Hosein Kouros-Mehr - Extinction 6

Gareth grabs his briefcase. “The President wants new ideas, Manos. He is obsessed with energy.”

“I’m eager to share my thoughts. You will be impressed.”

“Good. As you know, oil prices rise even though we seize more Russian crude and cut back on domestic fuel consumption. We need radical solutions.”

“Trailblazing is my currency, Gareth.”

They exit the vehicle and a cyborg escorts them across the dark parking lot to an elevator. They take it up to the White House security room where a security drone performs a full-body scan. Granted clearance, they pace along a marble hallway past portraits of American Presidents. Near the West Wing, they take a staircase down to the War Room.

Manos enters the bunker and feels his knees buckle. Several high-profile government officials, including the Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs and the CIA Director, stand a few feet away. He grows pale. “Gareth, are you sure I belong here?”

Gareth grabs his arm. “You’re one of us. Just relax.”

Manos heads for the back of the room and sits in the corner, taking out his documents and pretending to be busy. He avoids eye contact and mutters to himself.

You can do this, Manos. Don’t panic.

“Please take a seat,” a staffer announces. “The President will be here momentarily.”

The generals and cabinet members stand above an oversized mahogany conference table. They wait in silence for their leader, who soon enters the room and takes a seat.

“Let’s get started,” President Hughes says before everyone sits down. “I’ve called a summit here today to reform our energy policy and develop a strategy for the future. This is our most vital national security concern. A prosperous country needs a reliable fuel supply.”

Manos’s heart races as he scans the room. The Vice President and Defense Secretary whisper to each other. Manos makes eye contact with the CIA Director and quickly looks away to his notes.

The President leans forward. “Here are the facts. China’s Mars colony is ten times larger than ours and the Chinese control all transport hubs on the red planet. If we want to defeat our enemy in space, we must have more energy. We’ve spent trillions of dollars on rockets and missiles, but what good will it do if we can’t power those systems? We need new solutions for this crisis.”

The Defense Secretary raises his arms. “Mr. President, I’m proud to report significant military victories against the Russians. We’ve seized their oil platforms in Greenland and we’re taking back our natural gas fields in Alaska.”

“I know that, Carl,” the President says. “Oil inventories are up two percent in the last month thanks to our military, and yet crude prices continue to rise. Markets ignore our supply gains.”

The Vice President shakes his finger. “Markets are focused on the short term, Mr. President. As long as we continue the offensive and capture hydrocarbons, fuel prices will eventually fall. We have to stay the course.”

“I disagree,” says a deep voice. All eyes turn to Stan Klein, CIA Director, who commands the room. “Mr. President, the push against Russia is important, but let’s not forget that China is the world’s largest energy consumer. To make a dent in oil prices, we must cripple their demand.”

The President leans back. “How do we do that, Stan?”

“We already have, Mr. President. Our Information Tariffs have slammed Chinese technology infrastructure like mortars blasting the Great Wall. We’ve eliminated their access to the internet and stopped their copycat technologies, which rely heavily on American-made innovations—artificial intelligence, mobile operating systems, and computer software designed here in the States. A weakened enemy will use less power, and the reduced demand translates to lower fuel prices. We must double down and expand the tariffs.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” the President says. “We’ve increased our hydrocarbon supplies while dampening worldwide demand, but we need more. What else can we do to improve our strategy?”

Gareth Allen raises a hand. “Mr. President, I would like to introduce someone who has the answers. I’ve invited Manos Kharon, CEO of GoldRock, to provide some solutions for us, sir. He was instrumental in designing and implementing the Information Tariffs.”

Heads turn to Manos, who sits in the corner staring at stock charts through his smartglasses. A wave of panic overcomes him as his heart beats madly in his chest. A deafening silence fills the room.

Breathe.

He fumbles his notes and slouches, trying to remember his speech. His mind goes blank. Flustered, he beams the image on his display onto the opposing wall. People look to the projection and chatter arises in the room.

Get it together. Calm down.

The figure is a chart of oil prices from 2040. It shows a sharp spike in 2042 and steady increases every year to the present day.

Manos falters. “…thank you, Gareth. It’s an honor for me to be here…” He coughs and breathes rapidly. “…I’m showing you the price of oil over the last few decades.” He buys time to gather himself. “What do you notice about this chart?”

“It has skyrocketed,” the President says, “and it’s hurting our economy.”

Manos settles down. “Exactly, Mr. President. If you look closely, you will see that energy prices accelerated higher in 2042, precisely the year that global energy supplies hit their peak. In fact, 2042 was the year of Peak Oil—”

“That’s just a theory,” the Defense Secretary says. “There is no evidence to support that claim.”

Manos beams another image on the wall. “Respectfully, sir, it’s more than a theory. Take a look at this chart of our oil reserves—you can see that the supply has declined every year since 2042.”

“You’re mistaken. Do you know what else happened in 2042? That’s when the War began. You can blame all of this on our enemies.”

Manos projects another picture. “Here’s a plot showing the quality of the fuel we process today. You can see that it’s getting harder to draw high-quality fossil fuels from the ground. We have to pump more to extract the same content as previous years.”

“This is interesting,” the President says, “but we need solutions.”

Manos calms as his pulse returns to normal. “Absolutely, sir. We need revolutionary technologies that will synergize with the war strategies and drive the price of oil down.” He flips to a title slide. “I’m here to introduce America 2070, a vision for the future and a new approach to tackle this crisis.”

Gareth turns and winks at Manos, saluting him with a thumbs-up.

Manos scans the room. “First, we need to drastically cut energy demand, which must go back to pre-2042 levels. I propose new rations to lower national power usage. We must reduce train and motor vehicle services and encourage citizens to walk and ride bicycles. We must slash household consumption and eliminate manufacturing that is not essential for the War.

“I also propose a two-tiered fuel system. We should reserve high-grade gasoline for the military and other defense needs. Regular citizens can use low-grade petrol, which does not require extensive processing. This will translate to more efficient operations.”

“I like what I’m hearing,” the President says, “but you’re lacking innovation. We need out-of-the-box thinking.”

Manos displays a photograph of a pine forest. “You’re right, Mr. President. We need a bold solution, a major shock that will disrupt markets and bring oil prices down fast. I’m showing you Tongass National Reserve in Alaska. At 17 million acres, it’s the largest wilderness in the country.”