002; rude questions [video/action]

[assumedposition]

Ladies and gentlemen of the Tranquility, good evening.

[From the video, you can see Albert is seated somewhere in the oxygen gardens, on a wide-open patch of grass. He looks somewhat contemplative.]

I have a-- a somewhat personal question to ask of you all, so don't feel compelled to answer if you don't wish to. [He seems to hesitate, and then he plunges ahead quickly, as if he must ask it before he loses courage.]

How many of you here believed yourselves to have passed away before you woke up in this place?

And-- for those of you who don't want to talk about something quite so morbid, maybe you could tell me what year, or what country, or planet you come from. I'd... really like to hear about other people's homes. As for me-- I'm from Paris, France, the year 5053.

I've also got some tea and plenty of cups to go around here in the garden, if you'd prefer to speak in person. I'd welcome the company, and the chance to meet all of you.

Comments

[assumedposition]

When you were older...?

But now you're here, and you're-- younger? How does that work?

[theshabbiestofmen]

God only knows. The same reason we're able to talk, even though we're hundreds of years apart, I suspect.

[assumedposition]

Aren't you at all curious to find out why?

[theshabbiestofmen]

I'm curious-- but I know so little about science I can't even begin to fathom why.

[assumedposition]

Well-- I'm not exactly an astrophysicist either, haha! But I figure, the answer has to be out there somewhere.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Certainly.

If I may ask-- what sort of science do you know? The education levels-- I mean, technology must have advanced so much from my time to yours. What sorts of technology do you have? Is this all commonplace for you?

[assumedposition]

We don't have time travel, if that's what you're asking.

But space travel and nanotechnology are both fairly commonplace. Though my education didn't focus much on science beyond the usual. You know, biology, chemistry and so forth. My parents were always much more insistent that I learn my languages and history.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Heaven knows they're my favorite subjects. But honestly, that's more than I know-- I haven't any education whatsoever in chemistry or biology or what have you. What's nanotechnology?

[assumedposition]

Oh-- these things! [He shows the numbered tattoo on his arm.] Everyone here seems to have one, right? It's like a key that's imprinted on your body, so only you can access the locker and the room that's yours...

But more generally, it's a broad term that can mean any kind of technology that's so small, it can manipulate matter on an atomic or molecular scale. Pretty cool, huh?

[theshabbiestofmen]

I-- yes.

[His mouth purses for a few seconds as he tries to process this.]

What other things can it do?

[assumedposition]

Ah... I'm not the best person to ask, but what can't it do might be the more appropriate question. It's often used in medicine to heal the sick and wounded, and in engineering to change the output of machines so that there's less pollution...

[theshabbiestofmen]

But it--

[He shakes his head.]

It's difficult to say, I suppose, because our times are so different. But-- well, you know history, don't you? What sort of inventions have come past 1980?

[assumedposition]

Ah... yes? I mean, that was a long time ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but in general terms...? Why?

[theshabbiestofmen]

Well, so-- what sorts of things have happened? I'm just sort of curious-- I haven't met anyone for whom this isn't an impossible situation.

[assumedposition]

Well-- you know of the moon landing, surely. I know that's early enough for you. After that, space travel became a real possibility... even if it didn't come to pass for civilians for a few hundred years after that.

I think... I might be getting this wrong, but I'm pretty sure the early 21st century was really the birth of comms devices like these ones. Hence why I said they were ancient. For me, hard screens like this are pretty old school. Everything back home is designed to be easily transportable, so most "screens" are basically folding holograms. Do you know about holograms yet? It's basically when an image is projected into the air.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Isn't that what this is? Or is it like-- like a movie projector?