Agents of the E.S.A.

By Gary Cuthbert

Set in the future 22nd century the world is vastly different than it is today. Illness that had plagued the world had all but gone as was crime. Instead of country states the world had been divided into four regions, each one ran by a super computer. In Europe it is called Ulysses, it runs everything, even having a child is different in the new 'Modern' world. It was all going well till a murder happened and Agents of the European Security Agency are called in to investigate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gary Cuthbert
• Release date: Sep 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393348979

Gary Cuthbert

Gary Cuthbert has written several other novels and young children read a long books. He comes from the North East of England. Besides the Carter & Carter novels he also has available Store Wars, a humourous tale about a year in the life of a corner shop and its owner. In , Agents of the E.S.A. the world is a very different place, it is ran by super computer's. Desease and Crime are things of the past till a body is found and Agents of the European Security Agency get called in.  The Life and Death of Harry Stone is a dark comic story that features the real story of what happens when you die.  Check the website for all titles available. garycuthbertauthor.co.uk

Book preview

Agents of the E.S.A.

Gary Cuthbert

Published by Gary Cuthbert, 2020.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

AGENTS OF THE E.S.A.

First edition. September 7, 2020.

Copyright © 2020 Gary Cuthbert.

ISBN: 978-1393348979

Written by Gary Cuthbert.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Agents of the E.S.A.

About the Author

S.T.O.N.E. Independent Author Publishing .

All characters and events are strictly the imagination of the author and any resemblance to any actual people or organizations is coincidental. All rights are retained by the author .

S.T.O.N.E. Independent Author Publishing is an organization dedicated to the independent author . Any work carrying the sign of the organization is written by none professional authors . It may be possible that the work contained has errors .Every effort is made to eliminate these but due to the fact these works are not by professionals they may not have sort out the use of professional editors . These editors are not cheap service to use and for the Indie Author can make producing any work to expensive an option to use . This is not to say that work carrying the SIAP sign are not worthy of reading , many hours work will go into producing any published work and they should be judged on the style and content and not if they contain errors or not . 

Background

The 22nd Century is a vastly different place than the 21st . Just as the era of the caveman was to the industrial age or the 19th century was to the 21st . Everything that you thought you knew of the world and how it ran was gone . To many the world was a far superior place , no crime , no wars the battle against humankinds illness's such as cancer , Alzheimer's ,Parkinson's won . Gone too the many nations that had caused distrust and had made threats throughout the ages , to be replaced with just four independent regional powers . These powers worked together in the interests of all not just themselves .Europe , The Americas ,Asia and the African/Arabia Alliance replaced the outdated United Nations , each zone was responsible for the safety , welfare and prosperity of the citizens they represented .

By the end of the 21st century every child born was automatically 'chipped' , in that a small microchip was implanted within the skull . It had initially been placed in the neck but once it had been tried in the area of the brain the results proved so successful that it was taken up on a world wide scale . These implants  had been intended to enhance knowledge , they could read DNA , see any defects within the new born and by manipulating cells could correct them . Childhood disease was virtually wiped out over night . An upgrade on these chips saw the introduction of 'LT's' (language translators) , these allowed communication between different spoken languages to take place instantly . The next step saw a big change , each chip could talk directly to the Ulysses computer that controlled everything (at least in the European zone , the others had the same system but under a different name ) the child could have access to everything and could talk to Ulysses from a very early age . As each adult already had a wrist terminal information could be passed on that the child was hungry , in need of a change or was bored . As the 22nd century arrived the chip found it had a new use , it could understand what the person was thinking and alter it . This was so well received that all the adult population would also be enrolled in the program . Every person was now connected to 'the system' , if a person thought about doing something illegal they received a warning message from Ulysses , if they ignored this a small electrical charge could be administered and to those fool hardy enough to still try to do it a stronger immobilising charge could be used to keep the person restrained until a member of the ESA (European Security Agency) could arrive , who would then transport the person not to prison but to the nearest hospital . With the population now controlled the administration could now throw all efforts into other projects .

When fusion was originally engineered it had been planned to replace , carbon or nuclear based power plants , so when mobile devices powered by the same technology arrived , transport changed within a few years . Wheeled transport was replaced by either floating or hovering ones . Trains that for hundreds of years had ran on two rails , found that a mono system was faster , safer and quicker . Planes that carried hundreds suddenly became outdated , smaller vehicles could now 'fly' vast distances . Airports replaced by docking ports on high rise buildings or landing zones on those with a ground space to do so .

