Ambassador Steven Younger returned to the UAC on the first military transport flight out of Jaipur with troops from General Clark’s Division. The flight was direct to Utopias, the capital of United Americas Continent located in what was originally called St. Louis. It took just under nineteen hours. India is eleven hours and thirty minutes ahead of Missouri time, so it was around one-thirty pm local time when the plane landed at St. Louis International Airport.
Steven was glad to be home in the UAC after two long years in India. He was originally from Chicago, Illinois where he lived and worked as a Professor of International Studies at Northwestern University until he was appointed as ambassador to India in 2094 by the previous president. He planned to return to Chicago after his planned meeting with President Ricardo Juan Carlos later this afternoon after he had time to freshen up from his very long flight on a crowded plane.
The troops he flew home with would travel on buses for the short two and a half hour trip to their military base at Fort Leonard Wood located 140 miles southwest of Utopias. From what Steven could discern, most of the soldiers seemed very glad to be returning home after two years of fighting overseas, although more than a few expressed concerns over what they might find in living conditions back in the UAC. It seemed to Steven the air he breathed was just as polluted here in the megacity as found in India during his travels. The environment was definitely getting worse each year for humans no matter where Steven traveled. He knew things would not improve without drastic intervention by governments worldwide working together to solve the Climate Crisis. He hoped President Carlos was up to the task to save the world.
Steven took a driverless taxi to the nearest hotel downtown near the Capitol Building and within walking distance of the UAC Gateway Arch. He could see the new Silver Star atop the 640 foot arch that stood near the great Mississippi riverfront. The star represented all the Provinces in the Western Hemisphere controlled by the UAC composed of the former United States, Canada, Central America, South America and Caribbean countries. It was placed on top of the arch when the U.S. Capitol was relocated to Old Saint Louis in Utopias after the merger of all North America countries in 2084 in response to the Plague Wars that began overseas and continued to this day.
Outside of the megacities, lies what is now called Wilderness Areas. Most of the population that used to live in small towns and cities in these so called Wilderness Areas had moved to large megalopolises or megacities that were scattered by region in the UAC. Steven’s family was among those families that chose to leave their small rural town to live in a megacity where quality of life was better and more secure.
Utopias was a large megacity, one of 19 megacities that included six (6) megalopolises named Utopias (the government capital), New Philadelphia, Charatlanta, Dalhouston, Los Phoenix and Vanseattle in what used to be called the United States. Three (3) other megalopolises existed in the former country of Canada and ten (10) existed in Central/South America. Most of the original big coastal cities were now under 20 feet of sea water due to the melting of the ice sheets in Antarctica and all of Greenland.
By World Federation’s latest estimates in 2096, there were 1.1 billion people left in the world out of 8.5 billion. There were around 500 million people living in the UAC and around 600 million people still alive in the EF and European Provinces. Each megacity had around 450,000 to 600,000 survivors each. The death toll on Earth this century was so monstrous; people had become numb to the totals. No country in the world had escaped the ravages caused by the Climate Crisis, diseases and wars. It was truly a mass extinction level event and humans have very little time left to save themselves.
The UAC government operated out of the new Capitol Building in Utopias headquartered in Old Saint Louis in the state of Missouri. There were approximately 600,000 residents living in the megacity that extended from the old city of Saint Louis, through Chicago all the way to Milwaukee. Steven had been to the Capitol Building one time when he met with the previous president. He was not sure what President Carlos wanted to discuss with him this afternoon. He expected to be told his job as ambassador was at an end, or he would be asked to serve in another country, but this was highly unlikely due to present world conditions. Steven fully expected to be relieved of his job and return to teaching at his old university in Chicago. He would know soon enough. For now, he needed some time to recover from his flight and maybe a good meal at the hotel.
Steven woke up from a short nap at the hotel at 3 pm. His meeting with the president was scheduled for 4 pm. He freshened up and put on a clean dark suit and tie for the occasion. A taxi was waiting for him in front of the hotel for the short ride to the Capitol Building.
