THE AIR COLONY
Mani walks through the courtyard of National & International Studies Headquarters.
Glass, steel, and greenery blend seamlessly, retro urban architecture wrapped in modern sustainability.
The building breathes. Solar glass panels shimmer overhead, vines weave through polished concrete, and water features hum softly in the background.
LEED-certified brilliance.
Corporate precision meets quiet zen.
For a moment, Mani forgets the weight of the world outside.
As he crosses the campus, his thoughts drift—and he begins to tell his side of the story.
"The year is 2045."
America isn't whole anymore—not really.
It's fragmented. Divided into systems, ideologies, and territories that pretend to coexist.
The population keeps growing, at least on paper. In reality, it's being managed. Controlled. Trimmed and optimized like data in a server.
Governments always promise stability. They always fail.
And when they do, rebellion follows.
Doesn't matter which side you're on—there's always a bigger player watching both sides… and sometimes pulling the strings.
Roughly 65% of the population has been officially logged through the Global Census.
Those people can buy.
Sell.
Travel.
Live freely.
They belong to what's called the Democratic Republic in the States.
The remaining 35%?
Unregistered.
Restricted.
Forgotten.
Major cities across the former United States have been carved into Hub Cities—elite zones of advancement and surveillance. Technology there is decades ahead.
Citizens integrate directly with cloud-based A.I. systems that manage infrastructure, health, even cognition.
Some people have biological enhancements.
Others are nearly immune to disease.
On the surface?
"Sounds incredible," Mani exhales softly.
Also disturbing as hell.
(Still… he smiles to himself.)
I'm just grateful to be here.
(N.I.S HQ rises around him—alive with movement.)
Students. Mentors. Coaches. Researchers.
Some are barely older than him.
Others carry themselves like they've seen too much already.
The National & International Studies Program pulls together some of the world's sharpest minds. Students aged 15 to 25 are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study, train, and innovate here.
Those aged 26 to 33 serve as mentors—chosen not just for intelligence, but adaptability.
Beyond them?
Only staff. Teachers. Coaches.
No outsiders.
No exceptions.
Security is absolute.
Mani slows his pace.
Oh—right.
I forgot one important detail.
This campus doesn't sit on land.
It floats!
The entire complex is part of humanity's boldest achievement to date—
the first large-scale airborne city ever sustained.
A miracle of engineering.
A gamble against gravity.
A statement to the world.
New Titus.
America's first Air Colony.
Suspended above the earth like a promise… or a warning.
Mani looks out over the edge of the courtyard, clouds drifting far below.
A quiet grin spreads across his face.
"Alright," he mutters to himself.
Time to explore.