Tenuous Utopia - Short story

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The alarm clock hadn't notified Julian when he expected, so he missed his Monday appointment which translated into yet another client lost, and a business partner would be furious. If only this were to lead to the usual quibble having resulted in yet another probation now yet another facade of his life were crumbling about him. Isn't this meant to be for a reason? He thought grimacing, and he thought countless times to numerous examples of the session positivist laying work in his well conditioned mind, so that he were replying to himself, repeatedly, “All things are meant to happen for a reason!”

As it turns out so many things were contingent on this day and stacked neatly like a house of cards, one less mortgage payment to be paid, one less client, one less house to be afforded, probation even on utilities payment, and a wife that left with several children. He felt he hadn't so much the opportunity to dream like he once had, take dreams, or at least too many contingencies would remain for him in this present day like, and anyways, he thought to himself, 'What risks can be taken with consequences lingering over his head in the manner of some high drama? He couldn't even afford to have his yard mowed let alone afford the cost of a new mower.'

His cards tumbled down all about him. Home foreclosure, fewer speaking to him or at least he felt this way, having less sympathy all the more.

Julian became a dreamer again, despite the inclination of others that would either show something of self defeat, bitterness, or having reacted in some other constructive manner as he were told required making oneself. He felt very old though at time, but not in the sense of wisdom but more so in the context of exhaustion, having rotated in and out of one position to the next, rotated into a position of thinking upbeat to survive, believing that the world of Solaris were real to this extent, and then one day having snapped he laughed a bit and thought otherwise. He were expected to either blame himself for his situation and lay down, or he would remain upright in it, however humble regardless. To him a lingering fear emerged in the course of years, however, expressed in the thoughts that the key to success were made by opportunity in youth, and here, the world quickly passed so many by especially when things were not going so well.

Passing years and no communication between the ex wife, and he hadn't thought so much of this in a dream. Only if the economy weren't as bad as it had been, and he hadn't been homeless for such a time, he would be in jail on back child support if he weren't working. At some point, all the stresses he had ever known shifted into something else, once responsibilities weren't his anymore. The sky were overhead, and while the cold would push him somewhere else that he couldn't always rely upon. Strangely he felt as though awaking into a world that weren't exactly as he expected, and maybe it were the same in some way like it were several thousand years ago when Confucius roamed the landscape, homeless and begging, despite his supposed profound appeal as social philosopher thousands of years later?

Julian had tried reinventing himself like so many before him tirelessly trying to convince others, in the positivist schools where the stoics themselves failed, stoicism, however at present were on the incline. It seems only the same stale persistent regressive conditions remained for over a decade, and anyways with lingering persistent high unemployment for so long, who could care to hear some individual in the upper echelons of society repeatedly blaming their pampered youth for existing social conditions. What someone might have better wanted to here were: consolation that they weren't alone?

That life could be harsh and difficult in this way, even if you hadn't believed it should be this way and that inequities inevitably exist? And while once having eschewed the mediocrity of managing anything of a task for himself, this social belief being tantamount to, anything ever done outside of one's profession or occupation in life were wasted time in life, had dramatically changed into a point of necessity. Having built and constructed at times, his own shelter, and urged to the point at times of gathering food in the world for sustenance, and Julian would find himself laughing at times by any strange economy having existed elsewhere in the world. Yes deer could better feed themselves better then he could do so, and sadly he might have worried over a companion house cat more so. While relying equally for handouts like himself, the house cat, still over time had weathered more so like him environmental conditions, but wildlife, he thought, even they don't age and weather like us and our house cats when stuck outside. At least this appeared to be the case from Julian's perspective. As to the positivist, he failed to make a career here because of what his publicist coined, 'market saturation'. He was told, 'Too many of you people are saying this crap, do something else!' And anyways, if he had better capital and social connections, Julian once might have tried invent something simple that were relied upon and got lucky by chance getting in on a lucrative manufacturing contract, building something for someone. He were told as a mantra, if something were needed in life profit could be made, and then another untold expression were, 'sell also what isn't needed.' As he soon understood in someways, governments and businesses might rarely approach high levels of efficiency, this paralleled the drainage patterns of nature itself, and even if man figured out more efficient ways to drain water, they'd soon find their towns swamped by water when torrential flooding followed. Too much efficiency might have its added problems, and Julian thought resentfully, I felt caught up in it. When optimums were always required, what should happen if little slack is given and optimization is an only recourse for survival? He'd hear the terms 'comfort zone', push a little harder, work a little harder, or it were a matter of conditioning behavior to a new norm of what should seem arbitrary, but then eventually something starts creeping into the system. At least Julian could feel this, a missed telephone call here or there, not by his direct fault, but something else, things adding up, and the problem were: mounting stresses. The functioning optimum were soon at some level that afforded not merely take what were necessary to live but so much more and expected here, and anyways, Julian thought it weren't just him caught up in this faux pas of social philosophy, others getting burned daily by it.

