Day Seventy : Weal

Weal 

Definition

: a sound, healthy, or prosperous state : well-being

Weal is most often used in contexts referring to the general good. One reads, for example, of the "public weal" or the "common weal." The latter of these led to the formation of the noun commonweal, a word that once referred to an organized political entity, such as a nation or state, but today usually means "the general welfare." The word commonwealth shares these meanings, but its situation is reversed; the "political entity" sense of commonwealth is still current whereas the "general welfare" sense has become archaic. At one time, weal and wealth were also synonyms; both meant "riches" ("all his worldly weal") and "well-being." Both words stem from wela, the Old English word for "well-being," and are closely related to the Old English word for "well."

"As you can see, our facility offers the latest in comfort and design. Your every need is catered for and I can assure you, upon your release, you will feel like a new person." The sales rep with the brainwashed/brainwashing spiel turned towards me and grinned, a bright, luminescent, 'I'm going to devour you whole' kind of grin.

The brightness of it was certainly assisted by the various lights scattering their differing shades over us. 

I was currently about 160 feet below the earth's surface, in the middle of touring one of the most recent solutions to the world's impending nuclear war and inevitable destruction of a normal way of life. The magazine I wrote for (as to why we were continuing to publish despite the impending annihilation of humanity and most likely every other being on the surface of the planet, well, what else are you going to do while you're waiting for the end of the world? Besides, I liked my job. Even if it did take me to some super trippy places some times) had asked me to do a review and comparison of the various facilities that had sprung up, claiming that they guaranteed a comfortable existence during the nuclear winter. Seeing as these facilities were always looking for more funding and saw us as a good way to advertise, they sprung at the chance. So far, I had reviewed a company that built bomb shelters in your bank garden (I'm not sure how long a normal family would last, trapped for generations in a small, maybe two roomed shelter - especially once the inbreeding really took hold), another that had been halfway through building some sort of sky city, their aim being to literally rise above the pollution and wait for the fall out to clear up (for a start, they hadn't managed to get the city airborne. Also, I wasn't a scientist or anything, but I'm pretty sure mushroom clouds and toxic gas spread higher than the level they were planning to coast at. If they went any higher, they'd have to invest in a sealed bio-dome so the inhabitants could breathe and not freeze too death, but apparently the cost for this was too 'unfeasible'.) as well a sleazy factory I had visited on the outskirts of town filled with freezers that just screamed 'I used to be an illegal organ trade factory.' They claimed to be a cryogenics place but I failed to see, even if the freezers did work, how they would keep you safe when the building fell on top of your unconscious, frozen body. 

I had to admit, out of all the crazy, desperate schemes I had seen, this was the only one that looked slightly legit. 

The idea was a combination of various ones that had gone before, just more thought out. For a start, the creators had fully come to terms with the fact that a) the earth's surface was going to be completely uninhabitable for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It was therefore pointless to consider anything that tried to pretend that normal life would resume. The creators had gone in, knowing that nothing would ever be the same again in any way shape or form, and had therefore, basically, designed a whole new world, safely underground, from scratch. 

The premise was that you would initially wait out the first five hundred years or so in their heavily warded bunker in a cryogenic sleep. Once at least five hundred years had past, you would then be released (in staggered amounts) to the waiting underground paradise that had been waiting for you. 

There would be several volunteers left awake to tend the bio domes, cryogenics pods and various mechanical and engineering requirements. Of course, they would have preferred for machines to handle all this, so that everyone could sleep and wake together, however with AI as it was now, there was no way the machines had progressed far enough to manage this by themselves. Therefore, some people would have to remain awake. All carefully selected of course and they (or their descendants rather) would be substantially rewarded and highly regarded in the new regime. 

I wondered what that would feel like. Five hundred years of serving sleeping prince and princesses. No company but a few others like yourselves and machines, the earth destroyed above you. Knowing that your children, your children's children and your children's children's children would likely have nothing more than what you have now. Wondering if, when the princes and princesses woke up, if they would remember what they had promised. Wondering if they would pay what they owed.

