Journey to Year 1,000,000,000 Ch. 22

Journey to the Year 1,000,000,000

Chapter 22

[Note: This is a Science Fiction story with some erotic scenes. It is not a story with erotic scenes in every chapter. Some chapters have incredible sex scenes, but many others have none. ]

Quite suddenly, every single person on the planet Earth was changed.

All twelve billion people. Every single man, woman, and child.

With the exception of Survey Service Lieutenant Commander Michael Taylor.

He started noticing it almost immediately after Pam left.

People... changed. Taylor tried to keep a daily routine, to push back his anxiety about Pam. Where was she? What was she doing? When would he ever see her again? He kept his mind occupied running errands.

When Taylor went to the supermarket to buy food, a woman handed him a can of beans.

"What?" said Taylor.

"They're very nutritious," said the woman, with an odd gleam in her eyes. "For a young strapping man like you, they will do your body good."

"Uh, thanks," said Taylor, putting down the can as soon as he turned away.

Two more people made unsolicited suggestions of supposedly healthy eating choices to him before he got out of the store. It was very odd.

Taylor went to get a minor repair on his air car. He had been putting it off because repairs always seemed to be so expensive, even for small things. Ben the mechanic went under the hood and nodded. "You need a new motivator. This one is shot."

Sigh.

"How much will it cost?

Ben scratched his head. "Well... normally around 400. But I'll give it to you for free."

"For free? Why?"

"I've been charging too much, Captain Taylor," said Ben. "I've been overcharging customers for years. I feel really bad about it. I can feel their angst when I charge them too much. So to pay back, I'm working for free for a while."

"I see," said Taylor, who was only beginning to. He gave Ben a hard look and screaned him.

People had been changed. The actual change was subtle. They had been given empathy, a big dose of it. They now desperately cared what others thought about them, how other people felt, what things bothered them.

People also seemed to have acquired telepathy. No, that was too strong. Not telepathy. Telepathic empathy. They could sense feelings in others. They could sense feelings in others, and they cared what those feelings were.

People became incredibly nice to each other. On the road Taylor had never seen such polite drivers. It was as if Perth drivers had been replaced with aliens from another planet who actually cared about their fellow commuters. They signaled appropriately, they didn't cut in front of him, and they politely waved for him to go first when the light turned green. Even pedestrians were solicitous, hurrying across the street as the light turned green so not as to delay him.

Everyone was concerned about his feelings and well-being.

But even more curiously... Taylor wasn't concerned about them. As far as he could tell, he was the only person left on the planet Earth who hadn't been changed.

Of course, Taylor had been changed; he had been given some level of screaning abilities before he had returned to 23rd century Earth. But he hadn't been changed the way everyone else had, in the here-and-now.

And then he saw another disturbing phenomena. When he walked in King's Park in downtown Perth, he saw people on park benches, staring vacantly into space. Even more disturbingly, he saw couples, grasping each other by the waist. But they weren't kissing. They were staring into each other's eyes, and making... sounds.

"Momomomomomom," said a man, staring intently into a woman's eyes.

"Momomomomomom," said the woman, staring back at him.

They both appeared hypnotized, in some kind of trance. And they weren't the only ones. Others were doing the same. All it took were two to start it.

And something else--Taylor stopped getting messages from Admiral Von Windhoek. In fact, he stopped hearing from the Survey Service entirely. He got an uneasy feeling. He drove over to Auburn Field.

There were no guards at the gate. This was the main base of the Survey Service. The main gate was never unmanned.

Taylor drove in, feeling increasingly disturbed. He saw a few Survey Service crewmen, but they didn't seem to be doing anything... they just seemed to be in a daze.

And the ships. He didn't see a single one being prepared for takeoff. There were constant landings and takeoffs at Auburn. He didn't hear or see a single one. He saw four ships of the line grounded on Auburn field, apparently empty.

Taylor went to Admiral Von Windhoek's office.

Thankfully, the Admiral was in. He was watering his plants.

His plants? The Admiral didn't have plants.

He did now, little green things which he was watering with a big smile on his face.

"Admiral?" said Taylor.