-2-

News had come some months before, and in the great city that he once roamed, literally some in great dress attire on the day of the major crash, and they had in literally the course of hours and minutes become just like him now. He were told vital resources were more so protected, loans could still exist at least for food distribution points like retail grocers, but not all. Utilities generally existed but the cost of personal transportation had exorbitantly soared in cost. Julian were still shocked at the increasing numbers in showing around a local train station. He were told new opportunity were born in another city, that hadn't existed in previous months, a new place hundreds of miles away from the city that he presently lived. Julian made the decision to leave the old city for the new one, and what differences existed between the old and new city? The new city, he were told, had chance to spring into a new life that hadn't existed when the people of old metropolis ruled and dominated, they ensured the homogeneity of social fabrics across ed the landscape, ensured in some ways the failures and success of opportunities whether the reality of success or failure were truly innate to the natural succession of ideas. The new city could scarcely think of oil, could scarcely think of the flat box geometry of the house in its present form, or the old world Cartesian grids that resembled old circuitry designs. The people of this new city would abandon the older ones and leave not so much with the blessing of the old one's fathers, but government had spent and exhausted itself beyond some sense of being able to control, dominate and dictate in greater degrees then it once had. This old government simply hadn't the resources to maintain old political, economic and social systems, and many still having some position their, secretly wanted a new social economy to take foothold, to be successful...economic conservatism failed so many people, and now so much were ripe for major changes. The new city were in the graveyard of an old city which had been nearly all but abandoned, only handfuls of individuals remaining in pockets. All the buildings were brought down in cascading thunder where confiscated munitions now were put use to creating a ground zero of the old cities desolate ruins. Still geography were a place of consideration as to why ruins and graveyards, should be made into something new, it seems strategically nearby water ways were of use and necessity for supplying a populace of people, and then the new architects hadn't need create and build new inter state transports on top of what should already exist in some form even if it were now ailing, deteriorating and crumbling at the seams. What the new city architects mostly wanted, however, were re conceiving a city so that public transportation could be replaced when needed, and zoning structure wouldn't become problematic and costly in time with populations growth. When having a chance to conceive and plan a city anew. Of course, this opportunity were like the planning of a new city after its destruction because of war, but this were different. Only nothing of great war existed, and the great systematic and powerful destructions to rebirth something anew from it were unparalleled in the greatest undertaking they had yet imagined, so much the cloud of dusts would remains for a weeks, and people would marvel at a flattened skyline. What would be built now?

Some called less practically for any management of environmental resources, and wanted to invent a city whose streets would become waterways, and who could disagree given the enthusiasm? Yet the more the new cities founders had grown, it seems contention and disagreement in some ways had sprung up. No doubt others would leave taking with them proselytes and disciples of their own orders. Not merely on the contention that a larger older social system failed had the sprung into free existence, but that the diverse spring of new orders would be just as right alongside older ones, and some were even hostile to the idea of building anything new of permanence

-3-

In the course of months, a strange social order, called The People's Caravan emerged for the new city people's order. Where the trains could not provide transport goods, an order of people attempted to take up the vacuum of what once existed in so far as goods transports, and their sense of social renewal emerged more so now as fewer in prospect would claim or have otherwise shares in life whose existence were very migratory by nature. Their found occupation were having distributed goods as could be found in the many thousands of years since the inception of civilizations. At present no one cared so much how they lived relative to others, or if they literally setup yurts on the outskirts of towns, dressed themselves so strangely in their glowing night attire and having statues breathing fire, in better times their spectacle would draw something of a circus atmosphere, and in worse times, they may have been generally ignored. Some walked the length from town to town while another traveling group had rigged a trailer hitch to a fleet of ten seating man powered vehicles. Some, however, made the decision to travel in less austere kinetic conditions, and rode practically in now strangely decorated semi trucks, and then even in one notable case, eccentric futurists had devised a system of guiding solar power vehicles that hadn't need man made operations. While Julian hadn't outright seen this, he heard many gathered on the platforms of these slower moving train like vessels, and that this should seem like a moving city in its own right. Even in the course of months following were dissemination of goods themselves neither had the same convenience drawing occasional ire amongst the older generation that could remember otherwise, a generation whom seemed to miss most the possibility of gazing at any number of things that they'd likely never own or possess. With respect to anything of essentials, trains still worked, and a more devoted fleet to the old social orders served impromptu delivering to communities, this would leave the caravan fitting another market niche.

