Chapter 31
"Good morning!" Thomas said as he walked over to the group at breakfast.
"Hey," they all replied in sync.
"I'm pretty excited about this safari thing," Thomas said in a tone that was unusually cheery. "It should be incredible."
"Oh definitely," Vera said, "I'm glad we can do something more in touch with nature and can relax. Last night, I sat outside, closed my eyes, and just listened to the quiet. I even saw a shooting star!"
"Oh yeah, I did too," Thomas said, stifling his laughter. "It was pretty astounding."
"What's so funny?" Lyla asked, sensing something was up.
"Oh nothing. Say, did you guys get to look at the brochure for the safari?"
"I didn't know they had any, where are they?" Vera asked.
"Well I only asked because if you hadn't seen it yet I was going to tell you not to bother. It was extremely boring and didn't tell us anything we didn't already know."
"OK," Vera said, content to accept this statement as fact. Lyla gave Thomas a funny look, to which he just shrugged in reply. The normal conversation resumed and Thomas played along, knowing what awaited them. They finished their breakfast right on time and ran outside to catch their ride. A hover bus transported them to a depot further out. There they would start the tour in a specially equipped hover vehicle piloted by an actual human tour guide. As they rode along, everyone in the bus was glued to the windows, hoping to catch an early glimpse of some sort of animal, but no sighting was made. An air of disappointment hung over most of the people as they arrived at the depot. The tours were arranged in groups of ten, so Lyla, Thomas, Darin, Doug, and Vera were joined by an older couple and a family of three.
The older couple, they soon discovered, had just retired and were using their newfound free time and savings to take the vacations they had always dreamed of. Before their trip to Kenya, they had also visited London and had found it "rather mediocre." The other family consisted of a couple that appeared to be in their thirties along with their twelve year old son. Their son seemed less excited than would be expected of a boy his age. He was preoccupied, tapping away at the keyboard accessory for his implant, no doubt chatting with his friends back home about how boring the trip was and about how his parents just didn't 'get him'.
There were only a few tour vehicles operating at a time. Two pulled in and the groups ahead of them boarded and left. Everyone passed the time, mingling, making small talk, and looking at the souvenirs. Vera bought an excessively overpriced digital camera and walked back to the group to show it off.
"Nice!" Lyla said, "that's almost as good as the model I have at home!"
"And three times the price!" Thomas mocked.
"Well it's not like we don't have the money," Vera said, "and I want to remember this."
"Oh, I'm sure you will..." Thomas said. Lyla caught that tone in his voice again and shot a look over in his direction. Thomas ignored her.
"It doesn't matter," Vera said, taking the camera out of the packaging. "I just want some pictures." She tossed the remains of the package into the trash can Thomas was standing next to.
VOIP!
"Hey!" Thomas said again, looking around, "What IS that sound?"
"What sound?" Lyla asked. Thomas struggled to find something to compare it too. He thought of several different sound effects from the sci-fi movies of his time, but was struggling to find something that Lyla would actually know about.
"I don't know how to describe it, it just sounds mechanical. That's the second time I've heard it."
"Well when did you hear it?" Thomas thought about what had happened and suddenly figured it out.
"The trash can!" he shouted, a little too loud. The older couple looked at him, wondering what the trash can had to do with anything. Thomas blushed and waited till they looked away. "That has to be it," he said in quieter tones. "I first heard it after we ate in Little Italy, Doug threw something in the trash can and we heard the noise. We figured it was just a robot flying overhead or something. But just now when Vera threw the box in there, it did it again!"
"Of course it did," Lyla said, failing to understand why this was significant.
"Well that's not normal! At least, it wasn't in our time. But I'm sure it's different now, some technology has made the trash can completely different."
"Actually, the way the trash can works now is the result of two technologies. First, there was the Great Green Movement that occurred shortly after the third world war. During that time laws were created that mandated recycling and, thanks to more efficient garbage processing, people could throw their recyclables and regular garbage all in the same bin and it was sorted out at the processing facilities. That was the first major difference."
"Not that big of a change, people always threw out their recyclables and regular garbage together. Hardly anyone recycled in our time." Vera grumbled.
"Well no, it wasn't that big of a change in of itself, but at least it legally allowed people to throw everything into the same containers. The next big change came after the POD system was developed."
"Wait, don't tell me," Thomas said, "anything that gets thrown into garbage cans gets sent by the POD system to the processing facilities."
