2100

By Jozef Van Keer

This is a story about life in the United States of America in the year 2100. Eighty percent of the population is being controlled by a corrupt government that dictates how people live their daily lives. The other 20 percent live in ghettos or hide underground in a thriving community where they still live a life based on the principles of our founding fathers. The government calls them the illegals, and it is constantly trying to capture them to reform them into what it deems normal citizens. The government has never been able to find the illegals’ caves.

A romance develops when one day, an IT programmer finds herself in a life-and-death situation and is rescued by an illegal. That is the start of a conspiracy by people on both sides to change life in the United States back to what it had been before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546272847

Jozef Van Keer

Born post–World War II in a little town of the Flemish part of Belgium, Jozef was exposed to art daily. His father, a writer and singer, instilled in Jozef a love of music and poetry and a strict, conservative life. An ambitious IT career and love brought him to the US. Jozef kept writing poetry but never published any. When his IT career abruptly ended and age became a significant factor in finding a job, Jozef was forced to retire. It was then that he took a major leap into the unknown world of writing a book. The creative mind found a way, like oil on water, to put in writing a dreamed-up story in a language that is not his native tongue. Jozef loves the outdoors, camping, wildlife stories, and especially nature in this beautiful country that has accepted him as a citizen—the United States of America.

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 Jozef Van Keer. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   12/28/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7283-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7282-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7284-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018914829

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1   Tokama

Chapter 2   Katie

Chapter 3   Vacation

Chapter 4   The Illegals

Chapter 5   The Encounter

Chapter 6   Katie’s Return To Tokama

Chapter 7   Interrogation

Chapter 8   Meeting With Moshe

Chapter 9   Code Name Titanic

Chapter 10   Meeting With The Elders

Chapter 11   Wildlife Update

Chapter 12   Trip To Tokama

Chapter 13   Press Conference

Chapter 14   Meeting With The Government

Chapter 15   The Elections

Chapter 16   Tokama Down

Chapter 17   Thanksgiving

Chapter 18   The Wedding

INTRODUCTION

We are living in a generation never seen before. From a technological standpoint, the sky is the limit, but from a personal-liberty standpoint, the ground couldn’t be closer. Over the years, the Constitution has been ransacked. Law-abiding citizens are fit into the mold of what the government has determined for them. All others are considered deplorable and must be reformed or eliminated.

Man and woman are equal to a certain extent, but they are all numbers; the only difference is in their physical appearance. Women don’t bear children; babies are cloned. Religion is taboo, with the exception of Islam. Christianity has been mostly extinguished. The only country where Christianity has been allowed to exist and flourish is Israel. Despite all the attempts by the rest of the world and especially before the collapse of the United Nations to destroy Israel, it is still standing strong, and its people are the most advanced technologically and humanly.

In 2005, the leaders and scientists of the European Union (represented by EURATOM), Japan, the People’s Republic of China, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the US came together and started the ITER organization, which is dedicated to producing power through nuclear fusion. The project would run for twenty years, and all of them benefitted from the results.

The first ITER plant was created in Cadarache in the south of France, but throughout the years, every country started building its own plant; the US government built one in Washington, DC, to serve its purposes—controlling the citizens. It was not built for the people and by the people with liberty and justice for all.

Israel, which initially was not invited to be part of ITER, created its own ITER but in space. That made Israel very powerful and way ahead of all other countries. Israel did not want to use that advantage to take over the world; it was not interested in such dominance. Rather, it had plans to recreate earth and history. One of Israel’s first actions was to protect itself with a technological shield that protected it from any attack—atomic, laser, or whatever. The Israelis developed special systems to transport from their current location to the new Israel in space. The only time they were vulnerable was when the shield opened to let the shuttles through and fly to the new Promised Land.

Some of their people on earth live in caves and in ghettos. Through the last century, Israel was constantly trying to move to the new Zion in space. Some of the chosen who live in caves are the most technologically advanced inhabitants of the United States. The government calls them illegals, and they are treated as such. Jewish people living outside Israel are trying to get to the Promised Land to ensure their participation in the new land. Some of them succeed, but others do not. Also, the preprogrammed people are not allowed to move to Israel because of the Israeli government’s mistrust of Islamic influence on earth and in the ITER organization.

In the United States, Islam has taken over. However, through the years, Muslims had not been able to fully implement Sharia law and have had to adjust because of citizens such as Jim Anderson, who almost single-handedly wrote the programs at the Tokama plant that controls the people. As history showed, Jim built in safeguards to prevent the complete destruction of US citizens in the early years before the Islamization of the country, but people are fully controlled and manipulated by the government.

