Chapter 1
The World Council came to power because of sex. Its rise and eventual takeover had nothing to do with discrimination involving sexual preference or a marriage of convenience between two powerful families or the use of sex as a tool of influence.
No, the central government for all peoples and geographic areas of the world arose simply because the fertility rates in the latter half of the 21st century went haywire and threatened the existence of mankind.
Most scientists picked 2055 as the year the fertility rates started to shift from the 50-50, male-female rates which governed human reproduction for eons. Within ten years, the female birth rate fell to only 30% of all births. Five years later it hit its lowest mark of 12%. In addition, birth rates were dropping precariously. By the time the female birth rate hit its low, the overall birth rate had decreased by 50%.
At first, social scientists thought the shift in fertility rates was temporary and would correct itself within a couple years. As the rates continued to trend in a downward spiral, scientists, governments, and citizens became desperately concerned and sought a solution. The effect on societies was overwhelming. The fertility rate problem dominated world news and the attention of governments regardless of their political doctrine. Very little else seemed to matter.
It wasn’t long before the end of the world predictions began. It was easy to foretell the extinction of humans if it could not replenish itself. Death rates crept by birth rates then accelerated to a hundred and then a thousand times more. Countries and continents were dying a slow death.
To make things worse, men who were unable to find female mates were turning to crime, drug addiction and war at an alarming rate. Male homosexuality increased proportionally which led to new diseases and deadly viruses like the AIDS virus of the late 20th century. This reckless behavior amplified death rates and contributed to declining populations. Once thriving cities became ghost towns. Entire continents went from overpopulated to underpopulated within a couple generations.
Governments around the world put virtually all their resources into finding a solution to the female fertility problem which was named FISS, an acronym for Female Infertility and Selective Sex. Every possible answer was explored with no conclusive results. A virus, bacteria and all other forms of infectious diseases were ruled out as the cause. Possible environmental changes like air and water pollutants were investigated but offered no causal reason for FISS. Drugs, foods, farming methods, fertilizers and a hundred other possible explanations were explored with no results. Scientists were unable to find a common denominator in women who stopped conceiving for no apparent reason or gave birth to only boy babies. The answer and ultimate cure for FISS eluded the entire scientific community.
Couples who previously produced children but were unable to do so now were of interest to the scientists looking to cure FISS. Hundreds of these couples were isolated and put through a series of tests to determine why they could no longer produce children. Was the problem related to the men or was it something affecting only the women? Not one study produced an answer. Everything in their lives, from the quality of the man’s sperm to their living conditions appeared to be comparable, if not the same, to when they brought children into the world.
Even though the campaign to find a cure for FISS was unsuccessful, cures for other diseases benefited tremendously from the intensive biotechnology research. The most noteworthy medical advancement was discovered by a research scientist in Switzerland who stumbled upon a cure for cancer. What should have been earth shattering news was hardly discussed after the initial press release. The attitude of most people was, why get excited about a cure for cancer when all of mankind might be gone within 75 years?
The inability of the scientific community to find a remedy led most religious leaders to put the blame for the FISS plague directly on the back of man. In their opinion, man’s mistreatment of each other and ignoring God’s laws for hundreds of years finally resulted in dire consequences. God had enough of man’s lack of faith and worship and finally decided to take revenge on his disrespectful creation, man.
End Time announcements became more and more common. Religious leaders pleaded with anyone who would listen to prepare their souls for the end by coming back to God’s commandments. Surprisingly, their pleas had a negligible effect on creating new converts and returning former believers to God and organized religion.
Most people ignored or rejected the idea that God’s wrath had anything to do with FISS. The hell and brimstone answers offered by religions were not nearly as appealing as spending the world’s last days in comfortable or luxurious surroundings. Many people gathered a huge food supply, grabbed weapons and headed to the fishing cabin they always dreamed about for retirement. If it was End Times, then they were going to spend it in comfort, doing whatever the hell they wanted. Most figured they could make last-minute amends with the Creator on their death beds.
