When meeting a future version of you, never assume this is your first meeting.

Another writing prompt. This time on meeting your future self.
[WP] "Rule #1 of meeting a future version of you: Never assume that this is your first meeting."

This one was worth 11 upvotes. I felt like it was worth more, but it is silly and crass and thats what makes me smile.

So I hope you enjoy. You non-existent reader-in-potentia

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"Is a wa" ... "I derba" we spoke at the same time.
The older me indicated I should speak first. I guessed he was older as I don't remember being him before. Plus his glasses looked different.
I continued. "Is it masturbating if I jerk you off?"
I looked him sternly in the eyes.
He seemed confused and I grew worried. I had said the current code word, so if he was a future me he should know it.
"I am not sure what you are on about" his face creased with confusion. "What about the Bra and Panties I bought you Last Tuesday? Are you wearing them?"
I looked around in utter disbelief. If this was another code word I had no idea....
And then it struck me. I had been warned.
If you ever enquire about your underware, kill you. I had told myself.
He must have seen the look cross my face, as even though I reached for my gun first, he managed to activate his transponder before I drew, and was away.
DAMMIT. I pulled out my communicator "Dispatch, come in, this is a Class 69 multiverse emergency. I have just met a Me who asked about my underwear. I believe it to be one of us from one of the Parallel timelines. You know. The ones gone... bad. over."
My voice crackled over the radio "I hear you. We'll send some other Us out to help you track this Me, over"
"Thanks Dispatch, over"
The radio crackled quietly for a moment before dispatch spoke again. "Erm.. quick question, Is it masturbating if I jerk you off?"
I smiled, he had to ask to be sure I hadn't been overpowered by the other me. I remember asking me in fact. It had surprised me back then, as one of the earliest me, to learn that all across space and time, were my future versions exchanging crass commentary. Well , I had supposed, they are me, and I do have a somewhat dirty sense of humour.
"Only if you don't look me in the eye whilst your doing it dispatch. Over."
I heard the sigh. "The agents are on there way. Over and out".
....

--- © Copyright Mark Langridge

[WP] Humanity finally reaches the edge of the solar system only to encounter an impassible barrier and a warning not to try and breach it. But is it there to keep us in or to keep something else out?

This was another writing prompt I did on reddit.

The subject was:[WP] Humanity finally reaches the edge of the solar system only to encounter an impassible barrier and a warning not to try and breach it. But is it there to keep us in or to keep something else out?

It got 1168 upvotes as of 20/04/2016, which makes it my "most read" short story so far.

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Humanity was expanding.

It was time to go.

It had been 200 years since humans had reached the edge of the solar system. It had taken 2 years to journey that far back then, and now they could pass the expanse from the sun to the edge in just a few tens of minutes. But they could never pass it.

The great barrier hung, invisibly encompasing the system. When humans had first approached, not knowing the barrier was there, they were rocked by the strong magnetics fields. A signal had flashed across the whole of the visable spectrum. Lights turning on and off at high speed. They had found code easy to break, and understood it was a communication meant for them.

"Go back. Do not leave. Go back. Do not leave."

This had started an international crisis. Should they ignore it, and push through? The combined decision of the worlds elected leaders was no. At a vote tallying 90 to 60, the earth had decided to stay within the barrier.

The humans kept testing it. They found that both electromagnetic waves, and physical probes were allowed through, but anything containing biological matter was prevented from leaving. The first casualty of the barrier was one brave astronaut's ham sandwich. The testing continued, the message stayed the same, but then humanity moved on.

And then it expanded. First Mars, then Titan and orbital habitats around Venus and Jupiter. And they kept expanding. And in just 11 generations Humanity started to outgrow the resources of the solar system.

And so it came back to today. The day after polling day. Every human across the expanse of the solar system had been allowed to vote on the decision of whether or not to break through the barrier. The technology to do so had been available for 120 years.

And the results came in. 96% voter turnout. 76:24 in favour of breaking through the barrier.

It was too late. They weren't ready yet. I couldn't even send another warning. It took all I had to maintain the barrier. I had tried. But they didn't even know what they were in for. I had watched them for so long, keeping them safe.

Goodbye, dear friends.

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Authors comments:

So in the comments section of reddit I had a good number of people discuss what their take on the story was. Some people seemed to think that when the barrier was broken, there was nothing outside, breaking the barrier ends the solar systems, and the narrator is simply a god to whom we are toys.

 But that wasn't my take on it. I wouldn't write my thoughts on Reddit, as I really enjoy the fact that everybody has a different take on the story there, but I feel like noting down my thoughts before I forget them.

I imagined the Narrator as a friend to earth. He's obviously powerful and wants to protect us, but at the same time feels free will is vitally important. The barrier stops some unknown power, maybe similar to the narrator, maybe greater in power than it, from finding humanity. The moment the barrier is broken, humanity suddenly registers on the galactic, if not cosmic scale, and the dangerous forces out there will likely choose to whip them out (due to malace or hunger or... even for no reason at all).

It was sort of inspired by the "Great Filter Theory". There is some great extinction event (possibley malicious greater beings) that wipes out, or sets back intelligent life. We have advanced due to some greater being protecting us, but as it believes in free will, it has to let us leave the barrier if we so choose. 

One commentor mentioned how the words "Its time to go" is the narrator choosing to leave. I actually wrote the first part of the story not knowing how it was going to end. I sort of lucked out that the "hard sci-fi intro" I initially wrote went well with the ending I ended up with. 

I hope, if you have read this far, you enjoyed the story.

--- © Copyright Mark Langridge