"Essentially, yes. It's not really a POD but it's the same underlying technology. Basically everything you throw in most public trashcans gets instantly transported to the proper facility. So if you throw in a glass bottle, it gets sent to the closest glass recycling plant, metal gets sent to the proper metal recycling plant, and so on."
"That's ... that's actually a brilliant idea." Vera said, the environmentalist inside her clearly impressed.
"It gets even better. Thanks to an advance in the same technology that powers the PODS, they can actually sort garbage as it's transported. If you threw in a plastic bag full of different kinds of trash, it all gets sorted and sent to the proper place. There's no need for the whole bag to get sent to a facility where it's then hand sorted. Basically, you can throw absolutely anything you want out, it will all be automatically recycled, toxic chemicals are handled properly, and the trash can will never get full."
"That's incredible!" Vera and Doug said in unison, Doug having joined the conversation right before Lyla summed it up.
"Yeah, and it's all powered by renewable energy," Darin added, pointing out the solar panels, barely noticeable on the side of the can.
"So that's what you meant when you said they had 'fixed' the environmental problems," Vera said excitedly. "I mean I know that's not all of it but that alone is just an incredible feat. The amount of garbage produced in our time was excessive, and one of our biggest problems! I bet you don't really have to mine for new raw materials at all anymore, do you?"
"Not really, no." Darin said.
"So cool..." Vera said. She found herself wanting to find some garbage, just so she could pick it up, throw it in the can, and feel like she helped the environment. Thomas was impressed as well, but what he had learned last night overshadowed this new bit of information. Just then, another tour vehicle pulled up. Their group was next in line, and they eagerly boarded. The vehicle could best be described as a cross between an SUV and a school bus. Solar panels on the side and hood of the vehicle provided the power. There were ten narrow, bench style seats, five on each side with an aisle that ran between them. Nearly the entire upper half of the vehicle appeared to be made of glass.
"Greetings!" the tour guide said over the loudspeaker. The group responded with several different versions of hello. "My name is Kofi Mudiwa, and I'll be your tour guide today."
"Hi Kofi!" the older couple shouted back. Kofi made eye contact in the mirror and waved.
"There are a few safety guidelines I need to review with you all," he continued, "and then we can be on our way. First off, we do need to drive for about five minutes to our destination. While we're driving, I ask that you remain seated and keep your safety belt on. If we do see anything before we arrive at the starting point, I
must ask that you still remain seated and do not try to get up to take pictures. You will see more of the same sights with better vantage points when we're actually on the tour route. We've done everything we can to ensure that the path we'll be taking will give you the best bang for your buck!" Thomas smirked at this comment. "Once we get on the tour path, you can take off your seat belts and move about freely."
"You may notice the glass dome above you all. This is to ensure that you have the best, unobstructed view at all times. You needn't worry, the glass is very thick and is actually made of an extremely durable polymer. You're very safe. You may also have noticed the emergency exit at the back of the vehicle. This is for, as the name implies, emergencies only. You may think it is an emergency, but unless I tell you that it is, do not exit via that door at any point. While we are on the tour you are free to ask questions at any time, just shout them out and I'll answer."
"Can we go now?" shouted the twelve year old kid.
"Almost," the guide laughed. "Finally, last, but not least, please take note of the white line in the aisle. At no time are you to cross that line while the vehicle is in motion. Do you all understand?" They all nodded. "OK! We're ready to go!" The bus lifted off the ground and began moving rapidly towards the tour route, several miles away. Everyone was glued to the windows as they drove, but nothing particularly interesting was spotted. There were a few animals here and there, but none of the big herds seen in your typical nature show on TV. As they drove, the tour guide gave them a bit of background about the reserve.
"In the aftermath of the third world war," he said, "all of the world’s ecosystems were severely impacted. The Savannah took the brunt of the damage, and the entire ecosystem nearly collapsed. Fortunately, when the Great Green Movement began gaining steam, many of the world’s corporations wanted to get in on the action. These companies provided funding to kick start some of the animal cloning research projects that were suspended when the war broke out. Thanks to the sponsorship of companies like Beauty, Inc., Corporate Conglomerates Conglomerated--CCC for short--the Shiny Technology Group, and many others, rapid progress was made in animal cloning. Thus, many of the animals that were threatened with extinction--along with some that had already gone extinct--were cloned and released, restoring balance to the Savannah’s ecosystem!"
