AmEarth

The voting took place one month from that day via wafers online. It was a twenty-four hour process to reach all the time zones on Earth. The three top candidates were selected and announced the following day:

Peter Johansen, minister of Communications

Jonathan Richardson, minister of Finance

Sasha Obama-LeVaughn, minister of Cultural Affairs

The following week was a flurry of news reports and commercials that cast a favorable view of Peter. Essie steered the best times to interrupt people’s television viewing with positive messages on Peter and mediocre takes on the other candidates. Peter Johansen was then elected supreme president winning the popular vote by an unprecedented margin exactly as President Chen had anticipated. He was the most recognizable human on the planet and the first worldwide elected supreme president of the world. President Chen had been elected in the United States before AmEarth became the empire that it was now, so there was a difference having eight billion humans voting. These citizens now knew Peter Johansen’s name by heart.

Neil Chen and Peter spent many days together transitioning the government. Peter read more than he ever had in his life and learned the system of AmEarth governance from the top down. However, many ideals of democracy held dear by him were missing from the structure. This was a top-down system with the paternalism of an authoritarian regime.

The main difference between this and previous authoritarian regimes was semantics and the pretense of goodness. Evidently, the owners of the means of production remained in power, but now their wealth had increased exponentially. The only check on this mercantile force was the ocassional Essie directive that allowed AmEarth to redistribute some wealth to the bottom half via jobs. Having a huge anti-alien army was expensive, but Essie kept it as a fixed percentage of taxation and now that every human paid taxes to the same government it was a large number. Peter studied and toiled hard through this learning experience, which lasted only sixty days.

The time passed quickly and Peter was not sure he was ready for such a daunting task. August first came like a whiplash. The official ceremony had been promoted like a blockbuster movie and it took place at the UN Plaza. Peter was sweating, as it was a hot and humid day, but he looked the part perfectly as he was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme World Court. He had been flown in via helicopter from Washington, DC, where the court was located.

“Do you swear to uphold the charter of AmEarth?” Justice Rodriguez asked.

“I do,” Peter replied.

“Do you swear to place ‘the greater good’ over all other interests?”

“I do.”

“I now declare you supreme president of AmEarth!”

The crowd cheered and waited for Peter to speak. He had prepared a speech, but words momentarily failed him. Then, with the dignity of the most powerful man on the planet, he began to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen, ministers, Supreme World Court justices; I have been chosen to become the second supreme president and fully understand the enormous responsibility this job represents. I want you to know that my career was not on this path, but I am here because of our system’s directives and because you desired it. I don’t feel uniquely qualified or special. I am just a regular human, like any of you, and I am standing here today much to my own surprise. Perhaps that is a better way to get here than through the bickering and backstabbing of politics. I can promise you this: I will make every day in this office count toward humanity’s continued success on this beautiful planet. I will place all of my effort in working with world leaders and the supercomputer to achieve the best outcomes for our entire world. I will take all grievances seriously and address them promptly. I am at your service. We are a world that has great advantages, so let’s make the best of that and foster the well-being of the human race!”

Peter paused as the cheering began.

“I come from a background of hard-working people. A few years ago, I felt special to be American and I loved this soil. Now, I feel a much greater connection to humanity, and we are all going to love our soil, our Earth, because it belongs to all of us. People around the globe will all be able to enjoy all the promise of a great future, just as America uniquely felt in the past. AmEarth will deliver a better life to all humans.”

Peter believed these words, even if most of the eight billion people listening had few of the luxuries to which he was accustomed. The crowd continued cheering until Peter motioned for silence.

“We finally have the directive and resources to finish the WPP, which is expected to close fully by 2046. The protection it afforded us has changed the state of our planet, and we are all overjoyed that the recent act of aggression was contained so successfully. However, let’s not become complacent. We cannot know if the alien race is determined to continue these attacks, so we must always prepare for the worst. We have begun a campaign to communicate our peaceful intentions to the aliens, but all of these efforts take twenty-three-and-a-half years to receive a response. Our only path is to be strong and protective of our precious human species. Let’s remember that there might be other alien species out there, so any effort to stay safe must also account for those other possibilities. We must all work together to continue the WPP and meet the needs of our governing system to maintain a happy and healthy world.”

The crowd cheered again.

“I want to finish by saying that a major breakthrough in technology has been achieved through the Ministry of Engineering and Alien Technology. Minister Oliphant has informed me that we have mastered the weight-to-energy ratio of battery technology. From now on, we have the ability to power all commercial aviation with lightweight batteries and powerful new motors. We have begun to deploy new vessels into space that will capture solar power and self-sustain their batteries to power the rockets we send to Kepler 3763. We will be faster and better in terms of our packages, and we have determined to send only friendly payloads to the aliens. I will be discussing these technological advancements in detail as we receive more information. May the world be safe, may it be free, and may all of you have a wonderful tomorrow!”