People walk through the city and are programmed automatically. Everybody is used to it. Places such as traffic lights have transponders programming whoever passes them and who are carrying a chip. The transponders also keep track of who passes and has been charged and will alarm the control center if someone passes without a chip. It’s almost like normal that you are charged automatically; your well-being depends on the chargers.

People—that is, consumers—don’t talk about it or question that they are being charged. It is like a toll tag that charges your account automatically. Your account is filled up with credits based on what you do for the community. The concept of jobs has changed. Your credits come from what you do for society, and the system determines what you do. Your credits are used to buy things. The system tells you what you can and cannot buy and what you should buy, and it keeps track of your credits. If you want to go on vacation, you have to earn enough credits for that; the system will ultimately determine where you go and with whom and how many credits you need to go on vacation.

Almost all production of goods is outsourced to China and India. Mexicans are the primary source of labor. They aren’t US citizens, so the government does not have to take care of them. The government has an agreement with Mexico that in exchange for Mexican labor, Mexico will receive protection from the US and the US will provide the laborers with shelter, food, health care, and education for their children. No money is exchanged between the US and the Mexican labor force; the workers are paid when they return to Mexico. That is meant to prevent them from staying in the US. The US government participates in that compensation as part of the agreement with Mexico because it helps the US control immigration. Some Mexican laborers are encouraged by the US government to immigrate because of their skills. Once accepted, they become US citizens. This acceptance, however, is a rigorous process and includes implanting a chip. The US vets these people in coordination with the Mexican government and the US military.

Americans are living in a society controlled by ITER and Muslims, who are now about 50 percent of the world’s population. Jews live in ghettos as they did in the 1930s. They try to remove their transponders and avoid delivering babies in controlled institutions so the government will not know where they are or what they do and try to get rid of them. Many children die at birth because of the lack of hygiene in the ghettos.

The president is a fundamentalist Muslim whom Americans are trying to get rid of. Somehow, Muslims have gained so much power. Though the Muslims have lost all their financial power because America is no longer dependent on their oil, the Muslim president is still trying to push some bills through Congress that will make the US dependent on their oil.

Europe is no longer Europe—it is Eurabia. Paris tried for a decade to turn things around, but its Muslim population grew so fast that the next president was a Muslim and is trying to make France an extremist Shiite country. ISIS started to destroy monuments such as Notre Dame, but the French revolted and were able to save most of their heritage.

The population is growing, but 85 percent of the population is created in cloning labs. Parents go to a lab and donate DNA for that. People can become parents only by the government’s choice. Kids are no longer the outcome of sex because sex is not legal anymore; if you are caught having sex or even masturbating, you are ended and your DNA will no longer be used for reproduction. Some go as far as destroying all the relatives with the same DNA.

And then there is corruption, which has become the norm. Leaders in powerful positions hand out rewards to their parties’ members, and the rewards include sex parties—yes, sex parties. These are illegal activities, but the leaders and their followers indulge in them because they are above the law.

People selected to become parents go through a delivery ceremony to accept a newborn clone. They sign a license agreement with the government that describes the dos and don’ts concerning the new person. Part of the celebration is what is called the first surgery—a chip is inserted in the skull at the weak spot.

Education is accomplished by students walking through charging fields. Depending on their predetermined profiles, the information they need to fulfill their designated functions is implanted in their brains. Those destined to become doctors will walk through zones that will impart that knowledge as well as updates to their brains. However, again, the elites’ children receive personalized training to ensure they retain their elite status.

There are a few people left from before the technology boom; they escaped the mandatory reform and have been living in the woods for several decades. They still have children, but those children at times vanish or are captured by the army that uses technology to find the so-called illegals in the woods or wherever they hide. The majority of them are Jews and Catholics. They are lucky because they don’t have to live in the controlled ghettos. They ultimately will play a major role in the developments of this story.

Our story starts with a normal day in Washington, DC.

CHAPTER 1

TOKAMA

Washington, DC, Melwood Park Avenue, 6:00 a.m.

Jim Anderson slowly woke up in his five-bedroom, corner-lot house he shared with Minnie Tarowsky. It would have been a morning just like all the others if not for the fact that that day, Jim and Minnie were going to the citizen resource delivery plant to pick up their first child.

It was only a few months ago that they had been selected by the local authorities to become parents based on their contributions to their country and service excellence. That qualified them to raise a child destined to become a leader of a new generation that would take humankind to new, unimaginable accomplishments. So it was programmed to be.

Jim and Minnie had gone through extensive training. For the past six months, they had gone to after-hours parenting classes at which they were introduced to all kinds of psychological studies regarding the upbringing of a gifted child who would soon outsmart both parents. They learned how to deal with challenges that would surpass their IQs and direct the child toward the answers he or she was looking for without compromising the child’s respect for them. After all, it was programmed by the Tokama organization, and Jim and Minnie knew about all that.