Women became a commodity. Many were moved to isolated areas and hidden. It was commonly believed that women could run away from whatever was causing infertility and the lopsided male-female birth rates. The theory had merit considering it worked with other plagues throughout history. Unfortunately, it was soon learned that hiding in remote locations had absolutely no effect on a woman’s ability to conceive and become pregnant. Fertility rates for women in populated and remote areas were the same. The only people who benefited from taking women to remote areas were the men who accompanied them. They had available sex partners without having to fight other men for their affection.
Nearly 45 years after it began, the FISS plague subsided and fertility rates and male-female rates started to trend back to normal. At about the same time, twelve young women from various regions around the world claimed that they had the cure for FISS. They backed up their claim by making infertile women conceive and women who could produce only male children give birth to little girls.
How they accomplished this feat was never discovered because everything was done behind closed doors. The “Healers”, as these women were called, took several infertile women into a closed room for approximately four hours. At the conclusion, the women left and resumed their normal daily activities. There was nothing observably different about them other than within a month they became pregnant and nearly 70% of them gave birth to little girls. When asked about what the Healer had done in the closed room, the response most often heard was, “she just talked to me; that’s all”. When pushed for a more detailed explanation, none of the women could remember any specifics. No matter how much investigation was done, details of the Healers’ methods were never uncovered. It always boiled down to just talking.
A larger debate soon developed. Were the Healers responsible for ending FISS or did it just run its course and burn itself out? The Healers modestly took credit for ending the plague and increasing female births even though they refused to explain how they did this. Their doubters claimed it was coincidence and the Healers just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Their more passionate opponents believed the Healers were empowered by diabolical intervention of some sort.
The similarity between these twelve Healers was more than coincidental. In fact, it was shocking. They were all in their late thirties to mid-forties, unwed and homeless. No two of them lived in the same area. They were spread out across the globe and there was no evidence they had ever met each other. They had no living relatives and none of their friends were considered close. Birth, immunization and school records could not be found for any of them. They worked alone and refused to let anyone help or sit in on their four-hour sessions. Their results were numerically the same regardless of the geographic location.
Their fame and notoriety spread with each successful female birth. Within two years each of the Healers had a cult following like a celebrity. Their fans and supporters were fanatics who believed the Healers were somehow divinely inspired. Their detractors and enemies were few and far between and had difficulty explaining their opposition other than accusing them of using some type of evil power. The supporters responded to this criticism by claiming it was really nothing more than jealousy.
Intervention by the Healers was no longer needed after the fertility rates stabilized. By this time, they were the most recognized and respected people on Earth. Their supporters and opponents both wondered where the Healers would go and do next. Most the remaining population and government officials hoped and pleaded with the Healers to help societies rebuild their decimated infrastructures and economies.
Without any formal announcement or fanfare, all twelve Healers traveled to a small village north of London named Ickleford and established an assistance depot. The concept was overly simplistic and very much like a roadside travel plaza. Anyone, from the highest government official to the lowest ranking person in society, could stop in and seek advice from the Healers.
There were no limits or restrictions on the number or types of questions posed to the Healers. If the visitor was serious and didn’t waste the Healer’s time, he could ask about any subject matter. It could be seeking advice to personal problems, economic inquiries, love interests, clarifications of theologies or even foretelling the future.
Their advice was free and without any type of quid pro quo. Sometimes the visitor was surprised by the answer he received and other times it was exactly what the visitor expected. Not all visitors agreed with what they heard but none of them ever complained about the way they were treated or claimed to have been intentionally misled. Those who could afford to donate something to the Healers’ service normally did so and the penniless always left with some food in their stomach or a few coins in their pocket.
For the next five years, the Healers dispensed advice and information to all who sought their help. Slowly, the world economy started to recover, families were reunited and living conditions improved.