It may all sound like these things belonged to the well off , in reality it was for everyone . It was still true as it has always been that the very rich had power and authority but the very poor of society had gone , Ulysses saw to it that those in need received and unless you happened to be amongst the list of 'in need of special treatment' everyone was treated the same .

Perhaps Utopia had finally arrived on Earth . 

Chapter 1

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The sun shone brightly through the window , illuminating the entire apartment . The bedroom however was still in darkness , the glass in the windows still turned to night setting . As apartments went it was roomy , two bedrooms , main living area and of course a washroom . Kitchen's had no use in the modern world they belonged back in history when people needed to cook to eat , these days you simply asked your companion to provide the desired sustenance and they did so . The companion in this accommodation had been with its user since new , although in appearance it could look humanoid , one look at it close up and it was easy to see that it was simply a machine . That's not to say it was a simple machine , it was far from it , it could control your world from morning to night without you having to tell it . Just think of what you needed and via your chip to the one in your companion it was provided . Unless authorised by the owner a companion could not be controlled by anyone else .  DS1637 the companion in this apartment had been awaiting for the appointed time to wake its owner . As the time moved onto six in the morning the window's changed it's settings from night to day flooding the room in bright light , at the same moment the room door slide back and DS1637 entered .

Good morning sir DS1637 had repeated this same greeting every morning it's owner had been home . The voice had been set as 'female' when new , it came with various settings but female had been pre-programmed for its owner .

Alexa why have you woken me up ? a muffled voice from under the sheets on the bed grumbled .

Sir , I do not understand you requested waking at this time

Yes but for once can you not just ignore it

I can not do so sir DS1637 never sounded angry or frustrated , it was a machine so was just following its programming. Your clothing is awaiting you in the washroom .Would you require anything else ? Of course it already knew the answer to this but out of duty to its program it asked every day .

No Alexa , that's it the voice under the cover had still not moved .

I do not understand why you call me Alexa , my designation is DS1637 . Should I reset my program or go into shut down mode ?

Just go . Moments later the room door slide back into place . One of these day's I shall re-program that stupid machine , the times he had said the exact same words , only Ulysses would know . Finally fully awake Jake Philips threw the sheet back and stood up . He stretched his six foot body to its full height before heading to the adjoining door to the washroom . Calling it a washroom might imply that you used soap and water . You did not . Simply standing in one of the two cubicles in the room and stretching arms out to the side followed by the command word start would set the desensitizer into action . A light blue beam travelled from head to toe 'cleaning' as it went .Area's of facial hair would be trimmed to a pre-set length .To finish off a mist of your chosen scent would be blown across your body .  Philips chosen default setting was for 'woodland' , he had picked it years ago and as yet never got around to changing it . Fully dry and clean he found his clothes on the shelf . Grey leggings and top which had black shoulder and a band around the sleeve at the elbow . Black designated that he was a member of ESA ,European Security Agency .  Philips walked into the living space , the smell of coffee flooded his nasal passage . The small table by the window was already set with a cup with steam rising from it . As he headed towards the inviting smell DS1637 removed a tray from the 'Quooker' (it had been called an oven but in reality it was a device that materialised food required on demand , either hot or cold). The terminal on his wrist vibrated indicating that someone was trying to call him . Pressing the device it projected an image several feet away . The technology was such that you could wave your arm around with device and the image would stay in the same place , at the same time it transmitted your image to the caller .

Too late again to catch you in the desensitizer it was his co-worker Solo Camilleri her likeness stood grinning in front of him . She was smiling , they often joked or teased each other but in truth she had a partner already . I shall be docking momentarily , we have a case

On the way Philips said pressing his wrist terminal to end the call before gulping down the steaming coffee .

Sir , your requested meal DS1637 placed a bowl of high protein on the table . High Protein was a porridge like substance but high in protein and nutrients.

Sorry got to go why did he always feel he had to apologise to a machine , it was doing what it was designed to do and if he had to go well too bad it wasn't as if he was hurting it's feelings . He turned to his left and spotted Solo standing by her docked craft at the end of the building . Each floor had two docking points and  Philips lived on floor 149 and was still not at the top of the building . Solo's craft was shaped like a backwards teardrop ,the larger part being at the front .

Greetings Solo stood in the open hatchway of the craft waiting her passenger .

