Tree Small Gulps

Carbonophilia

It was dawn of XXI century and while CNN was focused on NASA's successful landing on Mars and scientists were putting together the information they have received from the rovers, conspiracy maniacs were looking for the signs of life and ancient alien civilization and seeing them in every abstract looking stone. After carefully examining each case with some software and iron logics, they found scull, bone, lake, forest and metal objects, and even a petrified lizard on Mars! Anyway, the fact was that flow of the information that the world craved came like a shiny river, feeding fantasies and confirming realities about human's knowledge of a mysterious yet already accessible planet.

Everyone was waiting for the answer to the most important question: is there or was there or could it be water and life on Mars, and hopefully officially admit that we are not the only one living thing in the universe. However, there was a group of VIPs who were waiting for different findings, and the river of the information that was coming from the red planet was confirming those expectations.

Mr. Julian Mark was happy; he was looking at the results of spectrometers with hidden pleasure. Heavy glasses were hanging on his nose - comfortably residing in two little red dents on the same nose, created by the same glasses. He never wanted to wear contact lenses – a while ago - he read that glasses helped some people to hide their real "me" and made them look more intelligent. Julian wanted both – to hide his thoughts and look intelligent. He became one of the leaders of the project not because he was a great scientist, but because he played the right game. As a student, he was active to the extent it was necessary- he was asking questions that professors and peers wanted to hear from him, he was writing papers that always met all guidelines and criteria, he always published his works, good or bad, and finally accumulated enough published material to be called a leading specialist in the spectrometry of organic substances in minerals. He was a typical parasite of modern science, building up his career by elegantly rewriting what others have written but not contributing even a single thought or finding to Mankind's knowledge bank. Not only he did nothing for science, but he did everything to kill any new ideas that were contradicting dogma. He hated quantum physics for shaking dogmas of fundamental science and called them populists and unprofessional bustards (also, his ex-wife was a quantum physicist – but that just detail). He basically made his career by defending dogmas with religious insanity, exterminating on the way any new ideas, thoughts, and theories, and turning talented scientists into mediocre lab assistants.

So, here he was –Julian picked up the phone and made a call. He knew that information he had would finally establish him as the best, and nothing else mattered.

- Mr. President - he sad – I have news....

In the white house, the president smiled, now he knew that nothing would endanger his, his family, and his establishment's position anymore, and nothing else mattered.

Forty-five years later, Tesla ionic engine spaceships were flying back and forth to Mars regularly. Ships still needed fuel to get on and off both planets, but once in space, they were better than fish in the ocean. Tesla founder gave up on electric cars and focused on space travel. His space travel dream becomes a reality, and the remains of the red Tesla car still orbiting Mars become one of the tourist attractions. The biggest project company was working on was a space elevator, and in a month or so, the first commercial one was planned to be open, which would make space travel as cheap as low-cost airlines.

Surprisingly enough, in 30' s of the XXI century, Mankind managed to overt its oil shortage crises due to the discovery of an "oil germ." A little bit of genetic manipulation produced GMOs that easily turned any plastic into oil. All you needed is a good solid metal container with an airtight metal lid, plastic shavings, a bag of sugar, and five to seven drops of a liquid infected with plastic devouring bacteria. In a month or so, you got several gallons of black liquid, which was essentially oil and sediment of asphalt-like substance. Both could be sold. GMO was, of course, patented by some big-name Inc., but bacteria tend to multiply its genetic material without taking into consideration copyright legislation. Illegal leaven could be purchased online, on black markets, and other places or one could get batch for free from the neighbor.