Image by Joshgmit from Pixabay

Mindy slowly opened her eyes and blinked. She was in a bare, white room, not unlike the one she’d gone to sleep in. This one seemed colder, more austere though because she wasn’t surrounded by friends and family. A lone figure stood watch over her. “Mindy Robinson?” she asked in a lightly accented voice.

It took Mindy a moment to register her own name. “Yes?” Mindy asked.

The woman made a note on what looked like a translucent computer screen in her hand. “Thank the stars you’re awake. You’re the last one. I will let someone know and they can come explain things to you.” The woman turned and left.

Mindy drifted in a haze until something beeped and a sense of self-awareness rushed in. She’d been put into cryosleep because of an incurable illness that was going to claim her life. The goal was to wake her when they found a cure. Her sister also had the same illness. Mindy’s was farther along so she was frozen first, with her sister Amelia supposed to follow in a few years. Mindy wondered if they’d found a cure for the illness, and if Amelia was okay.

She tried to sit up but found she was tied down to whatever she was lying on by invisible restraints. She didn’t like that at all. A few minutes later, a woman in a suit walked in. “Ms. Robinson, let me be the first to welcome you to the thirty fifth century,” she said, smiling broadly. Her voice also held a faint accent.

“Thirty fifth century? It took that long to find a cure for what I had?” Mindy asked.

“What you had?” The woman consulted one of those translucent screens. “Ah yes, the disease. The cure for that was actually found some time ago. However, your cryo pod was not uncovered until recently so nothing could be done to help you until then.”

“And my sister Amelia? What about her?” Mindy asked.

“Your sister?” the woman asked.

“My sister, Amelia Harper. She had the same disease I did. She was going to be frozen a few years after me.” Mindy looked at the woman.

The woman tapped something on the screen. “There was no one named Amelia Harper among those found in the cryopods.” She tapped someone else. “The government ceased all cryogenic freezing a year after you were frozen, and the bombs dropped a year after that, which is why we lost track of you for a while.”

“Bombs?” Mindy asked sharply.

“Ms. Robinson, the world you left behind has been vastly changed. The United States as you remember it is gone, destroyed by war. Now there is the North American Protectorate, a unified nation made up of what used to be Canada, the US, and Mexico, with the main capital in Toronto. In fact, that is where you are. Your pod was relocated here from the ruins of San Diego,” the woman told her.

“San Diego is in ruins?” Mindy asked, her heart sinking. If there had been a war, it was likely her family had been killed. “What about the money I’d been saving to help me out when I woke up?”

“That was likely lost during one of the many banking crashes we had until we switched to VirtuaCredit a century ago,” the woman told her.

“VirtuaCredit?” Mindy asked.

“Digital currency you access using micro USB wallets that can be easily transferred for purchases with a special card issued by the government,” the woman said. “You’ll be issued both a wallet and a card when we finish processing you.”

“How am I supposed to live? I have no money,” Mindy pointed out.

“Oh, you’ll be given a few thousand in VirtuaCredit to start out with, and once you’re fully processed, you’ll have the same access to the universal income as everyone else so your basic needs will be met,” the woman assured her. “However, that universal income isn’t a lot and we highly recommend finding a job. As you have no marketable skills for the current job market, we highly recommend going to one of the universities to gain that skill set so you can get a job.”

“Great, I have to go into debt when I start my new life,” Mindy muttered.

“What do you mean, Ms. Robinson?” The woman was genuinely confused. “Most base level salary positions are part of the free univserity curriculum. It’s only if you want to specialize as a doctor or a surgeon or some other specialized field that you have to pay, and usually you can get your job to pay for it if you show an interest.”

“University is free?” Mindy asked, staring at the woman.

“All costs associated with basic education are free. As are all costs associated with basic healthcare. It’s only when you get into the more advanced or specialized things that there is a minimal cost,” the woman informed her.

“Oh.” Mindy was beginning to wonder what the downside to this new life was. There had to be a catch somewhere.

“Now, expect to work at minimum 60 hours a week. I know that’s probably not what you’re used to, but labor laws are vastly different now that most jobs are done virtually from home. Some employers require upwards of 100 hours a week, but those are few and far between,” the woman told her.

There was the catch she was waiting for. “Isn’t that a bit excessive? What about work/life balance and relaxing and taking time to unwind after work?” Mindy asked.

“It’s believed that since the home is also the workplace now, it is a more comfortable environment therefore stress is less so people can afford to work more hours,” the woman said with a shrug. “I personally don’t agree with that, but our government did a study about a century ago and hasn’t revisited it since.”

Someone entered the room and spoke with her. Mindy suddenly found herself able to sit up. A young woman handed her some clean clothes. “You can go through that door to bathe and change,” she told Mindy without looking at her.

Mindy cleaned herself up and came out. The woman who’d been explaining about her new life was still waiting for her. She handed her a tiny USB stick and a small credit card shaped object. “Here are your VirtuaCredt wallet and your card. Do not lose them. It is a pain in the afterburners to try to get a new one.” Mindy tucked them into the purse she’d been brought. She was handed an ID and a small translucent screen like the one the woman had been using.

“What’s this?” Mindy asked, gesturing to the screen.

“It’s your virtual assistant’s interface.” The woman showed Mindy the earpiece that went over her ear. “Put this on and tap it.” A voice sounded in Mindy’s ear, startling her. “This will help you find your way around the city, answer any general questions about history and culture, and generally keep you out of trouble as you acclimate to your new life.”

Mindy was walked out of the building and put onto a public transport to her new apartment. She was given the key and told the apartment number. Mindy made her way through Toronto to her new apartment building. She got out and went inside to her new apartment. As she entered the apartment, she looked around at the sparse furnishing. Her virtual assistant helpfully told her she was allowed to redecorate as long as she had the funds to purchase the items.

Mindy thought about things for a while as she collapsed onto the couch. The new work week bothered her. The idea of virtual money also bothered her. And the loss of her entire family hurt. But maybe, with the free education and basic healthcare, this world wasn’t too bad. She’d just have to wait and see.