Fantasy Sex Culture in the 23rd Century

Mary Elizabeth suddenly noticed her. "Why hello there," she said, smiling.

"Hi," Laura smiled shyly. "I've painted something," she added, in a small voice.

"I'd love to see it, if you're willing to let me look," said Mary Elizabeth. If you're willing to let me look. There was something in her choice of words. Something more. About asking to be invited, asking to see some part of her. Was Mary Elizabeth toying with her, teasing her?

Laura led Mary Elizabeth back to her workspace. When Mary Elizabeth saw the painting, she stood in front of it for a moment.

And then another moment. And then another after that.

"What... what do you think?" Laura asked anxiously.

Mary Elizabeth turned to face her, not twelve inches away. "Incredible" she breathed. "This is so vital, so raw, so passionate." She pointed to the images of the trees, swaying in the breeze. "It's so lifelike. You can almost reach out and touch the wood, the vitality, the hardness of it." She looked intently at Laura as she said it.

"Yes," said Laura, her heart racing.

"And the tall grasses. I can see them, but I can also feel them. So soft, and gentle to the touch, correct?"

"Yes," said Laura again, smiling now.

"I get the feeling... that this place is special to you. A place of... excitement? Maybe... a place... of passion."

Laura turned away, blushing.

She felt gentle hands on her shoulders, turning her.

"Never be embarrassed by your art. Never," said Mary Elizabeth.

Laura nervously forced herself to look Mary Elizabeth in the eyes. Her green eyes were soft and compassionate. "This is what artists do. We share ourselves, through our art. And by putting a part of ourselves into our art, and having others see our art, we Connect with the Community in a unique way which no one else can. Through our work, we achieve Oneness." She spoke the words softly, as if describing an intimate act of love. Her hands seemed to caress the back of Laura's shoulders, ever so slightly.

Laura paused, and then said quietly, "I understand."

"I knew you would," said Mary Elizabeth, ever so softly. Her hand traced the back of Laura's, just for a moment longer, like a coda. Then she raised her voice. "Come! Let us call the others. Everyone must see the masterpiece you have created, on your very first day, no less!"

A helpful guide led Manu to his workplace, a cultural subgroup of the Happy Prime Ethnic Architecture Institute, in the Vertically Challenged African, Satisfied Pacific Islanders, and Bisexual Japanese Workgroup. Manu was introduced to the head of the subgroup, a short black man named Roark Diversity Funnel.

"Hi, how are you? I'm fine," said Roark. "It's so nice to meet you, Manu." The short black man vigorously shook his hand. "So, you are to be our new architect!"

"I want to be," said Manu hesitantly. "But I've never been trained in it."

"Training? My boy, this is the 23rd century. Training went out with the dodo. Virtue is key."

"Virtue?"

"Yes," said Roark. "With virtue, you can do anything you set your mind to. Come! Let me introduce you to some of the other members of the cultural smallgroup."

He led Roark to an open workspace where people were manipulating diagrams of buildings on three dimensional holographic displays.

Roark pointed out the other workers. "Over there is Leilani Demand Justice." He indicated a woman of possibly Hawaiian descent. "She's one of our most socially minded builders." Next he indicated a thin Japanese man wearing a pink dress. "And over there is Haruto Queer Straight. Haruto's specialty is dealing with the sexuality of architecture."

"The sexuality of architechar?" said Manu, clearly confused.

"Architecture fundamentally projects sexuality. Consider buildings with tall, pointed ends. What do you think that's all about?"

"Uh..."

"They're phallic symbols, man, phallic! A fundamentally symbolically architecturally gender and sexual imbalance can destroy an otherwise harmonious Community. When you have an overrepresentation of one kind of shape and an underrepresentation of another, the buildings silently scream of sexism, which creates division in the Community. And you wouldn't want to do that, would you?"

"No," said Manu quickly.

"Good. " Roark introduced Manu to the other members of the subgroup. Then he took Manu over to a desk with a wand on it. "Compose," he said, and a holographic diagram appeared. "Are you ready to begin?'

"Begin?" said Manu.

