It was an early morning, and a young man carrying a bulky backpack who looked no more than eighteen just stepped out of the spacecraft station with a crowd of people. These spacecraft stations were located at every human habitat, also known as an Earth sector. For this earth sector, humans have only one transportation system, spacecraft, to travel between them.
The young man breathed the mist of the morning air. As the sunlight hit his pale face with its well-proportioned shape, he raised his hand and blocked it for some time until he became comfortable. He looked at the sky with brown eyes, blinking. The sky doesn't consist of only a single star, the sun, but also of multiple stars shining.
'So, this is the capital city of Earth Sector 20, omnis.' The young man thought, looking around.
When he passed the entrance, many teenagers were distributing a flyer; amongst the group, a girl with bright eyes handed him a flyer with a shy expression.
He glanced at it casually.
Helix Shift Company: Gene enhancement serum, enhances gene by 20%
Launched location and time: Helix shift stadium, 10 AM, March 1, 4025.
After folding the flyer and keeping it in his jacket's front pocket. He checked the time on the wrist smartwatch.
8:30 AM, January 3, 4025
The watch was quite old; most of the color had faded, and the small keyboard letters beneath were not visible; only the wristband was in good condition. Mostly, it had been changed recently.
His current destination was the taxi station across the street. Most taxis were white, with bulky box structures, and their driver's window was glowing with their rate: two-star credits per kilometer for normal roadways and ten for express roadways. He tapped on the taxi window for the destination option; after that, the screen showed various locations. He chose his destination with the express roadway's services. After a few blinks, the screen showed five kilometers along with the total fare: 50-star credits, which are a common currency used in Earth sectors.
Without hesitation, the young man tapped his smartwatch against the scanner embedded in the car door, watching as his balance dropped. His smartwatch had his digital wallet connected to his Star Bank account.
The doors slid open smoothly, the young man placed a backpack in the passenger seat, and he sat beside it. A digital display of brightness was lifted in front, showing his height and weight—5'9" and 65 kg. "Adjusting gravity according to the passenger's body weight," a robotic voice said in a polite voice.
The young man felt a little pull in his back.
"Sir, if you experience any discomfort, please tell me."
"I'm fine; let's go."
With that, the taxi took off. It was an automatic car, designed to help passengers travel without the need for human drivers. Most people had forgotten what it meant to drive manually.
With a curious look, the young man watched outside the window. There was a skyscraper, holographic billboards projecting ads, and a flyover road. The billboards in tall buildings were advertising a product, and most of the hosts were celebrities. The most common thing about these celebrities was that they looked quite young and beautiful, which made it quite difficult to guess their age. Because the current era is dominated by genetic technology, many people can currently enhance their genes with medication; not only does it give them supernatural strength, but also a youthful body with a long lifespan.
As the taxi left the main city, the scene changed with small buildings, narrow roads, parks, and supermarkets. After half an hour, the car stopped, and the robotic voice rang, "Sir, we have arrived at your destination."
The young man got out and swung a backpack over his shoulder.
"Thank you for using our service." With this gesture, the taxi returned to its nearby station.
Street 10 was in front of the young man, a narrow road surrounded by small buildings with a maximum of ten stories. This place looked more like an ordinary present city.
In the walkway, small children were holding their parents, students in uniforms hurried to school, and a small shop was selling daily life essential items.
When the young man walked some distance, he was standing in front of a ten-story building. It was a spiral-design building, which made it stand out in this neighborhood.
"This is the place." The young man said as he looked at his smartwatch; its wallpaper image matched the building. He reached for the bell, but his hand came to a stop for a second. His calm face showed some hesitation.
Finally, he pressed the button. A small camera above the intercom clicked on, and a young girl's voice emerged. "Sir, who are you looking for?"
The young man said with a nervous voice, pausing in every word, "I'm looking... for... Mr... Lucian."
"Do you have any appointments?"
"No, just tell him Kaizer is here."
There was a brief pause.
"I'm sorry, sir. Mr. Lucian isn't home. He's at the park between Streets 10 and 11 with his wife and son. Would you like to come in and wait?"
Kaizer's eyes widen. "Wife? Son?"
Without responding, he left with many thoughts in his mind. While walking, many people were pushed by him in the street, and some of them began to rain curses and shouts. But his only focus was the park.
Finally, he arrived, his breath coming in short bursts. He looked around the area and spotted a middle-aged man sitting on a bench with a young woman, watching children play.
This man was Lucian. The woman was vaguely familiar.
"Isn't she, Aunt Cyra?"
But what caught Kaizer's attention was the small boy playing, no more than four years old; some features were a reflection of Lucian.
Kaizer watched from the shadows as this couple rushed to comfort the boy when he stumbled, their faces filled with worry.
Lucian stood, looking around the area, his eyes briefly passing over the Kaiser's hiding place.
"Dear, what's wrong?" the woman asked.
"I don't know. I feel like someone's watching us," Lucian replied.
"You're in really good health." Kaizer gripped his old smartwatch, and his mouth twitched. He backed away from the park without being noticed by anyone.
Beeb, Beeb!
Kaizer smartwatch ring, he looked, saw a notification, and a small smile tugged at his lips. He walked for some time and came in front of a run-down place, five stories tall, its color peeling. The signed board that had been moved from its original place was currently hanging with a single bolt at one of the corners. This board contained the bold letters "Grand Motel," though it was anything but grand.
When Kaizer walked inside the motel, he saw the reception empty, so he came out of the motel and approached an elderly man nearby, cleaning the place.
"Excuse me, where's the receptionist?"
The old man looked at the young man with suspicion in his eyes. "Are you planning to stay here?"
"Is there something wrong with that?"
The elderly man left, leaving a word, "I'll call someone. Please wait at the reception."
The door behind the reception opened after a minute. An elderly man with a face full of wrinkles and his slicked-back hair came out. If looked at carefully, anybody could tell the elderly man was the same person who was outside earlier.
"I'm really sorry for the wait, young man."
"What type of room are you looking for? We have big rooms for 30-star credits a day, nice and spacious. Medium rooms, 20-star credits, just the right size. Or, if you're on a budget, small rooms for 15-star credits a day."
Kaizer said, "I want a medium-sized room for one day," in a flat voice.
"I'll need your residence card for registration," the elderly man replied, his hands reaching for the scanner.