"That's just awesome," Vera said across the aisle to Thomas.
"Yeah, but I wonder why corporations that have nothing to do with the environment would spend so much money to help it?" Thomas replied.
"Just because a corporation does something philanthropic doesn't mean they have some sort of ulterior motive," Vera said coolly. "Apparently the corporations of the future are more charitable than the ones of our day. You shouldn't complain about it." Thomas just smiled. The tour guide continued talking about the history of the reserve itself, but nothing particularly interesting was mentioned. Most of the people on the bus were too busy staring out the windows anyhow, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the wildlife. Sure enough, just as the tour guide had said, there was very little to see. Suddenly, the vehicle began slowing down to a more reasonable pace. They had arrived.
"OK everyone," the guide announced, "we've reached our normal tour route. We're going to slow down now and let you take in the sights. I will continue to provide commentary and background information, and again, if you have any questions just ask." Everyone took off their seat belts and crowded around the windows. The trail had clearly been picked well: wildlife abounded. A lake to the left was teeming with flamingos. A herd of wildebeest was seen along the north edge of the same lake, drinking and playing around. The vehicle came to a stop.
"Wow!" Vera said, snapping pictures rapidly.
"See that Billy?" the mother pointed vaguely towards the lake. Billy begrudgingly raised his head and looked out the window.
"What's so special about a bunch of dumb animals drinking water?" Billy whined. Just then, a crocodile appeared, leaping out towards an unsuspecting wildebeest! The crocodile grabbed the wildebeest by the throat, severing several major blood vessels, quickly incapacitating it. The rest of the wildebeest in the herd began fleeing in horror as their injured companion collapsed into the water, blood spilling out, turning the water an unmistakable color of red. The flamingos squawked in confusion and reached for the skies in their attempt to escape the chaos. Several other crocs emerged, eager to participate in the feast. The people on the tour bus looked on in astonishment. Billy dropped his miniature keyboard on the floor and planted his hands and face against the window, eyes widening with what appeared to be horror. His jaw hung agape. His mother looked at him, anxious, wondering what such a sight would do to her precious snowflake.
"Come on Billy, let's just look out this other window at the nice," she paused to look and see what was actually there. "Rocks! Yes, look at those beautiful rocks!" She tugged at his arm urgently. Billy resisted, pushing her away.
"Cool..." he simply breathed.
"Well the timing on that, for Billy's sake anyhow, was impeccable don't you think?" Thomas said to no one in particular. Vera snapped out of her trance and took pictures of the carnage. No one seemed to notice what Thomas had said. Indeed, most members of the group had decided to ignore him at this point anyhow. The vehicle again began moving along the trail. Billy unglued himself from the side window and moved to the back to catch the fleeting glimpses of the crocodiles enjoying their meal. Once they were a sufficient distance away, he gave up, and finally moved back to the front. He found his keyboard on the floor and stuck it in his pocket, deciding instead to keep alert and focused, yearning to catch sight of more of mother nature's carnage. He would not be disappointed...
As they proceeded along the trail, more and more foliage became noticeable. The plants were lush and green, and a large variety of animals were roaming around, grazing. Several giraffes were searching the boughs of an umbrella thorn for the nutritious seed pods contained within. A small band of elephants was also present and grazing off the numerous plants. Billy seemed disappointed by the lack of animals killing and eating each other, but stayed diligent and alert, assuming that such a sight might be seen around every corner. Kofi continued to answer questions and explained what they were seeing. While much of what they saw truly was inspiring and beautiful, Thomas was still acting strange and making snarky remarks about everything. It was bothering Lyla enough that she finally pulled him aside.
"What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird all morning."
"There's nothing wrong with me," Thomas said, attempting to play it off, but failing.
"Yes there is. You're not yourself. You're being sarcastic and negative about everything." Thomas shrugged. "See! There you go again!"
"Lyla, just trust me. I'm being negative because I know that this safari is going to have a negative ending."
"Well I don't see how you can say that. Everything we've seen so far has been amazing and really speaks for the good work the big corporations did in saving these animals."