"Haruto will show you how, won't you Haruto?" said Roark.

"I'd be happy to," said Haruto, elegantly getting up and walking sinuously to Manu, like a cat. "So good to have you with us," said Haruto, speaking softly as he leaned over Manu's shoulder.

"Thanks," said Manu.

"Now, take the wand in your hand," said Haruto, indicating the one sitting on his desk. Manu complied. "Now start to draw."

Manu started to draw. Haruto explained how, through verbal commands, Manu could change the composition or the size of the materials being drawn.

"But... aren't there all kinds of rules? How much weight things have to be able to hold up, and so on?"

"Oh, the interface will fix that for you," said Haruto. "You just tell it the design you want."

It seemed so simple. In seconds, Manu had drawn the simple outlines of a small house.

"Complete," said Haruto, and it turned into the image of a finished house!

"That's easy," said Manu.

"Yes," said Haruto.

"So... what's my first assignment?" Manu asked.

"The choice is always yours," said Haruto, and Manu felt a small shiver down his spine when he said that. "What would you like as your first assignment?"

"What do you mean?" said Manu. "I can't just design anything, can I?"

"Of course you can," said Haruto.

"Let me make sure I have this straight," said Manu, instantly regretting the use of the word 'straight' in front of Haruto. But he didn't seem to have offended. Manu said, "If I understand you correctly, I can design anything, anything at oll?"

"That's right," said Manu.

"A big building?"

"Yes."

"A giant bridge?"

"Yes."

"Amazing," said Manu.

"Yes," said Haruto, leaning close. Manu felt Haruto's hot breath on his face. "The Community just keeps making life better and better. Enjoy. Let me know if you have any questions."

Manu got to work. On his very first bridge!

Rowenka's posting was to the Beverly Rectum Institute for the Study of the Global Human Infestation, specifically in the Office of Global Guilt and Atonement. There she met her boss, a very nice man named Liam Real Love.

"So good to have you with us," said Liam, shaking her hands vigorously. Liam was a heavyset balding man in his 50's. "I'm certain our work can only benefit from your scientific input!"

"I'm not exactly trained as a scientist," said Rowenka.

"That doesn't matter," said Liam dismissively. "All you need is the proper ideological perspective."

"What exactly is the nature of your work here?" Rowenka asked.

"We study Temperature Change," said Liam.

"What?"

"The earth's temperature is changing!" said Liam. "This morning it was 52 degrees. By 2 o'clock, it will be 72 degrees. That's a twenty point temperature swing in just a few hours!"

"So?" said Rowenka, shrugging.

"Two hundred years ago, it didn't used to be that way. Our records show that back then, the temperature was almost unchanging, always between 68 and 72 degree. And five hundred years ago, the temperature was a constant 72 degrees year around!"

"How do yew knauw what the temperature was 500 years ago, when there were no thermometers?" Rowenka asked.

"Science, my dear, it's science! And science, guided by the agenda of the Community, tells us that womanandmankind are destroying the planet, slowly but surely."

"How?"

"Temperature Change! Wind! Rain! Snow! Hurricanes! Earthquakes! All caused by the behavior of womanandmankind," said Liam.

"How?" said Rowenka again. "How do we cause it?"

"In many different ways," said Liam. "Imagine 12 billion people on the Earth, each one taking a simple footstep. 12 billion footsteps! That's bound to have an impact on the stability of the planet! It shakes up ecosystems, it shakes up the weather, it shakes up our whole ecology! And then there is energy. Every time we burn energy, minute vibrations seep into the Earth, further destabilizing our ecosystems. Buildings also make it worse. The Earth was not made to have large, unnatural shapes like buildings pressed into it. It depresses the soil, only exacerbating the cycle of Temperature Change."

"So... what can be done about it?"

"The Community is working to limit the damage. We strictly limit the use of electrical power. We push people into densely urbanized cities to reduce our global footprint and impact on the environment. We live in very small apartments to reduce our footprints further, and take virtually waterless showers to reduce our greedy demand for the liquids of Gaia. We recycle everything, and I do mean everything: water, clothes, food, and more, to reduce the drain on global resources."

