Keith J. Allen

Bill sat down in a dark gray chair. The room was circular, roughly 30 feet in diameter with immaculate ebony walls that glistened under the steady white glow from overhead. A small circular table made of the same ebony material was at the center of the room and across from Bill sat an empty chair identical to his.

It wasn’t long before the only door to the room opened and a pleasant looking young blond woman entered and took a seat across from him. She was a few inches shorter than Bill, with straight hair that was pulled back behind her hair.

“Just to be clear, you are Bill Hugh Milcost, born in the year 1964 to John and Nancy Milcost and frozen in cryogenic sleep in the year 2010?”

Bill cleared his throat with an audible cough. “Uhm…yeah.”

“How are feeling Mr. Milcost?”

“Fine. I guess.”

The blond woman paused for a moment as if to assess the man in front of her. “My name is Serna, I have been assigned to bring you up to date on the changes that have occurred during your 60 years of cryogenic sleep. Because our records say that you spent most of your time New York City before your sleep, I will focus on most of the changes you will see around you and the history behind them.”

“The biggest thing you will notice is that everyday commodities for which you became accustomed to in the early 21^st century are no longer available with the ease at which you acquired them during your time. This is primarily due to the great economic collapse of 2039. History has recorded that the collapse was nearly inevitable after America waged a 38 year war on global terrorism that bankrupted it and weakened its military strength and moral underpinnings. Simultaneously, the European and Asian nations began to unify their respective economies by uniting their currencies in to the Euro and the Yen-Won. The year of 2036 is regarded as a turning point, because it was in this year that the European and Asian nations demanded America halt its perpetual campaign. After nearly 90 years of global dominance America responded with foolish arrogance and once again increased military spending in preparation to wage a responsive war with a united Europe and Asia. The second cold war only lasted 3 years before the top-heavy economy of America collapsed. The war ground to a halt and on August 14^th 2040 President Timothy William Gates was assassinated by a member of his own secret service.”

“In the years that followed the states of California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Texas declared independence in an attempt to keep their own economies solvent. What followed was a bloody and almost primitive civil war, as both sides fought with the remaining stockpiles of weapons from the war on terror. The war was decided when the Republic of California struck a decisive blow against the Allied States with a nuclear weapon being detonated in Washington D.C.”

“Unfortunately for Europe and Asia, they miscalculated their still considerable dependence on the American economy and by 2047 the global economy was in a seemingly unending decline. While many third world countries had lived for centuries in poverty, most of the citizens in the formerly first world countries of the world were unaccustomed to the hardships and sought frantically for an escape.”

“Though decade after decade had brought ruination and war to the world, science had managed to make significant advances and by 2047 many of the citizens of the world were prepared to take advantage it. Thus began the Speciation Revolution.”

“Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, privately organized and funded groups began to disappear. The movements grew, soon mankind in bulk sought to escape poverty by leaving society and forging a new frontier. Many fled to the near-vacuum of space in ships bound for countless different stars, determined never to return to the womb which had given them such a painful birth. With regards to these ships and their great emigration we no nothing of their fate.”

“Some people chose to modify their own genome and in so doing took to the oceans, with its still bountiful resources. They created whole societies for themselves beneath hundreds of feet of water. The Aquatans are now the second most powerful species on the planet, maintaining the largest and most fruitful economy on the planet.”

“Finally, the most popular speciation involves the mass uploading of personalities to the Internet. Fully one third of the global population abandoned their bodies to become Cybans. They are currently the dominant species on the planet.”

“As the years passed the divide between the species has increased and solidified. We have had no wars in the last 20 years, however land-bound man has dwindled and lost contact with each other as poverty and resources become more and more scarce. No doubt mountain communities still exist somewhere. I have revived you from your sleep because I am the last human worker at this facility. In two hours I am scheduled make the transition into that of a Cyban. As you prepare to take your first steps back into New York you should know that you we are the last land-bound humans in the city.”

Bill sat for a moment in silence. A blank look of disbelief covered his face.

“So, are you saying it will be hard to get pizza?”