Fossils 2084 — Michael Beres

Welcome to Sunset Villages, where golden age retirees tough it out as the century nears its end. Their retirement community is gated, razor-wired, and watched over by drones. But will they escape extinction?

Evangelicals heading to an Orlando environmental protest crash land on a golf course in their AI-flown hybrid airliner. Centered in Florida's severed peninsula with previous shorelines gone, Sunset Villagers have isolated themselves from interlopers. Residents golf, have social events, and shop at malls. But these days they survive on protein grown in vertical farms, micro-filtered hydration drinks, and booze. They've created a community subsection reserved for service workers. After the crash landing we're treated to a microcosm of a world on the brink.

An injured married couple interrelates with another couple, their rescuers, and medical center personnel. The airline harasses the cockpit attendant assigned to the flight, an Arab-American woman put there to stave off lawsuits. Passengers and retirees of various persuasions chronicle the past and present world outside the gates. Oligarchs with strongholds on cruise ships and artificial islands run corporations. Climate refugees are constantly on the move, lives controlled, options limited. Drones are everywhere, AI running the show, keeping tabs on society. Populations head north, but not all have that option. Several US states have sought cessation. Internationally, things are just as bad. Climate refugees, starvation, migration, suicides, tribalism, anger, and distress are rampant. Having children is frowned upon and even pet ownership a rarity.

As their dystopia races toward extinction, many Sunset Villagers are in denial. A group of rabble-rousers called Fossil Fuelers stockpile gasoline for their antiquated gas-powered golf carts. Their critics saying perhaps it's time Sunset Villagers and everyone else heeded the words of George Carlin. "We're going away. Pack your shit, folks."