Chapter 5

Dan read all day, stopping only to grab a sandwich and a cup of tea. His request to have the tea "to go" was met with bemusement in the café so he had gulped it down quickly and then returned to his studies. He would replace the book and then come back the next day. For some reason he didn't want there to be a record of him checking it out.

He had guessed that there was some event that had led to this world not mirroring his own. Not that he was an expert in parallel universes. In fact, he had not believed that such a thing was possible until he had found himself in one. When they were portrayed in books and on film there tended to be slight differences not vast ones like he was encountering here.

From what he had seen the worlds had been very similar or the same until the meteor event. Dan had seen books in the library by authors he had heard of and he remembered some of the buildings he had seen as well. He supposed that many people he had known in his old world simply didn't exist in this one. They had never been born.

A hundred years before, there had been a series of meteor strikes which had hit this earth. The explosions that had been caused had led to loss of life and the destruction of cities. The after effects had then made things worse. Fires had raged and smoke and dust had been thrown up into the atmosphere. Parts of the earth were superheated as the greenhouse effect was magnified by the debris and a huge toll was taken on animal and plant life. It took five years for improvements in the climate and by this stage the population of earth had been decimated.

Each of the continents was featured in turn to specify the damage on it. Dan skimmed the details as he read about endless fires, tsunamis, explosions and devastation. There was a separate report for the United Kingdom which had suffered less than most places. Meteors had destroyed parts of or all of most of the major cities. These areas had been abandoned because of the piles of corpses and the disease that became prevalent as a result. Eventually the sites of strikes would be cleared but this was not a priority.

Small pockets of survivors were scattered across the globe and resources were scarce. Great Britain had been one of the areas where the infrastructure had remained largely intact in comparison to the obliteration elsewhere. London had been flattened but this was not a problem for the civil service. Those members of Her Majesty's government that had lived through the crisis felt it was their duty to bring order to the world once more.

The royal family were no longer in power. This small sentence was the only reference Dan could find to them. Had they died in the meteor strikes or had something else happened to them? The government would carry on regardless. The Commonwealth would look to Great Britain for guidance and so would all the other nations of earth. Many decisions would have to be made about the best way to proceed.

There were pages of statistics in the book which drily laid out the fate of over a billion people who had died. Travellers went out across the world to find survivors and to literally secure the seeds of the future. Only an institution like the British civil service would attempt to save humanity in such a meticulous way.

The world was divided into sections and a survey was made of what each area had left, how many people were there, what they needed to establish order or if the place was even worth saving. The focus was on food production and law and order. There would be no lawless gangs and tyranny on earth whilst the OWG was in charge.

Not every area was deemed worthy the attention of the OWG. Island groups and places which endured extreme weather were left to their own devices. If there were minerals or oil or valuable farmland then the place was occupied and managed. If people wanted to establish a settlement in an inhospitable part of the world and struggle for existence they were usually left to do so. As long as they did not interfere with the government they were tolerated. It was only a tiny minority that chose to live under these circumstances.

How had they managed to secure the backing of people around the world? Dan could only presume that they offered hope and a sense of order amid the chaos. The majority of those that were left would have chosen a proper government over the gangs and despots who were doubtless trying to rule their particular piece of land. He imagined a mixture of bribery and promises maybe backed up by men with guns. He wasn't far wrong.

Gradually the wherewithal to raise crops and increase stocks of food animals was achieved. The most intelligent and the best people in their fields were put to work finding ways to help rebuild the population and make their lives easier. A lot of focus was put into healthcare so that those that were alive were kept fit and well so that they could continue contributing to society into old age.

There had most definitely been an arrested development of technology in this world. The people were not interested in building higher, going faster or reaching the moon. They were interested in staying alive and producing enough food. They were mostly interested in rebuilding the population.

The old bearded men, Dan imagined they had beards, of what was formerly Her Majesty's government planned carefully for the future. They now ran the whole world and they were going to ensure that it was done in an orderly way. Their vision had shaped everything about the society he saw today.

They declared that the world would be run as a democracy. This, of course, could mean many things. It seemed that their version of democracy was that no one person should ever be allowed to dictate how the world was run. A group of the wise and good would debate and vote on matters which came before them. How this group was chosen was not entirely clear.

The pressing matter was that the population had been dramatically reduced. There were barely enough people to produce the food that was needed for survival. The lack of mechanical equipment post meteor meant that manpower had to be used. The book said that women were told that they had to have as many children as possible.

Dan continued reading in horrified fascination as he looked at the quotas set down by government for the repopulation of earth. The women of that time were expected to have at least four children each and if possible more. He supposed that in light of the time before the catastrophe when people had very large families this must have seemed reasonable. Most women had more than four and although it wasn't stated Dan was sure they were under pressure to do so.

It soon became clear to Dan that the breeding programme not only helped boost humanities numbers it also dictated women's role in society. In his world, at the time of the repopulation programme, the suffragettes would have been starting their campaign. In this world there would be no emancipation of women. The beards had got females exactly where they wanted them. They were tied to their homes with their children at the beck and call of their husbands and masters.

The OWG was formed with the lofty ideals of ensuring that no one would go hungry or be denied medical assistance. Everyone had a right to shelter and protection. These things were enshrined but only if the person was making a contribution to society. There was some allusion to catering for the less fortunate but what exactly this meant wasn't made clear.

