Future World 2323 (eBook)

C. D. Damitio, Rionna Morgan, E. R. Donaldson (Herausgeber)

C. D. Damitio, Rionna Morgan, E. R. Donaldson, Ameera Rashid, T. Dylan Daniel, Aparna Merchant (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
362 Seiten
Whitney Morgan Media (Verlag)
978-1-962668-17-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Future World 2323: 7 Tales from a Shattered Earth

Strange Technology. Forgotten Magic. Epic Romance. A Future on the Edge of Collapse.

What happens to Earth when the map is redrawn, the skies are cracked with radiation, and forgotten powers rise again?

In the wake of nuclear war, global upheaval, and tectonic catastrophe, the world has fractured into splintered superstates and secret alliances. From the ancient mists of Ireland to the futuristic techno-corporate archipelagos of the Great Lakes, from the hidden tribes of Ikshavarka to the crumbling Texican Nation, humanity's survival depends on what comes next.

Future World 2323 is a stunning science-fantasy anthology featuring seven bold stories from visionary authors around the globe. Set in a shared universe conceived by C. D. Damitio, creator of 'The Texican Blizzard of 2323,' this 100,000-word collection blends dystopian science fiction, high-stakes adventure, magical realism, and speculative romance to imagine a world unlike anything you've seen before.

Whether you love post-apocalyptic fiction, sci-fi with political commentary, near-future fantasy, or world-building that spans centuries and continents, you'll be captivated by this vivid and dangerous future where love, power, and survival collide.

Step into the future. Discover what remains. And decide what's worth saving.

Perfect for fans of: Dune, The Witcher, Black Mirror, The Left Hand of Darkness, Snow Crash, and The Broken Earth Trilogy.

Textauszug

Chapter 3

 

Lunch was something that should have been familiar but wasn’t. On the surface it was classic Tex-Mex cuisine, but there were undercurrents of rich Central and South American flavors that reached Charles' nose before he saw the food which somehow changed the texture, color, and mental description of the food before he was able to try it. Having no frame of reference to attach it to, Charles decided that ‘Texican’ was a perfect name for it. The food was delicious with rich chocolate, fruit, and seafood aspects—while still being spicy with cinnamon, chili, and citrus as he was used to.

Benito was a lot sharper than he at first appeared. He had a thirsty intellect which probed each statement Charles made in a way that quickly made it apparent to both of them that there was a truth neither of them was willing to breach. For his part, Charles found himself warming up to his guide, and despite the age difference, he found himself (much to his own surprise) thinking less of Benito as a boy, and more as an equal. There was a youthful silliness to Benito that screamed a childhood not long past, but his quick wit and ability to put together pieces that were anything but obvious shattered any illusion of him being anything other than brilliant—and contrastingly—somewhat cynical.

“Senor, let’s cut the sheepshit,” Benito said. “I know, and you know, that you are a stranger in our strange land. Much like the famous astronaut from Mars, let us just say that I have grokked your dilemma. You do not need to worry, my friend. I am neither police, nor a Texican loyalist who will spill the guacamole on his neighbors for a few credits. As long as you don’t intend to kill people, you may speak honestly to me.”

Charles looked at his new friend with profound respect. The fact that Benito had put all this together on the fly, and that he was able to so eloquently express his proposal, was stunning. But more so was the fact that Benito finished his speech and directly began tucking into a gargantuan seafood taco while motioning to Charles that he should explain himself.

Charles considered the possible consequences and then mentally just said, ”Fuck it.”

“When I went to sleep last night, it was 2023. The planet was in the midst of eradicating humanity with global warming. The state I live in, Texas, was a part of the United States of America, and was not only suffering from a serious drought, but also on the verge of declaring itself independent. People were starting to call for ‘the second American revolution.’

“I woke up this morning and was going to drive into town to sign divorce papers, but instead I seem to have driven three hundred years into the future. Right now, despite the pleasant company and great food, I’m torn between thinking that I’ve lost my mind or believing that the world has ended, and I’m in some sort of bizarre psychedelic afterlife.” Charles waited for laughter, or for Benito to call him a liar. Neither happened.

Benito simply nodded and continued chewing. Charles waited. Finally swallowing the last of his huge bite, Benito said “That’s fucked up. I think you’re going to have to meet my Uncle Rodrigo. He’s the head of the Chihuahua Historical Foundation’s archives in the Mega-Complex city of Chihuahua, co-capital of the Texican Nation. He’s a pretty big deal in quantum circles, and he might be able to help you figure out how to get back to your own time.”

In a cartoon, Charles’ jaw would most certainly have been on the floor. He was, for lack of a better word, flabbergasted. Not only had Benito seemingly believed every word he’d said, but more amazingly, he didn’t seem shocked at all. Or maybe there was something else going on. Maybe Benito was simply calling bullshit by creating more bullshit on what he thought was a bullshit—er…sheepshit—story.

“You believe me?” Charles asked.

