Manos turns to his assistant. “Get my Chief of Staff on the line.”
Moments later, Seth’s face appears on a tablet computer. “Hello, boss. We haven’t heard from you in a few days.”
“Days? I spoke with you earlier today.”
“That’s not true, sir. I’ve left you several voicemails.”
“That’s strange.” He rubs his face. “I could have sworn I talked to you a few hours ago. What did you message me about?”
“It’s the Google management team, sir. They’re not cooperating and they still haven’t given me access to the private servers.”
Manos rolls his eyes. “Forget about that. We have much bigger plans to think about.”
“Sir?”
“Listen, Seth, there’s a fusion reactor at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. I want you to steal it and relocate it to our facility in West Virginia.”
Seth hesitates. “I don’t understand. Are we getting into nuclear power?”
“No. We are forming a corporation called Diaspora. This is a brand new venture for GoldRock.”
Felina nods. “Brilliant name, Mr. Kharon.”
Seth appears confused. “Diaspora? What’s the mission of the company?”
“We will guide the exodus of human beings to their next homeland. We will be the leaders of space colonization.”
The Falcon 12 flies past the moon on its way to New Mexico. It enters the Earth’s atmosphere and begins its descent to Spaceport America.
Manos analyzes a tablet. “Seth, I want you to identify the smartest physicists in the world and offer them million-dollar salary packages. We will hire the brightest minds for Diaspora.”
“I’m happy to do that,” Seth says, “but I still don’t understand the purpose of the startup.”
Manos eyes North America. “We will master interstellar travel. Felina and I just flew across a wormhole to Barnard’s Star. What I saw defies explanation. Now that we understand what’s possible, it’s time to build a new industry.”
Seth gasps. “Is this a new way to travel?”
“It’s more than that. The universe is now ours for the taking.”
34.
HIGH ABOVE the San Francisco Archipelago, Austin sits in gridlock in his flying car. A bumper-to-bumper jam stretches across the skybound 101 Freeway. He grins.
Rush hour, I’ve missed you.
“Isaac, I can’t be late for my date.”
His smartglasses buzz. “Don’t worry, you will arrive on time.”
He peers below and spots downtown skyscrapers connected by train tubes and passageways. Rooftops of flooded Victorian homes rise from the ocean. As his vehicle heads north to Marin County, he drives above the underwater suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Isaac, what’s happening in the world?”
“From NPR News, here are the day’s top stories. The President has lifted the ban on tourism. International travel will resume at major airports starting next week. This coincides with the planned peace talks between the United States, China, and Russia. Experts are hopeful for an end to the twenty-four-year World War.”
Austin shakes his head.
The War is finally ending?
“In financial news, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 1400 points on the back of strong hiring and renewed confidence in the economy. It comes as oil prices continue to fall, currently at $5,600 per barrel. The Commerce Secretary credits developments with nuclear fusion power, which have boosted global energy reserves…”
Austin sheds a tear.
This is all Beth’s doing.
The car exits at Tiburon Ave and flies downward along holographic white lines demarcating the traffic lines. He makes his way to a high-rise apartment complex in San Rafael and lands on a rooftop helipad.
“Great driving, Isaac. We’re right on time.” He looks at himself in a mirror. “I wish I wasn’t so nervous.”
“Austin, you will be fine. Just be confident and look into her eyes.”
He exits the vehicle wearing blue slacks and a blazer, his face clean-shaven and his silver hair combed meticulously to the side. Taking an elevator to the twenty-first floor, he walks along a hallway to Apartment 2143 and gently knocks.
Just be yourself.
A lock unlatches and the door softly opens. Olivia stands in the doorway wearing a yellow summer dress and a wide-brim hat. Her shoulder-length gray hair highlights her diamond earrings, which Austin had given to her decades ago.
He looks her into her eyes. “Olivia…”
She reaches out to him and they embrace. He cries as he cradles her and smells her familiar fragrance. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Me too…” She dabs her eyes with a tissue. “Thank you for your voicemail. It meant a lot to hear how you feel. I wish you had called sooner.”
“You did?”
She sheds a tear. “To be honest, I did blame you for what happened to Matthew, but the truth is that it wasn’t our fault. The Floods took away our son.”
He cries. “It was the worst day of my life, and I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I promise I’ll never act like that again.”
“I know you won’t, Austin.”
He holds her hand. “Are you ready?”
“Yes. Where are we going?”
He guides her down the hall to the elevator. “You’ll see. It’s a surprise.” They ride up to the rooftop and walk to his car. He opens the door for her.
Olivia smiles. “I haven’t ridden one of these in years.”
Austin climbs into the driver’s seat. “Me neither! It was sitting in a lot gathering dust. I couldn’t afford to charge my car. But now that electricity prices are falling, everyone is back on the road.”
“The world has changed so much this last week.”
“You have no idea. I have a lot to tell you.”
They lift off and fly north, merging onto the Skybound 101N Freeway towards Napa Valley. Olivia beholds the bustling city. “It feels like people are happy again.”
“There’s hope in the world, Olivia. Just listen to the news! Isaac, what’s happening today?”
“From the Telegraph, here are the top stories. The government is lifting decades-old rations on motor vehicle use and public transportation. Consumer goods like clothing, appliances, and aluminum products will be back on public markets later in the week.”
Olivia clasps her hands. “You mean I can finally buy a microwave?”
Austin chuckles. “I haven’t had a refrigerator in five years.”
“The future is so exciting!”
“In other news, Dr. Bethany Andrews has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for her work advancing nuclear fusion power. The President of the United States called Dr. Andrews the ‘genius of our times’ and credited her for spearheading peace negotiations and reviving the economy. She will receive the award in Stockholm later this year.”
Austin beams. “That’s my boss they’re talking about.”
“I remember her,” Olivia says. “She came to our wedding, didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“How is she doing?”
“Let’s find out. Isaac, call Beth.”
A dial tone rings and the call goes to voicemail. A message arrives. “Can’t talk now but need to discuss something urgent with you. Will call soon.”
The car flies over Sonoma and merges onto Route 12, traveling towards Napa Valley. Vineyards stretch across hilltops spared by the rising ocean. They exit the sky highway and descend to sea level.
Olivia points. “Look, there are cows grazing!”