They agreed it would be good to take a peek at the New World, and gave themselves timon implants in a solemn ceremony. Harper had, at one time, done a lot of drugs, and he was the first to work out that time flowed faster in the New World relative to Earth. In the New World, spring was just around the corner.

However, it was still cold in the New World. All three of them were shocked to discover that their second selves were naked, and had to eat independently of their originals back on Earth. They immediately ordered their alter egos to go south, guided by the sun. Thus, they did not discover the rapidly growing settlement just a few kilometers to the northeast.

They discussed which of them should be the first to fully enter the New World. Li Yang was wary of going first. He had a big stash of stuff in his room that the others hadn"t seen, yet. He"d given each of the Lees a hiber bed, a doc.u.mentation scroll, and a couple of implant kits. He"d also transferred half of his food to the communal kitchen.

Harper and Charlene were very grateful. Charlene even called Li Yang her hero. But Li Yang knew that heroes can get robbed just like everyone else. So he felt relieved when Harper said that being the oldest of the three of them, he would go first.

"I"ll be keeping in touch through your guys there," he said, and giggled. He said:

"f.u.c.k! I"ve always believed in telepathy, had a few telepathic moments myself. But this, this is something else. It"s fantastic. I love it."

Harper continued to be very enthusiastic as Li Yang and Charlene accompanied him to his room. He cracked a couple of jokes as he stretched out on the silvery mat he"d put on his bed. He was asleep almost instantly.

He was significantly less enthusiastic when they woke him up just half an hour later. He was shivering so badly he couldn"t speak. He was wearing two T-shirts and a flannel shirt and a sweatshirt and a thick sweater because it was cold in the unheated apartment. It had been enough earlier, but now he had to wrap himself in the quilt from his bed to warm up.

When his teeth stopped chattering, Harper said:

"This is going to be more difficult than we thought."

He told Charlene and Li Yang about the hunger, the cold, the near-total exhaustion of their selves in the New World. He proposed putting them out of their misery.

"We still have a kit each," said. "Bruce, you got a spare as well, right?"

Li Yang cleared his throat a couple of times. Then he said:

"I have a few more than that. I can give you an extra kit each."

"That"s great," Harper said, a little suspiciously. "You know something? Before we go off again exploring the New World, let"s see what"s happening in the "hood. It"s been peaceful lately. Maybe a store will be open. We need to get some light bulbs. There isn"t a single spare left in the whole place."

They all removed their implants, and left the apartment in a somewhat somber mood. They didn"t get very far.

There was a printed notice pasted onto the front door of their apartment block. It was signed by no other than Carlton Brock, president of the United States.

The notice informed them that a new world government had been formed. It would introduce a new minimum guaranteed income. This money would come without any strings attached. It would be paid out to every living adult, regardless of income and employment status. It would replace all the existing social funding: government pensions, welfare, benefits for the unemployed and the sick and so on.

The notice also informed them about the origin of the glowing cubes, and stated that any items recovered from the cubes were state property. All individuals in possession of the said items were required to deposit them at the nearest police station or government office. Failure to comply would be punished by the permanent loss of the perpetrator"s guaranteed minimum income.

The notice ended with a series of promises. A major currency reform would stop inflation forever. Income tax would be abolished, simultaneously with all debts - national, business, personal. Power would be restored soon, and water even sooner. A bright future awaited everyone in the New World. A bright future awaited everyone in the Old World! Everything was great, and would be getting even better. Signed, Carlton Brock.

Harper Lee finished reading first. He looked at the others and said:

"Oh boy. This is going to be big."

His sentiments were shared by Carlton Brock.

Landline communications with all of United States had been restored the previous evening. Brock had spent most of the night on the phone. As of this morning, landline communications had also been restored with almost all continents, Australia being the lone holdout.

Everyone in the UN building rushed to the phone or the computer. Within thirty minutes, there was a power failure.

The engineer in charge of repairs had to address all the delegates in person in order to prevent a riot. He said:

"We have recently had a total failure of the whole power grid that lasted a week. Our power system is like a car that has been involved in an accident. It may still be driven, but slowly and delicately. No flooring of the gas pedal, you understand. I expect power to be back on at any moment but from this time onward, there is a limit of one connection per delegation. Just one, and make sure you switch off all unnecessary lights. Otherwise we"ll experience another power outage."

Power came back on very soon after the chief engineer"s speech, and everyone rushed back to their rooms to do some very urgent talking of their own. The global picture that was emerging wasn"t encouraging. A number of coups had taken place, and there were several dozen civil wars going on.

Carlton Brock had to handle a similar situation when he spoke to his deputy. The vice-president of the United States gleefully informed him that given Brock"s absence from Washington, he had a.s.sumed presidential duties, in accordance with the const.i.tution. Brock said:

"That"s fine. I was about to turn things over to you. I"ll be stepping down as president."

When his deputy finished wetting himself with joy, Brock added:

"I"m now the UN commissioner for the United States. That means I remain your boss and there"s f.u.c.k all you can do about it. If you try to f.u.c.k around with me, I"ll get you replaced. It"s within my power. I don"t even have to consult anybody. I"m the emperor and you"re the f.u.c.king serf, temporarily elevated into a position. Got it? So you better play nice, or you"ll be out on your a.s.s and looking for a job."

He had slammed the receiver down and looked at Lea Panatella and said:

"f.u.c.king a.s.shole. Well, that"s fixed him for good."

Brock"s approach was unwittingly copied by very many heads of state. It proved extraordinarily effective. Coup leaders got their new leader status confirmed, then were informed that this changed precisely nothing. A few civil wars ended right away, and the ones that still went on lost momentum. There was nothing to fight about any more. The old leader was gone. The old leader had been kicked out. The old leader had been kicked up, kicked far, far upstairs where he couldn"t be touched, while effectively retaining his hold on power.

And everyone in the UN building agreed that the announcement of a New World Order, the notice that was read by Li Yang, Harper and Charlene Lee, the notice shortly to be read by everyone around the globe - that this notice was a masterpiece.

Everyone would be getting a payout simply for existing! What was more, it would be paid in real money that didn"t constantly lose value, almost from day to day! It would be paid out with no questions asked! And all debts would be erased!

The announcement wisely didn"t mention increased taxes. It didn"t warn that before long, all existing money would simply cease being legal tender. It didn"t say it couldn"t be converted to the new global currency. It didn"t say that the new guaranteed minimum income would be just enough to keep breathing.

But it promised a better future in such strong terms that it simply had to be true. And it was.

Civilization had just hit rock bottom. It had nowhere to go but up.

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