The new city by contrast already emerging social stratifications of the old order, and it seems the traveling brigand of 'free life' merchants were generally ignored on many points. However, other ideas that the 'free thinkers' cherished were shared amongst the city planners. Namely, changing drastically the nature of the cities energy consumption both by way of transportation and the general utilities of housing and building infrastructure. A point of no return emerged in the context, gasoline consumption should nearly vanish, alongside natural gas, and much else found of the old orders. Nothing of government lobby stood in the way now to have its say, nothing of old guard conservative industries to pay for and bury new technologies, and nothing of remained for a time but ruins and a graveyard of much the lands for infrastructures development. Generally import trade were now more costly, and what could be better produced could be done so domestically as opposed to abroad, and anyways, Julian were told what remained often an obstacle in development for these technologies weren't production or performance as might have been spoken of, but often times, large scale deployments making productivity gains more likely. If you could plant smaller fields of wind turbines, and be limited in so far as deployments. Of course, relative to much else, production gains may be more difficult relative to larger scale deployments. The problem were that economic and social initiatives remained at a point to provide enough nominal returns so as to seemingly disprove the idea of newer alternative technologies. Even then Julian could often here the same arguments being offered for the more dirtier technologies themselves, build enough production demand and costs can be driven downward if enough backing occurs in a given technology. The power were always there for the taking, up until now, few saw drastic incentive for changing wholesale energy consumption. Then people of the old cities and old culture, if they were wealthy and shielded could afford still the old life, while those flocking to the new cities couldn't. Despite something of social division and order that might have seemed inevitable, the old cities peoples only at present reluctantly insisted to pacify with any number of measured bargains, attempting to persuade and dissuade alike, the sort of thing, that the new cities peoples would argue would easily have been held in contempt if one looked only a couple decades past, but with a vast abandoned city landscape nearly complete in abandon, it were hard Julian let alone other newcomers to the great reconstruction see that the persuasion of the old life were worth returning. This weren't a change of cosmetics, or change in clothing, or acceptance of lifestyles, different personalities that were found once acceptable. Only in the previous generations so long ago, had another generation at times stood so uncompromising on certain principles and seemingly squandered so much more that could be had. There were no reason for shunning anyways between divisions, and anyways this were the social differences between parents and children. Although the lines between such had become so blurred now, relative to one of the great previous social revolutions. This were more like another several generations removed, when families potentially could have had any number starving on the side of the road for the great western exodus, but these new city peoples like the civil rights generation hadn't wanted any violence for a new life, hadn't wanted anything but seeing people of like mind agreeing more whole heartedly about the improvement of their existence like so many joining them. After all, a war between themselves should add to conflict and misery, who could equally be a fight between family members, between once friends and neighbors, and less likely those weighing in with money, would they ever suffer? While those of malicious designs might have attempted to sabotage at times social unity, such people would be spotted so quickly and called out for it, and banished for it if the ends were bloody and violent otherwise. This group it seems were tired of hearing one social group scapegoated for the problems of the past that could have repeatedly been drawn into the fray of once used social media tap, only turned on in varying degrees as a diversion of one sort to economic malaise. If the choice couldn't be more clearly, for the energy sources they couldn't afford, but having any manner of alternative, this emerging generation rejected the notion they needed to fight any war for any energy and for their survival, and the other old cities peoples, they let the new cities peoples take flight from Egypt. At least, the old cities could little manage decaying and abandoned infrastructures elsewhere, and the exodus of peoples in a way, would relinquish something of previous burdens, many of them might have reasoned. Anyways too much suffering, reprisals, and social crackdowns had occurred, and eventually something else gives way in time. Doesn't history provide something of a similar accord in time, Julian thought.

Only Julian could hear so much euphoric talk at times, echoing the religious zeal that might have been found in places in America, where so much potential existed of the social system itself, the opportunity neither to tell your children to think much like others in some particular way that were required of them to be successful in life, but they had a chance as individuals to find smaller groups of individuals that might have related to their personalities, that somewhere in a new city, they hadn't need feel alienated by who they were and could still be successful in life that prosperity weren't measured in common denominator metrics, social snobbery, cliques, cut throat ruthless bloody competitiveness, and that instead communal ism were taken to greater heart. Julian himself only cried now hearing it, only hearing so much that should seem so different of his old life. Many scoured older readings, and the ideas themselves had coalesced into something different in time but neither the same as in the old world that he had lived.

-4-

The opportunity of some new society had emerged really in contrast with the contest of personality wills. Something had emerged in short span of months when durations of suffering now were taking some toll, and tolerances had run shorter. Personalities and will power had taken foothold, so much that some more strongly demanded leadership and more emphatically having wanted this. Julian in these times learned then he weren't so much a leader, but he felt that now he were more then an ever a keen observer. At least many had learned by now of the general assemblies and meetings that had formed about a new civilizations. center. Often times, cities power management hadn't settled, and something of a problem emerged within its population. It seems while some would lay claim on older housing, and agreed with planners to make sure housing were retro fit, with new more insulating and less power consuming materials. New settlement housing designs were nothing bearing to the old geometries themselves, semi hemispherical in shape, and generally more compact, the plan were to manufacture many millions of these units and increase the overall density of the once old city ruins. The problem were that the city itself owing to rumor and lack of infrastructure and planning had emerged as a refugees/immigrant centers from other places. It seems while many steps forward could be had, other new problems would emerge with the successes had otherwise. A city, a state, a region, that could manage itself successfully only became a magnet to those areas that hadn't the same successes in like kind. The city had only quickly mushroomed literally in a years time to twenty million in short order. With substandard housing having little sanitation, plumbing, electricity and so forth surrounding the city in a vast network sprawl, and then food resources begun to significantly dwindle because of unanticipated growth. Julian like others having preceded the previous immigrant flight, had at least certain privileges the others hadn't in terms of access, but now many attempted to adjust shares distribution of food. There just wasn't enough food to go around, and while many were urged to aid the farms of outer laying areas, transport infrastructure hadn't fully developed, added to a growing security problem. Grains could be preferably grown, but agronomic culture were limited in the context of year round production methods as it had remained for many thousands of years. While the in the early foundations of the city, only months before, people felt safer then they ever felt in the old world, shades of the old world begun to re emerge, the newer peoples arriving were bringing weapons, and generally weren't attracted to the city for the same reasons as in the previous influx of newcomers. Julian only heard rumors in some cases that some had been forcibly removed from the ramshackle tenements of the old cities, and in other cases, older cities weren't providing the sorts of aid that once might have existed, and in other cases, it seems the fallout of economic collapse were no bearing more substantial impact in creating even greater economic 'dead zones'. If it weren't the flight of 'brain power' problematic in dealing with any number of challenges, the old cities that had become less sustained, weren't equally suited to sustaining itself in the ways that other societies had. What could a city once having a viable consumer service sector now provide when services were no longer needed, or in other words, how could consumer service representative feed him or herself, if there were no jobs to had. Transitioning to the farm with little experience weren't something that were created overnight, and where grain were produced and sold, it went to the cities itself or were exported abroad, or in other words, produced for the old cities and certain quotas of surplus distributed in places here and there. Maybe those once having held out, gave up on the re birth of the old social ideas, and they in turn decided to see for themselves what opportunities may lay elsewhere, even at the risk and peril of not knowing? At least the people of the new city, had enough collective intelligence to construct farming machinery that wouldn't rely upon traditional sources of energy, Julian thought. At least they had plenty of farming land, but then he were told, it takes time to get things going and established sometimes, but many at least were still remained adamant in any way of resembling the old social orders, and a campaign was undertaken to educate the newcomers, alongside finding alternate places that might have more suitably handled a potential refugee like crisis. Where could they go? Yes small contingents here and there to North, Julian thought. Some to the Southwest, and more back to where they came with additional tools in mind and literally in hand, but likely he wondered if they wouldn't starve to death? Some of the early immigrants would go with them, at least, hoping to seed something in their own communities...like the desire to found something anew when the old culture of peoples is washed away, and some of them Julian were told at least were farmers of practical agricultural experience. If they could grow something and raise things to be eaten, they could survive even if they couldn't work alchemical magic with modern chemistry sets, or having little of metallurgy/mining experience, or having experience in many things, that once great and mighty civilizations. made room for in craft, trade, and economies that would be utilitarian components to their modern functioning, but the farmer that could feed himself/herself from a given landscape, could well be prized with respect to essentials.

