Europe, distant future. A meteorite impacted on the area of Russia, turning the area into a dead zone. Moreover, it emits a strange radiance which increases the impact survivors and their offsprings' endurance and strength, but also causing them to...
Any kind of violence towards a Castaway, except those in official Neoclash arenas, is strictly prohibited. So is punishing the Castaway by any other unacceptable means.
The Law of the Castaways, abridged
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Ten kilometers above the ground is a good place to think. Especially when you travel in the first class, sitting in a velvet-soft armchair with a box of sushi on a tray above my lap. We have an attentive, cute stewardess who is immune to my flirting attempts, just like every other woman, but does her job really well.
I have an opportunity to watch movies from an extensive library, but just observing Zoya sitting next to me is better than any comedy blockbuster.
It was quite hard to make her step into the plane. When she saw the huge aircraft with the logo of Meridian Travel on its body and wings, her old habits kicked in. I don't blame her. I also almost pissed my pants right before my first plane took off. And it has to be even harder for a Castaway who spent all her life with her feet on the ground. Even though she's already used to the modern world technology, having the courage to entrust your life to a huge flying machine is a different league.
When she stepped on board, her legs were just as shaky as they were during the first days after she got her prostheses. She kept shaking all the time and I had a feeling I should probably console her, but I had no idea how to do it. So I just seated her on her armchair and let her cope with her fear.
When the plane's engines started and the machine took off, she had her eyes firmly closed and she was grasping the armrests so tightly her knuckles turned white. She even shed a tear. Poor little thing. Fortunately, as the plane settled in a certain altitude and speed, Zoya's anxiety ceased a little.
At first, she was afraid to take a look from the window. Yeah, knowing that only a layer of metal and plastics protects you from a freefall into a several-kilometer depth is disturbing. But soon after, she realized its charm. Her fear turned into a childish fascination when she got to see the clouds from above.
"I'd never guess the world is so big," she voices, looking at a mountain range, probably the Alps, from the bird's eye view. "Tell me... how different are these... worlds from Britain? Am I missing out a lot?"
"Instead of worlds, you can use states or countries," I correct her. "And yeah, some of them are different. The more to the south... uhm... to the bottom of the map you travel, the warmer it gets. Also, even though the people were afraid the globalization and the technology upswing would destroy the culture and individuality of the states, it didn't happen. So yeah, every country is different."
"How many... countries are there?"
"When you take the whole world, about two hundred." I grasp another piece of maki sushi with salmon between my chopstick and safely deliver it in my mouth. "But in the near future, we'll be travelling through Europe which has about forty different states. There is a Second-league tournamment in the capital city of most of them. So if you wanna be a successful Champion, you're gonna visit almost every state."