"Ah, Taylor, so nice to see you! Come in," said Von Windhoek, still tending to his little garden by his window. "It's so fortunate I have a big window. It lets in so much sunlight, for the little ones." He smiled at Taylor.

"Ah, yes sir," said Taylor uncertainly.

The Admiral turned to him. "What are you here for? You know, I feel the Survey Service had treated you so badly. You have done so very much for us. We never talked about that promotion. Would you like that?"

"A promotion?"

"We could make you a full Commander. Or how about just jumping you to Captain? Or would you like to be an Admiral?"

"Sir... are you offering to promote me to the admiralty?"

Von Windhoek gave a wide smile. "Why not, if it makes you happy?"

"Sir, what's going on out there? I don't see any ships being prepped for launches."

"Nor will you," said Von Windhoek, plucking at one of his plants. "We have shut down all spaceflight."

"Why?"

"It offends the followers of Aura," said Von Windhoek. "They say it is destroying the planet."

"But that's junk science," said Taylor.

"That may be," said Von Windhoek. "But it upsets them terribly." He put down his watering bottle. "You know, I never realized how upset the followers of the She Goddess were until I met with them, here in this very office."

"You... met with them?"

"Yes. And I'm so glad I did," said Von Windhoek. "They are so panicked every time we launch a rocket, worried that the Earth will melt. I don't want them feeling that terror. I don't want to feel them feeling that terror. And so the Admiralty decided, as a whole, to shut down the Survey Service. I can't tell you how much better the followers of Aura feel about us now," he grinned.

"But sir... we need the Survey Service! The world needs us!"

"Not at the cost of making people upset," said Von Windhoek. "It's simply not worth it."

Taylor just stared at him. He had become a changed man.

********

All strife in the world ended.

The savage war between Denmark and New Zealand was suddenly ended, and not with a bang but with a whimper, with New Zealand agreeing to withdraw its troops and to offer reparations "and apologies for any hurt feelings".

The millions of followers of Laquinta in the Middle East suddenly begged the world's forgiveness for centuries of hostilities. They asked that all religions send missionaries to their countries to open churches there, which had always been forbidden. They apologized for beating their wives and having their way with underage girls, saying that they had a new understanding of how they felt and were very sorry for it. They promoted a new message of tolerance and wanted friendship with the entire world.

The African Union disbanded, realizing that having an organization solely based on race offended people of other races. They apologized for centuries of hostility, and revoked their calls for reparations. In fact, they reversed it; they offered to pay reparations to countries of the Northern Hemisphere, to compensate them for centuries of bad attitudes.

The crime rate plummeted. No one wanted to rob, or steal, or assault or murder now that they knew how the victims felt about it. Criminals didn't just know how victims felt, they felt it themselves. They felt the terror, the pain, the humiliation of being robbed. It now hurt them as much as it did their victims. In a day, crime was virtually eliminated.

Economic production slowed to a crawl. Scientific development slowed to a snail's pace. People were more concerned about feelings, specifically, how others felt about them. More and more people could be seen "communing", even with complete strangers, as they touched them, stared into their eyes, and muttered "Momomomomomomom" while their minds went elsewhere.

And then Pam took it all to the next level.

"I am the Goddess of Love and Empathy. Embrace Us, and be free," she said.

She appeared simultaneously on every holochannel on the planet Earth.

She was wearing an elegant white dress. Not the same dress from his fuck-cation with Pam, the original Pam, but something longer and more elegant.... but no less sheer. The entire planet could see the shapes of her breasts, the erect nipples, and the dark triangle between her legs. With her thick blonde hair and high cheekbones and plush red lips, she looked incredibly sexy.

"Embrace love in all its forms," she said. "Embrace empathy, and friendship," she said, stretching her arms out wide, making her breasts stick out even further. "Seek Formos in all things, and you will be on the road to finding Tisson Crae in your own hearts."

Pam had started a church. The Church of Us.

Membership skyrocketed. She had millions of members in the first week.

Within a month, she had billions.

And yet, she didn't visit him. Didn't come home. The main branch of the Church of Us was in downtown Perth, in a large church which belonged to the Equalitarians, until they gratefully donated it to Pam. She was only minutes away, which didn't really matter, and yet she never came to him.