A spontaneous cheer erupted and Peter motioned for Barbara, Brianna, and Scott to stand beside him. They joined him and the first computer-selected first family stood in front of billions of people around the globe.

The world felt protected. The WPP honeycomb had worked. The first worldwide holiday was proclaimed. People were happy. Sssie had found a human with attributes connecting him to most of humanity. He was tall, but not too tall; strong, but not too strong; handsome, but not intolerably so; smart, but not a geek; wealthy, but not rich; and he had two kids and a beautiful wife. They made the perfect picture of the desires of humanity. They saluted the crowd.

The next day, Peter sat in the supreme president’s chair in the glass office that had once belonged to Neil Chen Tyson. His picture was being printed and would be placed in every government office from New York to Patagonia, from Ecuador to Vietnam! It was all still surreal to him. The speed of his rise from deputy of foreign affairs to supreme president had been a process of only months! There had been none of the insane years of a president’s career as in the past, no election name-calling, and no dirty political campaigns. It was a civilized process now that humanity had a shared interest—survival. It was humans as a race against the alien threat, which meant no more territorial disputes or infighting.

AmEarth under President Chen had left a legacy of fear directed toward aliens, which was indisputably terrifying, but it had united humanity. It had worked to create an empire and a single government. Many of Sssie’s solutions had felt un-American, such as the government health care system, which had broken many corporate backs. If a man contracted tuberculosis in Cairo, the World Health Ministry would isolate him and take care of the threat. President Chen had never foreseen that thuie would push toward government-run systems like this, but as long as his committee could keep the sSrectives away from other industries, like those in his family, he was fine.

It had been a funny twist of fate that had caused New York and Washington to flip. New York was now the political capital of the world and Washington held up the financial sphere. The power of the Federal Reserve had become enormous, as it converted all currencies to Orbs and enacted rules and regulations for inflation and interest rates. It was an electronic currency, and all global operations emanated from Washington, DC. Paper money and coins had been eliminated in 2027 when the Orb was introduced. This had been the single hardest directive to follow for President Chen. The world still remembered the riots from back then, but the move had resulted in enormous savings and increased efficiency for the financial system. Illicit financial activity had fallen to a minimum and the greater good had been served.

Peter began his presidency with his first briefing by the Joint Chiefs in the War Room. The meeting was uneventful, as they repeated the same old WPP gap-closing necessities. The meeting finished with a great deal of handshaking and congratulating. The Joint Chiefs seemed aloof, and Peter had a strange feeling that he was being left out. He guessed that they all missed Neil Chen being the president, or they weren’t yet sure whether he would turn out to be a wise choice. He hadn’t exactly proven himself.

On his desk was the first electronic communication from the supercomputer. Having a directive this quickly was unexpected. In fact, it was a list of one hundred top directives that had not yet been accomplished. The top one was in red.

“Mr. President?” Rosemary said.

“Yes,” Peter answered.

“It’s ex-president Chen on line one.”

“Thank you, Rosemary.”

Peter picked up.

“Mr. President,” Peter said.

“Peter, did you see the computer directives?” Chen said, skipping the pleasantries and getting down to business.

“Yes, they are in front of me.”

“Are there any red ones?”

“Yes, one.”

“If the directive is red, it must be priority one and it must be fulfilled. The computer will not function until you have cleared the red ones. Do you understand?”

“What do you mean, it won’t function?”

“It won’t like it.”

“And?”

“It will make your life hell. In 2030, I tried to prevent the World Health Ministry from breaking up the control of the pharmaceutical companies. I’m a capitalist and feared that if the supercomputer wanted to regulate the health system to such a degree then it might also go after other industries. I failed to recognize that health care is totally different from other industries, like consumer goods or tourism. The greater good principle required health care to be managed by a single player. Period.”

“So the computer felt leftist to you, but you couldn’t stop it.”

“I tried, but it began to shut down. Powerful forces can be unleashed if you try and act against it.”

“So in the end you accepted the demise of those companies?”

“And I lost many personal friends. There are people with whom I had great friendships who would kill me today. Being president is not for everyone. You, on the other hand, will be able to direct without allegiance to any industry or group. But don’t forget, the red ones must be followed.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Peter responded robotically.

“Former president. Call me Neil. Bye.”

The phone clicked as Peter looked down at the first red directive of his tenure.

TOP SECRET

Directive 25853: Population Limit to Planet Earth.

Problem: The total population sustainable by planet Earth is 8.5 billion people, give or take 100 million inhabitants. The total area of arable land, the population of farm animals, and the sustainable fishing of marine protein are at full capacity with this limit. Moreover, at this level, the population cannot live with an equality of consumption of these life-sustaining substances. The optimal population for the planet would be between six and seven billion inhabitants if they all desire access to equal and optimal consumption of life-sustaining foods. Overpopulation started before this computer began its operations.