-5-

The course of months to come could only be described as social chaos. Some two million had left peacefully on their own accord, with tens of thousands of the original residents leaving abroad, either destined back towards economic 'dead zones' from which they may have like originated or elsewhere, and sadly, tens of thousands in poor housing hadn't fared the harsher winter. The roads of the new city were so substandard that literally a rolling horse carriage served as a means to carry the bodies of the dead to their graves. However, despite all this a turning tide were made in the the madness of housing growth itself. The new city had in the course of months had provided enough sturdy four season shelter units for its residents now, but delivering utilities alone would be another problem, but in the warmer months, at least there wouldn't be as much worry over potential fire outbreak with so much temptation to burn potentially anything combustible inside home for a heat source. While the timber of the old city could have provided something here, it were urged to be used for other things in re cycling, and city architects worried. Once forested nearby woodland parks, were being massively deforested. Nothing were done much at the moment to prevent this inevitable consequence, and what immediate foreseeable purpose could it so drastically serve? Yes ecologist argued to the vitality that woodlands offered, but many countered that the woodlands would eventually return alongside the wildlife. People, however short sighted must have been thinking ahead to another set of winter months, but unfortunately, timbers growth wouldn't be in keeping to the demands of future years and much of this heating contingency would fall upon the new cities frontiers.

The nearby woodlands of the city decimated, and the wildlife scoured from its surface by so much poaching opportunities, little could think to object at least then. Thinking it should at least return in some future.

Julian were part of this new chaotic dream, however, and likewise his role in it whether ill served or not, were part of this. He imagined by day, his role in a new industry or corporation for that matter. They had legal scholars guiding them now, and men and women of the business industries. Amongst business leaders while many called for old social practice continuities, it seems a new spirit had arisen amongst them in examination to their order and rank. Who should lead? And how many below him or her should lead? What tasks should each in leadership given? Voices would insist that standards and practice conformity would likely lead to better investment potentials from abroad should successes prevail remained as a long standing ghost, and as to the regulatory environment, little should care now as long as people had jobs, as long as industries themselves, as long as people could put 'several squares per day' on the table, but at least in this day, Julian found himself, once again working in a start up of a manufacturing sort. In the new city, there were textiles, mills, electronics assembly. It seems everyone were attempting to construct something to make the old world come back alive, the way that people wanted to remember it only decades having passed. At least now sixty percent of the new units had many of necessary utilities, and more should be expected. Julian only were trained so briefly as a service technician, however, doing little of the previous work that he had done in higher level management in a now little thought of consumer services sector. At least if ever such an industry existed, not for their culture that were learning day by day to complain about new things in life, not a lousy bill.

-6-

The textiles produced weren't strictly from natural fibers but many synthetics that had been devised, Julian learned some might, for instance, have been produced from petroleum itself, or in other cases, from chemistry magic. His industry produced a lot of fleece, no wonder there he thought, for its insulating properties, and so forth, but in time, he imagined people demanding. They weren't splitting sheep to do this, however, they had even processed wool in their facility.

