FUTURE CITY SERIES: PART 5
A VISIT IN FUTURE
TINTINN VISITS 2115 SAN FRANCISCO
BY
ARUNIMA GHOSHAL
As Tintinn’ walked along the
beach in the calm evening of San Francisco, Snowie ran ahead chasing the crabs
sauntering along. They were enjoying a nice evening walk after landing in San
Francisco for their vacation.
Mr. Tintinn’.
Tintinn’ turned around to see
three men surrounding him and gesturing him to get into a black Bentley.
Man: I have instructions to take
you with me. I am sorry I can’t answer any questions right now. But I assure
you that you will not be harmed.
Tintinn’: Hey! Who you are? Get
out of my way!
Man: You have to come with us.
Please do not create a commotion. Come with us peacefully and everything will
be alright.
As Tintinn’ slowly started to
walk away, he felt a blinding pain at the back of his head. Tintinn’ fell with
a thud. The two men carried him to the car.
Man: Get the dog too.
In Professor Xavier’s Laboratory:
Tintinn’ got up slowly groaning
in pain. As his vision cleared, he looked around in amazement.
It was the strangest room Tintinn’
had ever seen. It had huge machines all around, electricity sparking out of the
wires. There were numerous channels of wires made out of metal which Tintinn’ had
never seen in his life.
A man came in through the door.
He was in a wheelchair.
PROF. X: Ah Mr. Tintinn’. I
sincerely apologize for the way you were brought to my place. But you see I had
no choice. I could not afford a scene in the public place. I instructed my men
to get you here with no commotion. To them that seemed the most convenient way.
The Government dislikes my unorthodox ways and does not trust me. I need to
work in secrecy because of this. But rest assured that my interest is in saving
this city from being wiped out from the face of this earth.
TINTINN’: Who are you? Why have
you brought me here? Where is Snowie?
PROF. X: I will answer all your
questions. All in good time! Come, join me for dinner and I will put your mind
to rest.
A baffled Tintinn’ got up to join
this strange man to dinner. He was still queasy from the fall. But he started
to look around for a way to escape. As he entered another room, he saw a big
table, with two places set for dinner.
TINTINN’: Snowie!! Are you
alright? Come here boy. Where did you get that big bone? Snowie came bounding
up to him, and sat down next to his master, lapping down on the huge dog bone.
They sat down for dinner. The man intrigued Tintinn’. He did not seem to be dangerous, but the pain in his head reminded him not to let down his guard.
Tintinn’: So will you tell me who you are now?
PROF. X: I am Professor Xavier. I
think you may have heard about me from your dear friend Prof. Calculus. I am a
scientist and I have been working on a particular experiment. Unfortunately, it
is at a juncture beyond which it is not possible for me to go on with. And that
is where you come in. I have heard about all your antics from Prof.Calculus. And
that is why when I heard you are here, I realized you are the only one who can
help me right now.
TINTINN’: Me? What can I do? What
is this experiment?
PROF. X: Let me explain. This
city and in fact the entire world is at a risk of destroying itself within a few
centuries. The cities and its surrounding urban areas are degenerating so fast that
the whole of humankind is at a precarious position. Our way of living, growing
and developing is affecting the environment we live in. Keeping this in mind, I
started working on this state of the art machine. A machine that looks into the
future, using which I saw the face of this city in the year 2115.
TINTINN’: Great Snakes!! You
actually did that?! But what can I do to help you?
PROF. X: You see, when I look through the
machine into the future, I get only a glimpse at a time of how the city looks
like then.
TINTINN’: so what does it look like?
PROF. X gave a surreal smile.
PROF. X: it’s fantastic! It’s better than we
can imagine. It is only because I have seen this vision of San Francisco 2115
that I remain optimistic in these dark times. This city becomes the biggest
global city in the future and I want to make sure this happens by using my machine.
And this is where you come in.
TINTINN’: But I have no knowledge
about such things. I think you are mistaken. I don’t think I can help you in
any way.
