Lee Kerr - Welcome to the Apocalypse

‘Thank you,’ Lawrence says, smiling down at his new, potential subject.

Jin bows his head in return, for the first time since they have arrived. ‘But what I would like to know more about is your passengers. How many you propose to put up here on one platform, for example, and how do you plan to pick the lucky few?’

‘Each sky city will have one thousand residents, and once we have established an air transport network we will allow people to transfer between them. Imagine a future where you wake up every day a little closer to the sun than we are now and where you can board a transport shuttle to take you to another sky city – maybe to see a friend or perhaps for work? These people will pay a survivors’ fee to join the city but after that they will be required to add genuine value to our community.’

They all stare at him quietly. Their silence is partly because they are mesmerised by his ideas and partly, I think, because they simply don’t believe him. I don’t think they doubt the engineering possibilities – after all, we’re standing on the crest of his achievements – I just think they have the same doubts as the rest of us.

‘And these happy residents, what will they do all day? What will their jobs be?’ one of the men asks.

Jin’s hand goes up, silencing the others. ‘Before we discuss what these inhabitants will do all day, I still want to know exactly how you will pick the few from the many.’

Lawrence nods quickly, because he has heard this question more than any other, far more frequently than people asking if it is actually possible to send a thousand tonnes of steel into the air. ‘They must add value to the future world. We cannot have people who are simply along for the ride; we need researchers for future technologies, repair teams, maintenance, teachers, scholars, food technicians and many other skilled individuals.’

‘And will all these people be residents of America?’

Lawrence shakes his head and points a finger at Jin, the man who was a welcome guest and our hopeful saviour just an hour ago. ‘If you’re thinking that I am only planning to do this for my people then you are mistaken. Tyrell has occupied these islands, I have the idea and we need your engineering speed and ingenuity to make this happen far quicker than we originally intended.’

‘So you propose an equal third split?’ Jin says, all too quick and all too clear on the hand that he wants dealt to him and his people.

‘I wasn’t quite thinking that. You must remember that hundreds of people in my organisation have been designing these sky cities for many years. We saw them as an alternative place to live on an already overcrowded planet. They were a commercial venture but since the world has fallen into chaos, I believe they are now man’s best hope of survival. We all know that our best chance lies in getting off the ground and this project offers us a chance to do that.’

‘And you need us to build them? So we should technically get at least half of the spaces available, especially when you consider how big our population is.’

Lawrence is shaking his head and behind him Tyrell is doing the same. Both of them know that the more people they allow on, the less they get for themselves. ‘No, I’m sorry, but I cannot do that,’ Lawrence says. ‘An equal share is a fair deal, gentlemen. The journey will start here but we will inevitably build many sky cities that will house more people, and the more we build, the more people from every continent get saved.’

Jin is nodding now; he seems almost sold on the idea. ‘So we can use this technology to build more of these sky cities?’

‘Of course, we will enter into a deal to share resources and expertise. If we build and float this first Sky City then many others will follow.’

The Chinese look at each other. They are huddled tightly together, talking amongst themselves in a language that I guarantee none of us know. They are difficult to understand, not just what they’re saying but also what they mean, but their harsh tones and loud words seem to indicate more towards negative feelings about everything that has been said so far.

They eventually stop talking. Jin looks at Lawrence and then at Tyrell. ‘What we have seen today is truly remarkable. You must trust my word on that. But we do have concerns about the quality of the people who will reside in these cities.’

‘Quality?’ Lawrence says, shaking his head. ‘What do you mean?’

‘These cities will be small when compared to the mass of land people are used to. There will be little space and far fewer resources. To this end, I believe we would be better suited picking those who will cope better with being economical. I mean people who are used to having limited space and scarce resources, as well as those who can remain focused and actively contribute for the duration of their lives.’ He looks over the edge and then back up at Lawrence. ‘I am sure you will agree that these structures cannot carry passengers and the question we keep returning to is what will you do with the mass of undisciplined, overweight and inevitably older people?’

‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying: that Americans are not the right people?’

Jin nods, not trying to hide his thoughts. ‘We have carefully observed those who have landed on your island so far and judging by the amount of suitcases and other baggage we can only assume they are passengers and not engineers, builders or other active contributors. They may have bought a place in your new world but how can you possibly convince them that they will need to leave behind the luxury that they have become accustomed to, and live a new life of frugality and hard work up in the sky?’

Lawrence mumbles his words. ‘But they have paid their way and they understand that there will be a new way of life up here.’

Jin shakes his head in response. ‘They have left the paradise they lived in before and moved into a five-star hotel until the Sky City is ready to carry them off into the future. I believe your idea will work but I do not believe they are the right calibre of people.’

I step forward, determined to help. ‘We will have a sky citizens’ charter which they will live up to,’ I say, the words falling out of my mouth before I have checked that they make sense and that they’re appropriate to this brutal world of business.

Everyone stares at me again, probably wondering why I’m speaking and why I have chosen now to contribute to the discussion. Only Lawrence doesn’t scowl at me this time, and I wonder if he really appreciates my help.

‘I’m sure that you will, young man,’ Jin says, with a small smile. ‘But we believe a much better location is the Himalayas. When you consider all the variables of land and people there, as well as the easy access to significant resources, it is a much stronger proposition.’

Tyrell is shaking his head and looking at Lawrence; he clearly knew what was coming. This is the moment of tension in their relationship that I have been waiting to see, desperate to witness the strain in what others view as the perfect partnership. As long as they have had an island and an idea they are safe together, but now something is threatening to pull this apart, and I’m not sure Tyrell will ever be enough to keep it together.

The Chinese stick to their resolve: they walk into the reception area and sit back down, as if they had simply been viewing a house. The rest of us are left with no choice but to follow them back in, as Jin tells Lawrence that we can start our descent.

Lawrence follows them back in. I can tell he is angry. He sits down and looks at the floor and then back to our guests. ‘The deal was to build the first sky city here, above this island, and for there to be any deal I must insist upon this.’