can do.â
The last few campers file in. Itâs quiet, but then a motor clicks on, and the fans begin to hum quietly, almost as if theyâre whispering promises about what they can do.
Tomas is the first to speak up. âYou gonna run this thing for us?â
Van shakes his head. âLater in the week, maybe. It doesnât mean much if you donât understand what youâre seeing, but this is where our meteorology program is based. Itâs all exclusive, patented technologyâone of a kind. Well, three of a kind, actually. Thereâs one up at the StormSafe complex and one at the companyâs property in Russia. Just wanted you to have a look at it for today.â
He walks us out of the dome, back into the bright light and sunshine air.
The rest of the morning is a parade of in and outs, more rooms filled with elaborate equipment. This is what I imagined DadâsStormSafe headquarters might look like. If they provide this stuff at a camp for teenagers, what must he have at work?
After lunch, weâre back in the orientation center to talk about areas of study.
This time, thereâs no holo-sim of Dad. Instead, a three-dimensional globe of light drops from the ceiling as classical music starts to play.
Alex leans over. âMozart,â he whispers. âThey did some study that shows classical music helps to develop synapses between the hemispheres of the brain and makes us better problem solvers.â
Itâs also Dadâs favorite, but I donât mention that. Alex probably wouldnât like Mozart anymore.
Dadâs voice rises over the violins. âWelcome back, Eye on Tomorrow campers. This afternoon, weâll take a look at the problems our world is facing today . . . and tomorrow. And weâll ask you to make a commitment to one of those challenges for the summer.â
The globe at the center of the room spins and then explodes into a million bits of light that shoot out toward the walls, and in its place now is a spinning cloud. Itâs just light, just a holo-image, but somehow the air feels wetter, heavier than it did a few seconds ago. Dadâs voice describes the first challenge, the one we all know about alreadyâthe storms.
âWarmer global temperatures have led to increased instances of tornadic storms, not only in the traditional storm belt, but worldwide. Through the careful planning and vigilance of theInternational Climate Committee, weâve managed to reverse the planetary warming trend. However, as you know, campers, it will be two more years before greenhouse gases are reduced to a level that will have a positive impact on weather patterns. Our goal at StormSafe and here at Eye on Tomorrow is to bridge the gapâto find solutions that will keep people safe until then.â
Itâs not only the tornadoes, Dad says, but also hurricanes of greater intensity and size, tropical cyclones around the globe, droughts and heat waves, that need to be controlled. âWhen we master our climate,â Dadâs voice promises, âweâll be the masters of our planet.â
He goes on to describe three more challenges: the bio-botanicals program that he promises will revolutionize the worldâs food supply and end hunger through an expansion of DNA-ture bioengineering and factory-grown food practices; the robotics research that will automate the worldâs industries and services, from motorcycles to medicine, within thirty years; and the cellular generation and human cloning center, where scholars have already begun developing successful technology to create, through DNA-based cloning, any part of the human body for transplant or other use.
When the human figure representing the last area of study fades and sinks into the floor, the lights come on and Van is back in front of us, bouncing on his sneakers. âReady to solve the worldâs problems? Weâll see you back here, first thing in the morning, to get
Aaron Elkins, Charlotte Elkins