PROF. X: But you can Mr. Tintinn’.
I need you to take my place in the future city of San Francisco and explore the
city to find out the source of their unlimited energies and what makes the city
so great in the future. Only then can we save this city and the world at large
from being destroyed before it reaches its time of glory.
TINTINN’: But how can I do that?
I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look. And you said you get only glimpses
of the city. How will I explore the entire city through glimpses?
PROF. X: Hear me out Mr. Tintinn’.
I have been working on this machine for years. Two months ago I stumbled upon
an experiment which makes this phenomenal machine even more powerful. Through
it I can send a person into the future for one day. That is what I ask you to
do for me. Go into the future city and bring me the secret to the future.
TINTINN’: Wow! That really is something! You are a
genius Professor. After all this might be a great opportunity for the whole of
humankind. And I am curious myself to see this future city as he calls it.
Alright Snowie! Let’s do it! It will be a great adventure.
Snowie: Woof woof!! Snowie wagged his
tail excitedly!
PROF. X: That’s wonderful! Thank
you Mr. Tintinn’! You are doing the mankind a great service. Let us get on with
it after breakfast then.
The Time Machine:
Entering the lab PROF. X said, now there are a few things you should remember at all times. Once you reach, you have to be very, very careful. Never let anyone know who you are or where you came from. Nobody would believe you and it might bring trouble in your way. I will give you instructions on how to reach where; from the information I have gathered through my experiments.
You need to keep a camera with you at all
times. You have just one day in hand, because the heat generated from this
machine when it is switched on can be kept in control only for that long a
time. Otherwise it will explode.
You need not explore the whole
city. This is a map of the present day city. It will be of some use surely. You
only need to search in the office of the Transamerican Building and get information
of the energy source. Is that clear? I will bring you back to this year in a
day’s time. You wear this watch and once you see the dial blink a red signal it
means you need to get ready to come back.
TINTINN’: Got it professor. Come
on Snowie! Here we go!
Tintinn’ and Snowie got into the
enormous machine. It started to give out a lot of smoke and Tintinn’ felt like
he was falling headlong from the skies. As Tintinn’ coughed he fell onto the
floor and lost consciousness.
San Francisco, 2115:
When he got up, he was lying in a
corner of a deserted street.
TINTINN’: Snowie! Snowie! Where
are you Snowie?!
Snowie: Woof! Woof! Snowie came
running along.
TINTINN’: Come on Snowie. We have
no time and we have a lot of work.
Tintinn’ turned the corner and
stopped short at the sight that greeted them.
Snowie ran ahead capering around on the street. All around him were beautiful buildings all arranged in a neat pattern. But that is not what amazed Tintinn’. The residential houses led into the downtown area which was a wonder in itself. The skyscrapers were at a height that the 21st century people would never imagine would be possible to reach. It seemed to Tintinn’ that the roads seemed to climb to the skies when it reached the downtown area. He started clicking pictures and started walking towards the tallest building that he could see. Prof. X had said that would be the building which held all the secrets to the past, present and future.
As he walked along the roads in
the bright sunny morning he marveled at the place he was in. The pavements were
ingeniously built for the convenience of every citizen. He had never seen such
wide roads. There were 4 lanes for cars to move through, separate side lanes
for bicycles and another one for people walking and for dog walkers. There were
two schools in every block he passed and from the looks of it, all the children
was engaged in activities that were never part of the school work he had ever
seen. They were surrounded by innovative structures and the teachers were
standing, keeping a strict eye on them all.
TINTINN’: Can you believe it Snowie?
We are here in the future. It’s amazing isn’t it? I wish the Captain was here
with us. He would’ve loved it!
Tintinn’ and Snowie trudged along
the road which seemed to get steeper by the minute. They must be going up a
hillside that had been so well developed, Tintinn’ thought. But when he turned
a corner, he was stopped by a policeman.
Policeman: Sir, I’m sorry but you
are not allowed to walk here.