Greeting Philips replied . The inside was deceptively bigger than it looked , against both front and rear ran seating , it could hold six easily with others standing if needed , it also had a small caged area to the rear which could hold items or people if needed . Other craft had more conventional bodies , some with seating in rows but Solo Camilleri had been assigned this as her official vehicle and despite chances to change it had found no reason to do so .

I'll brief you on the way Solo said taking a seat and waiting till Philips had entered before giving the command to fly . Ulysses had control of the craft and every other one in the sky ,ground or sea .The ESA always received priority so other users would be held back till they had passed .

So what did you do with your few days off Philips asked not wanting to hear about the case till they got nearer to their destination .

We went to the new living museum near Paris .You know the one with the old streets and animals Solo , along with her partner had visited 21st Century World , it had streets with actual old houses , shops even a religious building or two . Did you know that people back then had to make food for themselves . They even had to go to these things called 'shops' and buy it first . How on earth they did that I don't know .I mean just imagine having to stand and think what you wanted to eat and then leaving the house to buy it , it makes no sense .

Solo ,people did that for thousands of years . Have you never watched anything that doesn't contain naked women in it

Just seems a bit creepy to me , this place even had things called cats and dogs walking around . Ulysses they are dumb , they don't talk or anything they just follow you about . Philips laughed . (Ulysses was used as a swear word in much the way people had used the word God)

So what do we have today , another case of a companion not doing as it was instructed

No not this time . Seems we have an unexplained death Solo had not meant to sound so pleased about it .

Interesting Philips thought a moment Ulysses do we have any coverage of the incident

Solo Camilleri has already been issued with all documents a voice from within the craft replied . At that Camilleri  taped her wrist terminal and two images appeared.

The one to the right , the male is the departed , I have sent you his file . The other figure is from the internals of the scene of death . As you can see its a female , young and is wearing a terminal , except Ulysses says only one was actually in the room . Another anomaly is that only one chip was registered , which makes no sense at all because every citizen has one .

So either a very good humanoid that is not linked to Ulysses or an actual person with no chip , now this is interesting

I can assure you agent Philips that it is not possible for either to exist Ulysses , if human would of sounded annoyed . Philips turned towards his co-worker and shrugged his shoulders .Agent Philips I can administer a shock to your chip if you persist

It's fine Ulysses I am just trying to think no need for that Philips had only recently received a correcting shock to his chip and wasn't keen on getting another just yet . The teardrop shaped craft turned sharply and slowed down before coming to a rest and the side door hatches opening  to reveal they had docked at the side of a building .

We are here Solo lead the way off.

This being ?

Jar , it's on the outskirts of Oslo Solo looked at the first door number to get her bearings before carrying on her way down the corridor . To Philips they could be in any town , city or metropolis in Europe nearly all the buildings looked the same on the inside . Solo came to a halt by the third door .Okay Ulysses open up please The door to the apartment slide back soundlessly . The interior was very much the same as the one Philips lived in himself , with one slight difference , a dead body in the middle of the floor being one. Both agents approached the still life form.

Well its definitely a murder Philips offered . I think the large knife sticking out of the chest gives it away

Who would carry an old thing like that around these days , I mean a knife of all things Solo looked closely at the item she couldn't remember if she had seen one that wasn't in a museum before .

Maybe someone who had just visited 21st Century World Solo ignored the comment .

Ulysses why was nothing recorded in the room ?

The system was switched off , if you look you will find a deactivate button on the wall in the main bedroom . It was not until the companion was reactivated this morning that the accident was found Philips walked to the main bedroom and as Ulysses had said a button was just inside the doorway but it had a keypad with it , which meant a code would need to be entered prior to deactivation .

Solo Philips caught her attention Can we check how often this has been used ? I don't suppose the companion can tell us anything ?

You could ask Ulysses yourself you know

It is fine agent Camilleri I was listening anyway . To answer you agent Philips , the companion was deactivated at the same time as the interior recorders so can offer nothing of use and the departed did this on a regular basis . I shall send you images of the past guests , do you require all six hundred and eighty one of them agent Philips ?

No just those for the past year Philips moved back to the body , Solo was still looking down at it . A vibration from his wrist terminal indicated that the images had been relayed to his device . He gently tapped it and instantly twelve people appeared in the room . All of them young females . I shall give you one guess to what our dead friend here was doing .  

