everyone. I believe every single person who knew you fifteen years ago knows about the fight in the bar by now. So where and when did you learn fighting skills like that?”

  Nathan shook his head. He didn’t want to mention Master Wuwei to anyone, because not only would nobody believe his story, but he also had an instinct that it’d be wise to keep it a secret; even he had no idea why. “As I said, I woke up yesterday morning and found that I had gone fifteen years into the future, so I may have learnt the skills during the past fifteen years sometime, somewhere, but I have no memories of it.”

  “I’d go and see a doctor if I were you.”

  “I will once I’ve settled down a bit first. Thanks for the lovely afternoon, Cathy. I think I’d better get going.”

  “No problem, Nathan. Please do let me know if there is anything I can do to help you at all. We are still good friends, aren’t we?”

  “Of course, you will always be my good friend.”