Chapter 4

He started to fix the coffee. She was so intent on seeing what he was doing that she was always in his way. He turned and bumped into her and spilled the coffee grounds all over the floor. The fact that she was totally nude did little to help him. He cleaned up the mess and waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

He saw her staring at him, "Would you like something to eat? I have no idea what your people eat, but I'm sure I have something that you'll like."

"Where do you store the nutrition capsules?"

He turned slowly, afraid of the answer to the question that he was going to ask, "What is a nutrition capsule?"

"To keep the body functioning."

When she saw that he had no idea of what she was talking about she continued, "I don't know what your time calls them, the capsules to replenish the vitamins and minerals that the body has used during the day."

He chuckled, "We aren't that far advanced, we have to eat food, preferably three times a day."

She snickered, "But that is so unscientific. There is danger that you might not get the proper nutrition. We have read that some people in your time have stored much fat on their bodies because they did not refuel their bodies properly. Studies have shown that this can cause health problems. I have also read that some people have died in your time because food was not made available to them, although that sounds ridiculous."

"Well some things you tell me about the future, I don't agree with. You are right about my people not getting the proper nutrition. I can't go along with the pills though. Who makes the pills?"

She thought for a moment, "I don't know. The Council On Nutrition provides them free. Everyone gets the proper nutrition capsule they require. There is no hunger, there hasn't been for several hundred years."

"Everyone gets the pills? I don't know," he said, "If this council makes the pills, controls them, distributes them... I don't know it sounds dangerous to me. Too much leeway for hanky panky."

"What is hanky panky," she asked.

"Well if the government doesn't like someone they can just hold up the capsules."

She shook her head, "No everyone gets the pills. We are not charged for them. The pills are naturally withheld from the trouble makers."

"Ahah! Tell me about you government. Did you elect them? Why are there trouble makers as you call them?"

"The Supreme Ruling Body runs the government. One member of each sector of this side of the world, I believe that you used to call it North and South America sit on the body. They debate each issue and make a ruling. If a member dies or wishes to be replaced, the Body votes a new member in. Usually a member serves for life. The government functions very well without interference from outside influences. There are a few troublemakers who want to return to the old ways. The feel that they are smarter than the Body. I think that they just wish to rule the people themselves."

What a minute," he said. "You said North and South America. What about the rest of the world?"

"Shortly after your time, it was decided that the different races would never learn to get along. My land was secured for the fair race only. What you call Africa and the Middle East is for the dark race. What you call Europe and Asia is for the yellow race. I don't really know if that was wise. There is still a lot of tension between the races. There are not as many wars between the races as there was in the 22nd century, but tensions continue."

"What about the Arabs and the other Middle Eastern people? What happened to the white population of Europe?"

"The was a lot of resettlement, with the European people, when the decision was made final. The Middle Eastern people resisted the decision and most of them have been killed or have been assimilated into the dark race. The dark race has troublemakers too."

"The more I hear about the future, the less I like it. One more question. What do you do with the troublemakers?"

"They are recycled."

"My God, that doesn't sound good at all. What do you mean recycled?"

She thought for a minute, "I don't know. I never asked. Whatever, it is seems to be effective. We don't have as many troublemakers as we once had."

He was sure that he did not want any of the nutrition capsules she talked about. He remembered the movie "Soylent Green." Her naiveté was probably because of her isolation in the space capsule since she was a child.

"Tell me about your life up to now. I think that you said you were put in a space capsule as a child and you lived in it until you were bought here. How did you live and where did you get you education?"

"I was conceived to be an astronomer. After it was determined that I didn't have any defects, I was put in a space capsule and sent to deep space to study unknown areas and report back to earth. Sleep was induced and I slept until I reached the area I was to study. My education was fed to me every minute of the day from earth. I was taught the history of the earth and every bit of knowledge that we have in my field. I was also taught about the way my people live on earth in my time. I was taught the other sciences after I had completed the studies of my field. I probably know more about the earth than the people that have lived there all of their lives."