Benito nodded. “It’s a pretty crazy story; and normally, Amigo, I would just take your money and leave you to your delusions. But, the truth is, your loco clothes, the funny English you speak, that pocketful of priceless antique money you don’t seem to know the value of, and a few other things—they all had me thinking that there was something like this happening already. So, si, I believe you.”

“Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?” Charles found it very hard to believe that Benito could have just accepted his story without a single doubt unless there was something that made it sound familiar.

“I’m a reader, Senor. I’ve read many of the classics—even the forbidden books—so I’m not afraid of new ideas or ways of looking at the world around me. But please, be careful. Most Texicans aren’t as ‘futurista’ as I am, so I wouldn’t tell your story to just anyone.”

Lunch finished, and Benito declared that they should start the journey to the Chihuahua City Complex.

“Should I drive?” Charles asked.

“Not unless you want to answer a lot of unnecessary questions,” Benito told him. Charles had told him about his truck, which was parked in Archway lot. “Your vehicle will be here if we come back, but for now we’ll take the longivater.”

“Longivater?” Charles raised his eyebrows.

“I’ll show you. ¡Ándele!”

The longivater was exactly what the compound word described: part elevator and part subway, moving longitudinal. Essentially an entire underground system of horizontal elevators where, instead of selecting the floor, you selected the destination.

“The first longivaters were built in your Texas by the cyborg crypto-industrialist robber-baron E. Longmunsk,” Benito told him.

“You mean Elon Musk,” Charles said gently.

“No Senor, I don’t know who that is. In school we learned about E. Longmunsk. He was one of the first cyborgs. He created himself with neurolink tethered to starlink solar power minters. I think he began around your time. E. Longmunsk gave us much of the infrastructure we needed for independence. He’s a great hero to many here, but honestly, I’m in the camp that thinks it’s time for someone to unplug him.”

“He’s still alive?” Charles was shocked.

“Si, of course. He will live forever; and honestly, even unplugging him now wouldn’t work. I’ve been told that he is getting constantly charged by wireless DC solar power transmitted on beta waves from his satellites. He has fail-safes. We’re just lucky he doesn’t want to kill us all, yet.”

The time passed quickly with many such conversations. The history of the Texaco Nation was fascinating and beyond Charles’ wildest imaginings. They arrived at the Chihuahua City Complex with a sudden ”ding!”. The longivater doors opened to the chaotic world of a mega-city national transit station. Benito grabbed Charles by the shoulder and led him through crowded causeways, up rapid moving escalators, and finally out into the blurry white of daylight.

Blurry white because snow and wind were beating those who exposed themselves to the weather. It was a fierce winter blizzard, the kind that Charles would have expected in Montana but not in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Benito had insisted that he buy full cold weather gear which had felt ridiculous to Charles but now seemed almost like under-preparation. Benito pulled him across an atmospheric avalanche of a street to another transit station. This one seemed more like a city terminal rather than an intercity station like the one they had just left.

Still gasping from the sheer power of the weather, Charles sputtered “That weather, is it some sort of a disaster?”

Benito looked at him with a questioning expression then cracked a mischievous smile. “Oh, it’s a pretty nice day today. If you are here for a while, maybe I’ll take you into the blizzard.”

A short longivater ride brought them to the government research complex. Using his watch, Benito asked his uncle, Dr. Rodrigo Rodriguez to come escort them to his lab. Dr. Rodrigo Rodriguez, or “Drodrod,” as he introduced himself, was cadaver thin and as tall as an NBA forward. There was an almost alien presence to him that was quickly belied by his warm smile and friendly continence. He wore a long, loose white lab coat and had a crown of shockingly white hair that, despite his tan complexion, immediately made Charles think of both Doc from Back to the Future and Albert Einstein. His lab was like something between a doctor’s office and a university classroom that focused on both anatomy and physics.

Benito matter-of-factly explained Charles' situation and once again, Charles was shocked that the story was so easily accepted. Drodrod saw the amazement in Charles' face and gave him an explanation.

“You are not the first person to arrive here from another time. As far as we know there have been five confirmed temporal travelers in the Texaco Nation and probably more that we don’t know of. I’ve also heard stories of time travelers arriving in the RSA and the Mutual Nations, but I’ve not been able to confirm those for obvious political reasons. The main function of my institute is to determine how, why, and who the time travelers are. Most of the people you would come across have no idea that such things exist. You are lucky in that my nephew, despite having the makings of a brilliant temporal scientist, has chosen to be more of an ‘anthrolosopher’ than anything else.”

“Anthrolosopher?” Charles had learned not to question the new vocabulary he was encountering, but this word defied explanation in the current context.

“The people who study people, and what and how those people think about...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 22.9.2025
• Vorwort: C. D. Damitio
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Science Fiction
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Schlagworte: dystopian short story collection • future Earth fiction book • future politics and power sci-fi • futuristic sci-fi short stories • science fiction anthology • shared universe sci-fi anthology • stories about magic and technology
• ISBN-10: 1-962668-17-7 / 1962668177
• ISBN-13: 978-1-962668-17-0 / 9781962668170