Immortal

IMMORTAL

By A. M. McNALLY

Immortal

Published by A.M. McNally at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 A. M. McNally

Cover image by Olivia Gabrielle Addison

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For my husband, Stevie,

who always believes in me.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

‘You should go home, Amari,’ Ambrose said with a smile, as he tapped new data into his computer. ‘Get some sleep before the big night.’

‘I don’t need sleep. I just need tomorrow to go exactly according to plan.’

‘This is so like you. If you weren’t immortal, I’d worry you may die of exhaustion,’ he glanced at her, smiling again, and confirmed changes in the simulation.

‘Well, you needn’t worry about me, do you, as I certainly am immortal. Just got my annual shot today, as a matter of fact.’

‘What? It’s your immortali day and you didn’t say a word? We must celebrate!’

‘We’ll celebrate when this is over. Right now all I want is to make sure The Universe gets launched in style.’

‘It will. Ok, that’s done. Is there anything else?’

‘Just one other thing in the Sun. I think we need an extra second between the dimming of the lights and the walls going transparent. Four seconds isn’t enough, people will need more time to adjust and fully appreciate it.’

‘Ok, no problem. Give me a minute.’

She watched his hologram as he worked, fast and competent as always. It took her weeks of interviewing to find the right man for the job, but it was time well spent.

‘How’s your new idatron, by the way?’ Ambrose asked her, still busy adjusting the simulation.

‘It’s brilliant, actually,’ she said, glancing at the small, trapezoid-shaped device lying in front of her. Ambrose’s hologram was beaming from the slit cutting across its top. ‘Thanks for helping me configure it.’

‘No problem. Is it more accurate, then?’

‘By a hundred light years. I don’t know what I would’ve done without it these last few weeks. The old one only complicated my work if I wasn’t fully focused, but the new one reads me perfectly even when I’m shattered.’

‘Glad to hear that. Okey-dokey,’ he announced, ‘that’s done now as well. Will madam be requiring anything else this evening?’ she couldn’t help but smile back at him, despite stress and exhaustion.

‘No, that should be perfect now. Thanks a lot, Ambie.’

‘My pleasure.’

His hologram shrunk into a green line and disappeared as if sucked into her idatron. Ten years ago, she thought, making a couple of adjustments like that would have taken hours. Life without idatrons seemed almost as distant as cars running on fossil fuels.

Amaranthine sent another mental signal to her idatron, ordering it to connect her with Perenelle. The device read her will perfectly, and a couple of seconds later her PA’s slim figure, dressed in a skirt suit, appeared in the middle of her office. Amaranthine could see the main bar of The Universe in the background. Perenelle was in Ground Zero, seeing to last-minute details.

‘Hi Penny. How is it going down there?’

‘Hey boss. It’s all under control.’

‘Have you checked the guest list? Has everyone confirmed?’

‘Yes, they have. Apart from Dr. Life, of course, but I have a sneaky feeling he might turn up for this one, Amari. Wouldn’t it be something?’ excitement lit up her eyes.

‘I wouldn’t count on it.’ Amaranthine was not surprised at her PA’s high hopes, but refused to give in to them. Dr. Life, the inventor of the Cure, was naturally on everyone’s A list, and few could say they were personally acquainted with him. But Amari was a professional and she never mixed business with emotions. And as far as Dr. Life was concerned, she knew this: ever since she started in PR, she has invited him to at least 30 top events and he’s only turned up once, for a party that was in honor of one of his best friends.

‘He does have to go out sometimes!’ Perenelle persisted. ‘And The Universe’s opening night will be amazing.’

‘Let’s stop speculating,’ Amaranthine cut her off. ‘Have all the media people confirmed as well?’

‘Yes, even Constantine Spencer! I can’t believe you managed to get him on board. I mean, he’s the top reporter of The Immortal Times! How did you do it?’ there was a note of jealous admiration in her voice.

‘That’s good, thanks.’ Again, Amaranthine remained businesslike. ‘Could you make sure that the caterers have got everything ready, please, and then I suppose you can go home. Be there tomorrow at 5 pm, ok? I’m going to need you in case something comes up.’