They went through nutrition training and how the body reacts to switching over from ordinary food—meat, vegetables, fruit—to the new way of feeding the body via capsules such as the antioxidant Zeolite and Super-Green, a natural supplement that contained the necessary nutrients the body needed to build up its immune system to all the outdoor oxidants humans were breathing daily. Their baby would consume only capsules the government produced and distributed through warehouses set up especially for these special gifted citizens who were about to become part of the new generation of Tokama-programmed citizens.

Minnie and Jim learned about good hydration and special liquids their bodies would need to sustain all challenges they were about to face in this new generation. The focus of this training was primarily on the new generation, including the infant they were expecting, but it was also intended to familiarize parents with their children’s future. It was made clear to them that no deviation from these feeding rules would be allowed, and they were informed that Tokama would change their resource receptions accordingly. In other words, Jim and Minnie would no longer be allowed to consume ordinary food; it was mandatory that they ate the same food their child would eat to guarantee that their child grew up in a healthy environment; they would set that example.

They asked the instructors about the workout plan they would have to implement for their child and learned Tokama would program the response to these types of questions in their next upcharge. They would immediately know what to do and not to do to ensure their baby grew up within the Tokama laws and the physical requirements in accordance with their baby’s assigned future profession. It was all still a blur for Jim and Minnie, but they would receive more information and instructions when deemed appropriate.

Minnie found the classes quite interesting because her instinct told her to accept the new things and live by the laws. Jim found them boring and sometimes struggled with the no more diaper changes policy that was about to be applied to all citizens of Tokama. It was interesting that Jim struggled with this, especially since he had been one of the program’s writers. He started thinking about all the good stuff he would no longer be allowed to consume, such as coffee. It was already difficult to get his hands on the beans because the government store where they got all their products had stopped allowing credit usage for the beans, so often, he would visit Mario, a bean dealer he suspected to be an illegal, but he never was able to prove that.

Meat had been banned for many years, so not many citizens remembered its taste. Animals including cows and pigs were no longer raised and were impossible to find in government stores and even in specialty stores that were licensed to operate under grandfather clauses. The only cattle herders were the illegals; the government knew that they still had cows, pigs, goats, and chickens, but they were unable to root them out completely. Every time the government security troops raided the illegals’ sectors, they made arrests and destroyed all the animals they found. However, the illegals were creative and had sophisticated security systems that warned them to disappear whenever government security forces showed up, and they operated underground farms that were masterpieces of ingenuity. They had developed underground stables and pastures for the animals, which ate grass grown under a sky of ultraviolet lamps. These animals had never seen daylight.

Sometimes, the illegals would put some of their animals in a spot to be seen by the Tokama security forces on purpose to make them think they had made a major catch and stop looking. Some of the security forces would slaughter the animals on the spot and take the meat to their families though they could have been imprisoned for that and their families would have been banned. Some who were banned for such reasons joined the illegals.

Jim and Minnie were excited about becoming parents. Jim woke up and rushed to Minnie’s room. He banged on the door a bit too loud because he could not control his excitement. Minnie woke up annoyed and ready to confront the intruder with a piece of her mind and was ready to use some of her self-defense skills. Then she realized that he was banging on her door because it was the day for them to pick up their infant.

Hurry, Minnie! Come on! We have to go. Did you forget what day it is?

Minnie murmured, Hold your horses, man. I’m coming.

Jim did not hear what she said and started banging again. Minnie got out of bed, put her robe on, and headed to the door. She opened it and jumped into Jim’s arms, and he swirled her around a few times. Hello, daddy-o! she said. You realize you’ll be a dad today? Do you know what that means? All that responsibility you will have on top of your normal responsibilities as a Tokama specialist? Aren’t you excited? Come on. Show some cool, dude.

Jim realized he was not the only one who had gotten up that morning ready for a great adventure, something that would change their lives forever.

Wow, Jim. I’m thrilled about this. Let’s have breakfast and head out.

They ran to the kitchen, where they unlocked the safe and pulled out a capsule each. Jim chose a chocolate-berry-flavored shake while Minnie kept to her normal vanilla-flavored one. She had special-ordered her capsules, which contained skyr, a strained yogurt made from skim milk after the cream was floated off to make butter. It was fat free and protein rich with live, active cultures. She would have to drop that special addition into her capsules soon because of the rarity of any dairy products. The capsules also contained provigil, a magnesium and multivitamin capsule. That would do it for them until that night. It was their daily morning routine to make sure that they could work all day. To keep hydrated, they each took two bottles of purified water. Jim had previously had coffee in the morning, but he’d been told that would make him hyper during the day at work, so he had quit caffeine.

Hah. I do miss that cup of joe, he said.

What about Joe? Minnie asked.

