Dark SF Short Story Series – The Year 2100 (2)

His presentation that day earned him the title The Savior. He announced that Athos Tech would cover most of the construction costs for the shelters. The remaining costs would be shared by each nation through agreed contributions, with additional funding sourced from sponsorships and donations.

The world soon split into two factions: those who supported Carrion and those who opposed him. Tensions and conflicts ensued, but eventually, everyone agreed that there was no other solution to Earth's crisis. The consensus was that cryogenic sleep would be available only to volunteers.

Nations began building the shelters.

To demonstrate the stability of the F-123 cryogenic capsule, Carrion Malon placed himself in cryogenic sleep for a year, broadcasting his condition live in real-time.

Everything appeared to proceed smoothly. When Carrion Malon awakened from the F-123 capsule a year later, broadcasters from around the globe gathered for a live transmission. Although he experienced nausea and dizziness, he successfully demonstrated the safety of the F-123 system.

After this, the number of applicants for cryogenic sleep, which had been stagnant, skyrocketed. A wave of new financial products emerged, allowing applicants to deposit their assets for investment.

People around the world began to regain hope, and praise for The Savior filled the air.

Carrion’s plan to save the world by cryogenically preserving half the global population was steadily moving forward.

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Beep! Beep! Beep!

An alarm rang from my phone. Lying in bed, I picked it up to check the message. As usual, it was an air pollution alert. Such alarms went off five days a week. Today was particularly bad—a day requiring the government-issued protective mask.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at my toes. There was no meaning to it. I just… wanted to sit there, doing nothing.

Even the outdoor activity restrictions didn’t matter much to me. I had no reason to leave the house. No job. In fact, no jobs were left. Most labor had been taken over by Athos Tech’s humanoid robots. I lived on the government-provided basic income and didn’t really have any particular desires or motivation.

Is this how life is supposed to be? I’d pondered this countless times. But after some time passed, I’d find myself playing games or laughing at movies and dramas, as if nothing had happened. Everyone else seemed to be living the same way.

Given the state of my life, I applied for cryogenic sleep. I thought that by 2100, fifty years from now, my life could change. However, the overwhelming number of applicants led to a lottery system, and I wasn’t selected.

Of course, my bleak life wasn’t going to improve so easily.

I gazed out the window. Dust swirled in the wind, obscuring everything. I stood there wondering what to do with my time today, staring blankly at the dust-filled scene.

That’s when my phone began ringing again.

It was my old friend, Aike.