

You may have heard in quantum theory that, given enough time, "whatever can happen will happen." You probably haven't heard the corollary, though: whatever can happen, must happen. We've been immortal for almost two-hundred years now, and when superintelligence showed up and changed everything, it wasn't long before most humans were living forever. When we first set the machines to work, though, we were cautious, almost timid. We didn't want to lose control. The first thing we had them do was find the secret of biological immortality; that was what most people wanted, especially the powerful and wealthy -- and we tend to have an outsized voice in these types of things. We eventually set the machines to unravel the mysteries of the universe, and they made an interesting discovery about the nature of our reality. All possibilities must eventually be realized, whether by us, our ancestors, or our descendants. Some civilizations might have called what we did after that cruel. We sure did at the beginning -- but the phrase "necessary evil" exists for a reason. *** The ones who fought the hardest were the untouchables: the criminals, the poor, the ones who had no power to choose their burdens. They had the most to lose. The simple fact was this: someone had to suffer hardship, and you're kidding yourself if you think the wealthy and powerful were going to let it be them. In the end, we said it was for the good of humanity, and we went forward with the Restorative Justice and Futures Curation Act of 2142. Now why am I telling you all this? So you'll understand the important part I played. And so you'll understand just what I was doing in line outside the pen that day. *** "RETURN TO SINGLE FILE LINE," came the robotic directive, intended for the idiot in front of me who had apparently lost his mind. I nudge him to make sure he's paying attention. "Pal. They're talkin' to you." "VIOLATOR: RETURN TO LINE." The "warning" is followed immediately by a high-voltage/low-amp electro shock delivered by gas-powered electrode cartridges -- enough to drop him to his knees but not enough to kill him. "What the hell are you doing?" I whisper through clenched teeth. 20,000 volts to the chest doesn't feel good by any means. "You trying to get both of us killed?" I reach out my hand to help him up. He's smiling as he stands. "Heart condition," he says, tapping his sternum. "I'm thinking it's better than anything we're gonna go through in there." I narrow my eyes as I consider the point. It's a damn good one. Some of the worst criminals go through and never make it out, and the ones who do are never the same. I heard about one death row inmate who made it out years ago. His incoherent screams and babbling lasted the rest of his life, which was about 48 hours post-release. Poor bastard jumped off a bridge. It was probably the sanest thing he's ever done. I'm expecting a relatively light sentence. I've never done anything before. I'm a life-long public servant, humbly and selflessly serving my fellow man. Besides, the person I hit was fine. I'll be in and out of here before anyone knows I'm gone. "You really think it's true what they say?" I ask in a whisper, making sure to stay straight in line. You can choose to either serve your time, or accept a punishment in its place. Except it's not a "punishment." It's a carefully-calculated "experiential contribution," made by you and your consciousness, designed to clear out some of the more troubling potential future universes so that ours will be better. It's a great deal, unless you're clearing out the troubling universes.