‘Sure, no problem. See you on the big night, then!’

The projection disappeared. Amaranthine glanced at the time – it was one-thirty in the morning. Deciding that there was nothing else she could perfect tonight, she stood up and put on her shawl and coat, summoning her hovercar at the same time via a mental signal.

Waiting for her vehicle, she admired the spectacular cityscape of New York City, something she hadn’t had a chance to do all night. Recent nights had been freezing, but the air was so clear, not a speck of dust or vapor blurring the city lights that stretched for miles ahead.

It’s already December 25th, 2105, she thought. My immortali day came and passed without me even noticing. But The Universe project is far more important. After all, it’s not every day one gets to work on the launch of the first ever hovering nightclub in the world, the venue that’s on the lips of every trendy Immortal not only in New York, but all of the United States and half the planet. We’re making history here, so my immortali day drinks can wait. Not to mention I’ve spent 6 months on this project and it’s all coming to a head in less than 20 hours.

A sleek, streamlined vehicle approached the transparent wall of her office and hovered patiently outside. The powerful humming of the engines reached her ears as a perfect rectangle of the portal tore itself from the wall and slowly lowered out towards the hovercar. She still felt uneasy stepping on plastglass platforms, despite having them installed in the office as well as at home, for a few years now.

She inhaled fresh, clean air, and glanced at the city stretching below, dozens of skyscrapers girdled with multi-leveled traffic of hovermobiles. It looked like a beehive, only a perfectly organized one, as if the bees sat on invisible ribbons entwining the buildings. Traffic wasn’t heavy at this time of night; only two out of the five hoverways were still fairly busy. 140 floors down a thick white carpet of snow coated the ground.

The platform sealed back into her office wall as her hovercar’s hatch closed. She tried to relax in her seat. As usual, she didn’t fully succeed, despite the reassuring gleam of the Safety Panel.

The hovermobile flew down, accelerating gently as it joined the fifth level of New York City’s hover traffic.

Amaranthine was home within a few minutes of leaving the office. Her apartment was on the top floor of a hundred-storey building and offered a superb view of New York, maybe not as overwhelming as her office, but the 50-mile distance let her see the whole of the city as if on the palm of her hand.

The hovermobile dropped her off at the portal and lowered itself down to the charging station located on the fifth floor. She watched the edges of the portal merge into the plastglass wall without a seam, locking her in the warmth of her apartment.

‘Welcome home, Amaranthine. How was your day?’ dulcet, ubiquitous voice welcomed her. ‘You must be tired. Did you have to work late again?’

‘Yeah,’ she said, taking off her shoes and coat. ‘It’s the opening night in less than 20 hours, so I had to make sure every angle is covered.’

She could answer with a mental signal, but she enjoyed communicating with Eiko through voice. Also, the manufacturer recommended it, as it apparently helped the computer tune in better with the user’s mind and interpret her thoughts more precisely. ‘We filter out too much when we speak,’ the engineer had explained to her. ‘But our voice gives away more than we realize. The computer analyzes your tone, timbre and intonation, compares it with the message it’s getting from your brain and guesses what you really want, rather than what you say you want – or what you think you want. After a time, it’ll learn your brain wave patterns so well, it’ll answer a question before you even become aware you want to ask it.’

‘I understand,’ said Eiko. Amari liked the sound of her voice, the product of a few hours spent in a lab, having her brain waves analyzed as she listened to various messages played in different voicefonts to find that most comforting one.

‘Would you like me to fix you a drink?’ asked Eiko, getting her out of the daydream.

‘That would be nice. I’ll have an...’

‘Ambrosia?’ offered Eiko, when it was clear Amaranthine won’t finish her sentence. She was a mind-reading computer, but she had her manners, too.

‘Yes, please.’

