Let’s go to another universe. Let’s say that instead of humanity exploring the cosmos, they stayed on earth to perfect their crafts, explore the depths of the world, and complete it lifelong mission, immortality. But now the only planet is reaching it maximum capacity to hold human life. A new job must be in place to “regulate” the population. That’s where you fit in, you must find a way to help humanity before it collapse. Out of curiosity I must ask, what is your name? -- Anon Guest
Call me Ahab. I'm set on a mission to end white whales, so to speak. You know what whales are, right? They're the people who fund half of any given casino because they spend big. Most of them don't even know how much money they have.
Back in the Before, it used to be impossible to have that much money in one lifetime. You just couldn't do it. That was before one of them funded immortality. The select few could live forever and accumulate wealth. Unsurprisingly, pretty much all of the billionaires invested heavily in the research, and then the results.
Science cracked the mortality issue. It was never released to the public. Only ever given to those who could pay the highest ticket price to live forever. They claimed that the money would run out. They claimed that nature would find a new level. They claimed that the mind-numbingly rich would be good for the economy.
Lies.
The continue to only think of themselves. They are beyond us in time, experience, and wealth. They are like leeches, feeding on other leeches, also draining their host to the very brink of death. Those lucky enough to escape the inexorable slide into the prison-factories barely keep their heads above water. Life is expensive when you live in poverty.
They could easily solve every problem and not even notice the dip in their finances. They choose, instead, to flex on the other immortals out there. They're up in space. On the moon, in the asteroid belt, on Mars, on Jupiter's moons... they're all upgrading their super techno-mansions with expensive toys or sending expensive toys into the infinite with nothing in the shape of reward from the exercise.
This is why I hunt white whales.
It doesn't matter what colour they were when they started. They have slid into pallor in the midst of their fine marble labyrinths. I've seen some of them, skin so absent of hue that you could see the veins running underneath their skin.
Step one... join the team of employees whose sole task is to keep their environment in top shape. I take care to make myself as invisible as any of the other working grunts.
Step two... siphon off the funds in small amounts to several shell companies that redistribute that wealth to those who need it.
Step three... let nature take its course as they run out of money to pay for their immortality as I move on to the next whale.
It's interesting to watch, some times. They have to make the choice, often for the first time in centuries, between living longer and paying their bills. Up to and including budgeting for their next meal.
Many of them die. They never will be missed. Many people don't even know who they are any more. They don't turn up in the news very much. The people who have the time to pay attention to the news are more concerned about how to make their lives less miserable.
I have not been caught. I have not been found. I only have a handful of years left, if I am lucky, because these whales have made the cure for my illness to be beyond my means.
From hell's heart, I stab at thee...
For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.
I won't live. I know this. I've known this since I started whaling.
I will not live.
Neither will they.
However, the rest of the world will. It, and the people who live there, will have the wherewithall to scrape themselves up from the depths of deprivation. They will have the ability to care about what happens to everyone else and maybe, just maybe, improve things.
Maybe they will see real whales, one day, and not the financial ones.
Maybe one day, the world will know. We do not need quadrillionaires.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Catmando]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends!
Send me a prompt [94 remaining prompts!]
