The Runaways
Sundown Monday September 14th Chet and Sue pry the lid off the shipping crate holding Ann hostage. Sue pours wine as they study the female type of robot laying in the crate. Neither have words to describe their feelings of the moment. Sue wonders if this is her new child, mother, companion, or what the hell. Chet offers, “Sue, this robot will outlive us and care for us and possibly even kill us.”
“When you wake her up Chet, we will be changed in ways we humans may not be ready to experience. I wonder if our neighbors here on the beach will accept or banish us from the community?”
“Sue, I am old enough to remember my grandfather telling of stringing wire to his house for his first telephone. If by chance we live long enough, we might understand things Bradley Cooper sang about the future, his words were, maybe it is time for old ways to die.
“Sometimes I lay awake dreaming about the future, and I step on my gravitational disc and think about where I want to go. Sometimes it is a coffee shop named Aquarius a few blocks away. When I arrive, my coffee is waiting with the exact amount of cream. No charge as the robotics has me in its memory. I sit and watch the fish and turtles in the immaculate aquariums along the walls. I wonder if robotics running the shop actually pay taxes on their I supposed income.
“Never have to fuel up my gravitation disc and the air is clean and crisp on my way home. I pass a Gravitational Wave Bus on its way to school. The roads are now grassed over and maintained by what we use to call lawn services.
“I walk up to my second story balcony and watch Gravitational Wave transports come into the bay bringing supplies from some far-off land and sit there load down in the import facility. No ship is needed.
“You suggest we go to London for lunch. I asked if you know the coordinates and you say they are already entered into our new Gravitational Modular Vehicle so get dressed. One hour later we were in the Bentleys Oyster Bar on Swallow Street visiting with my cousin Jo. Ann, our home robot you see lying in this crate, will have hamburgers ready for us when we get back.
“My cousin Jo says the London smog is gone since we no longer need diesel or coal, and their Department of Energy Security is installing a new nuclear reactor in their neighborhood to upgrade for future electrical needs.
“We worry about the have nots uprising as the new society has not reached everyone yet. But it is coming just like Rural Electrification Administration back in our parent’s early days. I asked Jo if they ever go to the airport anymore and she said she doesn’t know if there is a passenger airport anymore or a supermarket as she no longer needs either. Getting pretty much the same all over.
“On our way home, we talk about how we were glad there is no longer a need for passports or customs inspections. If there is a problem with crime or a human trying to take control of our lives AI handles it in a matter of minutes. There haven’t been many construction problems since AI figured out how to cut and lift stones weighing a thousand tons with a handheld gadget. Our health checkups are done at home with a wand we pass over our body. Pretty cool.
“Ann greets us as we return home. I instruct Ann to bring wine, cheese, and crackers to the pool side. We wonder if we had kids what they would learn in school, but from what we know, we would not understand.
“Late in the night we are watching the stars through the retractable skylight, and I tell you Jo is thinking of moving her family here. Families are beginning to reunite like back in the Agrarian days. No need to move around for jobs anymore. Her grown kids are all involved in robot communications or writing theory and code for future space asteroid mining. I suspect if we have kids they would be involved in off-planet explorations we don’t understand, but our human history is to explore the unknown. Building the new world into the future gives employment opportunities to all who are no longer needed in the service industries as they were replaced by robotics. In addition, more employees are needed to study the past to relearn skills we lost due to catastrophes thousands of years ago and watch for events that might destroy our planet in the future. Interesting jobs the elderly particularly take delight in preforming.”
“Good story to tell me how you think, Chet. Reminds me of our discussion of naming her Ann instead of Eve our first woman. Thanks for choosing me to be the first woman.”