Refuge Earth

By Bryan Whelan

Earth in the year 3125 has reached a crisis point. The air was no longer breathable, the temperature had become lethal due to a runaway greenhouse effect, and the world's population were dying in their millions.

A secret group of experts came together to find a solution but realised there was only one thing they could do. Leave Earth and start again on another planet, they called Refuge Earth. Once there, they had only one desire, to return to their home planet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryan Whelan
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224568819

Bryan Whelan

The fourth in the Lincoln Cain Spy series from the pen of Bryan Whelan, following on from Edge of Reality, The Hexagonal Dome and The Bandaid Conspiracy. Bryan is a retired Maths, Science and Information Technology teacher from Australia, who has been a fan of science fiction all his life. Author of several science fiction adventure stories, including The Swirling Lights of Paradise, The Hives of God’s World and Truth of Time, he injects a distinctly Australian flavour to them.

Book preview

Other books by Bryan Whelan:

The Hives of God’s World

The Truth of Time

Centaur X1

Tempe Terra

Terra 2

The Myth of Time

Tall Tales from Tomorrows World

Epochs of the Galactic Core

The Grey Mirror

The Star of Pluto

Singularity

The Threshold of the Universe

The Scions of Heron

ii

Prologue – Earth 3125

Earth in the year 3125 was a vastly different place than the Earth of the past. Most people on the planet had no idea that they were on the cusp of extinction. Not from any outside threat, nor any impending astronomical disaster, but an extinction of their own making.

Back in the early 2000s, small but active groups of people could see the impending disasters that would befall the world if they didn’t take drastic action. They referred to themselves as climate activists. Most people either ignored them, paid them lip service, or labelled them as annoying extremists.

Even when a group of scientists publicised findings that showed if we did not stop using fossil fuels immediately, the world would have only thirty years before the atmosphere and climate reached the point of no return. When the world reached that milestone and continued unabated, the population ridiculed those scientists.

There is nothing wrong with the air while I can still breathe, was the main argument for dismissing their extreme claims. So what if the average yearly temperature rose by a degree or two each year? We can easily endure it. We simply need better sunscreen protection. All this is part of a natural climate cycle.

These were the claims made by influencers of the day. People listened to these comments as it was much easier to do nothing than send everyone into economic ruin by trying to fix the planet.

By 3125, so much greenhouse gas had infused the planet’s atmosphere that oxygen deprivation became the leading cause of death. People now accept that diseases such as asthma, anaemia, hypoxia, and even asphyxiation in older people mean a death sentence, much like cancer was in the mid-1900s. All these diseases can be attributed to a lack of oxygen. Many people now use their life savings just to spend their final days in comfort inhaling pure oxygen through a tube. A thriving black market blossomed in selling tanks of pure oxygen. Once they invented portable air packs, those devices became the normal attire for the rich.

Past governments had promised to fix the climate crisis but with little practical success. Several governments were swept into power, promising to solve the problem and in most cases, threw money at it, hoping it would go away. It became clear that most politicians were in power simply to remain in power and they would say or do anything that would ensure that continued.

Why didn’t the Earth die around 2050? The one positive advancement of that time, and it continues today was the rapid progression of technology. Several inventions staved off climate control for a while and new forms of energy production helped reduce the rates of increase in greenhouse gases and pollution. It served to convince the public that anyone predicting the extinction of the planet was simply crazy.

Little did anyone know that these technological advances only delayed the inevitable. It made the progression of global climate deterioration so slow that by 3125 people accepted that the atmosphere had always been this bad. They believed their technology kept climate change at bay.

But that technology also generated a negative side. Back in the early 2000s, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was in its infancy. It appeared in devices that appeared to operate automatically. The majority of society was unaware that AI was the driving force behind some of the biggest technological advancements. They simply enjoyed the convenience of allowing a machine to make all their decisions.

Society became dependent on such devices as digital assistants, driverless cars, and robotic operating theatres. They paid little heed to the AI that underpinned each of these inventions.