Solution: Directive 25853 requires the legislation of licenses for the privilege of reproduction. Human males will be the control group and each male will be limited to two live births during his lifetime. The necessity of a male vasectomy after the birth of the second child will become a directive for the World Health System. DNA printing of all human births in any location on the planet will prevent that human from further reproduction.

All men are to be informed that their moral obligation is this limit. If a male impregnates more than one woman during the nine-month gestation period, his promiscuity will be deemed an act of treason against the sustainability of AmEarth.

All women will be required to achieve a college-level education before reproducing. No woman can reproduce if uneducated, unless she has reached the age of thirty. The penalty for transgression will be a choice between termination of the pregnancy if discovered before the first trimester, or adoption. If the pregnancy is caught after the first trimester, there will be no termination choice and adoption will be mandatory.

If a family wants to have more than two children, they can adopt, provided that they can prove they have the income required.

There can be no exceptions to this rule.

End of DN 25853

Peter was stunned. Had this been Chen’s plan all along? Get out right before this incredibly invasive and sensitive directive? He would be hated by religious groups, and the strong separation of church and state would not be enough of a buffer to protect this directive. AmEarth had established a strong separation from religious organizations, but this would not be taken lightly by many faiths. God, after all, was not completely dead in the minds of many humans. Women would also hate the forced adoptions. These penalties seemed very severe.

He called Rosemary on the intercom Because Ramirez-Bulatov had invented and designed the aliens he was the only pe when making the video. 00000000000000000000000.

“Rosemary, get me Dr. Rosencrans at Health,” Peter said.

“You want him on the phone or in your office?” Rosemary said.

“How did Chen ask so that you would know right away?”

“He would say, ‘Rosemary, get me such and such in here.’ Or he would say, ‘I need such and such.’ So I guess ‘get me’ meant send up, and ‘I need’ meant call. How would you like it?”

“Get me Dr. Rosencrans.”

“Yes sir.”

Through the glass, Peter could see Rosemary dialing the call and probably speaking to Dr. Rosencrans’s secretary. Behind her, he could see out of the windows to Queens and beyond. He began to miss his former life, but Barbara was on cloud nine and loved living in the Shadow White House. The apartment occupied floors 98 through 100 and was decorated as an exact replica of the actual White House, including stairs, high ceilings, and the identical floor plan. Even the windows were old-style double-hung wooden windows, but they were directly in front of the actual windows of the skyscraper’s exterior. This was a bit surreal, as the view did not match the style of the home, but it worked visually, even if the windows did not provide air when opened. The old White House had been open to the public year round and had become a national monument where governmental proceedings no longer took place.

Barbara had her own First Lady’s office on the sixty-ninth floor. She had a staff and a secretary to deal with all aspects of her public affairs. Her only regret was having to move her daughter to Trinity Academy in Manhattan. She did not want her daughter being raised in the city, but her new Secret Service detail would drive Brianna to school and back from the Shadow White House every day.

Brianna was thrilled, even though she did miss her best friends. The boys at Trinity were much cuter than the Connecticut crowd at Darien, and they all acted with such maturity. They were funnier, too, and she was courted like a new species of flower, a fact that she loved. Her friendship with Camilla was still great, and they chatted on their wafers constantly. Brianna could also visit Camilla whenever she liked. This new chapter in her life made her feel powerful, although she did not know how to use this newfound asset.

Scott had been accepted at Columbia University, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Brown. He really wanted to go to California, but his parents forced him to go to Columbia for security reasons. He was accepted by the Sigma Chi fraternity and tried his best to play down the fact that a Secret Service agent was always nearby. Being the president’s son had its ups and downs, and he did not like being brown-nosed. He kept in touch with Cate and as many of his high school friends as he could, but he felt torn inside.

Peter knew that being President would be a huge task, but having the supercomputer calling the shots was quite strange. He was beginning to feel used, like a puppet or a king in the modern-day UK, and that was not a position he wanted. He needed to know more about how his office actually worked.

Dr. Rosencrans appeared on the elevator landing, and Peter could see him walking toward the office. He was a strange-looking man with glasses and such disheveled hair as only a doctor can sport in such an environment. However, even if he’d wanted to, there wasn’t much that could be done with his curly white hair.

“Mr. President,” Dr. Richard Rosencrans began.

They shook hands.

“Please, sit down,” Peter said.

Peter then pushed the button that made the room instantly private, as if encased in wood.

“Rich, I have a problem,” Peter said.

“How can I help you?” Richard answered cautiously, still trying to determine what kind of supreme president Peter would be.

“I have a directive from the supercomputer on a—how can I put this?—on a Malthusian issue.”