Nothing, Minnie, just an expression I heard when I was drinking coffee while living with my parents. People used to refer to a cup of coffee as a cup of joe. Don’t really know why—just one of those things that stuck with me growing up. Forget I said it.

As a Tokama specialist, Jim was responsible for ensuring all the individuals were properly charged with their responsibilities for the day so society could function. Minnie was a supervisor at the ITER plant. She was a genius in atomic science and responsible for the energy supply. She checked her memory to make sure she had informed her backup, Sandy, who would take over for her that day. She mentally went through the steps she had to perform to ensure Sandy would be able to handle them.

Jim had been programmed to start a relationship with an atomic genius; the two were living in the same house because they had been programmed to become parents. He often looked at Minnie not really knowing why he’d get excited when she smiled at him. He was afraid that the authorities would notice that, and he always looked away. As long as they talked business, he was okay, but there were minutes when she looked at him after work when they were sitting at home that made him very uncomfortable. He remembered going to his room and noticing he had wet his underwear somehow. He had many dreams about Minnie and would wake up in the middle of the night, and despite his tool had been programmed and medicated, he would be surprised that he had a huge erection. My goodness! I’m not supposed to have that, he thought. Why’s this happening to me?

When they had found out a few months previously that they had been destined to be together and raise a child, he had been very excited and understood why he was having all these dreams and crazy flagpoles down under. He immediately knocked on Minnie’s bedroom door. She was processing the same information Jim had received. Since Jim was a Tokama specialist, he had the privilege of receiving the notice first before he programmed it into his customers.

When Minnie walked through the Tokama transponder at the door of their house, she felt she received something special that day. She wondered why she was thinking about children’s names and realized she had received the gift of parenthood. Her instructions were clearly programmed; she understood she had to go to the receiving office the next morning. She also realized that Jim, whom she knew from living with her, was destined to be the other parent and that they together would be responsible for their child.

They sat for breakfast and were looking at the interactive plasma instruction screen on which names were popping up. They had to decide on one before going to the receiving house.

How about Randy, or Tiger, or Adam? Jim asked.

Adam? Minnie asked. That’s old. It used to be that people thought Adam was the first human. Also, it’s a name the illegals use, so no.

How about Tiger?

Nope. Sounds too much like an animal. And I don’t like Randy. Do we really have to pick one of those?

Let’s see what ‘other’ means on the screen. He focused his attention on the screen and said, Explain ‘other.’ A figure appeared on the screen and suggested they combine their own names.

Jiminnie? Jim asked.

Minnie laughed. This is too crazy, but I like the combination. How about Minjie?

How about Jamie?

Yeah, Minnie said. That’s so us!

Before Jim could say anything more, the figure on the screen had already posted the name on the screen in flashing lights. Minnie said, I like the name, but do you know if our baby will be a boy or a girl?

No idea. Does it matter? We’re not supposed to question that. Is this normal? Do I need to get to reprogram the Tokama? Whom would I ask? He was all confused. I’m just the operator. I’m not supposed to question why the Tokama does things the way it does. Jim addressed the screen. Please transfer to receiving office.

Minnie saw the confusion on his face. She was not worried that he was worried; rather, she was worried that she had noticed. It was not supposed to be that way; she was not supposed to feel his emotions. Or is this part of becoming a parent? she wondered. She became excited and asked, Jim, do you feel that too?

What way?

I can feel that you’re worried, and that’s never happened to me before. I usually don’t even feel my own emotions, so feeling how you feel must be special. Does this mean you and I are now connected forever? Is that how we’ll feel about the child? Are we supposed to be worried? Worried about what? About me, you, or Jamie? My goodness, I’m so confused. I feel so strange. You think we need to go see that psycho? Or is all this normal and programmed to get us focused on the task ahead? Jim, I’m confused.

Millions of emotions and questions suddenly started running through their programmed minds. They were excited as if they were floating in a dream. Suddenly, their system received a broadcast storm over the network. There was so much information coming down the pipe that it created a bottleneck. Jim was about to use his programming skills to redirect and annul the storm, but the info downloaded onto their systems started to do its job. They would soon receive their instructions.

Jim, I feel I have to hug you. Why’s that? I’ve never done that before, I feel like … like you’re part of me and I need you in my arms. Oh Jim, please hug me!

Minnie, I can’t do that. I have no module in my mind that says I have to hug you. I’m not supposed to feel this. What’s happening?

I’m scared, Minnie said. Jim, what’s happening to you? For years, we’ve lived together, but I’ve never felt any emotional attachment to you. I knew we’d be connected, but I’ve never felt like this before. Oh, Jim! I’m wetting my pants. What’s happening?

Proceed to the transponder now! came a command from the Tokama planning officer who woke them from their dreams.