"Power?" said Rowenka. "Our first day hear, we flew on jetpacks, and in a hotrod car, and a supersonic jet which must have consumed a ton of power."

"Well, you're very lucky then, because those are activities reserved for the Community elite, the tiny percentage of those whom do so much for the Community that they have access to such rare rewards," said Liam.

"Oh," said Rowenka, taking it all in. "So what do we do hear?"

"We study the problem. We produce papers showing the effect of Temperature Change, and come up with solutions to live more sustainably, consuming ever less resources and energy."

"Well that sounds... intresting," said Rowenka. It was a lot to absorb. She wasn't sure she really believed it.

"Well, come, let's get you started," said Liam. "I have a good pet project for you. We want you to debunk the false history of the so-called "ice-ages" of the past, using modern past projection analysis which we've found are much more reliable than so-called 'recorded history'."

"All right," said Rowenka tentatively.

Rowenka worked through much of the day. There was a lot of data to go through. But she had a firm, analytical mind and soon found a way to organize the data in a way in which she could write a coherent report.

Around mid-afternoon Liam came by to see how she was doing.

"Fine," said Rowenka. "I can have this report for you by tomorrow, is that oll right?"

"Tomorrow?" said Liam, as if she had said something offensive. "What's your hurry? It should take at least a week!"

"Oll right..." said Rowenka.

"In the meantime, I was wondering if you'd like a break."

"Sure," said Rowenka.

"Would you like to Connect?" Liam asked, ever so casually.

Connect? What did he mean by that? Professional networking? That's what he must mean. That could always be helpful, to meet other scientists. "Sure," said Rowenka.

"That's great!" said Liam, smiling broadly. "Do you want to use the Unrest Room here, or the one downstairs? The one downstairs is nicer, but of course the one on this floor is much closer."

"The rest room? I don't need to-"

"Come on," said Liam. She followed him. Sure enough, he took her into a room called "Unrest Room."

Unrest Room?

There were a series of couches there.

"Oh, it's empty," said Liam, seemingly disappointed. "I always enjoy it more with others watching. Oh well," he said. He turned to Rowenka. "Clothes off," he said.

Liam's clothes started to split into two. In a flash, he was nude!

"What are yew doing?" said Rowenka, taking a step back. Suddenly, she was alone in a room with a fat, bald man with a very hairy penis.

"I... thought you wanted to Connect."

"THIS is what it means to Connect?" said Rowenka. "You mean sex?"

"Of course," said Liam. "But it's more than just sex. We also share feelings too. It plugs us into the Community together. Why be you and me, when we can all be us and we?"

"No," said Rowenka, taking a step back. "Noah," she said definitively, her accent coming through. "Ay'm a married woman."

"What does that have to do with anything?" said Liam. He saw her reluctance, and sighed. "I apologize. I guess we had a misunderstanding. Clothes on!" His clothes reformed themselves. Liam looked much better with clothes on. He said, somewhat awkwardly, "I hope this doesn't bother you."

"Noah, we're fyne," said Rowenka, edging towards the door.

"Good," said Liam. He walked past her to the door. "Let me know when that report is ready. And remember what I said--take your time!"

That night at dinner, they all shared their experiences of their first day at work. Fredrik showed them his article about the new city being built in Houston, which was now the lead story in the Community Newsfeed.

The others were suitably impressed.

"My first day!" said Fredrik. "I broke the story about a whole new city being built! This one story is more important than all the articles I evar wrote for the West Coast Times back home!" At the moment, he was feeling very good about his decision to leave New Cal.

"How did yew get such a good assignment?" Manu asked.

"I really don't knauw," said Fredrik. "There's this important lady at work. Her name is Madeline." He shuddered inwardly, just saying her name. Those legs! "An older lady," he added hastily, looking at Laura. "She put this story right in my lap." He suddenly realized he had used a poor choice of words. "I mean, she gave it to me."

"Well congratulations, Honey," said Laura, reaching over to give him a hug."Do yew know what my favorite part of your story was?"

