Vancouver Canada, June 19th 2030
"Stop right there or you'll be charged with breaking curfew!" the officer yells.
"Pfffttt we aren't babies, we don't need a curfew old man!" one of the two boys replies.
"You know very well that the curfew applies to everyone, now go straight home you little hooligans. I wont be so nice next time I catch you."
"Oh come on then Max, let's
go home before this guy really gets serious with us."
The two boys run off giggling, headed towards their next destination, which certainly wasn't their home. Earlier that day they had discovered arrows
and other strange symbols marked along the footpath in chalk, so they decided to sneak out later that night and see where the arrows would lead
them.
Max and his best friend were only 12 years old and he knew this wasn't exactly a safe undertaking but he was always a risk taker who enjoyed pushing
the limits, which would influence the career path he would choose later in life, but also cause him a lot of social problems in an increasingly strict
world.
Eventually the arrows led the two boys to a desolate looking building which they would have assumed was abandoned were it not for the sound of voices
echoing from the building. Now too curious to leave, the boys quietly approach one of the windows to get a peak inside. Inside they see a group of
people listening as an older man speaks.
"They told us this would be over a decade ago! Look at us now! We're breaking the law right now just by being here! We need a vaccine card to travel,
to shop, to work! Even if you don't travel, and shop online, and work from home, they'll eventually get you in the end, mark my words. They will use
your own family against you!"
"Haha get a load of this Max, it's those crazy conspiracy guys that are always in the news!"
Kids around Max's age hadn't experienced a world before the pandemic, so it was harder for them to grasp why the "old ways" were so important to some
people, but secretly Max desperately wanted a world like the one he saw in old movies and television.
"Yeah... what a bunch of weirdos... anyway would we should get out of here before anyone sees us." Max replies.
... 10 years later ...
"And we're coming up on the last turn but will Ronald give him any opportunity here? Lets see... oh wow! Max making the hard pass right by Ron at the
last moment, can you believe it! Maxwell Zippman pulling off an upset win and also his first win in the Montreal Grand Prix event. At the young age of
22 it looks like Max has a promising future in racing folks!"
Max would never win many championships over his racing career, but he would be successful enough to earn a good living. This would allow him to
provide a comfortable life for his wife Tamara and their new born child, a girl whom they would name Natali. Those following years would be the best
years of Max's life, however his good fortunes would not last forever.
... 8 years later ...
"Unfortunately the results aren't what we wanted to see. It came back positive for a rare degenerative muscle disease which we still don't have any
cure for but hopefully we can manage it over time. I know this is the last thing you wanted to hear Max so just know I am here to support you in any
way possible, you'll make it through this."
Max sits in silence for a moment before responding, "To be honest I think we all saw this coming, the signs were all there. Just be straight with me
doc... how long have I got left?"
"Well it's hard to say, but based on your age and current health condition... maybe 2 or 3 years. You should be able to walk for a few more months but
we know this disease destroys the muscles over a relatively small time frame once the symptoms start to arise. We can manage it so it wont kill you,
but it will eventually paralyze you."
... 1 year later ...
"Hey daddy I'm supposed to tell you dinner is ready!", the voice of Natali echoes through the large shed as she walks towards her father. "Mom said
you have to stop working on the car and come eat. How can you even fix cars in a wheelchair?"
Max grins, "My legs may not work but as long as my arms still work they'll be covered in grease. This Ford isn't going to restore its self."
"My teacher says those old timey cars are bad for the environment so we had to make them illegal. Why do you even care about these cars if you're not
allowed to drive them?" Natali inquires.
"I'm not sure sweety... maybe it's the sound of the motor, the smell, the feeling you get when you sit behind the wheel of a V8... haha maybe I'm just
getting old."
"You're only 32 years old! You're not an old man yet."
... several months later ...
Max, now fully paralyzed from the head down, watches the news from his hospital bed. "2050 is almost here and Vancouver city can proudly say thanks to
our Greenest City action plan we are now the greenest city in the world. After our ban on fossil fuels, electric cars now make up 100% of the cars on
our roads. Our Zero Waste plan has also helped us eliminate almost all plastic from non-essential items. Canada is now very close to the Net-Zero
Emissions by 2050 goal thanks to these initiatives."
At this moment Max finds it difficult to feel any sort of emotion, but watching this news report allows him to make the final decision about his
future. As time goes on Max feels more and more out of place in the world, like he was meant to be born in a different time. Now all Max could do was
watch from a bed as the world passed him by.
So when the doctors told Max there was a new experimental technology which could allow him to be cryogenically frozen until a cure for his disease was
found, it was an option he found very alluring. The only hard part about making the decision was deciding to leave his wife and daughter. But for Max,
an immobile life wasn't a life worth living.
After many long and difficult discussions it was decided the best thing for Max was to go through with the cryogenic procedure. Otherwise he had only
a life of misery to look forward to and no one wanted that. Max also hated the thought of being a burden to Tamara and this option would allow them
both to have a better future.
However, the pain of knowing he would probably not get to see Natali grow into a women was still immense. The idea of losing her father was gut
wrenching for Natali but she didn't want to see her father suffering either, so she put on a brave face and encouraged him to embrace that risk taking
spirit he always talked about.
edit on 5/8/2021 by ChaoticOrder because: (no reason given)