Amaranthine took off her jacket as she crossed her spacious, luxuriously yet sparingly furnished living room. She threw the coat onto the big sofa on the way to the bathroom. By the time she returned, her drink was waiting underneath a stain-glass hatch in the middle of the bar area. She picked up the frosted glass and sipped with delight. It was her favorite cocktail and Eiko made it perfectly every time.

Eiko also changed the lighting in her short absence. It was dimmed now, creating quaint shade effects on the walls and windows.

She went over to the sofa and sank into it, enjoying the softness and comfort. She loved her apartment, every piece of furniture, every device, every function being there purely for the purpose of making her comfortable.

‘I had a new relaxation program uploaded today,’ said Eiko. ‘Would you like to try it out?’

‘Sure, why not.’ Amaranthine stretched on the sofa, which immediately bulged up in all the right places to adjust itself to the curves of her body. ‘What have you got?’

‘Let me make it a surprise. Would you like the olfactory effects on?’

‘Mmm. Well, if you recommend them, I’ll try anything. You know my taste better than myself.’

‘Make yourself comfortable.’

Amaranthine took a sip of her drink and put it away, then relaxed in anticipation.

Quickly yet smoothly, her living room transformed. She wasn’t lying on a sofa anymore; she was suspended between the ground and the sky, supported only by a hammock stretched between two giant trees growing in the middle of a tropical rainforest. The jungle was lit up by brilliant sunshine, sunrays beaming through the thick canopy high above her head and reflecting on the huge drops of recent rain that she could smell in the hot, humid air. It was majestically quiet at first, as if it was enjoying the moment as much as she was. Then she started hearing songs of invisible birds, steps of animals on the ground down below and rustling in the treetops. She sat up and looked around her – and then she noticed them. A couple of quetzals, the birds of paradise, displaying their brilliantly colored feathers and long tails. Prompted by a nearby rustling noise, she looked the other way and saw a large orangutan pass so close that she could touch it if she stretched out her arm. She inhaled the smell of the forest, soaking up its beauty and dignity.

‘That was amazing, thanks, Eiko,’ she said when the program ended and she returned to reality, to her sofa and her favorite cocktail standing on the low table. She really did feel relaxed, the tension of the long day that lingered in her muscles miraculously eased and the stress of the day ahead warded off.

How great it is to be able to see all of those amazing places without having to leave the safety and comfort of your apartment, she thought as she picked up the idatron and headed for the bedroom. The living room lights faded away behind her. Especially that half of them are in countries or areas that aren’t yet covered with hovertraffic control systems, so you couldn’t physically go there even if you wanted to, unless you had a hoverpilot’s license.

She placed the idatron on the charging station on the bedside table. As soon as she sank into her big, soft bed, the sateen sheets stroking her skin, her bedroom was wrapped in perfect darkness.

CHAPTER TWO

Amaranthine woke up relaxed and excited about the day ahead. Six months of hard work is about to pay off, she thought as she rolled over in her bed and looked at the time. The digits hovering just above her idatron read 08:12. She looked at the windows that covered the whole east wall of her bedroom. She had a feeling it was a bright day outside. This time she chose to communicate with Eiko non-verbally. As if by touch of a magic wand and in synch with her pupil dilation, the windows brightened up, losing the black-out film and became transparent, revealing the view outside. Just as she’d predicted, the weather was stunning.

‘Morning, Eiko,’ she said.

‘Good morning, Amaranthine. Did you sleep well?’

‘I did, thanks.’

‘Would you like your coffee in bed?’

‘No, I’ll have it in the living room,’ she said, getting up. ‘I want to catch up on some news, otherwise I’ll embarrass myself tonight. I haven’t had a chance to watch anything for two weeks.’

‘Your coffee will be ready as soon as you’ve had your shower.’

‘Great, thanks,’ she said, making her way to the bathroom.

In the shower, she went over the opening ceremony plan in her head, but she didn’t find anything that should be adjusted. Everything was perfect, just as it should be. All she needed to do now was to get herself ready. She wondered what time Phoenix would arrive from Sydney. Hopefully the high-profile duovitaery case he was working on wouldn’t keep him there till late. As far as she remembered, he was to be in court for the last session this week before midnight last night, New York time. Then he’d just need to wrap it up and would be free to get back to the States.