I wondered if perhaps the guardians, after all these thoughts going on in their heads, would maybe consider not waking them up at all. 

As if the sales rep could catch the thoughts drifting across my mind, apropos of nothing, they suddenly said,

"Of course, all our pods are automated and completely tamper proof. Once you're in there and the timer is set, nothing can disturb it or change the date of your release."

"What if something goes wrong?"

"If there is deemed to be a significant risk or damaging alteration to your life signals, there is an emergency protocol built into the pods which can alter the AI and, after judging the situation, they can execute an emergency release. But really, the pods are fire, tamper, water, electric, radiation and bacteria proof. In a nuclear war and the fall out, they truly are the safest place to be."

They held out their hand, "Please. This way."

I followed them down and down into the earth. They showed me huge rooms, full of sleek silver machinery and soft blue blinking lights. Row after row after row of cryogenic pods, looking uncomfortably like Snow White's glass coffin (although, in an unlikely occurrence after one goes into a coffin, she had woken up again) stood waiting in the dim light.

I cautiously approached one. It did, indeed, look like a glass coffin. It seemed large and roomy (for a coffin) and the base seemed to be padded with a thick, comfortable looking material so I doubt it would be uncomfortable to lie there. For the few seconds you would be conscious anyway, before the freezing agent kicked in.

"You would be unconscious right?" I asked the sales rep. "I mean, you wouldn't be lying here frozen for five hundred years and, you know, awake the whole time."

If that were the case, it's be more like Pandora's box than Snow White's coffin. Instead of an undead princess you'd get room after room of crazy people, people who'd had no company but whatever voices they already had inside their head before they went under, spilling out into the carefully managed and maintained Eden. Heck, some people could even hide their craziness behind well controlled masks and they tended to be even more dangerous than the garden variety type. It would be a hell below to match the one above. 

The sales rep flashed me another one of those big grins. "Please, I can assure you that although there have been rumours of being aware while being frozen ever since this technology was developed, they are completely unfounded. Stasis is not like being in a coma. Whilst in a coma, you might be in a deep sleep but your body, your time, is still growing and moving. In stasis, everything is frozen, your body, your mind, your time. You would simply fall asleep and then wake up."

"After five hundred years?"

"As if you'd only been asleep for the night. This way, please."

I followed them into giant halls for eating, the equipment clean and polished, new and shining. I followed them into the orchards and fields for crops. It was still in the early stages but I could clearly see how far they'd stretch, under the synthetic lighting and irrigation system, how carefully it had all been designed. 

They showed me the sleeping quarters. A little cramped perhaps, than what we were currently used to, but still spacious for what they were and everything had been provided for. 

It almost seemed to good to be true and I said as much. 

The sales rep grinned at me. "I assure you, this has been the work of years. The families of the creators  have devoted generations of their children to this project."

I blinked. "You mean, even before all this kicked off."

They nodded. "The...original creator knew too well the nature of humanity and believed that the current state of affairs, in one form or another, was inevitable. Thus, he began planning. Then his children, and his children's children and their children carried on his work."

"I, I see." I said, bewildered and more than slightly impressed.

"So then," the sales rep paused and handed me a clipboard. "Would you like to sign?"

"Sign?" I asked, confused. I looked down at the form. It appeared to be a standard application form for admittance to the scheme, along with several indemnity agreements. 

"For membership." They grinned at me again. "We do offer a rather reasonable rate."

"Very reasonable." I said, shocked at the price. I mean, it would still be everything I owned...but what cost could you put on surviving a nuclear war in style?

"We did include a small discount - after all, if you did join us, what better recommendation and advertising for us, then if the reviewer themselves joined?" They smiled that big, all devouring grin. 

But was I ever going to get a better chance than this?

I signed.