Only in several months from his having started work, a problem emerged, not with energy consumption, at least rolling blackouts were still a problem with the power grid, and production would have its downtime. As to pay Julian didn't care so much as long as he had a home, food to eat, and basic utilities, he were content. The problem that came were that the old cities were practically donating textiles to their new cities, and could the people of the new city rightly refuse it?! Anyways, the emerging class of business leaders many of which may have as likely had previous business experience would offer up a response of diplomacy much to the consternation of those like Julian now. What should be taken from people's that in some ways tried to abandon you, should you forgive them and take up their offer even if you hadn't needed their surplus, even if you hadn't needed their help? Even if it meant a job such as his could be displaced by it, having adjusted in some ways the demand of the textiles that his manufacturing sector should produce? Julian understood the more long winded course of this, building bridges even if it meant a little suffering here and there, that were now the position that he occupied. With expanded trade opened, less diplomatic friction, less economic frictions, and less tendency of a fight between neighbors, but at what cost in terms of jobs, and what if people should later not be able to afford the costs of produced textiles only sometime later? They could scarcely afford it now even under his production, but it seems something of an agreement must have emerged with respect to leadership. The old cities leaders must have seen something of a new spark in the new cities, and even if they hadn't directly served peoples that other the new city leaders would in ways providing help and recourse, should one consider the alternate a mortal enemy for life because of it? The new city leaders had taken the deal, of course, which angered Julian a bit, only because he hadn't sympathized so much with old world callousness and harsh treatment of them in some manner. They were told there were no other way in life, but their own, and told further more to pass people that fell through the cracks callously on by in so many words, and they attempted to lie repeatedly about the condition of such people, that this was their own making and doing, not by way of either neglect or deliberate attempt on their part in bringing about certain social conditions, but at least for now, a bargain, neither had the immediate foreseeable impact of lost industry. The new city leaders hadn't agreed in part as purchaser of any such textiles from abroad, and it seems nothing more were said so much of what were perceived as a 'token' gesture, or in other words, nothing of a permanent trade agreement were made at the moment.

Growth in population, especially in the summer months brought about new health concerns. Problematic combinations of viral encephalitis, malaria, and a strange sub tropical lethal concoction, emerged in the coming summer months furthered by poor sanitation, the last of items on the cities laundry list to be administered. Doctors at least in so far as their numbers, weren't in short order, oddly enough at present. Although it were more likely the event that their part of the world weren't ignored for the reasons, they would have once witnessed in other worlds far apart from their own. Health concerns were long considered in the modern age, securities concerns. Public attention must have been given, if not from isolated enclaves of the old cities world order, affluence elsewhere must have paid attention well enough. The doctors came from foreign places that Julian had thought little of, but at least they were kind enough, and the evidence of sickness should smell at times so heavily and hotly in stale summer air, added to surrounding moats of water that surrounded homes quickly constructed for the sake of shelter without so much long term consideration to an environment, some places resembled swamps and lagoons, harboring more then odd human refuse, but also swarms of mosquitoes. With much vegetation gone to absorb so much runoff, someplace merely collected water and only allowed its departure in some long evacuated process of evaporation, and even in some cases, where people refused to drink from a more trusted well water source, they attempted braving contamination only falling short in getting sick. The housing problem were solved but really not fully solved as it needed to be and deforested lands hadn't helped this situation. And in this particular summer, the added stress of so many new peoples had already created ironically another strange problem uniquely of its own, if expected rainfall, hadn't come and water resources were already diminished problematic, localized crop production could be difficult. At least if hundreds of kilometers away production gains were made where shortfalls were had elsewhere, one hadn't need worry if someone else's crops somewhere else were providing significant enough yield in food supply. The problem were that seasonal rains were too sporadic, too much at one time, too little at other times, with flooding, and the deficit fell well short of production expectations, added to this the cities water use causing a river to literally dwindle in levels unseen in previous decades. Already, the neighboring regions to the south and east were complaining for they should have some right to the water, and it weren't strictly the new cities water alone. It appears there were too many peoples, not enough water at the moment, and the new city leaders would be scrambling to figure out another solution to its woes, or a dream would vanish into maybe something worse then the old misery that Julian remembered.

Synthetics that Julian produced came from recyclables itself and then from any products that could be laid upon. While potentially animal sources itself were much more costly, the wool and natural hair of animals generally were expensive to produce, and most locally were actively discouraged from raising animals, even if meat, and other byproducts could be produced here. If only because of water shortage concerns that needed addressing with huge population demands, the city would turn away at least for now the idea of livestock industries, or at least if having done so, they would look like the callous old world in which they came where resources that could sustain people, were reserved for the more affluent segments of such civilization. Recycled fibers would only have certain limited time here. Although 'free thinkers' were attempting to find ways at reducing waste so much more so that even the old worn natural fibers, and long since degraded synthetics could have life extended in these products. Variant weave structures being explored, any number of restorative processes likewise. At least headway were beginning to be made. It weren't greater demands for better goods produced that should be consumed less of, thrown away that much quicker to be thrown away again. Ideas were born that social economy hadn't needed so clearly discrete exchanges of goods in exchange for people's survival. Julian were told not to worry, if the textiles mill should shut down, he hadn't need rely upon the idea of having shelter, eating, or any other necessity without having clearly so much work in the interim. Consolation were merely that however.. He weren't paid in the clearest sense by currency of anything, or at least he were told it were possible that the details of common currency would be worked out, but generally speaking their weren't much of anything but old world currency floating about their world, and even this, would be of greatest worth to any traded with old world merchants. Grain and water were more precious commodities, and if these could be found, the money would have greater intrinsic value. Julian worked to receive a share in living space, a share in food, but the idea of having more wealth at the moment generated were an absurd notion, or at least this were translated in the difference between those better access to water and food relative another.