She dried her hair in a towel and began brushing it.

‘Eiko,’ she remembered suddenly, ‘did you get those new designs for my hairstyling machine?’

‘Yes, they came through yesterday. Would you like to try them out?’

‘Yes, show me what you’ve got,’ she said, sitting down on the armchair in the corner of her bathroom. Immediately, Eiko started the projection. Various hair styles, all specially selected to suit the length and type of her hair, appeared in front of her face. She looked through them briefly, letting Eiko read her first, involuntary impressions and shortlist the hairstyles she favored. Mind-reading computers are great, she thought. No more endless wondering, does it match the outfit or not, does it suit me or not, is it appropriate for the occasion? Eiko had all the answers without her having to even verbalize her doubts.

In the end, she had it narrowed down to two hairstyles that were equally good.

‘Why don’t we try this one,’ she said, looking at an elaborate pin-up surrounded with soft, wavy strands. ‘How long does it take?’

‘Fourteen minutes.’

‘Ok, go ahead.’

The projection disappeared. As she sat back, the seat slid backwards and positioned itself at the wall, Amari’s head directly underneath the hull of the hairstyling machine. As it started to lower itself, hiding her head completely, she relaxed and closed her eyes.

It started with a head massage as usual, the synthetic hands soft, yet firm and competent on her scalp. Then she felt the brushes moving through the whole length of her hair, sorting out all tangles with gentle pulls. At the same time, the dryers kicked in, humming steadily. She knew by the slight wet sensation and the smell that the hair volumizer was also being applied through the bristles.

After a few minutes of gentle tugging and pulling, the machine lifted itself up back to the original position, and the seat turned to the left, letting Amari assess the result in the mirror.

She smiled, happy with the result.

‘That’s good, Eiko, but we may try the other one out later,’ she announced. ‘Depends on which gown I go for.’

She went over to the living room, sat down on her sofa and reached out for the big steaming cup of coffee waiting for her on the low table.

‘Ok, Eiko, show me what’s been happening in the world.’

Eiko dimmed the light a little for better contrast, and started playing the news. It was a compilation of the most recent events, material sourced from a few media reports to provide the most concise information.

The first item was dated December 9th. Fourteen days ago.

‘A group of teenagers, majority of them female, are protesting this morning in front of The Immortality Institute, demanding yet again the lowering of the age from which the Cure can be administered to humans,’ the presenter said. ‘Constantine has the story.’

The camera showed the famous reporter standing outside the entrance to an octagonal skyscraper in the heart of Manhattan – the best-known building in the world. Amaranthine knew that if the camera zoomed out, she’d see her own office building just two hundred yards to the right.

‘Thanks, Eilam,’ Constantine said. ‘Indeed, the members and supporters of The Under-TAMI Agers Confederation have once again gathered here, in front of Dr. Life’s Immortality Institute in New York City to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the minimum age at which a person can start taking the Cure. I have the president of the Confederation, Miss Sarah Robertson, here with me. Miss Robertson, what is the purpose of today’s demonstration?’

Amaranthine recognized the red-haired girl. She had seen her in the previous reports from The Confederation protests. She wore the same, brightly colored scarf as the last time, now matched with a red jacket and huge black boots. Her skirt was the length of a figure skater’s and her fluorescent-green fingernails were like a pangolin’s claws.

‘Like you said, we think it’s crazy to keep us all mortal till we’re 25,’ she replied. ‘I mean, like, it’s been 90 years since it’s been invented and everybody takes it when they turn 25 anyway. There are tons of reasons why we should be allowed to take it as early as we want.’

‘Which reasons do you have in mind precisely?’ asked Constantine.

