Pieces of You

by J F Elferdink

  “You’ve made your point.”

  Mark’s voice conveyed a touch of resignation.

  “I’ll go.”

  “Good. Then let me escort you on the journey I guarantee will be the most astounding of all.”

  28

  TECHNO-WATCHERS, 2025

  Looking around, Mark was fascinated by the bank of controls at the center of what appeared to be a garden. Zachri pushed a button on one of the keyboards below a light-reflecting motion-picture screen enclosed in steel.

  Mark counted four similar stations in the middle of this massive space, and that was only what he could see from his perch on a stool facing center. As soon as Zachri moved away from the keyboard, the outer walls fell away, revealing huge windows.

  When Mark turned in his seat to look outward, he stifled a scream. The exposed urban scene seemed, at first glance, to be New York City seen from an airplane beginning its descent to land. Never comfortable with heights, Mark expected to experience vertigo as he looked at miniature vehicles and even a train moving like a caterpillar far below. No dizziness occurred. Seeing a canal framing the entire area and two contiguous skyscrapers, Mark knew that they must be far from New York, but his bewildered look told Zachri that he had no idea where in the world they were.

  Zachri answered his unspoken question.

  “We are at the top of Shanghai Tower, one of the earth’s tallest buildings, completed just eleven years ago. It’s located in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai. What the public doesn’t know is that the architects drew up a hidden space, the tenth vertical zone, just above the visible roof, as an observation deck. We’re on that deck. It’s accessible only to corporate leaders possessing the elevator code, although a helipad makes helicopters the prevalent mode of entry to this deck. Bystanders don’t even notice them coming and going--stealth shields and engine silencers accomplish that feat. This is also an entryway to the space elevator—“

  “Stop it!”

  This time Mark didn’t suppress his scream.

  “I can’t understand you!” He was shaking.

  “Secret observation decks… silenced helicopters… space elevators… I thought you were offering me a glimpse of the near future, a place where Janie and I might live, even though I sensed I wouldn’t like what I found there. This place is a paradise of sorts—a merger of technology and art in a garden setting.”

  “It’s far from paradise for the majority of residents, as I’ll soon demonstrate, Mark. I brought you here to show you how the three ruling global corporations have taken control of the earth’s population. Our naked-eye view of this city cloaks what is really happening. Let me give you a more in-depth view.”

  As Zachri said this, he walked back to the bank of controls and pushed a series of buttons.

  “What do you see now, Mark?”

  “Oh my god, it’s a different city! I see buildings that look like the tenement slum housing pictured in late 1900 photos of New York. How’d you do that? Do those buttons project images from the past?”

  “It is very much present day; well, it is when the present is the year 2025. What you see is zoomed in, to produce relatively close-up views as far away as 2,000 miles. The glass surrounding Zone Ten is similar to telescopic mirrors, each with the capacity to function as an optical zoom lens. With twelve similar observation decks spread throughout the world, citizens of every country are watched almost continuously.”

  “That’s insidious!”

  “I agree; that’s why I wanted you to see it for yourself. Tracking average citizens is not new to this decade. You must know that. In your future, global organizations just use more sophisticated means and apply the information to more extreme control mechanisms.”

  Mark responded in a very subdued tone of voice.

  “I’d like to leave. It feels like we’re being watched.”

  Zachri chuckled at that.

  “Did you forget that you’re not here in your earthly body? The watchers would only be able to see the results of our presence and then only if I didn’t put everything back exactly as I found it.”

  “Where are the watchers, Zachri? Why don’t we see anyone?”

  “Observations are primarily completed on a set schedule by what you call ‘robots’. Everything - and I do mean every detail - is recorded in computer files. I could break into files from the early 21st century and let you read those records if you want. Some of it was actually published in the 20th century but very few paid attention; more often, those who tried to alert the public were threatened with jail. Some were murdered. Do you want to read some of those files and news stories?”

  “No, Zachri, I think I already have, at least a few, and I didn’t take them seriously. I really don’t like being here. If you take me back now, I promise to do my part to stop the snooping.”

  “Mark, you’re still only observing from a distance. In some ways, it’s more alarming because it causes you to feel powerless. Distance also makes people less real and provides little motivation to discover those few changes you can achieve. I’d like to give you a closer view. Aren’t you a little bit curious about what kind of people might be your neighbors fifteen years from now?”

  “Zachri, I won’t say you’re manipulative but you do know how to get past my anxiety. I’d like to see real people, but I’d prefer American neighbors. Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against the Chinese, it’s just that Janie may not want to move to East Asia.”

  “This I can do, Mark. There’s a train just about to leave from a Manhattan station and if we hurry, I think we can hitch a ride.”

  29

  KINGDOMS, 2025-STYLE

  With a nod of agreement, Mark was caught up in what seemed to be a high-speed train ride through hell.