-7-

Construction in the summer months of the new city's second year lulled this time, as the prospect of food shortage and malnutrition were beginning to take its toll on the biologies of a people. At least any number of resident's whose lives hadn't faced the sorts of habitual shortages of food. They adapted in the same ways that their children would be forced, or at least who could clearly adapt as well. Certainly physically their children would look more like what Julian imagined as Medieval waifs of a previous millennium with short stature, but they might also have less energy in store for any physical labor, that their parent's could produce. They would more likely be prone to injury and communicated disease more likely amongst their populations. Foundations of the new city could only extend itself so far. If they had been a smaller city, the most earliest of immigrants might have held out better on any number of previously conjured ideals, but they were dealing with an influx of problems. At least the those appearing committed to the city hadn't abandoned it yet, and this would include any number of thinkers, and while the thinkers themselves might have been inclined to go elsewhere if only tempted by the prospect of selecting amongst themselves a silent and select group that could abandon so much all that hindered their progress, they still kept amongst them a sense of humanity with respect to the welfare of others like them that had been abandoned by old world economies, but how long could sympathy and survival intertwine? Would ingenuity, innovation necessarily translate into success without mistakes. If anything the new city seemed as likely to fail in a massive case of endemic starvation, and the city architects, engineers and all else were simply to kind to completely turn away people whose lives should seem practically ended from the day they had left their old world homes on the premise of nothing but hope to be gained and life to lose at worst.

Julian were told to prepare, food would be rationed with declines in calories, he tried to manage his focus here, thinking less of other things, but even this would succumb. At least he couldn't concentrate as well, his mind felt cloudier amongst other things. He felt tired more often and developed as of recent a chronic cough. He hadn't heard so much the yelling, screaming from an open window that should have seemed like another active urban center full of life, the cities quiet were rising, and at least the heat seemed to pacify somewhat the tension about his stomach, and the nights had felt even lonelier. He were almost convinced that many of his neighbor's must have left, but having waited longer to count anything of sounds of the quiet night, he managed to hear brief rustling coming from a nearby house. The sort of sound he imagined driven bearing strange energy and insomnia, not eating sometimes brought this on. Then he managed to catch a glimpse of dark silhouette in the night passing slowly by so many houses. There weren't any street lamps active yet in his neighborhood, and he weren't sure if the new city ever would have these.

Several days had passed when a neighborhood custodian going door to door informed them food aid were being delivered at a drop off point a mile from their present locations. Crowds of people swelled as he approached the indicated delivery point. A guard stood by another individual, shoveling a deep tin pan into a dry tannish burlap sack now half filled with grain. While some have shoved their way in the meandering line. Most hovered about, gently waiving hands on occasion for the days heat having poured on them like the flies already about. When Julian had as close enough in eyesight to the food aid administrator, he could see more clearly what must have been distributed already, and what should remain. Only the lines of people would continue to grow, and what should food aid should remain in distribution were left to those that could have something. He might have feared as in times before people might get angry, but people were sadly different now. Their eyes hadn't shown exactly the same urgency as in sensing more alertly what should or shouldn't be for their own sake, or their children's sake. Some pushing and shoving occasionally, but little of the previous fire in a people's that he might have known in other times. Julian managed here to receive several cups of grain, and departed from the crowd. As he had gained some distance along the flat road away from the swollen lines, he could hear some brief crying, the truck must have left, yet some still ventured with whatever energy they must have had in store to see if something could be had.

A spell of rain then came bringing at least relief from the heat, and then better news had come only in the days to follow. The city had managed to secure a major supply of grain for the coming months ahead at least somewhat through winter, and perhaps into spring bringing cries of relief and gratitude.

