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| Tsv-02-100 The Illusive R-Wing Chapter 1: Treezine Agent Chapter 2: Lisa Chapter 3: Unexpected Visitors Chapter 4: Knowledge is Power Chapter 5: A Piece of Sky Pie Chapter 6: The DGP Governor Chapter 7: Point Kapex, Lunaside Chapter 8: The Scenic Route Chapter 9: The Temspace Refraction Chapter 10: The Age of Aquarius Chapter 11: To Ride the R-Wing Chapter 12: Effects of the Tuniverseo |
Chapter 18. The New Age
They spent 12 days in the mountains. It was springtime and the days were warm, the snow upslope was melting away and feeding a small stream to the south. It was fresh mountain water and basic to survival, without which they would have been dry after 4 days. The nights got a bit cold, but the inside of the air-tight R-wing had air-conditioning and heating, capable of keeping a body warm in the deeps of icy cold space. The 850 was equipped with 2 spare blue and gray spacesuits and helmets. Lisa wore one without too much difficulty, the other fit Madkro, but he preferred the Tranquan suit of blue and green, because of the camouflage mode. On the 4th day, they received a report that a tidal wave on the west coast had preceded a rise in the overall water-level, by 100 meters, and severe rainstorms were feeding it now for 2 days straight, such that it was continuing to rise. The latest report had it raised 5 meters in 47 hours, and the coastlines all over the planet were being drastically altered. By the 11th day, the topography of the continents had been completely reshaped, the sea-level had risen by 274 meters, and the Midwestern United States was all under water. It was on the 7th day that reports confirmed the rising had ceased and remained steady for the past 24 hours, with a slight recession to a lower-tide of 272 meters, in response to lunar influences. They managed to uplink with satellites, learned as much as they could, and Madkro realized an opportunity that seemed quite practical under the circumstances. According to one report, salmon and trout were spawning like crazy in the new Midwestern inland sea, and fishermen were forming sea-trade agreements already, to control its harvest. Another reported Tuna, in the southern region where Texas was in islands and Mississippi was nothing more than a narrow coastline at the corner of lower Louisiana. Madkro decided it was a smart move, and because Lisa had friends in Reno, they decided to go there. The city was so close to the new coastline that it might eventually qualify as a seaport. It was perfect. Madkro wondered if Lisa recalled any of the other, alternate realities, and the fact that they had already spent time in Reno together at least once before, to his recollection. Tem-relativity values again. Sometimes they were damn mind boggling. What was a deja vu, after all? A distant memory, so deep in the past, so lost across time and space as to be almost completely forgotten, over a long net of islands of memory. Changes were being made in the economy. Paper money was obsolete, since the United States and many other countries around the world suffered severe topographic changes, and there was a need to redefine borders. Barter was the new standard, since about 45 percent of the staple produce lands like the Midwest were under water, and storage supplies were low and limited. An estimated 34 million people had been lost in the severe climatic changes, possibly more. Another report was calling in all Aero-Space Rescue personnel, and Madkro realized it might be unavoidable, as well as necessary, for them to get involved. They talked it over, and agreed to contact ASR and provide their services. Madkro knew the ropes. Lisa was catching on fast. They went to work and made a good team. On the 14th day, they took the 850 to lunar-receiving, locked it up tight under ASI security, and went looking for a place to live. They found a condo with a girlfriend of Lisa, and settled in to a new life. First order of business: Engagement to marriage. -------------------------------------------------
January 12th, 2002: Querzo arrived uptime, from Madkro's perspective, not simply 5 days after he had seen him last, before they were separated at 1998, but also 2.4 years after Querzo had left him on the island, after he got ditched into the sea. He could not recall seeing him in between, at least on this tem-line branch, but he did recall seeing him in alternate C-98 scenarios, 2 realities past. The realities had been altered by diametric reversals, via Amalek and Querzo. The most recent reality was based upon the final scenario, in which the land had been devastated by the Martian R-wing invasion, and then swept clean by electrical storms, hurricanes, typhoons, and floods. A few large sink-holes had occurred in the Midwest around the Mississippi river basin, and a slight rise in the temperature of the temperate zones and equator had occurred. The result was a new world, in the 21st century, a New Age, with the ocean level drawing new coastlines all about the world. The California coast suffered another earthquake which caused it to sink, not drop, to a lower level, about 100 to 