Once Upon A Time - Short Story Collection

Firestorm

Hyderabad, Telangana, India, 2029

On a hot afternoon with no respite from the slaughtering sun, Mahi was waiting for her friend Avni outside a FATE (Fair And Transparent Evacuator) centre—which came up last year.

"Did you make it?"

Avni shook her head, "I'm not sure what FATE is looking for. An illiterate farmer got picked just before me."

"Don't worry! I may also be rejected."

"How would you know? You never tried."

"Because I give a fuck about what's out there. I don't want to go even if they pay me a billion rupees."

"That's the thing, isn't? It's your choice. You want to stay here, but I don't."

"I think FATE is rigged. I'm sure there are only a few spots left, and they are filling it with random people. How many can go?"

"Three billion people can live in that space habitat, Utopia, including the crew. Every person there has a purpose for the smooth running of the colony. Their skills are matched with the work requirements. FATE is designed to select only the correct match. It took ages for the best minds, from all the countries, to build it."

"I'm still not convinced about the transparency. Plus, we need to save this planet, instead of just giving up on it."

"Come on! Don't you believe in setting up a human colony and extending the race? There is no future here. We'll all die. I don't want to die alone."

"Neither do I, but we should take care of Earth. What about other living things?"

"Mahi! one million animal, bird and aquatic embryos are already sent to Utopia for preservation. This could be our only chance."

"What's wrong in living here? Even after the final ship leaves, our Earth is still going to be the same. Say out of 10 billion people, the Utopia could host only three billion, then the rest are here to stay."

"The world's population is only four billion. A decade back, three-quarters of them were swept out because of that virus pandemic, remember Mahi?"

"So? One billion is left behind. That's good. More resources for fewer people."

"Mahi, if everyone is leaving, there'll be only a few labourers. We'll live on resources that are left behind. But what'll happen when the food is depleted? When power runs out? When petrol stations are empty, and our vehicles eventually stop? No doctors, no medicines. People in Utopia will not bother about us. It'll be like a post-apocalypse," Avni shuddered.

"So we'll be primitives?"

"Of course, exactly like cavemen. Our only job is to scavenge for food, survive day and night, till we perish. There'll be swarming animals, insects and birds. It'll truly be survival of the fittest. Haven't you ever seen dystopian movies? This situation will be much scarier than that."

"That sounds bleak. So you think I need to give FATE, a shot?"

Avni nodded emphatically.

"What'll happen here?" Mahi wondered aloud.

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 2029

Clay, Kun and Bhuvi—the programmer analysts—knew that the deadline was nearing. Their slots both on the transit spaceships and on the Utopia were confirmed way before the whole thing became a reality. The selected passengers were presented with GPS-enabled microchip implants embedded into their arms at the FATE centres, and theirs were in place.