“You are referring to Malthus, the overpopulation economist of the eighteenth century?”

“Yes.”

“Let me guess; the supercomputer agrees with Malthus?”

“Yes.”

“Wow…”

“Exactly. It has determined the limit of Earth’s food supply at 8.5 billion people. Actually, it is requesting a reduction to a sustainable 6.5 billion if everyone wants to eat well.”

“A reduction! How in the name of God is it asking us to accomplish that!”

“It isn’t, Richard. Relax. It’s not calling for an immediate reduction. It is, however, calling for a Chinese solution. And that is where you come in.”

“It wants to limit our reproduction to one baby! Like in China during the twentieth century?”

“No…yes. Well, two.”

Peter held up two fingers.

“Well, that’s better than one,” Richard said.

“Yes. I think the computer assumes that a maximum of two per couple will have a diminishing effect on the population, as statistically, there will be couples with one or none, so the outcome is reductive. In time, we will reach a state where all humans can share the same level of health and lifestyle,” Peter said.

“And my department is expected to achieve this how?”

“All males will have to limit the number of women they impregnate. This is a directive for Communications, not you, but you will enforce the tracking of all births by the same father. In other words, if a man has two live births, he will be called in by Health and given a vasectomy.”

“And if he refuses?”

“It will be considered treason.”

Richard paled noticeably.

“We also need to give licenses to people who want to have children. This will ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities to AmEarth and the world. Health Department licenses will be the best, as that is really your area.”

“But we don’t have the bureaucracy for something like that. We’re not the DMV!” Dr. Rosencrans said, but checked his tone as he realized that he was raising his voice.

“But you do grant inoculation cards, right? Please, Richard, we’re all in this together. Having children is a huge responsibility.”

Peter looked down at his computer and saw Richard’s bio, which gave him something to work with. Richard got up from his chair and began pacing the floor, thinking.

“You have kids; you know this,” Peter continued.

“Well, I guess that nurses could administer the licenses,” Dr. Rosencrans agreed. “So it would take some of the strain off doctors and the system.”

“Good, then that settles it. I’ll send a copy of the directive to your inbox.”

Peter called Rosemary on the intercom.

“Rosemary, get me Bergman,” Peter declared, moving from one problem to the next.

Peter stood up, at which point Richard stood as well.

“Richard, you’ll need to collect every DNA record of every citizen in the world, Bolivia and New Zealand included. If you need more people, let me know. The army is at your full disposal to help gather all the samples you need. The directive also asked for minimum education levels for mothers. I’ll be speaking to Bergman next, and he’ll get back in touch with you. Thank you for your time.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. This is a hefty directive,” Richard responded, still with a cautious note in his voice.

“I know. And it’s my first one! I know I don’t need to tell you this, but you need to keep this under wraps until I make my announcement. Then you can put your plan in place to follow it. Is that clear?”

“Crystal. Top secret.”

Richard made a hand gesture to indicate a key locking his lips. Peter pushed the button that immediately turned his office back into a glass bowl. As he did that, out of the elevator stepped the slim and elegant Janet Bergman, minister of education. Dr. Rosencrans left the office, and they greeted each other in the hallway. Bergman entered the office.

“Minister Bergman, what a pleasure,” Peter welcomed her. “Please sit down, Janet. Would you like some tea or coffee?”

“Coffee would be great,” Janet said.

“Two coffees, Rosemary,” Peter spoke into the intercom.

He pushed the privacy button, turning the walls brown once again.

“Janet, we have received a directive that is both ominous and complicated. The supercomputer has calculated that we are reaching the Malthusian limit on the level of our population. Essentially, we must prevent the famine and calamity that this could bring down on humanity’s collective head,” Peter stated matter-of-factly.

“Oh my God,” Janet said, unable to control her surprise.

“I know. It’s shocking, but also fairly obvious.”

“Yes, I guess that’s true.”

“I need you to follow the directive and coordinate with the minister of health so that all births are recorded. You will need to conduct a full crosscheck to achieve this. Furthermore, all women must obtain undergraduate college-level education before they are allowed to reproduce.”

“What? How can we force them to do that?”

“We’re not forcing them. It is only if they want to reproduce before the age of thirty. The directive is lifted at age thirty or when a degree is obtained, whichever comes first. Now, let me give you the full idea before you panic. The supercomputer will limit all human males to contributing to two live births. The Health Department will monitor all births and determine the father through DNA. This way, if a male has two recorded births, he will undergo a mandatory vasectomy. If he impregnates more than two, say, during the gestation period, then he will be punished as a traitor to AmEarth.”

“No!” Janet exclaimed, her face contorted in shock.

“Yes. And you will handle the mandatory education of women. As we both know, the best contraception ever devised has been education, but culturally, it has been difficult to achieve. Now, AmEarth will legislate this.”