TINTINN’: oh but how will I reach
The Transamerican Building?
Policeman: As you can see sir,
this area is off limits for walkers. People travel to the downtown area through
the Hyperloop sir. The Downtown has been built on such a height that only these
special cars can move through these air tubes to reach the doorstep of every
building. Daily commuters too, make use of this way. They leave their
individual cars all along this huge parking lot that you just crossed on your
way up here. Come sir, I will show you the way.
The policeman was not surprised
at another newcomer flocking to their city. It was after all the best planned
city in the world. People from all over the world came to see their city. It
was considered the model city of the world.
Tintinn’ went up a lift with the
policeman, just taking in all that he saw around him. Snowie, too, was quiet
now. It was a strange place he had come to. Tintinn’ reached an elevated region
from which he saw small electric vehicles travelling at super fast speed zoom
in and out of the station area. From this height, he could see the zigzagging
of such tubes, reaching every skyscraper that was visible to the naked eye. Looking
around he saw an electric board displaying the name Hyperloop, describing it as
a supersonic air travel machine. It is similar
to the tubes used in older days used to ship packages between
buildings. Only the technological improvement made it possible to ship people
too.
Snowie and Tintinn’ stared. Using a card given to him by the professor, he accessed all the areas.
TINTINN’: PROF. X is a genius. I
can never understand how he made such a card as this Snowie.
And immediately one of those super speed cars zoomed in front of them. They got in and it zoomed out of the station again. The whole city could be seen through the glass windows and it was a breathtaking view. The downtown area had buildings made of a strange metal. It seemed to be a form of iron and steel that was lighter and durable than ever before.
The transport system seemed impeccable. The station of the Hyperloop gave way to the widest freeways and highways Tintinn’ had ever seen. These highways descended into the residential areas which were built on lower grounds. Tintinn’ and Snowie reached the stop and got down. From the station itself he walked right into the Transamerican Building. It was said to be the oldest and most secure building in the city preserved perfectly through the moving times.
As they walked through the passageway, the security levels seemed to go up visibly. Tintinn’ had noticed throughout his journey that the security was tight and subtle. It was hardly ever visible to the eyes, but it was there, watching your every move. But in the Transamerican building armed guards stood at every corner. If Tintinn’ wouldn’t have had the card, he would have never been able to go inside the building.
There were various rooms on every floor of the building, with strange experiments going on inside them. Tintinn’ explored a few, and was astounded at the advancement made by people. There was a room where the intelligence agents cross questioned criminals using some technology which could read directly into the brains of the man sitting in the exact centre of the room.
There was an entire floor dedicated to plan and handle the numerous amenities provided by the government. It held the plans for all the policies that the city had. Tintinn’ was curious to learn about them as well. It was because of his amazing key card that no one had questioned him yet, though they did look a little uncertain, with Snowie there as well. But Tintinn’ kept his disguise as a high end official. It was such a huge building that it was impossible for even these tech- geniuses to know every single person who went in and out of the building.
Time was running out and he still had not found the energy source of this great city. There were too many aspects. This was a great city, but all the technological advancement had wiped out the simplicity of life. Perhaps they did not even know what it meant to lead a quiet simple life, with complete anonymity and freedom from the authorities.
Tintinn’ could see that the world he lived in was heading towards this exactly. There were brilliant innovations all around him. A huge section of the building was on the Space project. They had made huge leaps forward in their connection to outer space.
TINTINN’: Look Snowie, that door
is marked as the Mars Project. Maybe we can find something there.
Opening the door, Tintinn’ saw a
huge room, with various complicated equipment all around and several scientists
walking by. At a corner, a scientist was explaining the project to a woman who
donated for the research work that went on here. Tintinn’ closed up on them,
trying to overhear what they said.
Scientist: So ma’am, as you can
see, this machine is called the Mars Colonial Transporter. It is a spaceflight
system, built to transport humans to Mars at a very high and advanced speed.
