Grant had been in deep study with Rika for weeks, and was soaking the information up quickly. Biggs sat in on a few studies, trying to gauge the Last Returnee and the progress he was making towards baptism. Grant had stated it as his goal, and Rika believed he was learning fast. But part of Biggs couldn't shake their past, wondering if Grant was working an angle after all.
In between the studies, Grant joined the Service Corps. The volunteer work didn't have a scriptural requirement the same way the leadership roles did. Hugh was assigned to Grant, and the two of them flew to their next assignment, in a transport full of people.
"I am completely lost." Grant admitted. "I don't know if it's the change in travel tech, or if it's the architecture; but I'd swear we're five hundred miles from where Jericho is meant to be."
"It's not just you." Hugh said easily. "After A-Day, they left the cities to themselves. The Congregations all found each other, and started new communities in different areas; but a lot of places kept the names. We still needed locations to navigate by; so all the Cairo congregations started a new Cairo. Same with Madrid, Paris…" He chuckled. "Makes it confusing for new people, but we don't have a lot of those anymore. I came back to New Paris. They'd kept more from OS than most. Some of the monuments were still in view, a lot of the old city design had remained, if scrubbed up a bit. I couldn't figure out how it had gotten so much closer to a coastline. But back then, there were a lot of things I couldn't figure out."
~~/*\~~
The team landed, and Brother Averill addressed them before they started. Grant smirked a bit to himself when he realized that he still thought of the man as 'The Colonel'; in a world with no military.
"Alright, listen up!" The Colonel shouted to get everyone's attention. "This is for the new people: Back when this world began, the major task was to start cleaning it up. The world is very good at restoring itself when humans keep their hands off; and after a while we learned the best way to help it along. Right now, old-growth forests are home to a lot of life. And we can tear down old trees and replace them with new ones easily. We've done it for a while. But history has proven that no matter how careful we are to clean up after ourselves, humanity is at its best when it doesn't consume anything established at all." He turned to the large Holo and displayed their task. "This is our objective for the day. To build a Treefarmer Station. It's already been used in some parts of the world for the better part of the last four centuries. This will be the first one established in the Northern half of this continent. So, like everything else; we're breaking it down. Team Leaders, attend to your people; the checklists and component plans are all prepared."
"A treefarmer?" Grant asked quietly.
"Like an Arboretum that cultivates saplings. Instead of growing to be planted; they create perfect conditions to make a tree grow straight and uniform. It's literally an assembly line for lumber."
"Can't possibly grow that quickly."
"How quickly does a forest grow?" Hugh asked practically. "Besides, when it doesn't have a demand for lumber, the same facility becomes an arboretum; a conservatory; an indoor park… We can put woodland in the desert."
~~/*\~~
Grant had never been on a Construction Project before. During the day's labor, he noticed locals pulling up in trucks with supplies, and taking away debris and discarded material. They came and went all day, without anyone seeming to be asked, or stopping to argue; or even getting in each other's way.
Hugh noticed the scrutiny. "It's how we do it." He said simply. "How we always have. A thousand people moving little stones can shift a mountain."
"What happens if everyone doesn't show up?"
"What do you mean?"
"A lot of the world is crowd-sourcing solutions now, but what happens if people just don't show up one day?"
"We are far from that desperate."
"No, not one person missing a shift; I mean what if there were a lot of people absent?"
"Why? A massive flu epidemic? A terror attack?" Hugh quipped.
Grant frowned. The tone was so… easygoing. It hadn't been a joke. Hugh genuinely wasn't concerned about… anything. "I'll… get to work on the Tree Farm."
~~/*\~~
If This Is Paradise… Then Why Do I Feel Left Out?
For a thousand years, I've been seeing joyous reunions. I've been seeing people from a hundred different eras start a Real Life. People who scrubbed floors until they died of old age, now seeing the world, earning doctorates; writing symphonies.
