I was going to write about Soothsayers, famous ones, like Nostradamus and his predictions, as well as the history of Soothsayers, but instead, I’m going to give you a glimpse into the future that I hope one day exists, as I envision it in my new book, A Moment in Time. To be honest, I haven’t always written about the future with the same optimism. In fact, two books, The Others – a dystopian novel, and The Termination – an alternate reality, have frightening futures. Ironically, I wrote The Termination before Trump got into office because I was scared that he would. Some might say I am a Soothsayer for predicting his presidency when we all believed he wouldn’t win after his grabbing them by the pussy comment. Sure, I went to a bit of an extreme with the Trump-like president’s treatment of undocumented immigrants, but somehow, I get the feeling that if he could get away with what I described in that book, he would. So… I’m going to share scenes from both The Termination and A Moment in Time to contrast these visions of the future! I want us to hope for something better, which is why I wrote A Moment in Time. Both books have a happy ending, although The Termination does have a bit of a shock ending that could be construed as “Happy For Now” because of the prediction that the Trump-like president wins the presidency.

A Moment in Time

She could picture Avery’s beautiful face as she asked carefully worded questions. Saron had laid the ground rules. Everything was fair game except for detailed descriptors of 26th-century technology and major events in the future, including the historic milestones directly attributed to Avery Simpson. She was skating the edges by revealing even the basics of what was possible in the future. Still, she wanted to ensure that Avery knew her research was the linchpin of a peaceful tomorrow.

“So, there really are no wars?” Avery’s question came out with a fair amount of disbelief. “Not just in the United States, but all over the world? I can’t believe the Middle East finally resolved its differences.”

Saron took a breath to answer her question. It was a little complicated, but she vowed to be as honest as possible. “Scarcity of resources to meet the needs of the masses no longer exists. There is now universal agreement that individual wealth is not a concept worth fighting or dying for.”

Skepticism bubbled into Avery’s response. “That can’t be entirely accurate, or there wouldn’t be men from your time sent to kill me.”

“Very astute of you. Yes, it is slightly more complicated. There are still squabbles. Those will always exist when men are in charge. This is why the Traditionalists exist in pockets of the world where they maintain their own form of government, but are not allowed to impact or exercise authority over the rest of the territories or nations controlled by the World Council, which has remained under the leadership of women for over two hundred years. Technology, invented by a woman, exists to neutralize any and all weapons of mass destruction. Without those weapons, no nation could exercise domination over another. Limited use of small arms is authorized by the council for select individuals. The Ministry of Time Politics, of which I am a member, holds such an exemption.”

“I can’t be the woman who invents this technology. I’m a geneticist.”

“Now you are entering territory, I cannot fully answer. I can reveal that your research plays a crucial role in the ultimate breakthrough development. Think of a stone tossed into a pond. The impact of the stone on the bottom of the pond is not the only thing of consequence. It’s the ripples caused by the stone that are just as important.”

“Cryptic. I will figure things out given enough time, but for right now, let’s talk about something else as we travel this long, boring road to the junkyard. Do couples still marry?”

“Of course. We now have a more enlightened view of love and family. There are an unlimited number of combinations of people defined as family. Some choose to fuse with one person, while others believe they are better suited to more than one individual. And some are perfectly happy existing in solitude. Families are more than genetics. Although we don’t discriminate against families consisting of a man, a woman, and children. Nor do we ostracize those who choose to live in tightly knit biological communities. However, found families are as popular as biological families.”

“Fuse. That’s an interesting way of describing a committed relationship. Hmmm. I suppose you don’t blink an eye at two women raising children together.”

Saron chuckled. “That is actually the most common type of family.”

“Do you have a family, or do you live alone?” Avery asked. “Sorry, that’s personal, but you did share the assumption by others that you are asexual. I am simply curious.”

“Perhaps we could table this line of questioning. I would much rather have this conversation face-to-face.” What the frak am I doing? I shouldn’t be talking with Avery, of all people, about my reasoning behind celibacy or the related decision to volunteer for this mission.

“Fair enough, Saron. I will hold you to your offer to talk more about yourself.”

Saron couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “That was not exactly what I said.”

“We’re almost there. Two more miles to the road leading to the junkyard.”

“Yes, I am aware of the location. This electronic map is quite detailed.” Three blinking red lights appeared on the tablet. They were a short distance from the old compound but several miles from the junkyard. That was still far too close for Saron’s comfort. “Avery, I need you to listen very carefully to me…”

The Termination (Note: This book was written before the use of the more accepted term “undocumented” versus “illegal”)

As they passed the admitting area, Codee heard a loud commotion as a young Latina woman wailed, “My baby, my baby.”