“So if a woman cannot complete schooling for whatever reason, then she cannot start a family until she turns thirty?”

“Those women will be in the minority if you do your job correctly.”

“Is this a punishment to them?”

“I don’t know. It might be a reward. I think it’s a greater punishment to have a child when you’re still a child yourself, or when you can’t take proper care of it. I suppose that the computer identifies thirty as a more responsible age for most people. After all, we need to lower the number of inhabitants without mass famine or utter chaos. This imposed limit, in addition to those people with one child or no children, will eventually reduce the world’s population to a sustainable level.”

“This does make some sense, but I don’t think men will like this at all…nor women.”

“It won’t be easy, but it’s necessary. I know that treason will spike on my watch, but no one said this job was full of easy decisions!”

Rosemary knocked and entered, followed by a staff member who brought in a large tray with a beautiful coffee service in elegant china. They left quietly and Peter and Janet were left to enjoy their coffee, sipping in silence for a moment.

“You certainly have a beautiful view,” Janet said casually, making small talk as she stirred in the sugar.

“Yes, it’s one of the perks,” Peter joked back.

“I sure hope this directive works.”

“We’ve had tough ones before. Remember the Orb?”

“Whew, that one was crazy. Riots. AmEarth almost broke up after that…it was shaky for a long time. At least now, AmEarth includes one hundred percent of the planet; that should make things easier.”

“I don’t know how men will react to this, Janet. I expect that the southern hemisphere will be much harder to convince, but your department has made great strides there.”

“It’s really thanks to the wafer distribution, which has made sizeable inroads in teaching. The directive that pushed for “entertainment education” was one I didn’t initially agree with, but it has been amazing. Having great programming that is customized to pause and teach while keeping the viewer engaged was a revolutionary idea. Education has never looked back.”

Peter was enjoying the conversation and the articulate intelligence of Minister Bergman. She was ten years his senior, but he could still see the beautiful, youthful spirit within her. Her Chanel suit looked as if it had been tailored to her body by hand. At eighteen, she must have been a knockout, Peter thought.

“Please keep this to yourself until I make the announcement. Then, you should immediately coordinate with Civil Affairs so that no marriage is permitted outside of the new directive laws. You must also head up the Education Services side of things to monitor all women who stray from the education path,” Peter explained.

“What happens to women who are in the middle of their education when they get pregnant?” Janet asked.

“The punishment needs to be severe; this whole thing needs teeth. They will be given the choice, in the first trimester, between abortion and adoption. In the second and third trimesters, adoption is their only option,” Peter outlined that part slowly, knowing that it would be one of the most controversial.

“Very severe, Mr. President. There will be lots of backlash, but consider it done. That supercomputer sure is something!” Janet said.

“Indeed it is.”

Peter stood up. Janet kissed him politely on both cheeks and left the office. He had begun a very dangerous process and was suddenly questioning his role; was he the president or Essie’s slavenSHe looked at the computer. T a red directive glared at him from the screen. In empty slots, he began checking off the steps of the process he’d already completed. Meeting with Health, check. Meeting with Education, check. Announcement…he inserted the following day’s date for that one. No need to rush everything.

He thought about what he would say in his announcement, and his mind was filled with a barrage of delicate phrases and sensitive ways to break this global news, but he couldn’t settle on an opening line. Instead, he opened a line of inquiry to the supercomputer. He locked his office door and enabled speech recognition on Essie.

’Who am I?” Peter said

’You are Peter Johansen, sSpreme pPesident of AmEarth,”’the supercomputer answered instantly.

’How far away is Kepler 3763?’

’Kepler 3763 is 23.5 light years away.’

’Is Kepler 3763 able to sustain life?’

The computer did not respond immediately. It gave enough time for Peter to repeat the inquiry.

’Is Kepler 3763 able to sustain life?’

’Information unavailable at your clearance level.’

Peter was immediately shocked. The computer knew that he was the supreme president, so how was it possible that he was not cleared on all levels?

’What is my clearance level?’

’Level five’

’How many levels are there?’

’Information unavailable at your clearance level.’

’What is Neil Chen Tyson’s clearance level?’

’Information unavailable at your clearance level.’

’Is Neil Chen Tyson at a higher level than Peter Johansen?’

’Affirmative.’

’Wow.’

’Is that a question?’

Peter disabled Essie’s speech function and logged off.

S

“Rosemary, I need Neil Chen Tyson,” Peter ordered into the intercom, his mind racing once again.

“Yes, sir.”

Peter took another sip of coffee and tried to choose a way to approach this conversation with the previous supreme president.

“Ex-President Chen on line one,” Rosemary announced.

“Thanks,” Peter said.

He picked up line one and took a deep breath.