It's wonderful. It's glorious. It's beautiful. It's the world the way it's meant to be. Except that Tribulation Survivors don't get joyous reunions. My mother and father; my classmates. Every time I meet a new person, who gets to know the world, I'm watching a coming of age story unfold, and I can't help but look back at my perfect memories of my own coming of age story. The days when I left home, went to college, and started putting my first Doctorate together… They all would have loved it here.
At the 200 Year mark, I started to realize that I was just building a New World version of the life I had in OS. And after a thousand years, it comes to me that I haven't gone that far away from it. I didn't want to. The things I wanted to do with my life in OS, are just like the things I have done here. But a world like this meant such learning wasn't vanity.
But there's one aspect of my OS life that haunts me: I lost almost everyone from it. In less than a year, I learned, I dedicated, I changed. And then I mourned. Less than a year; and I was the last one of my life left standing.
I thought myself lucky, that my family was so intact in such a bitter, evil world. I begged them to listen to me about what I was learning. Begged them. They treated my suddenly awoken faith like a fad diet I would grow out of.
I was young enough that life hadn't been taking loved ones away from me. I made a new family. But when I see people insisting that their loved ones won't believe; and then I find out that they got Eternal Life too; I have to wonder. What would my family be in this world?
I'll never know.
I'm not the only one to think this way, I know it was a privilege beyond measure that I was saved on A-Day. But that privilege came with a cost.
~~/*\~~
Grant was amazed to realize that he wasn't broken by the work. He'd been digging out the earth to make foundations; and he'd been going most of the day. With many others helping out. Grant had expected to be in agony after a day's hard labor, but instead he felt sated, as though he'd just finished a morning jog. The work crew had finished for the day and returned to the city itself for dinner; which was provided by the locals. An evening of plentiful food, laughter; music playing and some people breaking out into song.
Grant observed, more than participated. The songs being sung were alien to him; and the people all aware that he still looked older than them. Half a dozen had come around to share 'life wisdom' with those earnest, well meaning expressions that were starting to grate. On some level, until he looked like everyone else, Grant knew he'd always be the 'prodigal child'.
Hugh had apparently read this, and taken him away from street level, to a cafe up on a rooftop plaza. It gave them a pretty good view of the clear evening sky; the city itself; and other construction projects, still in progress.
"It's amazing to me how fast you can build things now." Grant observed, looking towards the center of town.
"How fast WE can build things." Hugh reminded him. "You're part of the Team too." He held out a steaming cup. "Here, try this."
Grant sipped it. "It's good. What is it?"
"Something called Caff. It started out as coffee, but that didn't grow fast enough for the twenty billion people. The Foundation has the knack of gene-hacking plants."
"Back in OS, I remember reading about something called Dwarf Wheat." Grant commented. "A kind of plant hybrid that could grow in a smaller space than regular wheat. They called it a 'Green Revolution'."
"I heard of it." Hugh nodded. "The smaller space meant they could grow enough wheat to keep a billion people from starving to death. Smart people did that in the 1970's. Imagine how far we can take it now."
"I don't think I can imagine that sort of thing." Grant admitted. "But then, I guess I don't have to." He gestured to the middle of New Cairo. "What are they building there?"
"It's an Arcology." Hugh reported. "One of the more ambitious projects. The whole place is a closed system. No weather gets in, no detritus gets out. The inside is climate controlled, so you can grow a tropical jungle in the desert if you want to." He gestured. "Lower levels are living areas. Apartments, which are small by today's standards; but it's a working community."
"Working on what?"
"Closed system. The plants growing under that dome are providing food, water, air… You could move that whole tower to the bottom of the ocean, and live comfortably. We have brothers living in the Jungle, living in the Arctic Circle, living in the middle of the ocean. Arcologies are where we cultivate new plant species; breed endangered ones, or just bring a little bit of the world to other places. In the Brazilian Region's Arcology, they're studying an Alpine biome. They've got students in there working on their exams. Under that dome, it's like being about a hundred miles from the Arctic Circle."
Grant let out a whistle. "How sturdy is the Dome?"
"How sturdy does it need to be?" Hugh smiled at him. "It's not like it has to defend itself against attack. Or even harsh weather, come to that."