Yes sir! they said and moved to the transponder.

That was the first time both of them had gone in it together. During the transport, their molecules mixed, and when they arrived at the receiving office, they were reprogrammed from individuals who were destined to become parents to actual parents; their atoms were united forever, and they became soul mates.

Jim stepped out of the transponder first and was smacked by a guard. Next time, the guard said, you’ll be deducted points for being impolite. You’re supposed to let the lady go first. From now on, you’ll be programmed to take care of Minnie. You’re responsible for her happiness. Don’t screw it up. She no longer has the credits to take care of herself. She’s responsible for your child. Only if you earn enough credits will Minnie be able to let you be with the boy, and only if Minnie gets enough credits will she be able to take care of the boy. So pay attention, man, and take care of your woman.

Boy? Jim asked. Minnie, did you hear that? It’s a boy!

Minnie didn’t react. She said, We have to go to the receiving office. Jamie needs me. Sorry, Jim, but can you get me there? I don’t know where it is.

He looked at her and realized that after she had passed the Tokama transponder, she had become completely dependent on him. Many thoughts ran through his mind. Why am I not accepting this? Why am I not responding the same way she is? Why am I wondering what’s happened? Minnie—such a brilliant scientist—why’s she giving up all this to become a mother? Is that the word? A mother? Where did he get that word from? I always thought about my parents but never in terms of mother or father. What does that mean? And what’s happening to me? Every time I look at Minnie, I get more excited that I’ve ever been before. Where is all my education? How am I going to perform at my best as a Tokama specialist? I’m not supposed to have any emotions. Is this what becoming a parent is all about?

He had programmed her to become a mother, but he didn’t know at the time that she would become the mother of his child. His Jamie. His boy. What else did I not know when I programmed Minnie?

They walked into the receiving office and heard the cry of their boy. Minnie felt pained and wondered why he was crying. Minnie and Jim were separated, and she was led to Jamie’s room. He was connected to a wire that was hooked up to a chip about to be implanted in his skull. He was crying because there was no anesthesia involved; research had determined that anesthesia negatively affected the brain’s functions and programming. The first minutes were painful, but he was programmed at first not to feel certain pains and emotions, so his crying was more due to his discomfort at not being able to move around rather than the incision and the implantation of the chip.

Minnie held Jamie’s hand, and he looked at her and smiled.

Be happy, the guard said. Not that long ago, we used to circumcise boys at this time, but the government put a stop to that.

What’s that—circumcise?

The guard noticed Minnie’s confusion and realized he had exceeded his responsibilities. He knew he would be punished for this later since everything was being recorded on Digiblue. Too late now, he thought. Might as well keep going with what I’m supposed to do and not react. Please focus on your child! he ordered.

The emotions disappeared, and Minnie felt very uncomfortable; she didn’t realize the guard felt even more uncomfortable. He knew this was his last assignment. Why did I let myself go? What’s so special about this child and this Minnie? I’ve done hundreds of these assignments, so why am I confused about this one?

Jim was seated in the administration office and connected to a computer linked to a Tokama browser. He was being programmed and receiving instructions about Jaime’s future. He had to decide what Jamie would become. Do I have to do this now? he asked. Can I talk to Minnie about it?

The computer did not answer his question; it simply asked, So what is your choice? Will Jamie become a scientist? A leader? A worker?

What are all the choices? Jim asked.

The system showed him the list again; he had two minutes to make a selection. He was upset, and it showed; the system noted that in the comments section of the database: Receiver is confused. Needs a checkup. Not supposed to react with emotion about other parent. Urgent evaluation required. Shall I abort receiving procedure?

Jim realized he had to react quickly, so he selected leader. He knew Minnie would approve since becoming a worker was not exactly what they wished for their child. And both of them were scientists, so they really did not want that to happen to their child. Leader it was, so that was what was being programmed on Jamie’s chip.

Minnie did not have to be told; she could see her son would become a leader.

Two workers walked into the room where Minnie was holding Jamie’s hand and introduced themselves as their helpers.

Hi, I’m Doe, the man said. I’ll be helping you and Jim with all educational projects destined for Jamie’s future leadership skills.

And I’m Cooke, the woman said. I’ll make sure Jamie gets the proper care as far as hygiene and nutrition are concerned, but we’ll also take care of you. We’ll explain that later.

Minnie just acknowledged the workers’ presence, but Jim, who had just entered the room, wondered what they would do. Why am I being told not to help my son with his future? He had seen the comment about his being checked out. He did not understand why he was considered a possible rebel. What’s wrong? What did I do to the system? This wasn’t supposed to happen, he thought.