"Just trust me. You'll see." Before Lyla could protest more, Thomas quickly walked back to the front of the vehicle where everyone was still staring and pointing at the animals they were passing by. Lyla sighed and began to move to the front again herself. Suddenly the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. Everyone grabbed on to whatever they could around them and held on for dear life. Billy nearly fell flat on his face in the aisle, but Darin caught him at the last second. Just as people began to voice their complaints, Kofi began apologizing profusely and attempted to explain what had gone wrong, but didn't need to. An enormous group of zebras was flooding across the road in front of them.
Lyla, who was still in the back, began moving slowly to the front. She stared at the zebras as she went. There was something strange about them, but she just couldn't put her finger on it, and they were moving too quickly for her to see any details. She looked over the group of people in the front and saw her friends all still present. Doug and Vera were looking out the window in silence,
jaws agape. Darin was handing the boy back over to his mother who was too busy babbling and checking over every inch of her perfect son, making sure he was still perfect. Thomas was looking back and forth between the window and the others, grinning wildly.
Wait. Thomas was grinning wildly. The way he was looking back and forth between them and the scene outside made it obvious: whatever it was that they were supposed to see, this was it. Lyla continued walking towards the front--faster now--keeping her eyes locked on the zebras in front of them. There was definitely something strange about the scene in front of her, but Lyla still couldn't make it out. They were running by so quickly; a striped, black and white blur. Perhaps it was just the way they were acting. They were clearly running from something.
Lyla suddenly noticed a faint sound in the background. It almost sounded like an engine, but it wasn't the sound of the tour vehicle. Had it always been there, and she simply hadn't noticed? No. It was getting louder, and the zebras were becoming more frantic and agitated. Thomas wasn't looking back at them anymore. He was now instead transfixed on the scene outside, looking up towards the sky. The roaring continued growing louder. Suddenly, something from above came plummeting down into the middle of the stampede. Horrible whinnying sounds erupted, and a cloud of dust plumed upward. As the whinnying continued, everyone tried to get a view of what on Earth was going on, but the dust obscured their view.
Finally, the sounds ceased, and the stampede had passed. As the dust began to settle, the outline of what had come crashing down in front of them slowly appeared as a black, white, and brown blob. It reminded Thomas of the day they were thawed and had to try to make out the figures of Darin and Lyla in front of them. Of course, this time, Thomas had at least a pretty decent idea of what to expect. As the outline became less blurred, his expectations were confirmed. He stood quietly, waiting for the air to clear enough for the others to be able to make out what it was they were looking at. The youngest pair of eyes figured it out first.
"COOOOOLL!!!" Billy shouted, running forward to press his face against the windshield.
"Billy, what is it?" his mother asked, still unable to tell what it was she was looking at. "What is it Billy?" she shouted, the urgency and fear rising in her voice. "Will you just tell me what--" she started, but grew quiet as she finally figured out what it was. "Oh my," she exhaled. Vera and Doug stared silently, mouths hanging open. Darin and Lyla stood there, unsure of what to think of this scene themselves. All the illusions of grandeur, glory, and positive philanthropic motives put forth by the corporations was quickly fading away.
In front of them lay a zebra, dead and badly mauled. The lion that had caused this was perched over the carcass, furiously tearing away at the flesh. On the side of the zebra, one could still make out a pattern made with the stripes. This pattern clearly resembled the letters "ty, Inc." The lion that had come careening out of the sky to make the kill was equipped with what appeared to be--despite all logic and reason that said this was impossible--a jet-pack.
Just then, a platform carrying a cage came hovering out of the sky and came to rest a few yards away from the carnage. The cage door opened, and another zebra with the same pattern came out. Upon seeing the massacre nearby, the zebra whinnied in horror and began to run after the herd still visible in the distance. The lion, alerted to this presence, roared as the jet-pack engines engaged, hurtling it headlong into the middle of the words "Beauty, Inc." mauling the second zebra.
A second platform descended and released yet another Beauty, Inc. branded zebra that took off running quietly enough that the lion either didn't notice or didn't care. It had its food. Several more roars were heard and the lion's family flew down and began partaking in the gruesome feast now at hand. Billy was enthralled. His mother and father looked at each other, beaming about their renewed family bonds granted by the successful trip. The older couple stood with their arms around each other, smiling. Darin and Lyla were growing more and more horrified. Vera and Doug appeared to be in shock. Thomas walked up behind the two and placed his arms around them. He leaned forward.
"Welcome to the philanthropy of the future," he said quietly. Vera shed a tear.