The Healers disappeared on the five-year anniversary date of establishing the assistance depot. They were replaced by a dozen men and women who claimed to have been appointed to their positions by the original Healers. People were initially dubious about these replacements and questioned their authority. The replacements seemed to have as much knowledge and wisdom as the original Healers but there was an egotistic edge to their personalities which didn’t sit well with many people. They immediately restricted visiting hours and the previous open-door policy was replaced by an appointment only system.
For the next five years, the replacements served the world as the top-ranking intellectuals, advisers, and seers. And, like what happened with the original twelve Healers, the replacements disappeared on their five-year anniversary to be replaced by another dozen people of various ages, races, and gender.
This five-year rotation continued with each group of new Healers being more authoritative and self-serving. Early in the 22nd century, the Healers’ group name was replaced with the official title of World Council. By this time, its purpose had changed from giving helpful advice to telling the populace what to do and when to do it.
Citizens no longer stopped at the Ickleford office to ask questions. If they wanted to contact the World Council, it was done by submitting an official inquiry over the newly devised Universal Communications Network (UCN). Official decrees, rules, and laws incrementally replaced fatherly guidance. A network of World Council enforcers was put in place by the new world government. Any order of the World Council not obeyed resulted in immediate and harsh discipline.
The only people allowed to own a weapon were World Council officials and enforcers. All other weapons were seized. Sports shooting and hunting were no longer allowed. Older weapons were destroyed. Newer ones, like energy burst guns, were issued to government enforcers or warehoused for whenever the government needed them. Keeping citizens safe was the mantra used by the World Council to justify seizing privately owned weapons. Anti-firearm groups joined in lockstep with the ban and participated in bounty programs to turn in people who still possessed weapons. As the no-weapons ban grew harsher, the underground economy in weapons flourished.
Prisons were deemed unnecessary and eliminated. Holding cells existed to contain violators of World Council rules until a sentencing judgment was handed down. Repeat offenders or violent criminals like mass murderers were put to death immediately. Due process and appeals were outdated thoughts from past judicial systems. Minor violators were returned to society with a reduction of their monthly World Credits which was the new currency for the globe. This penalty could last from a minimum of two years to a lifetime. Many violators were unable to sponge from friends and find another way to supplement their incomes. They ended up dying within a year.
Drug zones were established in all towns and cities of 10,000 or more citizens. The World Council realized that supplying low-grade alcohol, narcotics and mind-altering drugs free of charge was an uncomplicated way to control the populace and minimize crime. The lowlifes of society voluntarily migrated to the drug zones to get strung out. With these people herded into a defined area, it was easy to keep them under control. There was no reason for them to rebel against the government because they had exactly what they wanted from life; a perpetual high. The only restriction was that drugs had to be used within the boundaries of the drug zone. Any citizen caught with a drug outside the boundary faced immediate execution or discontinuation of their World Credits. Most apprehended violators chose a quick death by overdose.
Each citizen was required to get a series of injections to avoid contracting any number of contagious diseases. Eventually, the World Council revealed that one of the injections placed a microdevice into the blood stream which eventually lodged itself in a person’s kidney. The Council claimed that this intrusive program would monitor future fertility rates, identify quickly any new plagues and help curtail hostage-taking and kidnapping. To the average citizen, the security and safety features of this program seemed reasonable. Besides, it didn’t cost anything and didn’t hurt. Once it was in the body, it was forgotten so there was really no reason for the average person to protest its implantation. The real reason for the injection of a microdevice was a way for the World Council to monitor and track every citizen of the world.
World government replaced the individual as the most important piece of society. By the mid-22nd century, all countries and geographic territories had acquiesced control and governance to the World Council. The average citizen didn’t care for the heavy-handed tactics of the World Council but willingly followed its dictates to move beyond the horrific memories of FISS. Giving up a small bit of freedom and self-determination was easy when done in exchange for the security and safety provided by the World Council.
The entire world landscape had made a radical change in less than one hundred years. And, it all started with an unexplained change in human sexuality.
