The classroom shimmered back into view, the students blinking as they readjusted to their surroundings. Many of them looked shaken by what they had just witnessed in Mik's life.
Zara's hair flashed a deep indigo - the color she unconsciously chose when processing deep emotions. "They were going to sell their telescope," she said softly. "Something they loved so much, just to help their brother. And even that wouldn't have been enough."
"It's weird to think about," Lian added, her adaptive clothing rippling with troubled patterns. "In our time, nobody has to choose between keeping their belongings and getting medical care."
X9's holographic form shifted thoughtfully. "The changes that led to our current healthcare system were part of a much larger transformation. To understand how we got from there to here, we need to look at someone who was fighting for sweeping changes in many areas of society: Elena Martinez-Sanchez."
The classroom dissolved, reforming into a federal courthouse, circa 2038. A younger Elena stood before the judge, her dark hair pulled back severely, her posture radiating determination despite her obvious exhaustion. She was arguing a landmark case against one of the world's largest petrochemical companies.
"Your Honor," her voice rang out, clear and passionate, "the evidence is irrefutable. This company knowingly poisoned the groundwater of an entire community. They calculated that paying occasional fines would be cheaper than proper waste disposal. They literally put a price tag on human lives."
The scene shifted, showing Elena walking through a devastated community in Louisiana. The air shimmered with chemical haze, dead birds littered the shore, and children played in yards marked with warning signs. Her tablet displayed countless environmental impact reports and health studies she'd collected.
"Elena began as an environmental lawyer," X9 explained, "but she quickly realized that environmental justice was inseparable from social justice. The communities most affected by pollution were invariably the poorest. The areas with the worst air quality were always low-income neighborhoods. Every environmental crisis was also a social crisis."
The students watched as Elena's advocacy expanded. She spoke in town halls, community centers, union meetings. She connected environmental degradation to every aspect of American life - from failing crops that drove up food prices, to rising healthcare costs from pollution-related illnesses, to the displacement of communities by increasingly severe weather events.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
"What made Elena different," X9 continued, "was her ability to show how everything was connected. When a conservative farmer talked about failing crops, she explained how corporate pollution affected soil quality. When urban parents worried about their children's asthma, she traced it back to industrial emissions. She helped people see that protecting the environment wasn't just about saving polar bears - it was about saving ourselves."
The scene shifted to a debate stage, where Elena faced off against seasoned politicians. Her opponents came armed with industry talking points about jobs and economic growth, but Elena brought science and human stories.
"Senator," she said, her voice steady as she addressed a particularly aggressive opponent, "you talk about the cost of environmental regulations, but what's the cost of poisoned water? Of unbreathable air? Of land too toxic to farm? These aren't hypothetical questions - I've represented communities dealing with these realities right now."
The students watched as Elena's support grew, not through traditional political channels, but through a growing awareness that environmental and social issues were deeply intertwined. Her message resonated across political divides because she focused on fundamental human needs - clean air, safe water, healthy communities.
"Her campaign platform was comprehensive," X9 said, projecting a hologram of her key policies. "Environmental protection, social justice, healthcare reform, economic equality - she showed how they were all connected, all part of the same broken system that prioritized profit over people and planet."
"The corporate interests fought back hard," X9 continued, showing clips of attack ads and negative press coverage. "But Elena had something they didn't expect - millions of Americans who could no longer ignore the evidence of their own eyes. The dead zones in the Gulf, the wildfires in the West, the floods in the East - nature itself seemed to be confirming her warnings."
The scene shifted to election night 2040. Against all odds, against billions in corporate spending, against an entrenched political machine, Elena Martinez-Sanchez became the President of the United States.
"But taking office was just the beginning," X9 said, its tone growing serious. "The real fight - the fight to transform humanity's relationship with our planet - was still to come. And of course, no one could have predicted how the Celestial Symphony would change everything."
As the classroom reformed around them, Kai, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up. "She was preparing people to think differently about their relationship with the planet. Making them ready for... changes that were coming."
"Indeed," X9 replied, giving Kai a long look. "Now, shall we return to Mik's story? The threads of these events are about to interweave in ways no one could have predicted.