-8-

Once again the new city found itself moving with a sense of newer momentum, and some basic completions were being added to this, the new city should seem more in foundation like rural villages crammed into a massive city metropolis. Wells dug at strategic points, many and varied, and a pipeline from a larger water source designed to feed in a varied sense the wells neither directly the homes in any context. While many probably now had the sense of the traditional culture of plumbing having existed before, new city planners hadn't time so much in deciding structure in as much respecting the more immediate and pressing demands, pitted with so much limited resource in providing. A smaller network of power generation facilities would aid more so the essential while an emerging power infrastructure hadn't relied upon major facilities for any and every home. Instead, people would in time receive power generation kits allowing for individual homes to generate their own power. There weren't exactly a centralized utilities here. Some cried at disparities and inconsistencies in power access, only because so many home kits couldn't be distributed at once, leaving so many without. In the summer months it should seem less needed, and strangely if the exotic flash and glow of multi colored lights and led screens had shown at times often, and any person had the ability to communicate with any other the world round, paradox were that technological divide hadn't translated in any sense of absolutes. The poorest of the poor here actually carried smart phones, now considered crude by old world standards, yet be malnourished and starving while talking with emmigree relatives so many thousands of miles away in some distant richer landscape whom were eating dinner that night in a restaurant. Clearly the oldest parts of the world, that the poorest of countries were divided in all manner of culture and communication were changing. The smartphone at least could be a lifeline of some sort. If only for the sake of survival by way of a social network whose reciprocal chains had extended. The new city again hadn't its own currency but old world currencies, strangely pooling about the cities informal banking system. The workers from abroad would send remittances to many of the new cities, and an electronic digital exchange of such currency creating strange import markets. Already what once should seem a strangely classless society were emerging such that some had managed to create some amass of personal wealth, goods, foods, and this weren't exactly a blight to the rest at least, in that even if their options and conditions in life were somehow different. At least, a culture expectation in the city had arisen, if people knew that you had amassed some measure of food security in the home, your share of aid should be given to others in need. New cities people could like any other person in the world traverse the storefronts of world markets, could still freely purchase something they'd likely never be able to afford if they only had the currency. Free thinkers yet were still developing a fleet of vehicles, some resembling motorized rickshaws, and any number of compact vehicle, likely of single or double occupancy, but compact enough for sometimes narrow corridors of the cities winding radial nature. Informally people served as a means to compact the often exposed and sun backed reddish brown soils below, and even some in communities organized walks designed to improve their roads for the sake of deliveries by motorized transport whether aid or not, and despite the potential problems of logistics and transport, commercial deliveries existed in newly registered addresses that might have sprung as likely up overnight even in consideration to political turmoil, and sometimes violence or crime that might have sprung up on occasion. Now, however, the new cities communication, however, informal in the sense of policing, fire control, and health services, still had a communications network to rely upon. Julian hadn't owned a smartphone, but someone in the neighborhood had, and ad hoc wireless transmissions network had at least been established, so that people's devices could create necessary communications links inside the city and beyond it. There weren't exactly a cost for this service in relation to individual communications consumer, this has changed only hundreds of years before. The city planners at least had so much free information at their disposal given the informal array of demographic/geographic databases having furnished information about the cities geologic foundations. They could tell where natural aquifers existed. They could tell at least where underground springs like ran, and when and where the best wells might be dug. They managed to relocate other homes which could prove more difficult in the event of flooding. They at least had free information and hadn't need re learn something over. Headway and discovery were provided soon allowing the retrofit of existing home shelters then having allowed for heating and cooling access, and what should matter most to the planners? Food really. If shelter, and controlled environmental conditions could be maintained, alongside communications access, food were probably the most vital remaining component to the people of the new city. The land of the city were more scarce of vegetation, and only the collective organization about individual homes themselves might prove hazardous in terms of fire, but the homes themselves were not only fire retardant, but having combustion properties exceeding standards of any previous century. It could takes thousands of degrees of heat before a home would literally spontaneous com bust, and more likely things in the home brought in from the environment were com bust before the home itself ever would. While some no doubt used collected wood from any nearby forest and woodland, and this would present challenges and difficulties to the cities fire safety. Informal networks of fire control volunteers maintained the cities fire control. Still fires were rarer. Nothing of running gas pipelines, or the significant use of combustibles aside from a rapidly diminishing wood supply had given rise to the concerns that fire control could be a major and systemic problem. The wood supply in time wouldn't be needed as alternative heating sources came on line rapidly.

The new cities health in time would rapidly develop troves of mobile pharmacological manufacturing. Cheap and easy medicines fabrication should exist where blueprint data should exist. While inherent problems existed such people shouldn't have the clearest means to afford drugs that could be manufactured cheaply even by New City standards, informal bartering and banking allowed for such exchanges. Health in the long term sense weren't paid as much attention. Nothing of social program or initiative had existed or should exist in so far as any wide dissemination of drugs combating aging disease issues. Some might have been able to afford cheap medicines, if only having proved themselves lucrative in local market systems. The cost considerations, however were such that new city managers were now able to pay for drugs combating more short term and vital health problems in the city, and some in the city were now carrying medical diagnostic modules connected to their communications devices which in itself added to the health services component of the new city society. People could exchange goods to receive medical treatment of some sort from any who could afford. While accusations of snake oil salesman selling hope and promise might have abounded for those disguising a faulty or utterly contrived medical module contraption, at least a number in an emerging city wide network would possess and own more medical equipment that would include everything from surgical repairs/implantation, to emergent medical triage services and transports. Julian only having encountered in the strangest of way such a facility once in the new open markets, a store front which displayed those operated in live public settings, a man's eye surgically replaced. This weren't so unusual relative to the old world societies, but surgical malls were described more so by wall photos and video glamor shots, business itself were behind closed doors. The more visceral opportunity Julian imagined must have been for consumer's sake. Some even in these markets held their devices aloft, so that they could take images and video of procedures themselves where some doctor in consultation should provide feedback with respect to the surgical work being performed, but mostly even critique of work were done so through automated scanning diagnostics which determined the course of work and evaluated the course of procedure based upon visual examinations of video and image feeds, and even the patients vitals were broadcast. As to emergent care centers, at least one center that served Julian's community were a small house operated in part from a local merchant's wife. She had an array of automates that were wired to any number of hand held and small devices. For any given day, performing an array of trauma based procedures were enacted. She actually seemed to know, however, very little though about human physiology herself, and more the miracles enacted were done so by old world technology. She usually provided referrals to the surgical malls once emergency procedures were attended to, that might have included stabilizing human bodies for blood loss, attending to wounds, setting bones once broken, diagnosing and treating chronic conditions in a limited capacity that hadn't mean replacement of any manner of human physiology itself, aside from blood, blood plasmas, or anything more basic. She could provide at least temporary stints, and even patch major arteries if given enough time. She even offered limited services with respect to cancer treatment. People's would trade grain sometimes as payment, or might have provided something of an object in their possession which she would appraise for value. Although Julian had heard that her home in recent times been broken into, and thieves made off with a number of possessions.

