The equation of everything

Europa Dome, Earth, July 2031- continued

Sitting in a local café miles away from the office, but still inside the dome, Luc was typing away on his laptop with gusto, unaware of all the commotion he had created.  

Luc was definitely not your stereotypical academic, if ever there was one. He looked more like a young joy seeker always in search for the ultimate wave to ride. He wore sandals and  three- quarter length shorts.

The occasional teenage girl would pass by and glance back. He was too engrossed in his work to notice the attention. The personalised adverts on his table, the music at the back of his chair  controlled by the inner computer to match his heartbeat, even the barmaid approaching with his order failed to distract him.

“All day brunch as always? Enjoy”

He almost looked surprised. He smiled and thanked her in his usual polite yet absent way and went back to his work for a few minutes. Had he been a bit more observant, he would have noticed her smile and her obvious interest in him.

But that was Luc. When he had something on his mind, he had blinkers. Life could pass him by, he would not have the foggiest.

He had been in contact with his fellow academic, an archaeologist and explorer who fancied himself as a bit of an Indiana Jones, both an intellectual and a practical man. Archie always went on exploration trips for work or leisure and brought Luc photographs of artefacts and ancient writings to decipher. This last one piqued Luc’s interest more than the others. He was already involved in a research project but welcomed the diversion. He was always on several simultaneous projects, which made it hard for him to settle down with anyone…Or perhaps it was his excuse not to settle down.

He looked outside the dome then started tucking in. He looked at his watch. He had just enough time to finish his lunch and whiz to Metastasis Industries where he was meeting the board of directors to discuss his mission.

Back at the office, Samuel was brewing a storm of his own. Trying to make sense of the events of the day.

He had dedicated two decades to raising the company’s profile and changing popular opinion from negative resignation to uplifting change embracing spirit. He had been working with leading scientists to promote sustainable and efficient ways to use the dwindling resources of the blue planet, which from space, now looked more yellow because of the speedy advance of the deserts that had taken place in recent years. He had pioneered the concept of the dome, which provided a microclimate perfect for life and agriculture and out of reach from the wild forces of now retaliating Mother Nature. Each continent had one major city under the dome, thanks to Samuel’s PR , networking and business skills. He had never asked to be famous, but the media and political world ended up tracking him and enlisting his help to inspire people the world over to adopt the idea.

Is it any wonder that in time, he started to think of himself as God’s gift to mankind? Now that this new kid had appeared, he thought it was his duty to make sure he was a worthy successor and not just a chancer. Otherwise, he would do his utmost to break that impostor, for the benefit of mankind, of course.

Luc’s mobilator pulled out in front of Metastasis. He drove an energy efficient Mazonda. He made his way to reception and was directed to the Board’s meeting room on the top floor. He confidently went up. His stride was slow and confident at the same time. He had a bit of swag to it. He went past Samuel’s office, glanced then moved on.

Fourth floor. Long corridor. He knocked at the door, waited for the invitation to go in.

He was greeted warmly by the board. Everyone was smiling. A drink was poured out for him and all the members of the board.

“Mr Dakotas, we are glad to have you here. Take a seat, please.”

He looked at the room. The poster’s messages were the kind that he was used to. It was now a felony to have posters in enterprises encouraging greed. The rule now was that they could be uplifting but they had to be balanced.

Samuel was waiting. He knew that the board would introduce Luc to him as his new CEO and that he would have to be civil and co-operative. He was determined however, to find out what that kid’s secret was. “I must know”, he thought… “As long as I am not considered as a threat, I should be around still for quite a long time. You’d better be as good as they say, kid!”

Samuel was still deep in thought when the phone rang. His secretary was warning him that the directors and Luc were heading his way.

They knocked.

“Come in”

“Mr Vice President, meet your new CEO, Luc Dakotas”

There he was, a slim and tall young man. He gave a strong handshake and smiled broadly.

“I am honoured to meet you sir, I look forward to working with such an icon”

“The honour is mine, I have heard a lot about you” He smiled back and squeezed his hand thinking “I’ve got immaculate teeth too, and I’m still strong, want an arm wrestle kiddo?”

 The young man did not seem to notice the hostility in Samuel’s handshake. He started asking many a question to Samuel about his legacy, which Samuel was only too pleased to answer. He refrained to ask the young man the reason for his promotion just yet, but the fact that he had not been with the company before and had not even come from the waste management and recycling industry was puzzling. This will come with time, he thought. Let’s get this character rounded up first. The charm and humility might just be a temporary gimmick.

The night was falling on the dome.  The streets inside it were lit by in-house methane production systems. Another invention patented and branded Metastasis.

An advert panel for Metastasis Industries was towering over the city. Messages equally contradicting were projected. One-liners about mankind’s nature to dream and create but its duty towards its habitat and the remaining co-habiting animals. An advert about the death of the frog and the polar bear species was shown as a powerful reminder. Luc looked at the panel pensively. Every year there was the anniversary of some species that had recently vanished. But he was confident that the trend would now be reversed. He now had the key to the Ecosystem’s survival and he was now in a position to open many doors.

He glanced at his PDA, checking his remote connection was secure. He was in possession of valuable information which he was fortunate enough to have inherited. He not only had the knowledge but also the basic understanding as he had seen the application of that knowledge time and time again. This was even more fortunate that although it was common knowledge that he had ties with influential people and had been part of major discoveries, he was completely overshadowed by Samuel Dawkins, who was credited with the Ecosystem Dome. The invention came at a time where humanity was in desperate need of a sense of security. The idea of fully controllable weather conditions under the dome and therefore of virtually a paradisaic life amidst the global desert was then embraced heartily.

The ice caps had all but melted. The sea levels had dramatically risen. Many coastal cities, small islands were completely immersed.

However, after the catastrophe of two years prior, “the global emigration crisis” as it was now branded, the population was down to about two billion so there was still more than enough inhabitable space for everyone.