“Ma’am, if you would please provide proof of citizenship, we can take care of your child,” the admitting clerk explained.

“Please save my baby,” the woman pleaded.

Codee wanted to intervene. She wasn’t sure why the clerk was asking for proof of citizenship. This was a public hospital, and they treated everyone regardless of their ability to pay or citizenship. She believed that if anyone required corrective action, this rude clerk was the more likely recipient than Sawyer. Sharlie gently pulled on her arm.

“Please, Codee, you can’t intervene. We need to get to the hearing. It won’t look good for you if you’re late again.”

Codee thought she saw a desperate plea in her expression before Sharlie looked away. What the hell is going on? Sharlie wouldn’t meet her eyes, almost as if she felt guilty about something. Codee couldn’t imagine what might prompt that reaction. Something very strange was happening, and she couldn’t quite figure out what that was. She almost felt like she’d landed into an alternate reality and shook her head at the impossible notion.

†

The conference room where Sharlie had scheduled the pre-termination proceeding seemed drearier than Codee remembered. The gray walls and institutional furniture made it look like a modern-day dungeon. She couldn’t remember conducting a meeting in this little-used, bleak basement room without windows.

“I guess you weren’t able to get one of the conference rooms in the education center, huh?” Codee commented. Sharlie had a puzzled look on her face.

“No, we always do the termination hearings in this room. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Does Sawyer have a union rep coming?”

“Union rep? What are you talking about?” Codee thought Sharlie looked completely perplexed but ignored the inner alarm sounding loudly in her head.

Before she could explore her confusion further, Sawyer shuffled into the room followed by Hilda. Sawyer’s grim expression and Hilda’s blatant smirk disturbed Codee more than she would admit to. In her humble opinion, Hilda was a bully who enjoyed wielding the considerable amount of power the CFO, Tim, had given her over the last year. Codee tried to remain objective, but the very first moment she’d laid eyes on Sawyer she felt a tinge of attraction, and with every interaction she’d been increasingly impressed with the younger woman’s compassion and ability to connect with just about everyone. Codee knew she’d be perfect in the social services department, where Sawyer’s true calling lay, if only that damn position would hurry and get posted. Hilda strutted over to one of the hard metal chairs, pulled it out from the table, and sat heavily with an expectant look on her face.

“Well, can we please get this over with? I have a very busy day.”

Codee glanced over at Sharlie, who shrugged. She pointed to one of the empty chairs, directing Sawyer to have a seat.

After Sharlie sat in the other empty chair across from Hilda, Codee selected the seat across from Sawyer. She placed her notebook on the cheap wood table and poised her pen to begin writing. “Sawyer, why don’t you please share your perspective and provide me with some information that would alter our initial thoughts about separating you from employment,” Codee began.

“You mean termination,” Sawyer whispered.

Codee looked up and captured Sawyer’s soulful eyes. “Well, yes, but that isn’t my first choice of words to use with this process. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to change the policy language yet. I’d like to hear from you before a final decision is made.”

“I don’t really have much of a defense. The emergency department was very busy that day, and I suppose the number of interruptions caused too many errors. I guess I’m not very good at being an admitting clerk, but I do think if a transfer to social services is possible, that would be a better fit for me. I know you’re just doing your job and I don’t want to get you in trouble. If you can do something else and still adhere to President Trison’s directive, I would try very hard to meet the standards until I’m able to transfer.” Sawyer clasped her hands in front of her on the table.

“President Trison?” Codee scrunched her face. This day was evolving into one mystery after another. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have guessed she was having some strange dream or more accurately a vivid nightmare. David Trison was an outrageous Patriot Party leader vying for the United States presidency, but to her knowledge, he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.

“What about what you did for that Mexican woman’s baby? You blatantly defied the executive order and you pulled Dr. Smith into your deception. He had no reason to believe he was treating an illegal. You not only risked the hospital, but his medical license,” Hilda sneered. She leaned forward, and the aggressiveness of her response played out on her face. Her grimace and puckered lips reminded Codee of the Wicked Witch of the West.

“I’ll never apologize for doing the right thing, and I don’t care what the laws say, that was the right thing to do. If that means termination, then so be it. At least I will leave this world with a clear conscience. I’m not the only person in this hospital that defies that repugnant law.” Sawyer’s intense gaze bored into her, as though there was a private message she was trying to communicate.

I hope both of those teasers are enough to entice you! As always, click the links below if you would like to check out my latest novel, A Moment in Time, or, although this is not #ThrowbackThursday, my older novel, The Termination.