As the success of these inventions began to become an integral part of society, more mechanical processes fell under the spell of AI. It permeated throughout everything one interacted with each day, but no one saw the global effect it would have until it was too late.

The first hint of a problem with AI was in the manufacturing industry. Slowly but surely factories became totally automated. Even as far back as the mid-1900s, many predicted that automation would take over everything, but no one saw it coming until it was too late.

One doomsayer back in the 1900s predicted that factories of the future would only require a man and a dog to run them. They would need the dog to guard the factory and they only needed the man to feed the dog. A thousand years later, they proved that doomsayer wrong. Factories in the year 3125 do not need a man or a dog. They run so efficiently without any human intervention at all. AI takes care of production, management, and even repair.

This technology had the consequence of putting billions out of work. Today, the world has essentially two basic classes of society. Those in charge, the ones who own the factories and businesses that produce everything call their class Peers to try to convince everyone else that they are merely influencers and not controllers. The reality is quite different.

The other class, the long-term unemployed, exist on government handouts. The government created a scheme to help them and as such dubbed them Government Assistance Grantees. The Peers refer to them simply as GAGs.

These two classes tolerate each other but there exists a simmering hatred of each other. The GAGs are obviously jealous of the luxurious lifestyle the Peers enjoy and equally, the Peers blame the GAGs for everything that is wrong with the world, including the climate.

The peers comprise little over 1% of the world’s population but they have over 90% of the world’s wealth. The GAGs survive on whatever the government hands out, the black market, or whatever they can steal from the rich. They became a modern version of a medieval society living to support themselves in isolation. Communities of GAGs sprang up in suburbs across all cities of the world. The Peers even built walls to keep them out of their communities.

The future for anyone born a GAG is bleak. The best they could hope for in life was to become an independent trader within their suburbs or the best of them sometimes made it as a servant to the Peers. Some Peers still believed that having human servants around the house was an accepted status symbol.

The divide between these two classes led to several conflicts and wars over the years. But as the Peers had all the power, money, and subsequently all the weapons, any attempt at revolution always ended in defeat. By 3125, nearly every city in the world had a fenced-off area just for the GAGs. It was an offence for them to venture into any part of the lush areas of the Peers unless they had a permit. Several people over the years had tried and failed to abolish this divide. Since all of the politicians came from the Peer Class, the GAGs have little influence.

With economies being what they were, it became clear that countries could not survive on their own. It forced countries to reevaluate their positions. They formed alliances with neighbouring countries and by 3125 groups of countries had formed into super-countries. The world is now a collection of 6 super-countries. America is the largest comprising of every country in the old North and South America. All of old Africa and the Middle East became another one. Europa comprises all the countries of old Europe, while Russia and China still hold out as independent nations. Finally, Australia and all the countries of South East Asia and the Pacific became Pacifica.

Only having six super nations in the world meant wars became less frequent. Besides, each super-country has enough to worry about keeping its population alive. Supplies of food, water, and even air, takes up all their time.

While these factors led the world to the brink of disaster by 3125, one overriding factor was about to tip the planet over the edge, population. The world’s population back in 2050 had reached 10 billion people. The doomsayers of the day had predicted that the planet could only accommodate a maximum of 13 billion. Beyond that, there would not be enough food to sustain everyone, or enough land to accommodate this many.

However, 2050 came and went with no apparent extinction taking place. The population in 3125 now tips the scale at just under thirty billion. They are all still alive although a million die of starvation each year. The conservationists of the 2000s would be appalled at what the world is like today. Over the years, the insatiable desire to develop land areas caused the forests of the world to disappear. Naturalists had always stated that trees are the lungs of the world. But science and the extinction of the forests showed that the oceans of the world created most of the oxygen we require.

However, by 3125, the oceans had become so polluted with plastics and other waste, that there has been a gradual decline in the amount of oxygen it can produce. Today it sits at dangerously low levels. Also, almost no fish can now survive in it.