The Capitol Building was located in downtown Old Saint Louis not far from the Old St. Louis Country Courthouse and Gateway Arch, which was still a National Park along the Mississippi River. The new UAC Capitol Building complex was completed in 2085 to house the UAC Federal Government and Congress after the old U.S. government buildings had to be abandoned due to high water levels. The building was modeled on the former U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. with its neoclassical architecture style. There was no need for larger government facilities since the population left to govern on the whole continent was greatly reduced.
Steven was greeted at the front door by one of the aids to the president. She led him through the ornate lobby to the elevators and they rode to the top floor where the president’s Oval Office was located. Steven waited a few moments at the door and chatted with a nice lady named, Kathy who was the Administrative Assistant to President Carlos. When her deskcom buzzed, Steven was told he could enter the Oval Office.
“Welcome home, Ambassador Younger!” Ricardo said loudly as he walked around his desk to shake Steven’s hand. The fifty-seven year old president looked fit and smiled warmly with his brown eyes and graying hair around the temples.
“Thank you, Mister President. It’s good to be back on UAC soil.”
Ricardo pointed to the couch in the middle of the room for Steven to take a seat.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m fine for now.”
“Very good. Tell me, how was your trip home. I heard you flew back with the troops from Fort Leonard Wood based here in Missouri.”
“It was a long flight, Mister President, but we made it back safely. It feels good to be back home.”
“I imagine it is with what’s going on in the world. How were things in India before you left? I was told by my generals the fighting with the Chinese was bad.”
“India has suffered from the Climate Crisis as much if not more than most Provinces in Asia, Mister President. It is too hot and dry in much of the country to grow enough food to feed their people who survived the plagues and wars over the past ten years. I served there for two years and I have never seen so much disease and death in a country before.
“As for the fighting with the Chinese, it was bad, Mister President. India didn’t have much of a chance in defeating Premier Wing’s army. I heard President Khatri surrendered soon after we left New Delhi for Jaipur, which I believe was the right decision for his country.
“However, I’m also convinced this will not be the end of Premier Wing’s aggression in Asia. He plans to invade the European Union Provinces next, as soon as India is under his Eurasia Federation rule.”
Ricardo nodded his head in agreement with Steven. This was his first meeting with the ambassador. He had read his file and was impressed with his experience and knowledge of the situation and what humanity was facing. He said, “I am aware of Premier Wing’s ambitions and goals in the region. He has made it very clear in the World Federation Security Council his plans for the Eastern Hemisphere.
“I heard you met the Director-General George Durant who was in India with you meeting with President Khatri before you both left. Did he say anything about the WF plans for saving humanity?”
Steven was surprised at the question, but then he remembered something George had told him before leaving the country. “I knew George when he was governor of Illinois and I was a professor at Northwestern University in Chicago. We discussed WF plans to construct underground bunkers to hold cryostasis chambers to be used to save what’s left of humanity from this Climate Crisis.
“George said to ask you about other secret plans the WF has to save us from extinction if you are able to tell me, Mister President. I’m also curious as to why you wanted to meet with me in person, Mister President.
“That is one of the reasons I wanted to talk with you, Ambassador. May I call you Steven?”
“Certainly, Mister President.”
“When I was elected president I promised the citizens of the UAC that there were solutions we could use to save us from extinction. One of them was to build underground bunkers to protect us from war with our enemies and also to house cryosleep chambers we would need to save humanity. What I did not tell our citizens yet was what we also needed to help save the environment and us in the process—the use of humanoid androids with artificial intelligence or AI. It’s the only way to reverse the damage humans have done to the planet while we sleep for the next one hundred or more years.”
Steven didn’t know what to say to that surprising news at first. Finally, he said, “That may be a very hard thing for the public to accept once they find out, Mister President.”
“I believe you’re right, Ambassador. That’s why I’m going to need your help.”