Look at that they all visited once , nearly a month apart Solo had read the dates on each image whilst Philips had been looking at the women . Why didn't he just visit a den like everyone else ? A den being a building that you could visit for sex , either with an unknown or with someone who already had a partner who didn't wish to partake .

Do you still go ?

Yes  Margo and I often visit , its so much easier than doing it at home Solo wasn't embarrassed to admit this , it was just a way of life , it was all part of the pleasure experience , she had visited them before meeting her partner and they had continued to do so .

I think you can send a clean up team now Ulysses , could you get them to check the body for foreign DNA or the knife . Also of all the previous visitors do any of the others not show up on your records

Agent Philips only the most recent one has no trace at all , the others all have valid chips and can be traced  

One more thing Ulysses can you send  all exterior images of the visitor from last night   Solo asked .  With Solo Camilleri leading the way the pair set off . On leaving the apartment the trail lead to the left and to the elevator . The image showed she pressed the G button for ground , so Philips followed suit . On leaving the small enclosed box they headed out of the main doorway . The street's in Jar still followed the basic pattern they always had , an area for those who wished to walk and one for crafts to use . It was a busy street , small hover craft vehicles sped along the roadway .With this amount of traffic back in the carbon fuel burning days it would of been unpleasant to walk but now with fusion engines , unwanted emissions belonged in the past . Philips had been stood momentarily looking around , it wasn't often he got to ground level and looking up at the many high rise building made him feel small and insignificant . Solo had already set off so Philips had to rush to catch up .

Just along here she turns right Solo announced . They carried on taking each turn as the images showed and then Ulysses surprised them by saying this was the last one on file .

Are you having a laugh ? She can't of just vanished Philips was sure that they had been played for fools .

I can assure you agent Philips I have no sense of humour , this is the last image recorded Ulysses for a machine sounded annoyed . Solo had been looking around in search of an answer and whilst her co-worker had been arguing with a machine had found one . The building had a small plaque pinned to the wall . Although it was actually written in the local Nordic language Solo's LT automatically translated it into Universal first language .

Look Solo said pointing to the sign Registered free bar . This explained why the images stopped at this point , the woman had entered the building , once you passed through the doorway of a 'free bar' , chips and wristbands would not work in the same way as they don't in a 'den' . A free bar meant you could drink , think whatever you wanted without your chip being able to 'correct' you .  The interior was bright with hologram's on several wall's , unusually for such places it looked clean . A companion model moved to welcome the new guest's . No actual human could be seen which wasn't surprising really as it was still early in the day . Before the companion could begin its welcome speech Solo held up a hand to indicate not to .

I am agent Camilleri and this is agent Philips we need to talk to your registered keeper Solo said firmly .

Please take a seat I shall see if they are free the companion walked away leaving them with little choice but to do as requested . Solo looked around , it wasn't the sort of place she would visit , she preferred establishments that could monitor what you drank that way she never had more than she could handle . It was of traditional design , plenty of chairs and tables with terminals  to make your orders on . She couldn't understand how you paid for what you drank , in restricted bars they could contact your chip and take payment that way but in here ? She had no idea .  Her eyes searched around the wall's and ceiling . Nothing looked like it was used to spy on the guest's . The companion came back into sight and held up one of its arms to get the two agents attention. As they came close the machine turned and lead them through a door .

Agents Camilleri and Philips , this is my registered keeper Nora Bryant . Nora Bryant stood up , she had been looking at a view screen which flickered off as she stood . Bryant was of dark colour , which these days had nothing to do with inheritance . When couples decide to have children they are faced with two choices , 1) they gave samples of DNA and whichever children's nursery they had picked blended them and they took whatever off spring that grew or 2) they could manipulate DNA , pick how they want the child to look , skin tone , eye colour , hair , male or female even down to designing faces . Some picked method one to have some kind of surprise when the growing process was finished whilst others went with 2 so they could have a child exactly how they wanted it . So the fact that Bryant was of dark skin meant nothing at all . She was taller than Camilleri's five foot four and slim with the looks that many a person after a few drinks would think they had a chance with . The room was tastefully furnished with seating spread out .  A door way on the far wall gave the impression that more rooms would be beyond .

