Page 39 of Reversal of Fate

21 – Decision before Dawn

Carter cradled Julie in his arms and let her cry until she had no tears left. He wished he’d had a different way of convincing her of the truth of his story. But she’d insisted. In the end, it didn’t really matter what had caused Julie to break down, be it the police report, or the actual almost-rape Carter had been able to prevent by a hair’s breadth. It hurt him just the same that he hadn’t been able to see this coming. He should have known that a guy like Todd wouldn’t just walk away after being humiliated at the party. He was the kind of guy out for revenge. From now on, Carter wouldn’t leave Julie’s side for even a second. He couldn’t allow anybody to hurt her. She was vulnerable enough right now. Her whole world had just come crashing down. She needed him now. And if that meant he’d lend a shoulder for her to cry on, then he would do just that. Right now, nothing else mattered.

“Thanks,” she murmured and lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were puffy, but she wasn’t any less beautiful in his eyes. He knew then with certainty that his father had been right.

When the right girl comes along, you’ll know, son.

“I’m glad I got here in time. I don’t know what I would have done if…” He stopped himself. He knew exactly what he would have done had he found Todd raping Julie. He would have slit his throat.

“You came in time,” she said, then brought her lips within an inch of his. “Do you think it’ll hurt if I kiss you?”

His lip was split. “I don’t care if it hurts.”

Julie brushed her lips over his and kissed him gently. He responded, but didn’t take charge of the kiss. Instead, he followed her lead, welcoming what she was willing to give him.

When she drew her head back, he stroked his knuckles over her cheek.

“Tell me what the future is like,” she said.

“I’m not sure where to start. What would you like to know?” Carter replied.

“Everything. Like do people still have regular jobs, or is everything done by robots?”

Carter chuckled. “We still work. But a lot of the menial jobs, or the type of jobs that take a toll on one’s body are carried out by machines.”

“Like what?”

“Construction for example. Building a skyscraper is largely done by machines. No more workers who perform backbreaking labor on a construction site.”

“But hasn’t that created a lot of unemployment? I mean, what are all those construction workers doing now?”

“It’s freed them up for jobs where human intelligence is needed. Many of the people who would have worked on a construction site now direct the machines and computers that do the work for them. Unemployment is below one percent.”

“In the U.S.?”

“Actually, the U.S. doesn’t really exist anymore, not in this form anyway.”

“You mean we were invaded by another country?”

Carter chuckled. “No, that’s not what I meant. All countries in the world have come together as one federation, one global entity. Borders have been removed. People can move to wherever their particular skills are necessary.”

“But how does that work? Won’t everybody want to be in the same place, I mean…” She gesticulated with her hands. “Won’t they all want to be where they can live a better life?”

“You’re assuming that there are poor countries and rich countries. That’s not the case anymore. After the final war in 2043 in which the dictators of this world were finally deposed, the federation went to work to create equitable conditions. They established fair prices for commodities, and gave everybody who needed it access to vaccines, healthcare, and the basic necessities. Within two decades, all countries had come up to the same standard of living as the formerly rich countries like the United States, or like Germany.”

Julie furrowed her brows. “But does that mean the world is now communist?”

“No, far from it. Sure, basic necessities are guaranteed, like healthcare, water, food, and shelter. But once the struggle for mere survival was not on everybody’s forefront anymore, people started to strive for self-realization. It made everybody more productive, more content, and it created new inventions, new technologies.”

“So where do you live in 2085?”

He smiled. “Here, in Los Angeles. My parents have a house on the beach, in what used to be Century City.”

Julie shook her head. “But Century City isn’t on the beach. It’s several miles inland.”

“Not in 2085. The oceans rose, before our scientists could get a handle on climate change. It was too late for many coastal cities. Most of Florida is gone. Whole island chains have disappeared.”

Wide-eyed Julie looked at him. “Oh my God. But all the people who lived there…”