In a bleak, stormy landscape where the remnants of civilization eke out their existence in deep, canyon-worn refuges, the story plunges readers into the lives of a resilient colony struggling against the decay of both infrastructure and hope. The narrative paints a vividly harsh world where power is scarce and survival depends on ingenuity—from salvaging precious batteries amid ruins to the daily ritual of powering essential systems with human effort. The reader is invited to witness not just the physical battles against nature, but also the emotional and communal struggles that tie the survivors together.

At the heart of the tale are characters whose lives are interwoven with the very fabric of their battered environment. Whether it’s a determined tinkerer engineering life-saving devices, or a reluctant caretaker balancing memories of lost innocence with the present need to sustain life, each individual’s story illuminates both the burdens and unexpected moments of beauty in a transformed world. Their interactions blend sorrow with the spark of tenacity, hinting at deeper mysteries and a shared hope that even in the direst conditions, human spirit can prevail.

With its immersive blend of gritty survival, inventive adaptation, and poignant reflections on what it means to be human, this story offers a rich, atmospheric journey into a future where the past’s losses and the promise of tomorrow collide. The narrative masterfully avoids clean resolutions, instead leaving readers to grapple with the moral ambiguities of existence in a world stripped to its bare essentials—a world where every innovation is a lifeline, and every moment is a testament to the courage required to simply keep going.

batteries  

solar panels  

cooling units  

aeroponics system  

hand crank flywheel generator  

power sippers  

AR glasses  

BritLights  

cool suits  

microbe engineering equipment  

DNA writer  

sequencer  

incubators  

protein printer  

pedal-powered generator bike  

respirators  

quantum computer  

Bose-Einstein condensate gravity sensor  

Stirling engine  

heat pump  

air filters

hand crank wand  

canal links  

GM microbe mix  

bug trap system  

battery recharge station  

mining robot

plasma drill  

graphene tube wiring  

hydraulic cylinders from a blimp  

enzyme welder  

temp shielding aerogel  

carb-core disks  

camshafts  

composite beams  

quantum simulation

radio transmitter  

hume linking devices  

mycelium fabric garments  

mycelium filter sheets  

Doppler cooling laser

Many of the characters in this project appear in future episodes.

Using storytelling to place you in a time period, this series takes you, year by year, into the future. From 2040 to 2195. If you like emerging tech, eco-tech, futurism, perma-culture, apocalyptic survival scenarios, and disruptive science, sit back and enjoy short stories that showcase my research into how the future may play out. 

The companion site is https://in20xx.com 

These are works of fiction. Characters and groups are made-up and influenced by current events but not reporting facts about people or groups in the real world. This project is speculative fiction. These episodes are not about revealing what will be, but they are to excited the listener's wonder about what may come to pass.

Copyright © Cy Porter 2025. All rights reserved.