"Ken Jenks - Created Equal" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jenks Ken)

Health care was in a shambles. Nobody knew more than basic first aid. There were no more dentists, midwives, doctors or surgeons. People who got sick either got better or died.

Power plants started to go off-line. Chemical plants and refineries were being shut down cautiously. Oil rigs, too. There were major industrial accidents in Germany, France, China and Russia, where the labels and manuals for all equipment were suddenly incomprehensible to the intelligent but suddenly ignorant operators. The trucking industry ground to a halt until drivers could figure out how to drive and where to deliver their loads. Nobody knew how to run a railroad, oil tanker, cargo ship or barge.

Computer networks, radio and television stations and telephone switchboards around the world were a mess. Automatic equipment still worked, mostly, but when it broke it stayed dead unless there was a good repair manual handy, written in English. If I didn't know something, nobody did. Financial markets closed. The infrastructure crumbled fast.

The astronauts were in trouble. Seven on the shuttle and four on the space station were stranded. The seven on the shuttle had enough food for a few more days, but they weren't sure about the oxygen. They didn't know how to land. Nobody knew how to launch a rocket to rescue them, either. The four on the station had perfectly clear directions for the emergency escape capsules, but they didn't want to abandon ship yet. They'd never get back up. Space travel was a lost art. People in Houston and Star City were working on it.

Ivar finally ran down. I was impressed, and I told him so. He'd assembled a huge amount of information in a very short time. He just smiled and said that everyone was very cooperative.

* * *

The press conference was odd. Already, I was finding differences in the way people acted based on their roles in the new world order and their experiences since the Transformation. Katie was the unquestioned leader of my loyal following. My group of advisors stood by my side at the WCIA TV studio on Neil Street. People bustled about the station, setting the lights, stage and cameras for the broadcast. The satellites were all working, and folks had time to figure out how to run the ground stations. I was astonished how quickly people learned these new skills.



The station manager, Kiwa, greeted Ivar warmly and kissed Katie's hand. She blushed and I don't blame her. He just shook mine.

Our discussion in the conference room at the hotel had magically turned into a printed timeline for the broadcast. I tried to give an inspirational speech during my ten minutes, but I wasn't impressed with myself. Ivar gave a terrific briefing on the state of the world, with badly photographed video clips and poorly-made audio. He added some information about shipwrecks and people lost in wilderness areas. Anastasia talked about finances, names and job assignments. Georgia talked about the animals and suggested that everybody head to the nearest library and learn a new skill, any new skill, as soon as possible. Then came Katie's turn.

She was dressed in her tailored business suit, you know, the one with the big gold buttons. Her hair was up and she wasn't wearing any makeup. Every eye was on her. She was the planet's sweetheart, loved by everybody on earth. She told about Dr. K and the chimp, then she changed the subject.

"We have to face the possibility," she said, "that none of us will ever recover our memories. We might be partly Mitch Stevens for the rest of our lives. Although it means a lot of hard work and many losses, it's not at all bad being Mitch." She looked directly at the camera as she continued. "Mitch Stevens, you're a good human being. You're bright, you're witty, you learn fast, and you have a respect for life and a capability to love that is second to none, before or after the Transformation. You are all that has ever been good in humanity, and I'm proud to be Mitch Stevens. I find myself changing and growing already, different from the man you were when you sat in that chair. I know that everyone around me is changing, too.

"On January 14, 1999, we were all created equal, but now we're learning and growing. We are not just Mitch Stevens. We are the human race, and we will survive and thrive. We will change, and we will grow. We'll probably even squabble and fight again. That's part of what it means to be human. But you people, everywhere, have now broken the cycle of violence and poverty. You've broken the chains of addictions. You are all literate, educated and highly skilled. In this accident, we have achieved peace throughout the world. But the cost is terrible. We have lost art. We have lost history. We have lost language and music and theater. We have lost every bit of culture but that known by Mitch Stevens, the physics major who avoided humanities classes. We must reclaim them all.

"Dictators and censors for all of history have tried to make all people think the same way, the 'right' way. That horrible goal has been achieved. We all think alike. There is no more variety in humanity. Even if it means the return of war and suffering, we must apply the vast resources of entire whole planet toward reversing this terrible tragedy, the mental and spiritual death of every person on the planet but one. Mitch Stevens is a wonderful human being, but there's so much more to humanity than Mitch Stevens."

"At the bottom of the box, there is hope. People and animals born after the Transformation have minds of their own. Those of you with these children will face special problems, bringing them up in a world full of grad student children. But learn the skills, Mitch Stevens. Learn to be a good parent. Learn to be a teacher. Learn to be a farmer, a doctor, a painter, poet and even a priest. The future of the human race is in your hands." There were tears in her eyes when she finished, "I love you, Mitch."

We all cried and hugged each other in the studio. The cameras stayed on, so billions watched us celebrate.

* * *

We pushed hard in laboratories around the world. We learned some of the secrets of thought transmission, but there were some experiments we didn't dare perform on earth. My mental state, the experimental drug, my antimatter research, and the work of Dr. K may all have combined to cause the Transformation. Maybe even Mountain Dew. We may never know. We're setting up a base on the moon to continue the research. I wonder if a quarter million miles is far enough.



Memories began resurfacing after a few months. In a year, everyone was back to their former selves, but people also retained my memories. Everyone was me plus themselves. (Except for me. I'm just Mitch.) Animals faded back to their old levels of instinct and intelligence. Mostly. Some animals retained a few of my memories and skills and even passed them on to their young. Dolphins and apes are now much closer to sentience. There is no cage in the world that will hold a raccoon. Cats are downright frightening.

After a brief setback, the world economy is booming like never before. The cycles of ignorance, violence, poverty and crime seem to have been broken forever. Universal literacy and the complete destruction of all firearms and military machinery undoubtedly contributed to the lasting peace. I'd like to think that the little part of me still present in everybody also helps.

Aviation and antimatter research both surged forward. When everybody's an expert, it's no wonder. I never did get to finish my dissertation. They gave me my Ph.D. anyway.

Katie finished her research. She's now an advisor for the World Bank. She says she feels like everybody's ex-girlfriend. She finally agreed to marry me. At first, she said that would be redundant. It's going to be a wedding the world will never forget. Five billion of our closest friends are going to throw one hell of a party.