Truth & Code: The Future is Black and White
Taking Flight

Taking Flight

Block 7,906,932

Han was finally preparing for his triennial mission. That’s the way he thought of it, anyway. It became a ritualistic duty as the founder of Han Tech. He didn’t trust the AI, the remote feed, or whatever. He always had to be present after Han Tech AI updated the Spider Works nodes.

As the population and the subsequent energy consumption grew, it was up to Han Tech to ensure that the fidelity of Spider Works kept up.

The convergence of improved AI manufacturing and source code allowed enhanced performance to be implemented only every three years. It was similar to the now passe Moore’s law but for AI. Any sooner, the resources would have been wasted because the system’s sensitivity would not have been good enough as an incremental step. But, as calculated by SO-Land AI, any later and the lack of fidelity in the intervening gap was too much of a risk.

The good news is that Han Tech would be in business for a long time until someone or AI came up with a better solution.

These missions used not to be a burden for Han, but with young toddlers, he found time away from them increasingly difficult. It would take two months to check the twenty nodes around SO-Land. It was a rigorous travel schedule and verification across nearly 20,000,000 square miles. He allotted three days for each node, including travel, validation, and testing. He would take no breaks and never hang out to explore the local culture (to the extent that any still existed in SO-Lands). Instead, he was laser-focused on verifying every line of code for the rollout and testing the system at each site, even though AI had essentially eliminated the risk of any errors in manufacturing or coding.

Nevertheless, he felt compelled to do it. As much as his wife didn’t understand, she knew he had to do it, so she always helped him prepare by packing for him. As the kids started getting older, she involved them as well. Despite the rigor of the schedule, Han always enjoyed the hunt for treasures his wife and children would leave hidden for him in various luggage items.

Tonight would be a special night eating at the Tan’s favorite restaurant. For Han’s wife, it meant no preparation or cleaning afterward, so she was always happy for a night out.

SO-Land planned communities always had the right mix of restaurants for their residents. AI accounted for the different palates of each resident. Every two years or so, the AI construction and planning robots would change one or two of the restaurants in the community. Usually, over a weekend, the process was complete.

A new restaurant opened up several months ago that Han enjoyed. He planned to have Sanbeiji with rice. Desert would be mango pudding. Throughout dinner, he would sip on jujube juice and baijiu. Alcohol consumption was something Han always did in moderation.

It would be a steady diet of fish and rice for the next two months. The only surprise he wanted to focus on was any issue that might arise with the node updates. His pre-planned mission diet minimized any food-borne illness or sensitivities. These were rare anyway now that most foods were handled by robots and grown in warehouses, sterile pastures, or drone fisheries. Moreover, AI and robotics had advanced to such sophistication in the later part of the twenty-first century that the only time a human touched any food source was in the market or at home for personal use.

Wuhan became a leading center of sanitation in the mid-twenty-first century. Han knew this from his schooling, which was a source of pride for him, but the reasons for that were never explained.

He was also proud that SO-Land was able to provide for its massive population in areas of extreme weather, as in the northern SO-Lands or the non-arable lands of the middle and western parts of the southern SO-Lands, a place that used to be called China.

In school, he was also taught that before the Event, SO-Land opened its borders to allow people from many different countries to immigrate. Southern SO-land spent time planning for this migration through a silk road initiative. This was another source of pride for Han that the land he lived in made a way for billions of people to survive.

Han, his wife, and his children arrive at the restaurant shortly after dusk. It’s a short walk from the house. Han and his wife know that the children will run around to the restaurant and do the same on the way back home on full bellies. It would be an excellent recipe for putting tired children down when they get back home. They both would like some time together before he leaves in the morning.

Han orders his special meal. The food is brought out on time according to the stored algorithms for each family member. Peace and harmony permeate the dinner. The ambiance of the restaurant is matched according to each person’s biorhythms. It’s the beginning of a great evening before his mission tomorrow.

Han looks into Huifen’s eyes. He loves her. Her long black hair falls between her breasts and disappears below the top of her dress. The black and pink silk dress perfectly fits her slender body. He will miss her these two months. Communication will only be audio. Video chatting is restricted to designated areas of your professional and social geographic regions. Even for Han, SO-Lands does not permit a breach of this protocol. He knows it’s possible but has no desire to do something about it.

The only ideas AI permits by humans in SO-Lands is to protect, promote, or enhance SO-Land. If an activity is not permitted, there is no need to try to fix it. SO-Land will not allow the new idea. For Han, he started Han Tech in the traditional way. He had an idea that benefited SO-Land, so it was funded, and SO-Land is Han tech’s sole customer. No outside capital would ever be available for his vision or anyone else fortunate enough to be in a position like his.