“Mr. President,” Peter began, remembering that Neil Chen was no longer in that office.

“Peter, you can call me Neil,” Chen replied, sounding calm and relaxed.

“Neil, I just used the supercomputer terminal in your—my office to ask some questions. It seems that I have clearance at level five, but it says that you are at a higher level. Can you explain why the current supreme president has a lower clearance than the former president?”

“I’m still on the Supercomputer Committee, Peter. You know that.”

“So the Supercomputer Committee is cleared to know certain things that I don’t?”

“What do you want to know, Peter?”

“I was asking the computer how many levels of clearance there were.”

“And Sssie said s

“No, she said, ’Information unavailable at your clearance level.’ Do you know how many levels there are?”

“Six.”

“Six,” Peter repeated, uncertain where to go with the conversation from there.

“Yes, six. What else do you want to know?”

“Don’t you think that the president should have full access to the supercomputer’s information?”

“Peter, let me be frank. Before the committee was formed, I was cleared at level six. As supreme president at level six, Essie begins to reveal contradicting visions and facts in a way that is not always linear and is very, very complex. It is easy to start questioning reality, so your effectiveness as president diminishes.”

“Why? Because you know the truth?”

“The truth is not all that it is made out to be. Truth is relative, Peter, and in time, half-truths become full truths simply because they work. Do you understand?”

“Not really. You’re being deliberately vague.”

“I know. I’m not going into specifics, and you shouldn’t look to find them. As president, you cannot doubt the truth of your statements or you will lose your position. Sssie can and will replace you.”

“What?”

“Peter, why do you think I could no longer speak publicly? My clearance level showed me facts that conflicted with certain directives. Citizens could see that I was not speaking truthfully. You get it?”

“So Essie wants me to lie?”

“No. She needs you to believe in AmEarth and all of its potential without digging around into the intricacies of how this world works.”

“So ignorance is bliss?” Peter flippantly replied, slightly annoyed at the logic behind what Neil Chen was saying.

“In a way, but it’s much more than that.”

“I feel like a puppet in this office.” Peter wished he hadn’t said it, but it was true.

“A puppet? Peter…you’re the most powerful man on earth! You have a great life, a helicopter on the roof to take you to Camp David whenever you want, an entire planet looking up to you for direction, and you feel like a puppet?”

“Yes.”

“Then quit.”

“I didn’t say that, Mr. President.”

“Peter, there is nothing sinister going on here. Do you want to be cleared for level six?”

“Frankly, I think that would be the best way to move forward.”

“Let me talk to the committee.”

“Actually, I would like to talk to the committee. I don’t even know who is on it.”

“That’s a valid point. I’ll get back to you soon.”

“Thank you, Neil.”

“No, Peter, thank you for your service to AmEarth. I hear that you’re getting ready to give your first major directive speech. A big one, eh?”

“Yes, I’m working on it. I wanted to ask you something else about Kep-” Peter cut himself off, not wanting to show any more of his hand to Neil Chen.

“What?”

“No, nothing. I won’t bother you with anything else. Good-bye, Neil,” Peter said.

“Good-bye, Mr. President,” Neil Chen replied.

Peter thought about confronting Neil Chen with more questions, but perhaps that was enough for one day. This new directive would be explosive. There had been many in the past and President Chen had been amazingly calm and reassuring through them all. Peter needed to learn from ex-president Chen, not make him his adversary. He also wanted to access level six clearance so that any of his questions could be resolved. He needed to quell the doubts rolling around in his head thanks to Scott and the events unfolding in New Zealand.

He began scribbling out his speech for the population control directive and suddenly felt a wave of depression sweep through him. As he read the words, he saw that there was no way to make the directive any softer. It was a punch in the gut. He called Barbara on his wafer.

“Honey, can you come up?” Peter said.

“Of course, what is it?” Barbara answered, immediately concerned.

Peter explained the situation briefly on the phone and what seemed like a minute later, Barbara was striding purposefully down the long hallway toward his office. He met her at the door of the office and embraced her gently. He realized that many eyes around the executive floor were on the pair, so he led her back to his desk, behind the privacy walls.

The whole staff had seemed giddy at the encounter. It was the first time they had seen Barbara Johansen with the supreme president together since the ceremony. Of course, Peter had shown Barbara his office earlier, but the office staff hadn’t been there.

“I might have a solution,” Barbara said, having apparently thought of a way out of his current predicament in the previous minute or two on her way up.

“What’s that?” Peter asked incredulously.

“Find another directive. Pick one that is more positive and less controversial. Then, make both announcements at the same time. They will at least cancel each other out a bit.”

Peter considered her words and realized that she was right. People were quite easy to control, as long as you knew how to do it.

“That just might work! See? This is why I need you.”

“Oh, honey, you’re just too close to these problems now. You need to see the forest, not just the one tree. What other directives are on the list?”