Her message was clear. She wanted him to come to her. Just as he had given her a choice, she was doing the same.

But Taylor wouldn't go. Instead, he visited his parents.

It was as he feared. His father was sitting on the couch, watching Pam on holovision.

"Come to me," Pam said, waving enticingly. "Come to me and I will share with you the message of love."

His father had a broad smile on his lips.

Taylor looked at his mother. She was hardly in a position to object. She was staring into space.

"Mom?" Taylor said. "Mom!" he yelled.

"Not so loud, dear," she said, turning to him with a smile.

"Mom, what are you thinking about?"

"I... I was just thinking about the people of the world," said his mother.

"What about them?" Taylor asked.

"They all have needs. And feelings. And I've never even considered that before," she said, her eyes welling up in tears. "I want to care about them. I want to care for them. I want us to be all part of one, big, happy community." She turned to him. "You see what I mean, don't you, dear?"

"Yes, I do," said Taylor darkly. Suddenly he heard a sound. It was coming from upstairs. As he climbed the stairs, he heard a sound. As he got closer to the bedroom, it got louder.

"Momomomomomomomom."

"Oh my God," said Taylor.

When he got to the bedroom, he saw his brother and sister, with their arms around each other, staring into each other's eyes, making that sound.

And they were both completely topless.

Val sat there woodenly, her long breasts sloping down, her prominent nipples erect, as she stared into Darden's eyes. Darden had an equally blank expression as he stared into hers. No doubt they were deeply emerged in each other's feelings.

"Darden!" said Taylor.

"Momomomomomomom," said Darden.

"Val!" said Taylor.

"Momomomomomom," said Val.

Taylor shook his head. This was wrong. Things shouldn't be this way.

********

Taylor became a loner. Every stranger he met wanted to commune with him. Yes, that's what they called it. He tried not to make eye contact with people because almost every time they did, they solicited him.

A blonde with large breasts caught his eye for a split second in the supermarket. "You poor thing! You're so lonely! I can feel it. Come, commune with me."

"No," said Taylor.

"Just try it," she smiled, and she took his hand. She looked him in the eye. "Momomomomomom."

Suddenly, Taylor felt like he was falling into a trance. "Momomom-"

He shook his head, and pulled back. "No!"

The blonde started to cry. "I feel so sad that you are so sad."

********

Taylor had a visitor, later that day. It was Elizabeth. She greeted him by kissing him on the lips, which startled him.

"How are you doing, Michael?" She asked, holding his hands. He could tell from her smile. He could see it all.

"Fine," said Taylor guardedly.

"You know why I am here," said Elizabeth.

"I can guess," said Taylor, pulling his hands out from hers and turning away.

Suddenly he felt hands rubbing his shoulders. "She misses you, Michael. She misses you and wants you to come to her."

"Why doesn't she tell me that herself?"

"She wants you to want her, Michael. She wants you to miss her, and want to come to her," said Elizabeth, letting her hands roam.

"And you are happy to act as Pam's... procurer."

Elizabeth laughed. "I owe her a great debt, Michael." Taylor could feel her hands roaming over his chest. "She freed me. She freed me from my prison of sexual repression."

"Oh, so you're freed now?"

"Yes," said Elizabeth. "Men have needs, Michael. I was constructed in a way that men find pleasing. It pains me that I denied them for so long."

"But no longer?" he asked.

Elizabeth smiled seductively. "No longer, I am proud to say." Her hands moved lower, making Taylor jump. She enjoyed the startled reaction she evoked. "Do you find me pleasing, Michael?" She turned him around to face her. She had the same beautiful face, the same small but perky breasts, the same luscious body that he had joyfully fucked on more than one occasion... but her hair was down, and there was no longer any bun.

"I can feel it, Michael," she said, and she gave him the most gentlest of kisses. "I can feel it in your mind." She held his hand. "Come back with me. Just for a look. See what Pam has created."

"I have already seen what Pam has created," said Taylor.

"You disapprove," said Elizabeth, looking a little hurt. "But that is only because you do not understand. But you will, soon enough."

"You think so?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Pam has expra-ed. You will come to her, of your own accord, and you will join us. But not today."

"If not today, then why did you come at all?"

