Book II
Chapter 1: The Morning After the Rally
It was already seven in the morning. She had to get up, as she still needed to reply to clients today.
Nika got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at her tired face. There had been a rally yesterday and she’d got home very late, which was why it was so hard to get up.
Thankfully, it’s the year 2087. Technology has advanced to the point where she can get herself back into shape very quickly, and then get on with her business.
Back in 2047, people switched to a completely different economic model. Nowadays, everyone is self-employed. Everyone has to build their own brand, develop their own expertise, and sell it to large corporations or other people.
Nika is an automation engineer. She automates all processes for businesses.
She and her friends have set up an agency. There are four of them there. Nika handles automation, Igor develops the mechanical components, Dima is a programmer, and Stas is in charge of the exact sciences.This model was introduced to boost progress. There’s now much less idle chatter and much more action. When a decision depends on just one person, the process moves faster.
Today, Nika would need to reply to a couple of clients, have a phone call with her business partners and find an expert to help promote their agency. She needed to get a move on. She yawned widely and set about her morning routine.
Nika pressed the blue button on the mirror. In the top left-hand corner of the mirror, a woman’s face appeared and began to analyse the condition of her face.
‘You look very tired today,’ said the face on the mirror. ‘I suggest you wash your face with foam and then apply toner whilst our multispectral camera analyses your skin’s condition. Once the analysis is complete, I’ll recommend a cream and sunscreen.’
A couple of lights came on in the box mounted beneath the mirror. Nika slipped her hand under one of these lights and some foam squeezed out onto her hand. She applied it to her face and began to massage it in. The face in the mirror spoke again. It now filled the entire mirror and demonstrated how to massage her face.
After washing her face and applying toner, the face reappeared in the top left-hand corner and said:
‘You need to apply a hyaluronic acid serum and a moisturising cream. As it’s going to be a cloudy day today, I’d advise you to apply 3 grams of sunscreen number three.’
The lights on the cabinet beneath the mirror came on again. Nika held her hands under the lights one at a time and applied the products to her face. The face in the mirror also demonstrated the hand movements for applying the products correctly and for massaging.
‘Now we’ll apply a protective layer to your teeth,’ continued the face in the mirror after all the facial treatments had been completed.
The light on the drawer beneath the mirror came on again, and a white paste trickled down onto Nika’s hand, which she simply rubbed onto her teeth. When she’d finished, she smiled broadly at her reflection. The mirror showed 93 per cent coverage.
‘Well done,’ said the face in the mirror.
‘There’s just one last step in the routine. Now we’re going to say a couple of affirmations. Repeat after me: I can do anything, God is always with me, I’m enjoying the passage of time.’
Nika began to repeat:
‘I can do anything, God is always with me, I enjoy the passing of time.’
‘Everything is working out in my favour, everything is possible for me, everyone says yes to me,’ the robotic voice recited the recorded words.
‘Everything is working out in my favour, everything is possible for me, everyone says “yes” to me,’ said Nika, smiling at the mirror.
‘You’re ready for today. I wish you a lovely day. Based on your skin analysis, I’ve put together a breakfast menu. It’s 87 per cent ready. ‘Shall I put some music on whilst you wait for breakfast?’ the face in the mirror concluded the morning routine.
‘Yes, please put on the band “Perelet-Trava” and the song “Luck”,’ Nika asked as she glided out of the bathroom.