Jim had programmed everyone perfectly, but what he had not noticed was that he had forgotten a few things when he had programmed himself. That was years ago; he thought he might have messed things up. Or have I? He was not the only one who had noticed the error. He remembered why he had done that when he programmed the reprogramming module. He suddenly felt very good about it. But he still felt confused and afraid about the reprogramming. What if it doesn’t work?

When Minnie asked, If what doesn’t work? he realized that they had become one and that from then on, they would feel and act the same and would understand each other.

You know what I mean, Minnie, so please don’t ask. Let’s go home!

Home?

Another new word both of them thought.

While Jim and Minnie were at the administration offices, their house had been transformed into a family house. It didn’t feel like the place they had left that morning, but it was comfortable. There was a room for Jamie with a bed, a changing table, a play area, and a desk with all kinds of technological toys. They saw a box with a keyboard that displayed letters and numbers. Jim vaguely remembered seeing one at the illegals’ headquarters when he had been with the task force. The illegals tapped the keyboard’s letters and they appeared on a screen. They had called it Word or something like that. What’s Jamie supposed to do with this old technology? Jim asked. Look at this, Minnie. Remember these? What are they called? CDs. Haven’t seen one in years.

Hello, Jim. How are you? I am Cloud, Jamie’s assistant. Jim stared at the plasma screen and couldn’t believe his eyes; someone on the screen was addressing him. Don’t worry, Cloud said. I’m here to show Jaime our current technology, but we have to go back to the early 2000s and even before to be able to explain where what we currently use came from. Jaime will learn quickly, and then we can remove all the old equipment.

Jim and Minnie stared at each other; Minnie hugged Jim and kissed him on the lips. Jim was knocked off his feet by that unexpected event. What’s next to come? he asked. Let’s look at the rest of our home, Minnie.

They found that Doe and Cooke, their helpers, would occupy part of their home. They were to share a room with not much in it but a table, two seats, a bed, and a desk that held electronic equipment. Cool! Jim said and smiled at Cooke.

Minnie poked him. You don’t smile at servants. Their goal is to get you distracted and unfocused while they train your child. You need to keep your guard up so they don’t teach him to become an illegal.

But that’s impossible, Jim thought. I programmed Jamie to become a leader, not an illegal. What if he becomes their leader?

Minnie knew what he was thinking, but she was so excited to see their own room that she pulled Jim into it.

One bed? Wow, Minnie, where are you going to sleep?

With you.

With me? How?

The door behind them closed, and they were told it was time to rest. Please clean up for the night. Your help is waiting to take your clothes and refresh them. While they do that, my good advice for you both is to jump in the cleanser together and enjoy.

Jim and Minnie started to take their clothes off. Minnie didn’t seem embarrassed to undress in front of Jim. Jim, however, felt strange about it, but he took off his clothes and handed them to Doe and Cooke as did Minnie. Naked, they walked to the cleanser, a big room with a bench in the middle. Sprayers on the walls and ceiling started showering them with warm water, which prompted them to spin around to let the water hit them all over. It was a pleasant experience, and they relaxed. Minnie put her arms around Jim from the back and pressed her head to his shoulders. She spun him around and kissed him passionately. Her hands were touching him everywhere. Jim, Minnie said, you feel so good, and you have a very strong body. I know you’ll take good care of me. I can feel it. This feels so good, and I kind of hope this feeling will never stop. Please hug me.

Jim closed his arms around her and kissed her intensely.

Soap dispensing, a voice said.

They let go of each other as foamy soap sprayed all over them. It smelled like roses and lavender. The soap smells so good, Minnie said as she hugged Jim passionately. By then, Jim was uncomfortable and turned around so Minnie wouldn’t see what was happening down there. She, however, had noticed his reaction, and while hugging him from the back, she let her hands float down and rub him all over. She took hold of his huge erection and started to gently massage it up and down. It didn’t take much for Jim to realize he would explode very soon. The experience was out of this world. His breathing was very heavy.

Minnie got him to the point that Jim was about to ejaculate and suddenly stopped. She wanted more than that. She turned Jim around, and he planted a very passionate kiss on her lips and begged her to continue, but she had other plans. Jim gazed at her beautiful nipples, which were hard as a rock. He couldn’t resist taking one of them in his mouth and gently massaging it with his tongue. She moaned and pushed his head down. He kissed her all over. He laid her down on the bench and …

Rinsing off now, a voice said. Warm water streamed over them and washed the soap away. Jim knelt and kept kissing her all over. He massaged her softly and touched her vagina. His fingers slipped inside, and she spread her legs to fully enjoy his touching. He felt warm and sticky stuff and started rubbing her very gently. She moaned and breathed harder and harder. She suddenly let out a loud scream that lasted several minutes. Her body shook on the bench. Jim kissed her intensely on the mouth, and her breathing slowed down. She gave him a huge smile and hugged him for several minutes while whispering, Thank you, Jim. You made me feel like I’ve never felt before. That was amazing.