Please have a seat agents Bryant waved them to vacant chairs as she gazed longer at Camilleri than she did Philips . How can I be of use to you Why Solo felt nervous she wasn't sure but she gave a little cough to clear her throat . EX can you bring the agents a drink , the reviving tonic I think Bryant addressed the companion that was still stood in the open door space . Don't worry its pleasant , its based on an old recipe that was very popular back in the 20th century .

It didn't take long for the companion EX to return holding a tray with two glasses of dark brown liquid on . It passed one to each of the guests . Camilleri took a sip , it was refreshing and fizzy . Bryant had been watching Solo carefully not taking her eyes away for one moment , with the drinks served and tested she awaited the reason for the official visit .

Last night one of your customers entered that had no valid band or chip Solo started , she had been tapping at her wrist band to bring up images of the girl but it had failed to respond .

EX turn off the dampener for this room Bryant said before explaining that chips and bands did not work even in her own quarters if the field was on . The vibration on Solo's wrist indicated that the image was now ready , she tapped it once and the girl appeared as if in the room .

Do you recognise her ? Solo asked .

No but I don't usually take much notice myself Bryant said shaking her head side to side I could get the EX to search the memory to see if any of the units came into contact with her .

You can do that ? I thought these places had no recording devices Philips joined in the conversation .

They have no direct contact with Ulysses but we still need to take payment

How do you do that ? Solo was curious .

Its simple , each person is charged as they leave the premises , all companion's send details to our own central computing control , so when a person crosses the threshold to leave anything they have purchased is deducted from the central bank and paid into ours . It all made sense but still somehow Solo thought it was a risky way of running a business . 

So if your companions did see this girl will they also be able to tell us who she was with and give us details Philips asked .

Ah well now we are getting into a grey area . It would be possible but that would be against the data laws Bryant knew these laws like the back of her hand , she couldn't assist in any way other than to confirm if a person had been on the premises , any more than that and her licence would be revoked . Look if you care to go with EX it will gladly show you any footage we have of the person you are interested in .If you see anyone with her then that will be a bonus for you .I'm sure you could trace anyone that does show up if need be The EX companion moved towards the door but waited on one of the agents following it before continuing to the security system . Philips was the first to move , indicating to his partner to stay seated . Solo Camilleri was secretly pleased , she found this woman hypnotic . Camilleri took another drink of the sparkling liquid , which gave her a reason to ask a question .

You said this was a health drink but there is a high amount of sugar in it

Well yes which was why it eventually became unpopular . Originally it was sold by chemist or pharmacies , the sugar content gave people a little buzz .It became so popular that you could buy the stuff in every part of the world , it became one of the biggest business's of the old world .Many ,many people became hooked on the stuff consuming vast amounts  on a daily basis , so much so that when the big obesity epidemic of the 21st century took hold it got most of the blame

Obesity ? what's that Solo was a well informed person and had a interest in history but the word 'obesity' meant nothing to her at all .

Have you ever seen pictures of relatives or anyone from a couple of hundred years back Solo indicated she had well you may of noticed that they tended to be sturdier than we are today , that's because back then they ate and drank too much and became fatter and fatter , till their hearts just couldn't cope anymore . Now of course we eat better and use workout machines . Bryant smiled to lighten the mood again . Do you have a partner in your life The question came as a bit of a shock to Camilleri , with every part of her being she wanted to say no but telling lies was not an option , even if this meant this intoxicating woman would now not follow up any interest she  might have .

Yes Solo managed to get out rather nervously .

Then you must bring him or her here some time and I will show you around our little town . We could venture into the other clubs in the area Bryant's face  lit up the room  .Solo looked at her carefully , her face was perfect and yet it wasn't if you looked closely , her features looked like they had been sculptured they looked so smooth and yet if you looked closely her eyes that shone so brightly had different iris pigments .Not by much unless you looked carefully you would never notice , the brown of the right eye was a shade or two darker than the left . 

Jake Philips followed the EX model serving module back into the public area of the premises . One of the other serving modules had just returned to its station after serving two male customers a golden coloured refreshment . The men , sitting in a booth by the window , neither looked towards them or gave any indication of noticing their arrival at all , instead they seemed engrossed in a conversation they had been in . Philips kept behind EX as it headed behind the serving counter before coming to a halt at a terminal screen below the level of the counter top .

I thought you didn't record anything on the inside ? Philips said , he always felt awkward asking machines for anything .

That is correct agent , these are from the doorway monitor . The screen came to life with the likeness of the woman target , it started with her entering through the main door but instead of entering into the bar