“Hundreds. Come here and take a look. Help me find one that might lift some spirits instead of inciting a global riot.”

Barbara sat casually on Peter’s lap and started to read the list of directives in black. In less than a minute, her finger stabbed down at one.

“This one,” Barbara declared.

“DN 25801: The creation of a worldwide lottery. All humans participate in a daily lottery, which rewards the winner with one billion Orbs. One human per day will win and become wealthy; that winner will be announced every day during the evening news. Any human that already have more than one billion Orbs will be excluded from this lottery. Only adults over twenty-one years of age are allowed to participate,” Peter read aloud, nodding as he went.

“I love it. People have always loved lotteries.”

“You’re the best.”

Peter kissed his wife in a way that he hadn’t done in years. Their hands began to roam and the pair clutched one another, warmly at first and then progressively more passionately. Peter did love this woman, and she clearly wanted to celebrate with the supreme president in his personal office.

“President Chen on line one,” Rosemary’s voice came through the intercom, disturbing their moment.

“Thanks,” Peter said.

Barbara stood up and fixed her appearance as Peter picked up the phone. She walked out of the office and gave him a wave and a blown kiss, knowing that he needed to get down to business. Peter turned the privacy setting off only to find everyone in the office looking in their direction. Barbara was still fixing her dress when the walls emptied of their color. Peter mildly blushed, and when Barbara turned around to find twenty or thirty pairs of eyes on her, her flush of red was impossible to miss, and she walked back to the elevator with a slight urgency in her steps.

“Hello, Peter. I wanted to let you know that I’ve arranged for a meeting of the SCC for September third,” President Chen began, right down to business again.

“Where?”

“They take place with the Joint Chiefs. You’ve been there. Thirty-nine.”

“The War Room.”

“Yes, but we might as well call it the Peace Room.”

“I’ll make a directive for that.”

“He’s an ideal candidate to lead the world, and he’s funny,” President Chen replied with a laugh.

“What time?”

“We’ll all meet at noon.”

“How many people are in the committee?”

“Twelve.”

“Twelve?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you need an odd number to prevent ties?”

“No,” President Chen replied naturally, as if the idea was ridiculous.

“Then what happens?”

“Most decisions have been voted in unanimously, but if there ever came to a tie, the tie-breaking vote would be given to Sssie.”

“I should have seen that coming.”

“Peter, please remember…She is not your enemy. Ite is AmEarth’s best asset. There would be no AmEarth without Essieit.”

“I had always hoped that AmEarth was the result of mankind uniting and becoming better on its own. This seems somehow different from that.”

“Mankind created Ser! It is our machine, –ur achievement. We are the sSuercomputer. See you at the meeting.”

“Of course. May I ask, why the delay? Why can’t we meet now?”

“Many of the members are out of town. I thought it best to meet after the summer vacations. You do want to meet all twelve members, correct?”

“Yes, definitely. That timing makes sense.”

“Good-bye, Mr. President.”

“Good-bye, Neil.”

The next morning, Peter took to the airwaves. He wore the distinctive blue suit and white shirt that President Chen used to wear, as well as the elegant gold presidential pin on his lapel with the honeycomb globe logo on it. He looked good; he looked presidential.

“Ladies and gentlemen of AmEarth…Today, I will be announcing the first two directives of my term. Before doing so, I would like to explain something very important to everyone listening. There was a study of the Pacific Islands explaining how most were settled by Chinese sailors in the Middle Ages. We know that certain islands were able to support more men than others. As the Chinese retired their navy when they built the Great Wall of China, these different islands were left to fend for themselves. They did so for centuries and each of them developed their own societies. On some small islands, humans tolerated infanticide, a practice that we would abhor, but given that the population of this tiny island societies could not support more than a few thousand inhabitants, it became morally appropriate for them to practice it. Infanticide is repulsive to us now, but it was a necessity for their survival,” Peter explained. He could see some of his staff with confused looks on their faces.

On TV screens around the world, you could almost see him sweat, although he never broke. It was his mannerisms that made it look as though he was about to break into a sweat.

“Our planet is like one of those tiny islands in the Pacific. We had reached the peak population of our planet even before the rise of AmEarth. In the divided past, we faced multiple forms of population culling through acts of nature, war, disease, and famine. We no longer tolerate the barbaric and painful methods of population control used in the past, but it is obvious that we must still control our population. The directive I am announcing will change your lives, and we hope that it will change them for the better. The supercomputer has devised a system that allows for large families, as well as optimal-size families, and is not going to impede our happiness and lifestyles. It will, however, place strict limits on human reproduction based on statistical analysis and logic. From now on, men will not be allowed to have more than two naturally born children. Any deviation from this directive will represent an act of treason. Women will not be allowed to have children until they obtain a college degree or reach thirty years of age. There will be no exceptions. Any deviation from this will require women to offer their additional offspring up for adoption. There will be no exceptions.”