‘Well, first of all, it’s not like we can’t stop taking it later, right? So what’s the difference when we start? Then there are dozens of cases of young people suffering from illness and having to spend hours in hospitals to be treated – I myself was forced to waste two whole days getting rid of the HIV virus the other month. A friend of mine got leukemia and had to take the whole WEEK out of her life! And many conditions that hit us by the age of 25, are irreversible! Like the loss of collagen in the skin. Whereas if we were allowed to become immortal in our teenage years, all these troubles could easily be avoided and we’d all be much happier. The Cure would prevent us from developing all sorts of diseases.’

So it’s about the wrinkles all over again, Amaranthine thought. They all want to look 16 for the rest of their lives. They’ve no chance.

‘Thank you, Miss Robertson’ said Constantine. ‘And I believe my partner correspondent, Helios Lloyd, is inside The Institute, with Dr. Life’s spokesman, who will be able to deliver Doctor’s point of view on the matter.’

The camera returned to the studio for a moment. ‘Thank you, Constantine,’ the presenter said. ‘Helios, over to you.’

Helios Lloyd was another iconic reporter of The Immortal Times Channel. Not as charismatic as Constantine Spencer, but just as famous. The camera showed him inside the Institute, sitting at a round wooden table.

‘Good morning to you all. I have Mr. Tsuneo Walker, Dr. Life’s colleague, friend and spokesman of many years, here with me,’ he said, at which the camera focused on Mr. Walker, his face unruffled as always. Whenever she saw him speak in public, particularly on the matter of minimal Cure administration age, Amaranthine could not help the feeling that he was internally amused.

‘Good morning, Mr. Walker, and thank you for having us here today. You’ve heard Miss Robertson speaking a minute ago here on The Immortal News. What do you make of her arguments for the lowering of the minimum age at which one can become immortal?’

‘Good morning ladies and gentlemen,’ he began. ‘Well, this isn’t the first time crowds of very young people gather outside our door demanding changes of rules regarding the administration of the Cure. We admire their spirit and appreciate their interest in becoming users of our product, commonly known as the Cure. We hear and consider their argumentation for the Cure’s availability for humans younger than 25 and we assure them that all the pros and cons, based on current research and evidence, are being carefully considered on a continuous basis. However, we feel that at this stage, the historic consensus achieved in 2026 between The Immortal Institute and the governments of all democratic countries in the world is still, in our view, the best practice for humanity’s use of the Cure. All arguments that constituted to TAMI, The Act of Mortality and Immortality, are still valid and binding, and the main one is that an average human is not developed enough psychologically to be able to make such an important decision at a younger age. Please note that whilst we are the owners of the patent and the only manufacturers of the Cure, we have never claimed to have the right to sell it to people at will; instead, we have always co-operated with the public via their democratically elected authorities and have always sought the best possible solutions. This policy has not changed in over nine decades, and it never will. TAMI is a binding law and even if we wanted to, we could not just change it at will.’

‘The Confederation representatives claim that numerous diseases, such as HIV infection or cancer could be avoided in under-twenty-five-year-olds if they were allowed to become immortal at an earlier age,’ Helios Lloyd replied. ‘Those illnesses are now keeping them away from their studies or work if a treatment is required. I hear what you say about TAMI, but it’s only natural that The Institute should have the biggest say when it comes to potential revisions or amendments to The Act.’

‘You are overestimating our powers, Mr. Lloyd,’ the spokesman smiled. ‘But that’s beside the point. We hear the Confederation’s arguments, however, we still don’t feel they are valid enough to even consider a revision of TAMI. Let me remind you that 90 years ago, before the Cure was invented, the diseases Miss Robertson mentioned were fatal in most cases, or required very serious treatments that took months or even years. Thanks to the invention of the Cure and its derivatives, it’s now the case of a few hours or days. I am sure that the study or work time loss incurred by those – trivial today – infections, can easily be made up for in the hundreds of years that young people can look forward to living nowadays.’

‘Thank you very much for your comments on that, Mr. Walker,’ Lloyd concluded. ‘Would you mind me asking one more question regarding the rumored plans of upgrading the security system in The Institute?’

This was another standard question that Mr. Walker was asked at every possible occasion. Safety of the formula, production plants and stocks of The Cure were the top priority of not only The Immortality Institute, but also the governments of all the countries in the world in which the medicament was available and was always in the public’s center of attention, especially since the infamous attempted break-in at the Institute five years ago.