  Looking something like the giant worms of Dune but with a very long tail and traveling at nearly 500 miles per hour, the train hurtled through city after city, from the far northeast to the tip of the Pacific coastline of the United States.

  Seated next to Mark, Zachri responded to questions on their location and what had taken place to so drastically change the look of the landscape.

  In every region there was an enclosed space, and even though little could be seen, what jutted skyward was stunning architecture; buildings that made any corporate headquarters Mark had ever seen—and he had visited many—seem to have been from a bygone era.

  The spaces between these enclosures were crowded. Though devoid of anything natural—not one tree, not one blossom peaking up from the edges of the pavement or from a flower box—every inch of ground was covered with buildings. Some were in groupings, like tiny villages; a few were single family homes separated by apartment buildings; others were barracks-style. All comparable buildings were uniform in size, shape, and color. Shops and warehouses in strip mall alliance looked as though they could use a coat of paint or more drastic maintenance.

  “This looks like Janine’s photos of Kazakhstan in the mid-nineties: the crumbling public buildings, the primitive dachas, the four or five story apartment buildings, all with the look of being thrown together with leftover materials from some huge industrial project.”

  A gigantic crane, abandoned but still holding one piece of concrete in its massive jaws was standing guard over several of the climbing walls of block and mortar. If a painting could capture what Mark was viewing, he thought, its descriptive plaque would have to read ‘Cheerless; life out of balance’.

  “How can this be? What happened in such a short time—assuming you’re showing me our near future, a place where Janine and I could be living?”

  “The short answer is that instead of the predicted one-world government, there’s no government anywhere, not even in the U.S., which equitably represents the majority of its people. The owners of multi-national corporations have accrued enough wealth to possess every resource. Tiny fragments of anything available, particularly land, loans and even livelihoods, come with a huge price tag of money, service or possessions that few can pay
.

  “The wealthy had to barricade themselves against the attacks of the masses. Oh, yes, the attacks came. How could that many desperate people not eventually come together to do something about it? But they acted too late. The super-rich had also stockpiled all the available instruments of both mass and minor destruction.

  “While the majority of the population was focused on being protected from terrorist attacks, the ‘protectors’ were using that cover to amass all they needed to defend themselves against revolt by their own countrymen and women.”

  “No, this cannot be!” Mark retorted explosively.

  “Even though there were many greedy people in corporate leadership in the early 21st century, honest men and women kept them in check.”

  “Mark, you’re speaking with the naiveté of the politically illiterate. When the majority of citizens relinquished their right to vote, politicians were no longer accountable to constituents. Those leaders then placed themselves totally under the influence of the industries whose contributions kept them in office. Once leaders surrender their integrity to profit, they readily yield to the basest of human instincts. This had happened across the board by the mid-21st century.”

  “But I had friends in leadership roles…”

  “You’re right about not every leader in business or government being evil—although more are than you suspect. The few remaining moral leaders were the chief targets of the rest.

  “If they could not be bought off, attempts to discredit them became vicious beyond belief. Some gave up and joined. Others committed suicide or went back to an obscure life. The few left standing and speaking out for the masses have now been virtually annihilated by the jackals of the rich. Only a handful stand firm and focused. Instead of wealth, their power is derived from their ability to speak persuasively and demonstrate integrity.”

  Zachri had Mark’s rapt attention as he continued.

  “From your leaders down to their poorest constituents, neighborliness died. It became, to use the worn euphemism, a dog-eat-dog world where people grabbed for whatever they could, to ensure their own survival. By 2025 this is the fate of the once-powerful United States; just a pawn in a global quest for power by those who reign over kingdoms without borders.”

  “You say this will happen in less than 20 years from now? It’s inconceivable! The world economy is strong; China and India are the new drivers and that is expected to continue. Even though below-trend growth is predicted for the U.S. going into 2008, almost no economist forecasts a major downturn anytime soon. So why are you making dire predictions: just to scare me into an irrational decision?”

  “Mark, you would not be able to grasp the enormity of the changes without seeing them for yourself. The existence of the majority in 2025 most closely resembles that of Negro slaves before the Civil War. Our first stop will give you a glimpse of what life is like for ninety-five percent of the population. The rows of barracks we just passed could be the future home of some of your colleagues, even of you and Janine.”

  “Why would we live in a barracks when I have enough money to ensure a comfortable lifestyle? I’m quite certain my investments are sound. I’ve never been among the investors who pursue outlandish profits with high risk securities.

  “I’m interested in your prophesying but I don’t see how these conditions could relate to me.”

  Zachri turned with a kindly and sympathetic expression to respond to his companion’s remarks.

