An American Family

By Jack Deignan

A world found is a world saved. 

In the year 2067 temperatures across the country have risen to historic levels. Most cities have become uninhabitable. The near extinction of Earth forces the hands of thousands of Americans to resort to violence

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637300923

Book preview

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An American

Family

An American Family

Jack Deignan

New Degree Press

Copyright © 2021 Jack Deignan

All rights reserved.

An American Family

ISBN

978-1-63676-924-0 Paperback

978-1-63676-988-2 Kindle Ebook

978-1-63730-092-3 Ebook

Author’s Note

A very difficult year for civilians across the globe was 2020 and easily the most difficult year I have ever experienced. At first, I believed this was the worst virus our country had ever experienced and would be for some time. On May 25, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police Officers, and officers displayed police brutality in the United States to more eyes than ever before. That was when I first realized systemic racism and prejudice was the deadliest virus in this country: one that exists to this day and has spread since America’s conception.

This was my original inspiration for wanting to write a story. I wanted to create something that demonstrated the inequity of being Black in America, and I wanted to show I was a White kid who wanted to change that. I had never achieved or created something that had a purpose within society, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to create something that did. 

What I was forced to learn was my intentions did not match the goal. To be an ally to Black Americans and Black citizens around the world, I had to change my own behavior and hold myself accountable. I learned I was perpetuating the same story of accepting Black experience through White eyes, and I was simply hurting the chance for equality for Black Americans. I had to create something that showed how Whiteness skewed my own view of what race is, and how it blinded me and continues to blind White people to the oppression they are not subjected to.

Thus, I began to reflect on my own experiences. I thought of experiences I had with law enforcement and times where I displayed selfish, entitled behavior. Police officers wouldn’t have murdered me for using a counterfeit bill, but George Floyd was. The more I paid attention to the public outcry for justice for George Floyd, the more I realized if you are a person of color in this country, you live this fear every day: something I had never even considered. 

This forced me to become cognizant of the Black Lives Matter movement that has been going on for the last decade and of the fact police brutality was just the tip of the iceberg. This wasn’t just a modern civil rights movement but a human rights movement. Black lives don’t just matter at the hands of the police but in every single facet of our daily lives. I finally understood that every single day when I woke up, my quality of life was prioritized in this country, and whether they believe they are racist or not, every White person in this country benefits in the same way I do. Racism wasn’t just a mindset, but a system that has kept Black people in the shadows since 1619 in the United States, and a veil has blurred Black experience for a very long time.

For the first time in my life, I felt I needed to make personal changes to my behavior, my beliefs, and simply how I treated people on a day-to-day basis. I felt embarrassed thinking about the lack of Black friends I have, and the times I had openly used racial slurs in front of my White friends because none of us were Black. 

This embarrassment was worthless, though. Who was I to be embarrassed? What in my life had ever been taken away from me, or worse, not even provided, because of my skin color? If I wanted to change myself and be a part of correcting the injustices thrust upon Black lives, I had to confront this was not about me. This was about the fair treatment Black lives have always been entitled to and to this day still have not received. I had to recognize I have the privilege of talking about fixing racial injustice while never having to experience it. Thus, if I was going to be of any assistance to this movement, I first had to listen and learn and hold myself and the people with shared experiences accountable. 

This led me to the creation of this book to help instill an ideology we all must listen and learn—and particularly White people. Whiteness has been the erasure of Blackness, and essentially the erasure of all races, since the beginning of imperialism. It will continue to exist until White people decide to listen and be allies to the less privileged instead of saviors. 

Now is the time to formulate beliefs and opinions on how all people should be treated in the future of this country, because this country has failed up to this point. 

This story will show my beliefs. This story will show even the best intentions are skewed, as even the most progressive White people try to help the Black community by trying to change the system according to their beliefs, and not the beliefs of the oppressed. Despite the unjust circumstances, my story offers hope for a better future with one family, the Ratley family, at the center of bringing the world together. In the distant future where civilization is nearing its brink, the main character, Leslie Ratley, will have to choose between saving the diseased system we have today or taking a chance on a world with no standard of humanity. 

Contents

Author’s Note

Chapter 1:

United States, 2067

Chapter 2:

Nathan

Chapter 3:

Project Life

Chapter 4:

Safe or Sorry?

Chapter 5:

Family

Chapter 6:

The Only Option

Chapter 7:

Facing Reality

Chapter 8:

Life without Jamie

Chapter 9:

Lockdown

Chapter 10:

The Time Is Coming

Chapter 11:

Final Days

Chapter 12:

Launch Day

Chapter 13:

The First Meeting

Chapter 14:

Two Worlds

Chapter 15:

Looking For Life

Chapter 16:

New Friends

Chapter 17:

Far from Home

Chapter 18:

Leslie and Tyler

Chapter 19:

Fate’s Hands

Chapter 20:

The Return

Chapter 21:

A Fallen Country

Chapter 22:

Tyler

Chapter 23:

Montana

Chapter 24:

Resurrection

Chapter 25:

Better Days Ahead

My Acknowledgments

Chapter 1:

United States, 2067

The sun was setting across the DC skies, shades of orange blending into the luminescence of dusk. Civilians crowded near spraying fire hydrants and areas with shade. Rejoicing cries rang through the streets at nightfall.

Hidden from the outside heat, Leslie sat rigid in her black swivel chair, careful not to escape the soft breeze emanating from the window. Her fan remained on, perched atop the bottom of the windowsill as a reminder of windy days. She stared at the fan now, watching the light behind it melt into darkness after hours of procrastination: her cue to head home. 