Ready for cologne spray, the voice said, and the scent of roses and lavender sprayed all over their bodies. Air drying starting, the voice said, and warm air blew all over them drying them completely.

Jim was still very excited; he wanted more. He led Minnie out of the cleanser toward their bedroom. They heard Jamie starting to cry, and Cooke walked out of Jamie’s room. She looked at the naked parents and particularly at Jim’s huge erection and smiled at him. Minnie noticed of course and put herself between Cooke and Jim to hide him from her greedy eyes.

What’s wrong with Jamie? Minnie asked.

Oh nothing, Cooke replied. He probably wants you to kiss him good night. He’s getting used to his new environment and isn’t used to his bed yet.

Minnie and Jim walked into Jamie’s room. Jim let Minnie go first, and as he walked past Cooke behind Minnie, Cooke’s hand slid over Jim’s penis and she smiled and blew him a kiss. Jim felt very uncomfortable, but he did return her smile. Why did Cooke do that? he wondered. Is she testing me? I belong to Minnie, so she shouldn’t be doing that.

Cooke put her hand on one of her breasts and played with her nipple as she stood next to Jim. Minnie was leaning over Jamie and didn’t see what was going on. Cooke again put her hand on Jim’s penis and played with it a little. He was going crazy; he suddenly hugged Minnie from the back while squeezing his body against hers.

What a beautiful boy, he whispered.

Minnie felt Jim’s hard-on pushing against her and whispered, I’ll take care of that in a little bit. First, let’s say good night to Jamie.

Cooke let her hand glide over Jim’s butt and rubbed herself against him. He was being squeezed between two women; his mind was going crazy, and his heart was pounding. He was about to turn around and ask Cooke to leave when Doe walked into the room.

Good to see all of you here together, he said. Let’s go to the living quarters so we can talk and share with you parents what our responsibilities are. You might want to put robes on so we can focus on the task rather than on your beautiful, exciting bodies, he said smiling.

Minnie and Jim kissed Jamie good night and started walking out of the room. Jim let Minnie go first. As they walked out, Cooke and Doe touched Jim’s penis, and that made him even more confused and excited.

Jim and Minnie found satin robes in their room. Jim chose a light-blue robe while Minnie took a light-pink one that fitted her perfectly. It had a deep cut that barely covered her breasts just above her nipples. Both had short sleeves and were very sexy.

This is all so new and strange for me, Minnie. You’re more beautiful than I had noticed. You make me very excited and happy that I can share the rest of my life with you!

Thanks, Jim. Take a good look at yourself, my love. The feeling’s mutual.

Let’s go to the living quarters. Cooke and Doe are expecting us.

As they walked into the living quarters, they couldn’t believe their eyes. The table was nicely decorated and had several candles burning. The lights were dimmed, and a fire in the fireplace was giving off blue and yellow flames. Cooke and Doe had put some birch logs in the fireplace to achieve that effect.

On the table were four glasses of red wine and a silver platter of crackers, goat cheese, salmon, and caviar in addition to deviled eggs and white asparagus wrapped in thinly sliced smoked bacon. The room smelled like lavender, and red roses decorated the little table in front of the couches. Cooke and Doe were sitting in one of the love seats and got up as Jim and Minnie walked in.

Wow! You both look very pretty and sexy, Cooke said while walking to Jim. She hugged him and kissed him on the lips. Doe hugged and kissed Minnie on the lips while running his hands over her beautiful breasts.

Jim and Minnie were confused; it was Minnie who first found herself and asked, What’s this all about? What’s going on? Why are you kissing us as if we were lovers? I’m supposed to be Jim’s love. Why are you doing this?

Please sit. You can sit next to each other, Cooke said. We’ll explain.

They sat, and Doe said, "I sense your confusion, but believe me—it’s normal. Let’s step back a few hours and start from there. This morning, we told you we would be here to educate Jamie and make sure he’s properly educated about what to eat and not eat. We’ll educate him to become the best leader he can be. At one point, he’ll surpass both of your IQs and you will no longer be able to grasp all the things he is destined for.

We’ve been programmed to make sure he doesn’t forget who he is and who his parents are. While you’ll do whatever you can to be his parents and set an example for him so he can become like you, that will apply to his character, not his intelligence. That latter part of his education will far surpass yours, and he will become the leader this nation has been waiting for. People have been talking about this leader for centuries, and Tokama leaders have finally found the right combination to create such a leader—Jamie. I know this is a big surprise for you, but especially you, Jim, should know better. For years, you’ve been working on programs that once put together would finally create the chip your son has in his head.