  “Since you asked, I must tell you the truth. You will lose ninety percent of your invested assets over the next two years. The whole world will experience a financial meltdown caused by greed, risk-taking, reliance on expert opinion and lack of regulatory oversight. The financial institutions you use for savings and investment, even your own employer, will not be immune from guilt in this recession. You’ll be one of the millions, worldwide, who lose the majority of their net worth. Major banks will close; others will be bailed out by the governments of their respective countries. Jobs, homes and financial security will be lost on a larger scale than has happened anywhere in the world in your lifetime.”

  ***

  Those observing Mark in his hospital bed at that moment saw a shocking change; pallor seemed to spread over his skin and his body jerked as though struck by heavy blows. Zachri spread a blanket of love around him to keep him from giving up his spirit then and there.

  ***

  After the initial shock of this revelation, Mark turned to Zachri.

  “I wish I didn’t believe you! This is the most devastating forecast I’ve heard or read outside of Revelations but I feel your compassion and see the pain in your eyes. Still, I’d like to see it for myself. Will you take me to a representative U.S. community two decades from now?”

  ***

  The child looked around as though he could sense he was being observed and then went back to his solitary play. After a few minutes, he stopped what he was doing and spoke into the wall screen.

  “Momma, I’m very thirsty. Can I have my afternoon drink early today?”

  The face of his mother appeared as she answered from her video phone in another section of their tiny home.

  “Donegal, I wish you wouldn’t ask me when you know the rule—one cup of water per person twice a day. If you take more, it will be recorded by the cyber-sensors and I will be charged an over-limit fee that we can’t afford.”

  “I wish you were still a teacher for the college.”

  “Me, too, dear, but I had no choice.”

  Miriam thought back to how her teaching job ended. First, her supervisor had gently explained that all teachers must have their memories scanned using a hypnosis technique. After she and her colleagues had complied, all the information the teachers had acquired while employed was reclassified as public knowledge.

  Next, this public knowledge was downloaded and sorted into folders by subject. This became the curriculum for the new Webversity, an online training center where classes were tailored to orders placed by each employer willing to pay the high tuition. Almost every large corporation used the center for reprocessing employees. From what Miriam had read, most of the tuition costs were offset by tax deductions.

  “Donegal, we are just lucky that the college let me be retrained for this job. If I didn’t have a needed skill, we would have been forced to go to the collective pharm with your father.”

  At the mention of his father, Donegal started to cry.

  “When can I see Daddy? It’s been almost a year since his last visit.”

  “Now son, you know the rules for visits.”

  Miriam forced herself to speak as casually as possible.

  “He can come for a half day on your birthday and take one legal holiday each year. There is much work for the Pharmers. If they had more time off, there would be a shortage of food for people in our classification. Your father has to check the growth of plants and animals throughout the day. He can’t miss a single day. What is added to the food and water must be measured very carefully. Do you remember what happens when too much of the treatment is given?”

  “Yes, Momma, the chickens and pigs and cows have to be killed. The fruits and vegetables are burned. When I see those pictures, I feel sick!”

  “Why don’t you think about something else. You could do a lesson with your friend, Dante. That way, you won’t be registering low output when the people on the hill run their daily diagnostics.”

  “Mother, why can’t I just play outside with Dante? When I was doing my homework, I found this place on the internet called Historical. Even though it was marked forbidden, it let me in. You wouldn’t believe what I saw—children my size running around in big open spaces with green floors. They were doing things together like kicking and throwing balls and blowing up balls that would float above their heads and disappear. Lots of the children were riding two-wheeled things that went so fast. Some of the boys were racing each other on them! Momma, why can’t Dante and I have some of those things to play with?”
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br />   Although his mother tried to hide her fear and revoke her own childhood memories before she replied, her voice over the speaker sounded peculiar, even to her own ears.

  “Donegal, you are not allowed into those files and for a very good reason. What children were allowed to do when I was young was not good for us. All that freedom made us lose respect for authority and we played when we should have been doing homework.”

  Her voice softened a little as she continued.

  “Anyway, I take you to the gymnasium three times each week. Don’t you have fun there?”

  “Yes, Momma, I like the equipment but I wish we could play some of the sports Daddy once told me about.”

  “At the gym you get precisely the amount of exercise you need and I make our meals according to the prescribed menus so you won’t be overweight.”

  Miriam paused, unable to prevent herself from thinking that such an outcome would be nearly impossible, given their food rations.

  “You look very healthy, my son and you hardly ever get sick. That’s why it would be foolish to ignore the policies approved by our leaders. You are a very smart boy, but please don’t ever again peek at anything that is forbidden! We will be severely punished if the people on the hill find out.”

  ***

  Mark observed the interaction between Miriam and her son with horror.

  “Who are the people on the hill and how can these people accept that much control over their lives? The poor children! How can parents consent to such a sterile existence? Tune me in to whatever airwaves or psychic channel will allow me to talk to that woman!”