‘I’m afraid I am not at liberty to confirm or deny this information, Mr. Lloyd,’ replied Mr. Walker. ‘Let me reassure you, though, that The Cure’s formula, production process and stocks are perfectly well protected.’

No dramas there, then, Amaranthine thought, sipping her coffee. Same old. As usual, the youngsters are trying any arguments they can think of to change TAMI, but they are kidding themselves, because let’s face it, who’s going to support their cause? The people who had to wait themselves till they were twenty-five to become immortal and will always look twenty-five? These kids will understand this as soon as they reach TAMI age. You will not hear a word from them then.

‘So, it seems that yet another demonstration by The Confederation members will not bring their desired results,’ concluded the presenter. ‘And now the latest news in the Athos Morrison scandal.’

Amaranthine frowned.

‘After it’s been revealed in September this year that the famous Hollywood movie producer has been leading a double life, enjoying both immortality and having children with a mortal partner living on the outskirts of LA, his trial is about to reach its conclusion in the California High Court in a couple of weeks’ time. According to our source close to the case, the defense line chosen by Mr. Morrison’s advocates is that the accused has had the intention of giving up his immortality since the birth of his first child, in accordance with TAMI. His failure to do so up to this moment was apparently due to distress caused by sudden fear of old age and death,’ the presenter could not help a note of gibe at that. ‘This argument is not expected to be strong enough to convince the judges. If convicted, Mr. Morrison faces up to 10 years in prison, on top of, obviously, an irrevocable ban of using the Cure and a fine of up to $5m.’

Plus a complete and utter exclusion from the world of the Immortals, Amaranthine added in her mind. No more doing business with them, socializing with them, or being a part of their world in any shape or form. And since the Immortals were 85% of the world’s population, it meant a dull existence on the outskirts of real life.

If there was one thing that the Immortals did not forgive, it was duovitaery. It meant leading ‘double life’ – taking the Cure whilst having children – and was considered the worst crime an Immortal could commit. First, because it meant the violation of TAMI, the law act that ensured a balanced human population on Earth since its signing in 2026. More importantly, though, it meant the betrayal of the values that to the Immortals were hard and fast: continuing the human race through re-births after immortality was made possible, was not only wasteful and shortsighted, but downright stupid. It slowed down the advancement of technology that would allow people to find other planets fit for human habitation and thus the day when everyone could have both: immortality and offspring. Therefore the severe punishments – not severe enough in Amaranthine’s view – were essential.

‘This is the fifth high-profile duovitaery scandal this year,’ the report went on. ‘And it has once again flared up the discussion whether hormonal contraceptives should be compulsorily administered to all Immortals. The supporters of this solution argue that it would solve the problem once and for all and that it is easily enough done, considering all Immortals have to visit an immortality clinic every year to have the Cure administered. It would also save law enforcement a lot of money that is now being spent on investigating a rising number of duovitaery cases and prosecuting the offenders. The opponents, on the other hand, point out that forcing everyone to take hormonal contraceptives would be a violation of human rights, as well as being highly complicated or even impossible to carry out, considering the many types of contraceptives that are in use today. However, the newest annual report of The World Population Control Commission, published just last week, may tip the scales in favor of the supporters of compulsory contraceptives. It shows once again an alarming growth in human population within the last year – two hundred and fifty thousand over the critical figure of fifteen billion humans that our planet is capable of sustaining. In fact, it’s been noted that the severity of punishments in duovitaery cases has already risen ever since the report was published. Worldwide, imprisonment sentences given in the last week were statistically 6 months longer, and the financial fines 30% higher compared with the pre-report data.’

So they are finally doing something about it, Amaranthine thought. Though still not enough. The duovitaerers’ selfishness, irresponsibility and cowardice, their utter stupidity and weakness, have always made her angry. Unfortunately, the next piece of news was not to cheer her up.

