The post below was drafted for a flash-fiction contest. The entry was to be a thousand word or less piece of fiction regarding cities of the future and how humanity would interact with them. I took it on as a quick writing exercise, creating something less a full story and more a hopefully compelling start. Reprinting now that I have the all-clear to do so. Particularly relevant as I start focused adaptation of
From the private journal of Sanador Malato
April 13, 2099
42 years after the conflict
They said that utopia could not exist and yet here it
stands. The shining city on a hill that
explorers and conquerors had searched and died for. The city of gold. Arcadia.
Shangri-La. Cibola. El Dorado.
It was impossible. And
yet they have succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
It took several months to nail down this exact location. The Segredos have done an incredible job in
maintaining the secrecy of their final city, Isso. For the other eleven, they had worked with
existing infrastructure, rebuilding and fortifying key locations across the
globe. With each of those, the greater challenge was
in the journey there; upon arrival, each search ran fairly smoothly.
Here, they have found a way to build deep into the Amazon,
near the Alto Tarauacá in Acre. They
must have reached some agreement with the Isolados, for they have truly
transformed the region (though you would not know it from first glance).
The city is so well integrated into the biosphere that it
takes a direct approach to find any entrance.
They have patterned the entire urban design after a redwood biome,
laying out the entire area in a precise grid-like fashion. At the intersection of every line, there is a
slightly conical tower, reaching skyward and topped with a solar structure
emulating fronds. These solar fronds
radiate outward from the building edges, capturing and following the sun as it
traverses through the sky. The towers
themselves are seemingly skinned with all sorts of vegetation. Hanging gardens and vertical landscaping, fed
by the sunlight that slips through the solar fronds and misters integrated into
these superstructures. An apparent perfect grid of giant biomechanical
trees.
Each tower is connected to the others at varying levels via
skybridges. These skybridges are
apparently used for additional urban gardening, lined with various herbs and
small plants, creating a green, vine-like appearance. This vine network links the entire city,
creating miles of additional walkways for the residents. I have heard that these towers house all of
the office and housing space within the city.
Some inhabitants say that it is possible for one to never truly touch
ground here. Aimi would love it here;
she always dreamed of a treehouse.
Under this canopy and vine structure, there lies a bustling
network of single and two-story buildings at the base of the towers. These structures provide stability for the
towers, like the roots of a tree, each serving a unique and necessary function
within the city. Utilities and civil
services, shops and cafes, all line the pathways around the buildings, like
they once did everywhere.
I haven’t seen a single vehicle since I have arrived, not
that many work in the first place.
Without vehicles, there are no true streets throughout the entire
space. Only well-manicured green lawns
between the buildings. It’s as if the
entire city sprang up in Central Park.
It’s self-sufficient too.
All of its power is supplied through a combination of sources. What they cannot cover through the solar
structures creating the canopy, they have offset through innovations in
geothermal energy. Water is obtained
from reclamation projects, initiated from the many surrounding streams. All needed food is either grown within the
city structure or sourced from within a two mile radius.
Truly a marvel!
From what I understand, following the conflict, the Segredos
were able to gather remaining innovators in energy, urban planning,
agriculture, and architecture to design this dream city. They promised a fortified Eden, one that
would stand for the ages. All who found
it were welcome to stay and contribute, so long as they agreed to the cities
structure and requirements. John Galt would
be proud.
And yet, it works. I
keep expecting to expose some dark underbelly to the system or to uncover a
growing dissention among the people, but I have not. In all my searching, through the people I
have encountered, leads to the conclusion that they have found whatever secret
formula is required to maintain this delicate existence. They have created a well maintained ecosystem
in an urban jungle.
They have also created a hybrid government system combining a
near fully democratic vote, with an oligarchic council to act in check on mob
rule. The council is comprised of
elected representatives who serve terms limited only by their desire and
performance. Periodic reviews combat
abuse. They must have had several
innovative government experts to help them develop this system, though I’m told
this was not their first attempt.
I don’t know how they did it, but I’m glad they did.
I have finally obtained the identity of the lead biochemist,
one of the initial twenty who founded Isso twenty-eight years ago. Dr. Antonio Vitale. National Medal of Science recipient, Nobel
Award winner Dr. Vitale. This is the
break through that I have been searching for.
His work in nano-biotechnology started this entire quest and has lead me
literally across the globe. He
disappeared several years ago and every clue to his existence had been destroyed. The only question now is whether he has been
able to create a viable sample.
I pray that Anjali is correct. Her sources have so far been right on the
money, I just pray they continue to pan out.
There are no other options, for each prior location proved a
dead end. If it exists, this must be the place.
The cure must be here.