Peter paused slightly, he could hear his own staffers and technicians whispering, so he launched into the second half of his announcement.

“I am also announcing a second directive that will create the first worldwide lottery. It is a free drawing that will make one person a billionaire every single day. This applies to all citizens of AmEarth who are twenty-one years of age or older. You do not need to buy a ticket; your DNA is automatically entered into the draw and on any day of the year, you could become a billionaire!” Peter put some extra emphasis on his delivery, trying to make this announcement stronger than the preceding one.

It was the first week of August when Peter announced both directives. In the days that followed it was clear that the lottery distraction had essentially failed. All over the globe, people of religious and libertarian beliefs joined to dissent and demonstrate. The UN building was considered the main governmental office building, even though the reality was across the street, so the demonstrations began and continued for what seemed an eternity to Peter.

People across the world began following the example of the demonstrations in New York. ACA and AmEarth buildings were swamped with groups of people, which increased traffic and began leading to vandalism. In more religious areas of the world, the riots became difficult to control.

Peter was called to the War Room, where he had previously been briefed by the Joint Chiefs. Most members of the Supercomputer Committee were there, with the notable exception of ex-president Chen. This was Peter’s first emergency meeting, and not having Chen there made him feel insecure. He felt entrapped by the harsh directive and it felt like ex-president Chen was somehow foiling him. In reality, Neil Chen was recovering from a minor elective surgery and his absence was unrelated. Peter entered looking disheveled and tense and found most members there in a similar condition. Tensions ran high and the meeting began with screens all around the room showing the protests.

“The situation has escalated to a level three, and in twenty-seven population centers the army has been called in to quell the dissent,” Sssie said it heritharacteristically flat and emotionless tone.spokeh

“We seem to be gaining the upper hand and hope to see the intensity of the protests diminish as people return to the realities of their lives,” General Redford said.

“The most important thing is not to harm the protesters,” Peter asserted. “These are social issues and the protesters are only asking for human rights that they have enjoyed for centuries. We must be tolerant without giving in.”

“We agree on that,” General Roberts began, “but remember that treason and vandalism need to be treated seriously.”

“I think that the main issue is the vasectomy terms,” Sergio Ramirez-Bulatov chimed in unexpectedly.

“Why do you say that?” General Roberts asked, looking at Sergio as though he had never heard his voice.

“Look around. Do you see many women in the ranks of these protesters? The directive has motivated the males to act. I don’t think the females are at all concerned with a directive that basically asks them to seek higher education. They welcome that. However, the vasectomy is intrusive. Physically and psychologically intrusive. Maybe there is another way.”

“What do you suggest?” Peter asked genuinely.

“I don’t know, maybe a voluntary vasectomy at the second live birth, and not right away. What if you have a kid that dies in the first twelve months? That could happen, and the man might want to try again. Don’t you think so? Anyway, if they don’t elect to get the vasectomy and they go for a third child, then we could force those rogue elements to get the operation and give the third baby up for adoption,” Sergio finished. He had obviously thought this through, as he had no known family of his own.

“I think Mr. Ramirez-Bulatov has a very good point. How can we alter the directive? What is the process?” Peter asked, looking around the table.

“We write in code the desired amendment, put it on a mini-drive and enter it into Sssie’s port w” arry Kanter showed Peter the port in how table in front of them for plugging in a portable drive.had

“Do you want to write it?” Peter looked at Sergio.

“I already have.” Sergio held up a mini-drive in his hand.

“Well, go ahead!” Peter ordered.

“One moment! We need to achieve a quorum to allow such a measure,” General Redford said.

“I call for allowing my amendment to be analyzed by Sssie. All those in favor, say aye,” Sergio said.

“Aye!” was heard loud and clear.

“All those against, say nay.” Sergio said.

Silence.

“The ayes have it!” Peter said.

Sergio inserted the drive into the port. uhe main computer monitor flashed small periods that moved from side to side, indicating that the computer was thinking.

’The amendment to Directive 25853 is approved. The unacceptable level of social unrest should be quelled with voluntary vasectomies.’ Essie said.

“Ha! I knew it!” Sergio shouted in delight.

“Bravo!” Peter said. He approached Sergio and gave him a hug.

The Joint Chiefs looked on, as if the pair were immature children. However, a huge sense of relief struck all the members of the committee, as the worldwide tensions were immense. Peter took to the airwaves that very afternoon, and the process of acceptance of the population control directive began.

AmEarth had matured enough to be able to dictate this restrictive policy, and Sergio had written his first-ever amendment. Intelligent minorities understood and appreciated the directive as a necessary step to preserve the human race.