‘Mrs. President Rodriguez’s administration refused to comment on the rumored changes in the federal budget proposal for the fiscal year 2106/2107,’ it started. ‘A heated debate once again erupted in the Congress between The Immortal Republican Party, The Immortal Democratic Party and The Mortal United Party representatives after several globenet networks speculated on a possible shift of funds from the Universe Exploration Program to Primary Education and Environmental funds. New York State representative, Hermes Campbell, from TIDP called the potential changes unacceptable. He said: As it stands, the Immortal community is bringing the United States budget nearly 100% of its revenue, effectively financing the vast majority of vital government projects. The Mortals still enjoy numerous, obsolete family benefits and tax allowances, and on top of that, claim controversially high pensions. I strongly believe the list of Mortals’ privileges in our society is long enough already and further cuts of funds for projects as crucial to our future as the Universe Exploration Project, ranked as a priority by the whole Immortal community, would be grossly unfair, wasteful and irresponsible. The Mortal representatives criticized Mr. Campbell’s statement, calling it biased and once again pointing out the personal, financial, emotional and psychological sacrifices that the Mortal community endures, whilst bringing new members into the society. These new members, they added, if provided with high-quality education, will greatly contribute to the future of the society and therefore deserve this crucial investment.’

How typical of the Mortals, Amaranthine thought. All we hear from them is how their children will contribute to the society in the future. It’s easy to shift the responsibility to someone else, rather than taking on the challenge of making a contribution themselves, here and now.

‘We will no doubt hear more arguments from both sides in this on-going debate, and as the deadline for the budget proposal in two months’ time approaches, Mrs. President will have to clarify her stance on this sensitive issue.’

‘Next on The Immortal News, the latest update on the introduction of the sixth hoverway in New York City. In the statement released today, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation announced that the testing of the sixth level has been successfully completed and the software will be available for downloading from the MOT globesite as of January 1st, 2106. So in less than six days, it will be fully accessible.’

Finally something constructive, Amari thought.

‘Tonight’s the night of the long anticipated launch of The Universe nightclub, which is rumored to be the most spectacular venue in history,’ the channel reported next. Amari’s heart jumped. ‘However, the only concrete detail we know about it is that it’s the first hovering nightclub in the world. The venue has been concealed with an invisibility field since day one and all the contractors, engineers and PR specialists working with its creator, Mr. Paramonos of Paramonos Enterprises, are sworn to secrecy. All details regarding this mysterious place, from its architectural design, to décor and entertainment on offer, are being kept top secret and since its creators have managed not to have any leaks up till now, we will all just have to wait and see what they present to us tonight.’

Amari felt her stomach sink a little. Talk about pressure.

‘And finally, summary of news from the New York City Mortals’ community. Today, on December 25th, many Mortals are celebrating the ancient tradition of Christmas. As some of you may remember – ’

Eiko, detecting her hostess’s rising blood pressure and picking up a strong, abrupt mental signal, stopped the broadcast even before irritated Amaranthine managed to swallow a sip of her coffee, put the cup down and jump up.

‘Eiko!’ she was livid. ‘Didn’t I request you not to show me anything about the Mortals? It’s enough that I have to hear about them in the general news!’

‘I’m afraid this function is still on.’

‘Switch it off, then!’

‘I’m afraid this kind of setting cannot be self-adjusted. Would you like me to connect you with my provider to address the problem?’

‘Do it.’

Eiko connected the call in less than three seconds.

‘Thank you for calling Mind-Ex,’ the operator’s voice came. ‘How may I help you today, Miss Quinn?’

‘Look, I’ve been your customer for seven years and I updated Eiko quite a few times now, as I’m sure your records show. Every time a new version was installed I confirmed the settings and they’ve always been the same: I do not wish to receive any information about the Mortals beyond what’s in the general news. So maybe you can tell me who didn’t do their job this time, and why she decided to update me on something so… so mortal as Christmas?

‘I do apologize for the distress it has caused you, ma’am. It always takes Eiko a certain amount of hours of interaction with the host to tell the conscious