Jim almost fell out of his couch. He had been working on some special projects; he had programmed special modules that were aimed to be perfect. He had created a module with the code name Kindness, so he started talking about that.

I remember when I created that, he said. I started with a study that outlined what it would be to create the perfect person with the gift of kindness. I looked at all options. I wanted him to be kind to himself and everyone else. Kind to nature, our environment, and animals. That part was adjusted by management because we’d no longer have animals. They were associated with the illegals. However, Jim thought, I didn’t exclude this completely. I just hid it under the illegal part in the kindness.

What about the illegals? Doe asked.

"If I had to create a perfect kindness module, I had to include the illegals. If in the future we want to live side by side with them, I had to include them in the kindness module. A long time ago, this country was founded on the concept of equality. I know we have been deviating from that for many years and have recreated our society. It’s no longer based on equality. It’s now based on segregation. We kind of reinvented the classes as we converted all our people into the Tokama system excluding the illegals. By recreating this society and programming everybody for specific tasks, we recreated segregation. I know our leaders don’t see that way, but if you look at it from a purely technical programming perspective, it’s segregation.

I shouldn’t be talking like this, but since you asked how I had programmed these modules to create the perfect leader, I included all that. How the modules are put together and how they create that perfect leader is a different story. We are now where we are. I still can’t believe I created all these modules—kindness, trustworthiness, bravery, loyalty—all of them into this one chip that now is in our son, Jamie. Wow. I created my own son. And I didn’t even know I’d done that.

Doe looked at Cooke and Minnie and said, "Yes, Jim, you did create your son so perfectly that you won’t be able to control him yourself. As such, you created Cooke and me without knowing. You knew all this would end up uncontrollable by humans, so you created a safety system to ensure that all would go well and that whenever you have a bug in your program, it would automatically reroute to the safety system. We’re part of that safety system.

Understand very well that what’s happening, what has happened, and what will happen in the months to come is nothing new to you. It’s all part of your creation, your imagination that all came to life and became reality when your son was born and had the chip implanted. Cooke and I are creations of your imagination that became reality. So’s Minnie. You’ve known Minnie for quite a while, but when she was reprogrammed to become a mother and a wife, she was created as part of the Perfect Leader program you created. You wanted the perfect leader to have a perfect mother and father. That’s what you created, and that’s where we are today.

Jim and Minnie looked at each other, and she started crying. This is so wonderful, Jim. The feelings I have for you are so beautiful that I want to feel like this forever. It’s scary to think that at one point, we won’t be able to help our son any longer. What will happen to us when he reaches that point?

Don’t worry about that, Cooke said. That’s where we come into play as Doe said before. What we need to do now is get to know each other better so it will be natural for all of us when Jamie switches to the safety program. We’ll make sure he will always recognize you as his parents and will use us only to gain more knowledge. We’ll make sure he stays in the Perfect Leader program parameters that include kindness and respect for especially you.

Jim asked something that had been on his mind. Cooke, what happened earlier when you touched me? Can you explain that, please?

What’s this about his touching you, Jim? Minnie asked.

Jim’s heart was pounding. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable and thought he shouldn’t have asked. But he continued. We’ve been programmed not to think or daydream about sex and never ever to have sex. The reproductive drive was disabled in our chips when we were first programmed, but all that has happened today—Cooke, your touching me, and Minnie, your wanting to hold and kiss and stroke me, and me wanting to do the same with Minnie … Right now, I can’t wait to go to bed and finish what Minnie and I started in the shower. Look at me. Just thinking about it has given me a huge erection again. What’s happening? If anyone found out, we could be executed. Help us understand, please?

Doe got up and sat next to Minnie. He put his arms around her and said, "Let me explain. There’s no need for you, Jim, to be uncomfortable, or for you, Minnie, to get upset or angry. Let me address the sex part first. Jim, you know that the elite of our society have sex parties; that’s a privilege for them. Both of you, all four of us, are now part of the elite. Since you became the parents of our future leader, you became part of the elite. You just cannot discuss that with anybody outside our elite group or it could cause an uproar.

"Jim, you programmed all this in your initial module. Perhaps you don’t remember, but you did. You also programmed that this issue would never cross your mind or come up in discussions with any of your subordinates or those you talk to. Here in our home, we can discuss and practice these matters without any problem. As we mentioned, Cooke and I are part of you, Jim, and you, Minnie. We are one unit tasked to shape the perfect leader, Jamie. As such, we are part of all your feelings, desires, thoughts, and actions. So when you are longing for each other and want to have a perfect relationship, you cannot have that without including us since we’re part of you, part of that union that makes up us. The four of us are Jamie’s parents. I’m part of Jim, and Cooke is part of Minnie. When you, Jim, want to make Minnie feel good, you’re also making Cooke feel good. When Minnie wants to make you feel good and wants