"What?"

"The part that said, "By Fredrik Diem, staff propagandist," said Laura, giving him a kiss. And they all laughed.

Then Manu told them about his first day at work, and they were even more impressed.

"You're doing what?" said Rowenka.

"I'm building another Golden Gate Bridge."

"What happened to the furst one?" said Laura. Come to think of it, when they landed at OrgyFree, they had seen no sign of the iconic bridge.

"It was removed for environmental reasons." said Manu. "I was told that the bridge cast a shadow over the wotar, which deterred some fish underneath from having sex or something. So I told them I would design a new bridge, made of the tough crystal they use hear, that would let lyght pass ryght through it."

"And they're letting yew do it? They're letting yew build a bridge?"

"Yes!" said Manu. "I can't believe it either."

"This is truly an amazing place," said Laura.

"What was your furst day like, Laura?" Fredrik asked.

It was a casual question, but Laura was caught off guard. Should she mention Mary Elizabeth? Something inside her told her not to, not yet.

Instead, she said, "Listen to this. They paint things holographically hear. I have a wand, and a holographic canvas, and I can use it to paint any color, any texchar, any size. I can even erase what I painted!"

"What did you paint?" Rowenka asked.

"Grimault Island," said Laura. "Fredrik took me there last spring. It was so beautiful."

"I'd love to see it," said Fredrik softly.

"I'll call it up," said Laura. "Ted?

"Yes, my dear, dear friend, Laura?"

"Bring up the image of the painting I did today."

"It will be my pleasure, my good friend," said Ted.

The image of the painting of Grimault Island appeared floating above them. Rowenka clapped and squealed. Fredrik and Manu were very impressed.

"They lyked it so much, they even had an impromptu party where they showed it to everyone at the studio!" said Laura.

"You're brilliant, Honey," said Fredrik, giving her a kiss.

Manu turned to Rowenka. "And how was your furst day?"

"It was... diffrent," said Rowenka. "Evidently there is some terrible climate catastrophe that these people are fighting. I have a lot to learn about it. But it's quantitative, very analytical. I think it could be interesting." She omitted all mention of Liam's attempt to Connect with her. She knew Manu wouldn't like it.

"That's great," said Laura. "Say, remember what Maoina told us, about writing home? We should all write lettars home tonight. Janet said that Ted could automatically record messages from us and route them to the ryght place."

"Yes, let's do that," said Manu eagerly.

After dinner, Manu and Rowenka composed messages to their families. Manu had two brothers, so he not only left a message for his parents but to them as well. Rowenka got a bit tearful when she recorded a message to her parents. She knew they must have been heartbroken when she left without saying goodbye. She told them about all the amazing things she had seen since she had come to the US of the A's, and closed by saying that she hoped to hear back from them soon.

At the same time Laura composed a message to her parents. She had Fredrik with her, to show her Ma and Pa that they were still together. Ma and Pa liked Fredrik, which might soften the blow of her leaving New Cal without telling them in advance.

"It's a wondrous place here, Ma and Pa," said Laura. "I feel like Ay'm being an artist for the first time. There are people who appreciate my work, and I've joined an artist's collective, and they liked my first work so much that they hosted a party in my o-nar! Everyone told me how much talent I have. It feels great to finally be appreciated for doing something I love. I miss yew and hope to hear back from yew soon."

Fredrik was the last to record his message. "It's me, Nana. I know you must have been furious when yew learned I was gone. I'm so sorry I had to leave that way. But life was strangling me on New Cal. I had to leave to see the outside world. And I have. I'm a real journalist now. I'm writing real stories, important stories, that thousands of people are reading. It's what I always wanted. Ay'm so happy here. Please don't be angry. Send me a message, I want to hear from yew. I love yew," he added.

Fredrik said, "Yew can stop recording, Ted. You'll make sure the messages get to Maoina?"

"Yes, my dear friend," said Ted.

"I'm glad we did that," said Laura, giving him a kiss.

"And I'm glad yew did that," said Fredrik, kissing her back. They fell into each other's arms, and enjoyed the moment.​