Microstory 77: Suspension

The citizens of Earth in an alternate reality were having the same problems that we are. Climate change, inequality, violence, and disease affected everyone’s life. A group of radical scientists realized that the main threat to the planet was humans. They devised a plan to fix all of the global problems. Their plan was to give themselves more time to come up with actual solutions. So, using a little bit of magic and a little bit of science, they froze the entire planet; not as in ice, but as in the inability to move. Every single human outside of the think tank was put into suspended animation exactly where they were. Some were halfway through dying, and some halfway through birth. Some were driving, but others were just sleeping. During this animation, their eyes remained open, but they were rendered completely unconscious. For the better part of the last four decades, these scientists discussed the global issues. They generated computer models, and thought experiments. They even managed to deploy a couple of their solutions; one in particular was designed to clean the air of pollution, and it was working. A couple years ago, everything was going according to plan, and they were considering bringing everyone out of suspension. After all, many of the issues couldn’t really be solved without practical application involving the people. Before they could come to a decision on the matter, a small asteroid fell to Earth and killed the entire think tank. The suspension remains today.