Grant rolled his eyes. "Oh, boy."
"Grant, you've been back for a while now. You should have gotten your head around the idea that the world is safe."
"No such thing as Safe." Grant told him. "Becoming a Believer also taught me to think long-term. It taught me that possessions are fleeting, and you're only as faithful as you are right now."
"You make God sound like someone waiting for an excuse to strike."
"Something OS taught me: You live longer if you're watching for the hit." Grant offered. "And I know, that's not how a Believer talks. And I know that's not how it is, really. But there is some common ground. I've been reading about the Witnesses at the end of the Last Days. There was a lot of talk about not focusing on possessions, or relying on earthly systems to protect you. The people here seem to have forgotten that. The System you've set up is designed to have no problems at any level."
"You're still out of the loop." Hugh assured him, like a parent with a scared child. "Seven hundred years ago, we designed technology with redundancies, backups, corrections for the human factor… But here at the 900 Year mark, there really isn't anything to correct. Our tech went from trying to be more advanced to being more reliable. It's a byproduct of never wanting to throw anything away. You can go a century between tuneups. The Human Factor faded out of concern."
"That's when it gets you." Grant commented. "Now, to shift the subject slightly, can I ask a question?"
"Sure."
"I'm told that you supported yourself giving flying lessons. You're rated to approve pilots?"
"I'm rated to approve pilots on older planes like my own." Hugh told him. "To my shame… I'm not really checked out on the modern ones. And I don't need to be. Planes can fly themselves now, including takeoff and landing."
"But if I did want to fly a plane, one without an Auto; you'd be able to teach me how, right?" Grant insisted.
"I suppose." Hugh blinked. "Why? What's the point of interest?"
"Let's just say it seems like a great skill to have available." Grant said humbly.
~~/*\~~
Grant's first convention had been a Centennial. This one was much smaller. But the material covered in the talks was following the same theme.
"It was two thousand years after the Edenic Promise when God made another Covenant, this one with Abraham; and his offspring. God promised to Abraham that from his line would come nations; and kings. And not just any Nation; but a special property among the people of the earth, devoted to Pure Worship of the God of Abraham. Indeed, Romans chapter four calls Abraham 'the father of all having faith'. A verse that received an even greater fulfillment when the New Covenant was established, but we'll be learning more about that later on."
Grant noticed that none of the speakers were looking at the clock. None of them had run overtime, or ended early. None of them seemed nervous, though they were talking in front of thousands. Tens of thousands. Will that be me in a hundred years?
"Brothers and sisters; this final Convention Series could be a refresher course on man's long and personal relationship with Jehovah God." The Speaker began summing up. "A relationship that has taken various forms, always getting closer to what God had originally wanted. At every step; humans have enjoyed more light, more understanding, until finally we have come to this point; subject to a King that is so tightly in connection with Jehovah Himself that for almost a third of human history, billions of people were convinced they were the same person."
A low rumble of laughter rang out at that.
"At Genesis 21, Jehovah promised Abraham 'what will be called your offspring will be through Isaac'. This shows that God's Blessing was given to those who were faithful. Issac was the second born son; not the first. Likewise, Jacob wasn't the firstborn either, but he carried the Messianic line. Jehovah gives his blessing to those who earnestly seek a relationship with Him, regardless of custom and origin." The Speaker transitioned to the next point. "So, with that in mind; it's truly appropriate that we close our program today by turning our attention to those assembled; who are making their very own steps to having that personal relationship with God. Not as a nation; not as a congregation; but as individuals."
There was a short round of applause at that, but Grant could tell it was early. The talk was building to the main event.
"Once, some people thought paradise was about getting everything you always wanted. It was a natural enough assumption to make. God was generous, and wanted his subjects to be happy. But Jehovah isn't a Genie, granting wishes. Paradise isn't a funpark where everything you want is your automatic property. It's a Promise. It's a Covenant. From the Ninth Centennial, we've been talking a lot more about this topic; but as you dedicate yourselves to Jehovah God; I entreat you all to remember the Promises you are making; and the one that has been made to you." The Speaker declared. "Would you please stand?"
