episode 4
PPD was feeling the after effects of a crazy ride. His world was spinning. This reminded him of the long drives to Sopore in another lifetime, the curvy winding roads that never seemed to end. The Guest looked exhausted too, lying in her pod, fast asleep.
"Hey D," he said softly, pulling at her toe which was sticking out of the pod. She stirred awake, and hoisted herself out of the carriage. "You could have worn some clothes!" he remarked, wrinkling his nose at her naked body.
"Speak for yourself," she said.
They looked down at themselves, and saw snippets of organic jute weave covering their bare essentials.
"Gosh, it looks like fashion died here!" remarked the Guest. They slowly climbed out of the pod station and saw the world zipping past them. People roamed around semi-naked in Pods that floated in the air. "AiRPOD EXPRESS" said the sign on a large floating bus, packed with people standing mute inside. They all stared ahead mutely, as if hypnotised by a common force.
"What has happened to everyone?" asked PPD.
A man in front of him turned sharply on hearing his voice.
"Shhhh!" he typed onto a screen that suddenly appeared between them. "Text only."
The Guest frowned, this was by far the weirdest place yet! Everyone was almost naked, their bodies covered in a glorious shiny glow. She peered closer: it was sweat! She felt a wet sheen on her own upper lip and wiped it off! It was scorching hot!
"Where are we?" she mouthed to PPD.
"NO, EFFIN CLUE!" he mouthed back.
The semi naked man in front of them saw this exchange, and gestured for them to follow him. He led them down and alley into an ancient building shaped like a glass pyramid, in the middle of a huge square.
The trio sat across each other in a metallic cube, where the man launched a screen into the air between them.
MAN: HI IM PIERRE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A MORE LOST LOOKING COUPLE. WHAT ZE PROBLEM?
PPD: HI PIERRE, IM DR OB FROM SOMEWHERE
THE GUEST: HI, IM AAI.
MAN: WHERE ON EARTH ARE ZE FROM?
PPD: NEVERMIND THAT. WHERE ARE WE?
THE GUEST: WHEN ARE WE???
MAN: OH SHEET YOU GUYZ ARE ZOSE FUCKIN RANDOS WHO ARE COMING FROM ZE PAST? LEMME TELL YOU STRAIGHT. ITS 09.07.2800 AND YOU ARE IN PARI.
THE GUEST: OH WOW! WAS THAT THE LOUVRE WE JUST SAW? WHERE DID THE MAIN BUILDING GO?
MAN: ZE MAIN BUILDING WAS SHELLED DURING ZE BATTLE OF THE NEW WORLD FOURTH REICH, UNDER THAT TYRANT JD VANCE, WHEN PARI WAS US OCCUPIED FRANCE.
THE GUEST: WHAT???? WHO WERE THEY FIGHTING AGAINST?
MAN: IT ALL CAME DOWN TO CHINA VS ZE US, YOU SEE? EVERYONE ELSE WAZ MANIPULATED IN ZIS. ZE ARABS, ZE AFRICANS, ZE SOUTH ASIANS. ALL ZE OLD BUILDINGS GOT SHELLED, ITZ A MIRACLE THE GLASS PYRAMID ZURVIVED.
PPD: WHY IS EVERYONE NAKED? AND WHY IS IT SO DAMN HOT?
MAN: EVEN AIR CONDITIONING DOESNT WORK ZHERE. IT IS NOW 45 DEGREES EVERYDAY IN ALL OF EUROPE. WE DONT JUST WEAR CLOTHEZ ANY MORE!
The Guest and PPD looked around horrified. The Man was absolutely correct. Everyone was wearing jute protectors just enough to cover vital orifices, everything else was covered in a sheen of sweat!
PPD: THANKS FOR HELPING US OUT.
MAN: REMEMBER, DONT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TALKING. YOU WILL BE CAUGHT AND TRIED. JUST TYPE IN ZE AIR WHATEVERZ YOU NEED.
The Guest gave PPD a stricken glance, pulled at his pinky finger and pulled him to the door.
The world outside looked barren, without a single tree in sight. There were neon lights saying "Oxygen bar" and "Water therapy" and "Ozempic Rehab centre" adjacent to both sides of the walk way. Above them, cars whizzed past at crazy speeds.
"Should we step into whatever is left of the museum?" whispered the Guest to PPD.
PPD nodded, fearful of being caught, especially since he knew the Guest couldn't keep her mouth shut for more than a minute. A museum and a library were the only places where she would stay mum.
A tall slim couple walked past them, arms entwined, with a tiny transparent ice box swinging from the girl's arm. They giggled intimately, so obviously in love. THE GIRL: I CANT WAIT TO BECOME A MOM. (pointing to her ice box, typing briskly on the screen) THE BOY: ME ZOO! WE CAN DEFROST HIM ANYTIME WE WANT. They skipped with joy and crossed the street and stepped into an airpod, ready to fly away.
PPD and the Guest stepped into the new building of the Louvre and saw some photographs lining the walls. Beautiful slim houses bordered a canal on either side, with tiny boats floating in the middle.
The Guest ran her hands in the air excitedly while a screen popped up.
THE GUEST: IVE BEEN THERE WITH MY PARENTS.
PPD: HERE?
THE GUEST: YES! THATS AMSTERDAM AND THATS THE AMSTEL RIVER!
They peered closely and read the text printed on the screen below the photograph:
Picture of a lost city called Amsterdam taken in 2028. Submerged in 2100. All the citizens were relocated.
The next few photographs from a series labelled "MIGRANTS" showed people living in arks, floating on the water, with grief and fear in their eyes. "The Great Flood" said the sign below.
The Guest looked at PPD with tears in her eyes.
THE GUEST: AMSTERDAM WAS ONE OF THE PRETTIEST CITIES I HAD EVER BEEN TO.
PPD put an arm around her.
THE GUEST: I HATE IT HERE.
PPD could see she was overwhelmed.
PPD: LETS GO BACK?
The Guest nodded and they headed towards the train. They climbed into their pods, and both looked at each other with eyes glistening with tears. They interlocked their pinky fingers and silently wept.
The train once again began it's journey..
----------to be continued