She existed in a continuous funk for most of that day, despite it being three days until Halloween. As a child, it had highlighted her year. Everything from costumes to candy was euphoria in her eyes. This year, inhumane temperatures lent Leslie very little enthusiasm about the chances of her children trick-or-treating.

She rose from her chair and slumped around the desk, turning the lights off behind her without her customary last look. Walking past the remaining coworkers with an artificial smile, she wondered how many Halloween nights they had left given the trends of the last few years. Her once-favorite holiday seemed to be nearing combustion, much like the outside air.

Just a few feet from the third-floor elevator, a voice from behind her froze her, calling her name with the implication of authority. She turned to see the man who had hired her, Jim Derlick, the director of Project Life.

Determined to find a home for humans beyond Earth, Project Life was a dream job of sorts for Leslie, thus cause for the swell of anxiety at the man responsible for her employment. He was an unassuming man of miniature stature and someone who she did not see on a regular basis. 

What can I do for you, sir? She asked with vigor as he approached. 

Will you follow me into my office? There is something I need to discuss with you, said Derlick.

Leslie’s eyes now opened wide while moisture collected on her palms. She followed with a brisk pace, not wanting him to think her inattentive. 

Entering his office, Derlick walked around a desk in the center, remaining standing while Leslie sat in a plain chair on her side of the desk. Little variety in color caught her eye, the dullness of the office surprising for a man of such big ambitions. He kept his eyes on her with the vigilance of a hawk, his stare piercing the gray space between them.

He turned to look outside the wall-sized window behind his desk, ominous in his announcement. How would you like to consider a confidential position for us?

Leslie said nothing at first, her unfamiliarity with the position all too glaring. Maintaining her exuberant tone, she asked with added reserve, Well, may I ask what the position is?

Derlick replied right away, I am afraid not. I will tell you your credentials and expertise are why we are considering you for this role. For now, all you must do is say yes or no. I will provide more information next week.

Leslie was propelled into silence, meditating on the possibilities of what the position could be. She reflected on the rumors of interdimensional travel that had consumed the office over the last week: the promise of cutting-edge tech at Project Life. It was clear exploration and innovation would be encouraged, but the plausibility of interdimensional travel made Leslie cautious. 

Her first inclination was to decline. The vagueness surrounding his proposal was an immediate warning sign. However, the confidentiality intrigued Leslie to no end, and she kept her gaze at the ground to convey her meditation. She shifted in her chair like a child awaiting instruction, still without a clear decision. She tempered the angst growing within her and took a deep inhale, then exhale.

Once she had collected herself, she responded to the director, I accept. The words were abrupt, and the uncertainty she heard in her own tone unsettling. However, she continued with little hesitation, Just for now, though. Once I learn more, I might have to reconsider. Leslie noticed a drop in Derlick’s shoulders once she agreed, a shifting of weight from him to her. He emerged from behind his desk, his tall, slim figure almost gliding around the desk’s edges until he settled in front of Leslie. A toothy grin crawled onto his face before he spoke.

That is great news. Come find me Monday next week, and we should have the full proposal for you. You made the right decision, Leslie. You will not be disappointed. I can tell you this now. Your family will be grateful you said yes, and your country will be grateful. Now, I have a phone call to make. I am going to need my office. With an urgent gesture, he ushered her out of his office.

Her spirit was now lifted from the chill of her earlier mood. His rushing of her exit left her somewhat suspicious, but the thrill of what had just occurred could not be ignored. She was eager to see Nathan and tell him about the offer, despite the questions that still remained. If the offer turned out to be anything she expected, she could be working on something of revolutionary implications. 

She almost sprinted toward the elevator in anticipation, bursting with excitement. Project Life was shaping up to be the most important job of her life. 

***

As Leslie sped home through DC traffic, President Slack lounged in the oval office, content as he examined the presidential decor. He guided his hands across the smooth surface of his desk, beaming as he shuffled around the room like a bewildered winner of a million-dollar lottery. 

A press conference neared to address the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announcement, and advisors were springing to and from his office. He cast away perplexed looks and watched his work be done for him, pleased with his idleness. Three members of his cabinet entered at once, each shouting their subsequent news.

Mr. President, I just placed another briefing of the key points on your desk.

Mr. President, polls do not agree with having a conference today.

Mr. President—

Enough, interrupted President Slack. I am prepared for the conference and intend on giving it. That will be all. He watched as the faces before him fell into despair, the power he displayed brewing a warmth beneath his cheeks that solicited a condescending smile. 

We predict Earth will be inhabitable for human life by the turn of the century. Without a drastic change in environmental policy, we must consider alternate solutions now.

When he woke to this report from the IPCC, he scoffed at the news, ignoring the hundreds of messages awaiting him. They were calling it Y3K. "Ironic," the President thought. Hours later, he remained giddy to present a false promise of the nation’s future, standing tall in front of his mirror and realigning his tie until it lay flat on his chest, just how he liked it. 

As today’s press-conference hour was fast approaching, the President wondered how Head Press Secretary Diana Fields would attempt to persuade the President to cancel today’s session. With fifteen minutes to go, she pranced into the oval office. President Slack took his attention away from his reflection to acknowledge her entrance. Returning to his desk, he raised his hand toward her and spoke in a sly pitch.

Anything new today, Diana? 

President Slack, the people want an answer to the climate crisis, and we still don’t have one. Giving this press conference just speaks to our inadequacy.

President Slack was looking down when he signaled for her to speak, but he now raised his chin and matched his gaze with hers. With heightened restraint,