33 Money For Everyone! (1/2)

Over the next few days, Li Yang held several conferences with Harper and Charlene Lee, who were reading and re-reading the documentation scrolls. Li Yang, did some re-reading, too, and finally understood what Harper had grasped halfway through his first reading: that having a second self residing in the New World had serious profit potential.

They agreed it would be good to take a peek at the New World, and gave themselves timon implants in a solemn ceremony. Harper had, at one time, done a lot of drugs, and he was the first to work out that time flowed faster in the New World relative to Earth. In the New World, spring was just around the corner.

However, it was still cold in the New World. All three of them were shocked to discover that their second selves were naked, and had to eat independently of their originals back on Earth. They immediately ordered their alter egos to go south, guided by the sun. Thus, they did not discover the rapidly growing settlement just a few kilometers to the northeast.

They discussed which of them should be the first to fully enter the New World. Li Yang was wary of going first. He had a big stash of stuff in his room that the others hadn't seen, yet. He'd given each of the Lees a hiber bed, a documentation scroll, and a couple of implant kits. He'd also transferred half of his food to the communal kitchen.

Harper and Charlene were very grateful. Charlene even called Li Yang her hero. But Li Yang knew that heroes can get robbed just like everyone else. So he felt relieved when Harper said that being the oldest of the three of them, he would go first.

”I'll be keeping in touch through your guys there,” he said, and giggled. He said:

”Fuck! I've always believed in telepathy, had a few telepathic moments myself. But this, this is something else. It's fantastic. I love it.”

Harper continued to be very enthusiastic as Li Yang and Charlene accompanied him to his room. He cracked a couple of jokes as he stretched out on the silvery mat he'd put on his bed. He was asleep almost instantly.

He was significantly less enthusiastic when they woke him up just half an hour later. He was shivering so badly he couldn't speak. He was wearing two T-shirts and a flannel shirt and a sweatshirt and a thick sweater because it was cold in the unheated apartment. It had been enough earlier, but now he had to wrap himself in the quilt from his bed to warm up.

When his teeth stopped chattering, Harper said:

”This is going to be more difficult than we thought.”

He told Charlene and Li Yang about the hunger, the cold, the near-total exhaustion of their selves in the New World. He proposed putting them out of their misery.

”We still have a kit each,” said. ”Bruce, you got a spare as well, right?”

Li Yang cleared his throat a couple of times. Then he said:

”I have a few more than that. I can give you an extra kit each.”

”That's great,” Harper said, a little suspiciously. ”You know something? Before we go off again exploring the New World, let's see what's happening in the 'hood. It's been peaceful lately. Maybe a store will be open. We need to get some light bulbs. There isn't a single spare left in the whole place.”

They all removed their implants, and left the apartment in a somewhat somber mood. They didn't get very far.

There was a printed notice pasted onto the front door of their apartment block. It was signed by no other than Carlton Brock, president of the United States.

The notice informed them that a new world government had been formed. It would introduce a new minimum guaranteed income. This money would come without any strings attached. It would be paid out to every living adult, regardless of income and employment status. It would replace all the existing social funding: government pensions, welfare, benefits for the unemployed and the sick and so on.

The notice also informed them about the origin of the glowing cubes, and stated that any items recovered from the cubes were state property. All individuals in possession of the said items were required to deposit them at the nearest police station or government office. Failure to comply would be punished by the permanent loss of the perpetrator's guaranteed minimum income.

The notice ended with a series of promises. A major currency reform would stop inflation forever. Income tax would be abolished, simultaneously with all debts - national, business, personal. Power would be restored soon, and water even sooner. A bright future awaited everyone in the New World. A bright future awaited everyone in the Old World! Everything was great, and would be getting even better. Signed, Carlton Brock.

Harper Lee finished reading first. He looked at the others and said: