Robin told Dustin in detail everything that had happened in Oasis Landing. That Kaleigh had been sent to spy on him, but she had sided with him, how Emit had kept the portal active so he could escape, how he was forced to leave his son, Collin, with Kaleigh so he wouldn't be taken away by the social worker, and how he had miraculously survived his abrupt landing.
"It all must have been terrifying," Dustin said.
"Yes, it was. You know, I can't help thinking that if they'd cut the power just seconds earlier, I'd now be stuck in another time, or lost in some wormhole. Fortunately, I was already in Aurora Skies when it happened. I was very lucky.
"So you're a fugitive now?" Dustin said when he came out of his stupor.
"Yes, and I'm stuck in the past, so I may never see Collin again."
"You can't go back there?"
"Like I said, the Council took away my passport, I can't use the portal anymore, so I can't go back. And even if I could, I lost parental rights to Collin, so I couldn't bring him with me."
"Wow, that all sucks. Taking your son away from you and banishing you just for having children in the Past?"
"It's not just that. For them, the only way to procreate a child is to 'design' it. The 'other way' is forbidden."
"Is having sex forbidden in 2054?", Dustin asked, even more concerned.
"It is not forbidden, but it' s considered only a form of entertainment. If you want to procreate a child, you must ask for permission to engineer it. If you don't do that, you are considered a criminal, you'll be arrested and given the maximum penalty."
"You mean the death penalty?"
"No death penalty in Oasis Landing, but there is worse"
"What could be worse than being executed?"
"The Restart. They erase your memories until there is nothing left of them in your head."
"They erase your memories. Is that even possible?"
"You'd be surprised what they can do with the human brain in the Future."
"Like controlling the minds?"
"They could do that, but it's illegal, The Restart, on the other hand, is perfectly legal, especially if the Council decides you deserve it. They erase everything from your memory, you won't remember your family, or your friends, or anything about your past. Everything starts all over again for you, as if you were just born."
"You're right, it sounds worse than dying."
"But anyway, enough of that, I should get home, Ann must be worried," Robin abruptly concluded and stood up. Dustin rose with him.
"Wouldn't it be better if you stayed and rested a bit? You still look weak.
"Don't worry, with the bath and clean clothes I'll be fine. But first I need to ask you a favor. I was thinking of talking to you about this some other time, but it's really important to me, so I'll tell you right away."
"I'm all ears."
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