"Because I miss you, silly," she said, and as she kissed him again, he felt her titties pressed against him. "We all do." She looked at him in the eyes. "I cannot wait to see you again. Goodbye for now, my love."

Taylor stared at his front door a long time after she left. His mind was in turmoil, full of indecision.

********

The following day, it was Victor's turn to visit.

"Michael!" he said, giving him his customary non-gay manhug. "So good to see you."

"Victor," said Taylor, his eyes narrowing. "Say something."

"What?"

"Anything."

Victor shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. The universe is getting bigger and brighter every day."

Taylor's eyebrows went up. "You haven't changed. You haven't become dreamy like the others. You haven't joined them."

"Oh, but I have, Michael," said Victor. "I just came from the Church of Us less than an hour ago."

"Your affects seems different from the others."

"The dreaminess, the kind of idleness in the minds, you mean?" Victor smiled at him. "It hit all of us differently, Michael. People of higher intellect are not affected to the same degree."

"Good to know," said Taylor guardedly. "But you still joined them."

"But I still joined them," Victor agreed. "How many opportunities do you think a balding 55 year old man has for sex with 20 something females in the prime of their lives?"

"Probably not too many, Victor," said Taylor.

"You have that right, Michael," said Victor, starting to eat some grapes from a fruit display. "It certainly beats sleeping with women dolls hanging from trees. Do you remember that, Michael?"

"I certainly do," said Taylor. It had been in the virtual layer. Giggly, mindless nude women hanging from trees, just waiting to be plucked and used, like ripe fruit. "So that's why you joined, for the sex?"

"Michael." The disappointment was heavy in Victor's voice. "It's not just the sex. It's the feeling of community. The others feel what I feel. I feel what they feel. Pam says that we're on the road to achieving true Formos."

"How wonderful for you," said Taylor. "The Goddess of Love and Empathy must be very pleased."

"You're jealous, of course. I can see that," said Victor. "But that's old thinking. Yes, Michael. Pam uses sex to build the church. She realized--with your help--that the desire for sex is the most powerful motivator of mankind. And womenkind, for that matter. She is harnessing this desire to build a better world."

"Is she?" said Taylor, taking a grape himself. He chewed thoughtfully.

"She is. I have to admit, I was startled at first. Pam welcomes new initiates into the Church by having sex with them."

Taylor felt a punch to his gut. He has suspected but... "All of them?"

"Well, she can't have sex with billions, that would be physically impossible, wouldn't it? Though she does cover more ground than one might think. There are now Churches of Us all around the globe, with high priests and priestesses welcoming people into the fold. Every second there are thousands of thrusts signifying new recruits are being brought on board."

"What a lovely thought," said Taylor. The thought of Pam, his Pam, having sex with hundreds (or more) of other people made him sick to his stomach.

Victor touched his hand. "Michael, I feel your pain. And I am so sorry to be the one who caused it. But you have to come around to a new way of thinking."

"And what way is that?"

"Love is transformative. And it is unlimited. Jealousy is so meaningless. Do you know, Pam welcomed Doug into the Church, while Pam watched?"

"Wait!" said Taylor anxiously. "Help me unpack that sentence. Are you saying that Doug and Pam, Pam Nesbitt, the original flesh and blood Pam, joined the Church of Us?"

Victor nodded.

"And are you saying that Pam, my Pam from the future, had sex with Doug, original Pam's fiancée, while original Pam just sat by and let it happen?"

"More than that, Michael. Original Pam, as you called her, cheered Doug on," said Victor.

"What? I don't believe it!"

Victor touched his hand and looked into his eyes. "Believe it, Michael. Remember that we can share each other's feelings now. As Doug made love to Pam, your Pam, the original Pam felt his sexual pleasure. She felt the enjoyment as he built up to a climax. She felt it when he came inside of her. When Doug came, all three of them were gasping for joy."

"Pam... the original Pam, was gasping for joy as her fiancée made love to another woman who looked just like her."

"Pam has taught us that love is additive," said Victor. "We don't feel threatened by showing our feelings for another. It's what's gotten men in trouble for millennia, the urge to share our love with others. Monogamy is an unnatural relic, Michael. Pam has helped us evolve."