Grant stood, and so did several others in his section of the audience. Grant could tell at once that he was the only Returnee. In a world where nobody aged, you had to pay attention to other things to figure out a person's approximate age. The others were younger than he was. It was the first time since he'd woken up that he was the 'old man' in the group.
~~/*\~~
Rika insisted on taking him to dinner with the rest of the family, to celebrate the occasion. Grant's only family was Melody, but she was only too glad to have others there to celebrate.
Grant agreed; and promised to meet them at the selected restaurant. He had a stop to make first; and he summoned an Auto to take him there.
While he was waiting for it to arrive, he felt a presence coming up behind him. "Biggs." He said without turning. "I was wondering when we'd speak again. Come to see if I meant it?"
Biggs wandered up beside him, in no particular hurry. "I know you meant it." He said honestly. "The days when we can feign faith are long over. I'm just trying to comprehend this walking miracle." Biggs looked him up and down, as though searching for something. "The terror of Stone Prison, the man who could break serial killers and judges and juries alike… How did you do it? After being made of fear and power for so long…"
Grant nodded. "It seems a little too easy for you, doesn't it? So you're wondering how I traveled the 'road to Damascus'?"
"You play your cards close, Grant; even now. I don't know what your angle is this time; but you aren't coasting along. Somewhere behind that poker face; you're very busy."
"Yes, I suppose I am." Grant admitted. "All I can tell you is; I know what I'm looking for. And I believe I'm on the path to find it."
Well, that much about you hasn't changed. Biggs thought absently, but it was far from the right thing to say to a new brother. "I'm sure. Make it something amazing."
Grant chuckled as his Auto arrived.
~~/*\~~
Jehovah God… Grant prayed during the flight. He thinks I'm trying to con everyone. He knows I can't fake it with You, and he can see that I'm growing younger. But the transition was swift; and he doesn't understand why. He thinks I'm working on a plan for some kind of world domination. You know I'm not.
Father, back in OS; I could see the design of the universe. I could see it in everything except people. The only thing that seemed to exist without meaning or purpose was humanity. Well, now I see purpose. Your purpose. I see what Your direction is for humanity. I just… need to make sure of your direction for me, personally.
I think I know what I'm meant to do next. But if I'm wrong; then please let me know. I've seen truck drivers happen across construction sites at just the right moment, and I've seen the wind suddenly blow in the right direction to keep trash from blowing away. The world is working the way You want it to. But in what will no doubt be a surprisingly brief time; it won't be. I know how to handle wartime. Even this kind of war.
I know that I'm not supposed to 'put You to the test'. But if I get as far as my first stop; I'll assume I'm right; and keep going.
~~/*\~~
Grant returned to the Service Corps Dorms and made his way back into the barracks, searching the directory. He kept looking until he found the name he was looking for, and went up to the third level, knocking hard on the right door.
It opened, and Grant gave the man inside his most winning smile. "Seth Grovin?"
The man clearly recognized him. "Yes, I know who you are. And you're the last Returnee." He wasn't happy about it, though he and Grant had never met personally.
"I took the liberty of doing a search for your brother; and I know he's not here." Grant commented. "It took me a while to talk my 'welcome wagon' into showing me around the Service Corps; and longer still to be assigned to a work detail in your area. But I got here. I was hoping we could have ourselves a conversation."
Seth set his jaw. "I think I know why."
"Back in OS, I ran Stone Prison, and I did it from a jail cell. Even from a Prison hospital bed." Grant said, the same shark-smirk on his face, like the centuries in between had never happened. "I thought it might interest you to know that your father tried to pay a substantial amount of money to have Biggs Ryker killed while he was in Prison. I put a stop to it; because Biggs was my best enforcer then."
"I didn't know that." Seth commented.
"I have to get back for a dinner appointment; but I think we should talk." Grant said, and pushed his way past the man, shutting the door behind them.
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