This choice: What's Happened in 40 Years? • Go Back... “Wow...2058” said Bill out loud. Bill had always been a fan of science fiction, and besides been forty years older, this was pretty much a dream for him. He walked around the house and noticed the subtle differences between 2018 and 2058 with geeky interest.
Meanwhile, Gloria turned on the television. One of the local TV stations was the first station that appeared. A mild mannered looking news reporter was explaining something, so Gloria turned up the volume.
“Representatives of the Lowell Corporation are still in talks with the native Martian inhabitants to begin constructing a human colony near the planet's southern equator. This will require the use of controversial terraforming technology which might disrupt the planet's native ecosystem...”
“Boring!” said Gloria. She changed the channel to CBS. Somehow, The Price Is Right was STILL airing in 2058.
“Huh, I wonder if Bob Barker is still alive” she mused
“Hey wait, turn that back!” yelled Bill in his deeper, manlier voice, running from the kitchen.
“I heard something about Mars, turn that back”.
“But Plinko!” said Gloria, smiling at giving Bill a hard time. Gloria turned the channel back to the news.
The news program had ended. Now some insipid talk show was airing.
“Damn it” said Bill, pulling out his cell phone to look for answers. The Android that his parents had bought for him last year had been replaced by a newer, sleeker type phone that looked more like a piece of glass than a phone. Bill struggled to understand how 2058 phones worked.
“Hello, I'm Sophie Wagner, and is this is The Pulse. Mutants. They used to be fantasy characters in comic books and film. Now that they exist in reality, and people are frightened of what they can do. On today's show, we're going to explore the question of whether those with superhuman abilities are a threat to civil society, or if we are witnessing the birth of an a brand new social demographic that must be protected and cherished. After the tragic events at O'Hare airport, we...”
Gloria flipped through the channels again, yawning, and found a station airing old episodes of Breaking Bad. She had never watched a single superhero movie and had no idea what the hell mutant was, just that she didn't care.
Bill finally figured out how to work the new phone and had gotten online. He looked for the first news source he could find, and he was now watching a video apparently about colonizing Mars. The thumbnail had featured some men and some large green beings who looked VERY much like aliens shaking hands in front of a weird looking building. He clicked on it and began the video:
“Human colonization is a civil right” began one of the talking heads. “This is not a 21st century update of Manifest Destiny. If humanity is to survive as a species, we must take the first step in moving away from the pale blue dot we have regretfully taken for granted...”
As the speech went on, it became clear to Bill what they were talking about, and his imagination wasn't getting ahead of him. Those WERE aliens. At some point in the recent past, humanity must have made first contact!
“We're colonizing Mars! Holy shit!” yelled Bill in excitement, causing Gloria to look around at him.
“Find anything that can reverse this horrible aging?” she asked vainly.
“Not yet!” said Bill, getting ahead of himself.
“Then I'm not interested”.
Meanwhile, Tammy was knee deep in reading a diary she had found underneath the living room couch. Her own diary. One that had been consistently updated since 2018.
Option 1: Bill and Gloria continue to marvel over the future and find other weird things going on
Option 2: Tammy reads her diary and discovers some surprising- and startling- developments.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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