Other boroughs existed inside the city which operated according to their own rules and organization. In some of these aspirations to old world structures: legal systems, stricter regulatory environment. They must have once held higher positions in some previous government, and in their own right such a borough would provide its own services, and sell its own goods internally. They were rumored something composition of pilgrims, dissidents, well educated mostly. Such peoples were also quieter, keeping to themselves, and generally had shied away with socializing with peoples from other boroughs, and rapidly it appears while having once been outcasts in another society so many hundreds of miles away, they must have established some trade from abroad. Julian were told, their thinkers went elsewhere abroad, not too the old cities, but to other communities somewhere about the world where he imagined they must have been esteemed for their contributions in advancing some aspect of that world. Maybe it had been in law, technology, market economies. It were also rumored they provided ideas for the establishment of the city itself. They hadn't appeared to build exactly anything, neither clearly having building experience, manufacturing, or in a class sense born merchants exactly.

The new city had begun with a chaotic intermixing of peoples. However, local migrations soon transpired such that people were attracted to other places in the cities vast spiraling enclaves. The free thinkers and artists wanted their space of like minds, merchants and traders there own space, and then subset cultures of peoples from varying regions having some greater point of geographic commonality might have sought similar company. This weren't merely of the cultural similarities, but that the new city had left social and political and legal regulations more strongly up the boroughs themselves. The new city seemed a faction of compressed states in tighter geographic confines in their own right. They hadn't shared in the previous old world cultural homogeneities, belief systems were wide and varied. While other boroughs would welcome anyone and everyone, and each borough had their own sets of legal systems and pertaining laws. There were technically no mayor over the city. Although a representative group in the city would claim to speak for the most broad cross section of the city itself. Their work were mostly ad hoc, and volunteered, although having counted in the context of occupation, and then the old cities had setup another enclave of their own.

-9-

The textile factory that Julian worked at closed its doors within months of the cities New Year. Another competing borough laid claim to some aspect of this factories work, and the rule of traders seemed to dictate more strongly in an emerging commercial centers supplying for the cities center textiles imported from abroad. A new frontier for tenured old city wealth migrated here to some significant protest. Many of the other boroughs were given so much the better bargain of textiles from other surrounding regions, and now more rarely did free thinkers and artist, venture at times to the new cities center which had in hurried fashion erected more then several high rise led glass towers. The new cities center were spiritedly rich, fashionable, seemingly international, cosmopolitan and quite vacant of people, and the other old world system might have appeared alongside except that at least for such a time, the other boroughs had the power to trade more freely amongst themselves, and their equity were born of the creations inside a new space that were restricted in ways that they had previously known. The other boroughs would attempt to build their own wealth, only measuring themselves more often in the limitation of trading with any other place. Some should setup a manufacturing base, only to see it too close in turn for another reason having existed elsewhere. Regardless it seems always a strong contingent of many would in turn see to it to socially help others in need. Only consistently it seems many agreed, if they could continue to secure food, and find ways of producing anything that should be necessary to their living circumstances for a longer and healthier life, what else should the city truly need? Julian found himself in this circumstance. Only briefly he tried a new occupation in the new city center, an opportunity that ironically hadn't existed for him in the old cities where many of the new city occupants had likely come from but a place at least however temporary were found here. The commerce of wealth were interested in the trend of a new travel destination, and a peoples that had re invented society itself. Julian could even almost afford to live so much closer in a more wealthy trade borough, but then as quickly even migratory wealth, in a years time tired of the same storefronts, a similar look. The artist and free thinkers had barricaded their own borough and chased the wealthier onlookers away so often, and more often works anyways were deliberately contrived as its own counter culture to wealth and seemingly in design so un aesthetically appealing to the eyes of what could be potential benefactor. Only the new cities present artists should have known all to well the drain of their presence so much from a city or place of origin. At least food supplies were secured, and most of the artists and free thinkers anyways for their contribution thought mostly with respect to the utilities of new cities lives: how to make people not have to struggle or work so hard for much of anything. In a time, only one borough might find accumulated wealth and resources dwindling, and decided to reduce its taxes. While some attempted to construct more permanent institutional features, Julian like others were merely suspicious and leary of even these ideas. If only one more added dependency to be had for their own place, and a tax demanded to keep another's institutional doors swinging open, and for what to weigh in on some other opinion about the ways people should or shouldn't be educated, to tell them taxes needed to be raised to create city growth which should in turn lead to the lesser of fortune's eviction. The boroughs now at least had some common feature amongst them. Their houses this time were built to last for many family generations, they conspired to build manufacturing bases that would last for short enough periods to produce the goods their population should need, and they themselves had conspired for temporary access and gain of resources needed in producing such goods. The new cities engineers and educated people, this time refused to leave the city, and the new city strategically rode the waves of old world intolerances, so much to avoid violence. They created amongst themselves informal manners of trade, provided educational service, medical services. They lived cloistered at times and self protective of one another, often times they could at least be socially intolerant, however, of certain things, like violent organized criminal activities. Only human nature might have weighed in at times with respect to habitual drug use, and the city might have appeared like others in so far as crime, but at least now, the old cities hadn't conspired to infect their space or plague it with problems. The new city weren't conspicuously successful, nor the poorest of cities amongst all others, and at least fewer starved now here relative the old world from which they came.