200 meters lower. Baja was left as nothing more than a few small islands. Mexico was somewhat smaller, due to a rise in the gulf, resulting in a much larger Caribbean Sea. Along with the rise of the Mississippi, the state itself was mostly under water, at least the southern part, and likewise with Texas. The major Caribbean islands were smaller now, along with most of Florida, which was no more than a large island hanging onto the southeastern corner of what was left of the North American continent. The sink-holes gave the reshaped Midwest the impression of having a few more 'great lakes'. Both Reno and Vegas had somehow managed to escape the flood, and had been relocated close enough to the coast as to qualify as major ports in the near future. New Anglia had also been reshaped, with New Jersey and Connecticut reduced to islands, and New York city completely submerged, under 100 meters of sea water. Canada was marginally reduced along the coastlines, more so in the southern region, but otherwise, was still quite a bit larger than the remaining United States. The topographic changes were drastic, for sure, but it was a wonder how any life had survived at all, yet it did. Having seen the future more or less well enough for the past 2 years, Madkro decided to go through with the introduction of the world to the 'learning-mechanism' Tuniverseo, and had managed to construct an excellent 'new-age' database upon it. Querzo made physical contact with Madkro, in the courtyard of the complex where he had been living with Lisa and her friend, ever since he sold the R-wing to the Nevada locals, through Gulok's union, in 2001. The deal still went through, despite the topographic changes, only with some other powerful tycoon. Madkro explained it all to Querzo, as they walked along the edge of a garden being tended by a keeper, and caught the scent of the sea on the wind, just 7 km to the east. "After the flooding, the loss of farmland, the devastation of cities by the invasion, dwindled slowly into the past, as the surviving peoples learned to accept the fact that their world had been changed forever, and that meant the old government was defunct, among other things. "Nevertheless, all was not lost and so families and factions fought for a bit over control of the remnant facilities and warehouses. Security force survivors such as Panders, Raveni, and me, etc… were turned to for leadership and directions, after settling a few quarrels with a few gunshots in the air and a few strong, loud, well-chosen words of wisdom. "Most of the farmers that lost their land turned to sea-trading and fishing, by boat, in the new inland 'Great lakes.' "I was seriously considering charting my own, when some guy from Vegas contacted me about the R-wing. He admitted he had the facilities to build an R-wing port and wanted to be one of the first to usher in the new 'space-age'. "So sure, after taking into account all I'd learned in the past scenarios, I decided to give it a try, with a whole new set of guide-lines, to prevent every problem we've ever had with the dang flying dishes, and get it right at last." "How goes the new contract?" Querzo said, as they stopped on the edge of the plateau, and looked over the fence, into the distance. Across what was left of Reno, still showing scars of the '98 devastation, one could just catch the edge of the coast and a trace of blue hydrosphere. Madkro pointed north, and a large dome could be seen, with a larger one under construction. "It goes well," he admitted. "I go out 3 or 4 days a week, inspect everything with the project manager, and make sure the spex are correct, on the R-wings as well as the airlocks and transport-tubes. During free days I manage to get some bookwork done, including upgrades on the Tuniverseo." "Yes, the Tuniverseo," Querzo asked. "I was getting to that. Do you recall when we went uptime to 2102?" Madkro blinked a few times, deep in thought. "Hell, yes," he admitted. "It was the first time we'd received a positive change from Ts-variations. I'd almost forgotten about it, after the '98 scenario, but it came back to me. That's why I decided to go through with the distribution, as planned. In fact, I was able to do much more with it, this time around, due to a lack of mainstream suppression, and increased access to facilities. We've managed to construct a database upon it after all, as I'd planned to begin with." "A database? Excellent," Querzo agreed. "Now do you recall further uptime? 2156?" Madkro strained with it shortly, because he felt as though Querzo had bad news again, and couldn't bear it at this time. He checked the time, and changed the subject suddenly. "Hell, it's near noon," he decided. "Let's get back to my place; I'm expecting a report any minute. Lisa makes excellent kalzone. Are you hungry?" Before Querzo could continue, Madkro was suddenly walking, and Querzo had to catch up with him. He almost pressed the point, and Madkro interjected, "Whatever it is now, Ron, let's let it wait until after lunch, okay? I don't know whether I can bear more bad news on an empty stomach. |
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