No time like the present

"C, this is serious," I say.

"I concur, V. The Pleasure Zone is in grave danger."

"We still have time, C," says S.

"This is true, S, but there is no time like the present to act decisively."

"C, I suggest we begin by finding common ground with certain members of the Council."

"I concur, S. Bearing in mind that finding common ground is necessary but not sufficient, any common ground that we do find with the Council can only help us in the long term. E, what can we do to facilitate this process of finding common ground?"

The conference spanned the entire morning. We plotted strategy, envisioned possibility, and prepared for the execution of our plans.

All in an effort to save the Pleasure Zone from almost certain extinction.

Today is a day of promise

Her touch is electric.

I turn to greet my companion. Her iridescent eyes never fail to captivate my gaze.

"Christina." I speak her name intimately, aloud, and slide my hands around her waist.

"Christopher, today is a day of promise."

For her, this is a unique expression, one I've never heard from her before, and she conveys it warmly, erotically, telepathically.

I reflect it back to her, in the privacy of our space, a virtual space reserved for feelings and desires: "Today is a day of promise."

I kiss her tender lips, and together, we rise on a pleasurable surge of warmth and gratitude.

I caress the rim of her jaw. "I would be alone, Christina."

In response, she applies a delicate touch to her temple, leaving me alone with my thoughts, and moves aside gracefully.

I go inside to my enclosure and call on my colleagues.

Yesterday, the Council made a move that threatens the peace and prosperity that is everywhere present.

In the Free Zone

As I walk through the living area of my luxurious suite, its interior warms ever so slightly, casting a muted yellow-orange hue. Everything I need, and everything I could possibly want, is literally at my fingertips. For now, from my balcony, I am content just to watch the sun rise.

In the Free Zone, the silence is pure, the ultimate in quiescence. All day, every day. For the remaining persons, like myself, who still carry some trace of the organic human, this silence might pose a problem. But for me, I can no longer imagine what it would be like to live without it.

And for this silence, we have the Synthetics to thank for the peace and prosperity that is everywhere present.

In such a world as this, one might imagine that there is little anyone needs to do, and in a way, this image rings true. Our every need is met with a wave of the hand or the caress of the fingertips. But the image also rings false. In the Free Zone, we're as free to do as much or as little as we aim to do.

In the Free Zone, there is much we can do, if that is our wish.

My wish, for now, is simply to be as I am and let the sunrise saturate my awareness with its beauty and splendour.

I have the best of everything

I wake with a start and take a moment to remember where I am.

I was having a most unusual dream, a dream where I was running to the edge of a summit, lunging beyond the edge, and then falling, plunging into an abyss.

One moment I had a body; the next moment, I had none.

There has never been any conclusion to this recurring dream. I am tempted to get it checked out by a qualified hypnosis specialist, but I can never find the time.

You see, I knew in my heart that I would soon be faced with deciding the fate of more than ten billion souls.

Alone.

Although I am one among a select few who remain in the Free Zone by virtue of my willingness to forgo myriad pleasures, I am still the best qualified person to make executive decisions for the Organics and BioSynthetics who live in the Pleasure Zone, in co-operation with the most advanced Synthetics.

Not long ago, humanity had evolved, at least in principle, beyond the limits of its biological heritage. Many among us had opted to incorporate synthetic enhancements to varying degrees in various amounts, but many more had not. Most occupations had become obsolete. Finding the balance between work and leisure was no longer an issue for most.

Earth had become a playground.

Now, you might think this is a good thing, but as almost anyone knows, too much of a good thing can flip, all too quickly and easily, into its opposite.

I wave my hand above a panel. The platform of my sleeping chamber tilts towards a position perpendicular to the floor until the soles of my feet lie flush with it.

I have a wide-angle view of my place of residence and I can never fail to marvel at one simple fact: I have the best of everything.

And I do mean everything.

Until next time, Christos

The recent preview of my life on a small planet in a solar system on the edge of an ordinary galaxy among billions of other galaxies in one among many millions of galaxy superclusters had gone well enough. I had requested that I spend some time with Sophia, my twin flame, before I took the proverbial plunge.

With Sophia, the scene on the balcony was just one of several rehearsals of my life on a rather dense planet called Earth. The Elders had warned me that Earth was a particularly difficult place to go to fulfill a serious purpose. They told me that many who go there are easily lured into distractions and lose their way.

Now, on the edge of a summit, I know the time is near for me to take the plunge, but I feel uneasy about leaving before I can be sure about my fitness to meet my purpose in a place where the reality of need and pleasure dominate the overall social climate. My question is simply this: am I ready?

"The time is near, Christos."

I nod thoughtfully. "And so it is." Humanity on Earth had reached a point in its cultural evolution where any one of its members could access any and all knowledge relevant to practically any purpose, but its members also had access to the most exquisite entertainment, making many of them immune to effort.

"On one level, you will forget everything you know here."

"Yes, I know." And that was part of the problem. Without the benefit of my knowledge and wisdom here, I was vulnerable to losing sight of my ultimate purpose on Earth. My only recourse, if I could remember it, was to undergo a spiritual hypnotic regression there to recover my memories here.

The trees below the summit shimmer like a mirage under a noon-day sun, a signal for me to prepare myself for the plunge.

"Any last words, Christos?"

"Will I see you on Earth, Sophia?"

"I would like that very much." She speaks softly, almost wistfully, into my mind.

I sigh. We both knew that our journeys on Earth carried the possibility of not meeting. I knew this uncertainty to be integral to my purpose.

I turn to Sophia, place my hand on the rim of her jaw, and caress it with exquisite care. "Good-bye, my love."

We embrace.

She steps back, tears welling, speaking these words aloud: "Until next time, Christos."

"Until next time, Sophia." My voice breaks. I kiss her long and tender on the lips.

I walk away from the edge. I turn suddenly and run back to it with all my might, lunging and plunging into vast empty space.