Han learned this the hard way, like every child in SO-Land. The lesson is repeated millions and billions of times across SO-land every year. Year after year. Han, like his siblings, got an allowance, of sorts, from his parents. However, the DM that his parents used was different from this allowance money. Parents could directly program how and when the money could be spent. This allowance money had two controlling parties, the SO-Land AI and Han’s parents. At times, Han’s parents would be more restrictive than SO-Land AI. But that’s how children learn in the SO-Lands. They learn from an early age how social credits and money work. Han does know from his schooling that it took several decades for SO-Land AI to perfect this. But now it’s a right of passage to go from allowance money to DM, the official cash of SO-Lands. Fortunately for Han, with his extensive travels, his money is portable and can be used in any jurisdiction.

Han and Huifen finish dinner and leave the restaurant. DM has been deducted from Han’s account. The children behaved well, so he knows his social credit score won’t be affected. He wouldn’t usually give it a second thought because his children are well-behaved, but he has to have final permission from SO-Land AI to travel tomorrow. And the mission must go on.

He and Huifen walk home, and the children run around as expected. Han knows they will be easy to put to sleep tonight.

The home is prepared to get the kids in bed with minimal fuss upon their arrival. Toys are in their proper place; the blankets are pulled back. After that, it’ll be just a matter of time getting the kids’ teeth brushed and in pj’s. If there’s any fuss, the Home AI can solve for the perfect solution to get the children in bed as quickly as possible.

Huifen finishes putting the kids in bed. Han is taking a shower. She walks into the steamy bathroom and joins Han in the shower. They hold each other tightly and caress each other. They kiss passionately, and Huifen coyly pushes Han away. He stares at her and feels deeply satisfied. The balance between his mission and his wife flashes before him.

She steps out of the shower and drys off in front of the open shower door. She puts her legs on the bathroom stool to gently dry her calf and thigh. As she puts her leg down, she turns away from Han and decides to dry the other leg from the foot up to her bottom. As she finishes, she wraps her long black hair in the towel and knots it up. She walks away from Han into the dark room. He begins to smell the fragrance of her perfume, a floral, citrus flavor that he loves. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He finishes his shower and drys off. He lightly puffs his cologne on his neck and body. It was a warm, woody amber fragrance with hints of cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla. He had worn it since the day he first met Huifen. He likes to think it’s his love potion.

He enters the dimly lit bedroom. Huifen is lying on the bed with her back to him, one leg crossed over the other. She’s wearing a jasmine-colored bra with lace and a matching thong. He gently moves toward her and caresses her. He places his hand between her thighs up to her thong. He rolls her over and kisses her breasts, gently pulling her thong down. She grabs him with her legs around his body, and they make love.

Afterward, he gently holds her in his arms; they talk about their lives and what the next two months will look like. They seem to forget they’ve done this five times together before. But he always wants to make sure she knows what to expect.

They spend a couple of hours talking, caressing, and making love before Han is so exhausted that he has to sleep.

Huifen pulls the sheets over Han and kisses him one last time. She cuddles next to him, feeling his warmth. She feels safe.

+++

Han wakes up to the Home AI schedule. AI accounted for last night’s activities and plans accordingly. Huifen got up a little earlier on her own and was in the kitchen preparing an excellent breakfast for Han. He smells the black tea as he wakes up. He knows he’s getting a late start for the day. He’s on a mission now, so he must be on schedule.

He and Huifen exchange small talk as he finishes a cup of tea. She knows his internal clock is going off in his head, creating a sense of urgency. The children are still asleep and will remain until after he leaves.

Han glances at the SO-Lands console in the kitchen and verifies that his social credit score and credentials are ready for departure - they are. She sees him glance at the console and stands with him as he prepares to leave.

He reaches for Huifen one more time. He’s surprised by the fact that she’s not wearing anything under the bathrobe. He smiles and grabs her bottom one last time as he kisses her on the lips. He presses tightly into her. He tells her that he loves her. She says, “I know, Han.” with a smile.

He grabs his glasses and credentials and walks towards the door. With so much to prep for being away for two months, he will use a Han Tech autonomous aerial personal drone (AAPD). The robotic home assistants packed it last night. He leaves confidentially, knowing that he hasn’t forgotten anything.

Han is fortunate in that as the CEO of Han Tech, his AAPD is personalized for him. He won’t have to worry about baggage transfer issues for the entirety of his trip. He will have to land every several hours or so (depending on routing) for a battery charge, but it’s quick and doesn’t require him to get out of the AAPD if he doesn’t want to.

Most drones in SO-Land are under complete surveillance by SO-Land AI. However, this drone and a handful of others are the property of Han Tech, so he has some autonomy over it, including flight altitude, distance, and destination.

His first stop will be nearly due south to Hong Kong.

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