The only trees left in the world are in well-guarded tiny pockets of land that only a privileged few get to see. Similarly, as the forests of the world disappeared, so did the animals. The last elephant died in 2409, the last camel in 2624, and so on. The only animals still surviving today live in special zoos run by the Peers. Even so, most of the animals in those zoos are ex-domestic animals like dogs, cats, and horses.

Food had become scarce by the end of the 2900s. But scientists quickly solved that issue by inventing AI processed protein and carbohydrates disguised as food. Even so, the Peers ate far better than the GAGs.

All through these years, technology advanced and periodically delayed the Earth’s demise. By the 2300s, humanity figured that if they were to survive, they should begin to colonise the other planets. The super-countries established colonies on the Moon and Mars. However, it became obvious after a few years that these colonies were so dependent on Earth’s resources that they could not expand. While they still exist and in their eyes are thriving, they have little or no chance of solving the overpopulation problem on Earth.

Today, in 3125, life continues as a struggle to survive. The comfortable lifestyle enjoyed by billions back in the 2000s is now a distant memory except for the Peers who continue to live in the lap of luxury oblivious to the world around them.

Chapter 1 - Chynna Milford

The rave was entering its fourth hour. The three hundred people in the place still managed to bounce, jump, and generally move around to the music blaring out of several speakers. The AI machine selectively pumped out song after song reacting to the mood of the crowd. Pure oxygen pumped into the building from the roof. No one needed their air packs as it was more than enough to keep them dancing.

This was meant to be the party of the year, but several other ‘copy’ raves were playing on the same night. However, this was the one if you were anybody. Red Ranford (Lucky to his friends) of the Toorak Ranfords, the food processing kings organised it.

Even the venue was special. Lucky had found this old, abandoned warehouse right on the edge of the inner city in the old suburb of Sunshine. Across the road was the cement wall that separated them from the GAGs. Everyone called it the Ghetto fence. None of the ravers inside had ever been so close to the region. The sense of danger added to their night.

The Ranfords had shut down this warehouse years ago. Almost forgotten, they had currently earmarked it for demolition. The Ranfords were expanding their processing plants and server farms, and this warehouse was to be torn down as part of that expansion. But for tonight, Lucky had transformed it into the rave venue to beat all rave venues.

Chynna Milford adjusted her hood so she could see her girlfriends more clearly. All danced and jumped in time with the music. They had no idea what the song was, something from a few centuries ago, but the beat combined with the uppers they had just consumed made for an exhilarating experience.

When the song finally stopped, Chynna felt exhausted. Now 28, she has never really taken much care of her body. She has a veritable swathe of cosmetics and chemicals to take care of that. So, despite her lack of fitness and the redness welling up in her face, she still looked stunning with her trim figure and amply enhanced breasts. Her long curly eyelashes, accentuated by her sparkling eyebrows flashed in time with the music. Her metallic lipstick combined with her plastic-infused lips gave her the same manicured look that all her friends seemed to have. Finished off with her long brown hair tied into two ponytails which flashed rainbows of colour as they swayed, she was a picture of desire for any young man.

Her current beau just happened to be the same Lucky Red Randford. He was on the other side of the dance floor presently and Chynna began a frantic search for him as soon as the music stopped. Within a few seconds, the next song began, and Chynna’s entourage started jumping and swaying. They screamed as it was one of the latest songs from the newest pop sensation, Cheetah Mullins.

Chynna remained still and surveyed the whole area, but no Lucky. She moved across the floor still looking for him. Eventually, she spotted him resting on a couch in the far corner. She stopped suddenly when she saw a voluptuous black woman sitting astride him with her tongue down his throat.

Chynna screamed, but the noise of the music drowned her out. She stormed over to the couple and pulled the woman off him.

What do you think you are doing? She yelled.

I’m simply trying the latest trend, Lucky replied. It’s called Share Benning. Surely you’ve heard of it.

No, I haven’t! Chynna started to cry, but her anger was still high.

Oh, come, on, Lucky replied wondering what all the fuss was about. This is Maxim, Bolter’s girlfriend. We’re simply trying out each other’s girlfriends. That’s what Share Benning is all about. Sharing your girlfriends with benefits. Everyone is doing it. Bolter will be back soon. He’s expecting something from you.

Chynna exploded. She slapped Lucky across the face, turned and gave Maxim a swift kick in the shins. She then stormed across the floor much to the amazement of her girlfriends who suddenly stopped bouncing around when they noticed Chynna’s antics.

After pushing through crowds of mainly drunk and drugged young people, Chynna eventually made it outside. Two large burly men stood at the entrance and didn’t even move when Chynna came storming out. She cursed Lucky’s name and vowed never to have anything to do with that lowlife again. She quickly inserted the air pack tubes into her nose so she could breathe without discomfort.

She wandered off, jumping onto a travelator which took her down the street. She was oblivious to where she was going or even what was around her. Her sequinned miniskirt flashed in the streetlights under a long hooded cape. Each time she walked under a light, she lit up like a beacon in the night. But she continued to berate herself about what she ever saw in that Lucky. Each time she reached a corner, she stepped onto another travelator which took her in a different direction.

She continued for three blocks. At one point, she began walking normally as the travelators had run out. She never noticed just where she was heading. All she wanted to do was create as much distance between her and Lucky. It took another ten minutes of walking, swearing, and fist-pounding before she stopped. The mere act of stopping seemed to calm her down.

She looked at her surroundings. She could not fathom it, but somehow she found herself standing inside the GAGs suburb. She must have crossed through the connecting laneway that separated the GAGs suburb from the inner city. The cracked footpath she stood on, the dilapidated concrete walls of the buildings covered in graffiti, and the lack of adequate street lighting told her immediately just where she was.

Initially, she became fascinated. She had never set foot in this part of the city. People like her never venture into this type of neighbourhood for obvious reasons. But she had a bizarre appreciation of how the residents had jury-rigged each building to make them functional. Despite the obvious lack of a good architect, the place looked intact.

She then became frightened. Her parents had warned her about places like this. Like most young girls growing up, she thought she knew more than her parents and took considerable pride in ignoring their warnings. But right now, she wanted them by her side. No, she didn’t. She would have to endure the ‘I told you so’ speech from her mother. What she wanted was Lucky by her side offering protection.

She turned around and began to walk back the way she came, thinking that eventually, she would find her way back to the rave party and a ride home. But with every step, she looked around at the dank buildings, the potholed road, the endless graffiti everywhere and thought what a horrible place to live in. She could never imagine in her wildest dreams ever living in a place like this.

Just as she could see a travelator a few metres further up the road, someone jumped out in front of her. She could not make out the person’s face as he had a hood over his head, but his shiny leather pants, torn denim jacket, and ‘death squad’ T-shirt told Chynna that this fellow was anything but friendly.

Chapter 2

What do we have here? the man said in a slimy sort of way.

Looks like a mirror ball, another voice behind her said.

Turning around, Chynna saw two more men looking equally dishevelled.

What do you want? Chynna said, trying to sound forthright.

The hooded man pulled back his hood to reveal a face with several metal pins sticking out of it. He also sported several earrings and a neck tattoo of a cat. Chynna almost gasped at just how hideous he looked. The man looked at Chynna with a leering stare.

Perhaps you and I can go back to my place and have a party, the man said. You look like you could use a decent party.

No, thank you, Chynna said. Now if you move out of my way, I won’t report you.

The man laughed and began running his rather dirty hand up and down her cloak. He pulled it back to give him a better view of her sequinned mini skirt. He then pulled her hood back and shook her head to see her ponytails light up. This had him intrigued for a moment.

Well, if you won’t party, the man eventually said. Then you can pay a toll for being in our neighbourhood.

"I don’t