There are so many scientists involved in the Mars Oasis project that we needed
a rocket that would help in an easy and fast way of travel between the two
planets.
Woman: What’s the Mars Oasis
project??
Scientist: That is the most
brilliant experiment made by mankind. Our rocket – SpaceX is a miniature experimental
greenhouse on Mars, carrying food crops that can survive the Martian regolith.
The experiment has been a huge success and we have better alternate ways to
produce food once this gets perfected. Our dependence on laboratory
manufactured food will reduce a lot once this is over.
Snowie: Woof!!
The duo turned around to see who was making
such a noise.
TINTINN’: Shh Snowie, quiet. We
don’t want to attract unwanted attention. Okay, let’s get out from here and
find the thing we are looking for. The energy source is so large that it can
make all these advanced machines run smoothly all over town. What’s the secret
to that I wonder! We are almost there I think. It’s the topmost floor. That’s
left. Crumbs! It’s the 135th
floor. These buildings really do touch the skies. Here it is. It must be this
door marked The Plan. I hope the keycard doesn’t give up on us now. We have to
be quick. It’s almost midnight.
The door creaked open, when Tintinn’
felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking back he saw a man, an exact replica of PROF.
X, except that he could walk. Tintinn’ could not think of a word to say when
the man cleared his throat, and signaled them to go inside and close the door.
Man: I know who you are. I have
been waiting for you a long time.
TINTINN’: Excuse me? I think you
are mistaken. I work here.
Man: It’s alright. You don’t have
to lie to me. I am here to help you.
Seeing Tintinn’s stunned expression,
the man said: I’m sorry but there is no time to explain. You need to head back
now. I can only give you a quick display of what you seek. Come; be ready with
your camera. They approached a huge layout of what Tintinn’ assumed was the
Plan. This part of the room was empty, faint noises were coming in from the
other side of the huge room.
Man: This is The Plan that the
city follows. The ultimate source to all our power, energy is the simplest idea
you can imagine. We get all our energy from nature. When petroleum and the kind
were wiped off the Earth the only alternative was to make the fullest use of
wind, water, solar and tidal energies and we had to do it fast.
Take a picture of this plan. It will be enough of a clue for you.
Take a picture of this plan. It will be enough of a clue for you.
TINTINN’: But how do you use
these on such a large scale?
Man: It is simple in theory.
There are 90 KW water turbines on every major waterfall that are around the
city. There are 29 wind turbines along our numerous beaches each of 100 KW strength. There are solar power systems installed on every building having 70
floors. All these are interconnected in the way that you see in this plan. This
manages to provide power to the entire city in a hazardless manner.
It has been imbibed in every
educated child and adult to save energy and electricity whenever they can. You
cannot imagine how much that is required to keep such a system running. We had
our problems, and it took a long time to get here. But we did get here.
Little things help save the
energy. Every building has automated thermostats that turn off the AC at night,
whenever they are not required. Air deflectors direct air into the rooms so
that less energies are used. An extensive program is underway, where we extract
methane from waste waters, through sludge treatment plants and use it to generate
10 MW electrical power plus heat for running the plants.
This is a coded program I’m
giving you to take back. It is what your Prof. X needs.
TINTINN’: Thank you so much. I
could never have known what to do without you. Oh, I need to leave now. Thank you
again. Good luck for you future.
Man: And to you Mr. Tintinn’.
Just remember that there are no direct ways to get this far. You will get here.
It depends on you alone when you reach.
TINTINN’: Come on Snowie, our
work here is done. Let’s go back and enjoy the rest of our holiday.
Finding a secluded spot, Tintinn’
readied himself to be transported back. As he looked back for the one last time
he grabbed the camera to take a picture of this beautiful future that lay ahead
of mankind. It would help him to survive his present. As they were whisked
away, the skyline was full of rainbow lights which seemed to blink goodbye to
him and tell them to never forget this city.
The End
Author’s Bio- Note:
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