The colour of someone's skin was not important after the meteors. Everyone had to work together to survive and the old prejudices had to be set aside. Any thoughts of creating an egalitarian society however were dismissed because the beards knew that not everyone was equal. There would always be leaders and followers. There were clever people and slow witted. There were strong and there were weak.

Free enterprise was a thing of the past. Every product, food item and utility were owned and run by the OWG. No one was making excessive profits off of the backs of others. No one was overcharging for their wares. Food was available to all no matter where you lived or what your job was. Dan could not shake the feeling that things were not as straightforward as that. He knew there was another constant. There were always winners and losers.

He closed the book and replaced it on the shelf. Dan made his way back home and sat and watched the children's hour on television with Grace and Alex. Sam asked nervously if they were eating together again and Dan said yes. She left to inform Phyllis of the arrangements before joining her family in the lounge. She perched on the edge of the seat of an armchair ready to leap up should she be required to do so.

Dan sat down to a dinner of fish and chips with peas and carrots. He was extremely glad that fish and chips were still around even if coffee wasn't. After the meal he went to the kitchen for a brief chat with Phyllis before she left for the day.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked.

"Yes. I will have a lot of questions still, so later in the week perhaps you can set some time aside for a chat."

Phyllis looked around before answering. "Mrs Ellis will be at her meeting on Thursday afternoon. I think it would be best to talk then."

Dan nodded and thanked her before leaving. Sam eyed him suspiciously as he returned to the lounge. He found that he had to adopt a new world alter ego to deal with her. He glared at Sam in a challenge which dared her to question him and she looked away.

It had not made him feel good behaving like a male chauvinist, but he was still finding his way. Dan needed room to think and that meant acting in a more appropriate way for his circumstances for the time being to deflect concern. He immediately wanted to apologise to his wife, but in this world of male domination he couldn't.

The next day he resumed his studies at the library. He had asked Phyllis in the morning why he didn't have a bicycle.

"Because you have a car."

It seemed only one mode of transport was allowed. He had a car so reverting to the use of a bicycle was a backward step. Everything was about status and appearances.

Dan liked Phyllis. She was in tune with him somehow and was taking his oddness in her stride. What a shame that this strong capable woman had been stifled in the role of a domestic servant. The hierarchy in this society was one of the things that he wanted to learn a lot more about. He would read the official version and then he would see what Phyllis had to say.

He took a different route to the library so that he could familiarise himself with more of the town. The school he passed this time was for girls. He was extremely relieved that they got an education too. He was beginning to wonder how much females were being oppressed. He arrived at the library and settled in for a day of reading.

It seemed that whilst the beards had admitted that their new world would not be able to make people's lives equal, they did try to make it as fair as possible. The theory was that if the population's material needs were met, they would be easier to manage. There would be fewer reasons for anyone to rebel if they were warm, safe and fed.

Dan had to bear in mind that this book was available to be read by any member of the public. Whatever he saw was going to be a sanitised version of the truth. He was reading about how well the OWG cared for their people, but there were so many things that the book did not cover.

There was an interesting section on security. The OWG were wary of creating some kind of armed force which served both as army and police. General policing should be carried out by an unarmed agency. They would surely not be needed very often in the kind of society they were trying to create.

The people would have enough food and places to live. Instances of theft should be minimal although other crimes would likely occur. Sadly, violence and murder could not be eradicated which meant that there must be a body who could investigate and prosecute those that carried out these transgressions.

One government would be running the world so there would be no wars between states, they said. An armed force would be required, however to quell a rebellion in the unlikely event that this should happen. Keeping arms out of the hands of the populace and in the hands of this army was one of the major tactics to prevent conflict.

The impression conveyed in the book was one of a group of wise and thoughtful men designing a world where everyone could live harmoniously. Some of the decisions that they had to make were difficult, but they had done the best that they could. Then Dan read about the divisions which were put in place to manage the people.

The leadership class was made up of those that worked directly for the government. Civil servants, management, inventors and innovators and members of the OWG all fell into this category. Also included were a number of people who would previously have been categorised as, white collar workers.

The vast majority of the population formed the labour class. These were the, blue collar workers who ran the farms and built the houses and roads. They dug the coal and worked in factories manufacturing the goods which the people needed. They were members of the army and the police but not the higher echelons, of course. They drove the vans which carried the goods and served the leadership.

The leadership class lived in small towns with access to power and vehicles. Their homes were supplied with electricity and they had basic appliances. Those living in the labour zones relied on coal for heating and had power supplied to their homes at certain times during the day. The more rural houses were not supplied with any power at all.

No one in the labour zones had their own vehicle. They might drive the vans which delivered the goods but these were taken back to the depots and locked away overnight. As long as everyone worked, they were guaranteed food and somewhere to live. Their lives were short of luxuries, but they had enough to keep them quiet. They worked long hours but not so many as to feel that they were being exploited. The OWG had ensured that the workers were kept content.

An efficient public transport system was in place. It was vital that workers could be moved around as necessary. The farming community in particular were required to go where the need was greatest. The personnel who would harvest crops or pick fruit and vegetables were loaded onto buses and taken around the country.

Valuable resources were managed vigorously by the government. They had gas and oil but they would not waste it on the masses. People and goods had to be transported around the world in an effort to ensure that everyone was kept, reasonably, happy. This was the priority with very little capacity for power to be used for more recreational purposes.

Dan could see what the OWG were trying to achieve. They had been given an opportunity to start over again and they were determined to eradicate hunger, war and tyranny. On paper the ideas that they proposed seemed workable and though not truly equitable at least things were fairer than in the world he had left behind.