by Anna Lewis
I ought to get my hair cut, she thought while fixing her pony tail. These bangs are way too long. I have to pin them back just to see anything.
Erika checked her pockets before heading out the door, making sure her phone and the flash drive were in the same pocket. She shut the door firmly behind her and set the lock on the keypad. Factory G was just a twenty minute walk from the greenhouse and the air was filled with the beautiful smell of clean, fresh soil. It was a fine day for a walk and Erika hoped it might raise her spirits for the rest of the day.
Chapter Three
The pathway was lined with colorful flowers, each of them varying in height and hue. They filled the air with the intoxicating scent they gave off and Erika stopped to admire one of the purple ones that smelled like lavender. She inhaled deep and sighed contentedly. The sweet scent left a smile on her lips that last most of her journey to Factory G. Just a hundred yards away from the entrance, she spotted a rugged man carrying a massive pumpkin who appeared unmoved by the sizable object on his shoulders.
He was a handsome man with blond hair, large, strong muscles, and a chiseled torso. His skin was tan from working hard in the sun and his eyes were a bright green. They glittered as she studied them, allowing the dark pools in the center to absorb her entirely and wash over her like ocean waves. A tingle grew between her thighs and she stifled the feeling, hoping it wasn’t evident that her body was having such a visible reaction. She kept her eyes forward.
As they passed, he nodded in her direction and she smiled wide, looking back down at the path as her cheeks flushed. He was so handsome. Those eyes were beckoning, inviting her to dive in and take a cool dip for a while in the hot afternoon sun. But what would her co-workers think? He was a field hand with a strong body and a rough outer shell, possibly even a lot poorer than he appeared. Not that that really mattered. She was just concerned about the fact that--
“Excuse me, ma’am?” he said in a deep, masculine voice.
Erika turned to find him holding the flash drive she had dropped in his hand that was outstretched towards her.
“I do believe you dropped this,” he said.
“Oh, thank you,” Erika said while taking the drive.
She placed it in her pocket, her cheeks still filled with the red hue from just seconds prior. The man smiled and looked down, then back up at her.
“My name is Leonard Hampton, Factory Version C2C4, of the Green Field,” he said.
“Lovely to meet you, sir. I’m Erika Hopper of the Green District, Head of Agriculture. Is your day Bueno?” Erika asked.
“It is indeed, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Leonard said.
“May I ask you something?” she asked him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
“Does that hurt?”
Leonard looked up at the pumpkin looming over his head and chuckled.
“Not a bit, ma’am,” he replied. “But sometimes it gives me a little crick in the neck.”
Erika giggled.
“It just looks so heavy. I can’t imagine carrying that thing even a few feet without falling over,” Erika said. “You must have gotten the Extend Serum.”
“I did,” Leonard said. “It’s done me well over the past six months.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad it’s working for you,” Erika said.
“I imagine that drive has some important information for you,” Leonard commented. “I’d keep it closer than your apron pocket.”
“Well, yes. There seems to be a malfunction in the factory just over there,” Erika said, pointing to Factory G.
“I hear that happens from time to time,” Leonard said.
“It does,” she said.
The two stood in silence for a moment, Erika reaching for something else to say that wasn’t work-related. She wanted to ask him to dinner so she could pick his brain. His brawn was intensely attractive, but he seemed like a kind man who might have more to him than mere muscle. Leonard smiled, inspiring Erika to snap a quick picture to store in her memory chip.
“Well, I wish you a wonderful day, amiga,” Leonard said.
“You as well, amigo,” Erika said.
When she turned away, she squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled hard, walking briskly towards the entrance for Factory G. She punched in her work numbers, 2-4-6-6, and then turned to see if Leonard might have been looking back. He was already a number of yards away and seemed to be preoccupied with the weight of his vegetable. She sighed and stepped inside to walk towards the electrical unit that housed the computer for the packaging equipment.
Such a lovely body he has, she thought with excitement. I wonder how those hands would feel on my body. I bet they’re rough, but gentle, firm and…
Erika tapped a few buttons and opened the maintenance chart for the packaging equipment. According to the chart, the equipment had been tended to very recently.
“What’s the issue?” Erika asked herself out loud. “This seems to be fine.”
Opening a diagnostic app, she ran the program and stepped back to let it work as she looked around at the factory. The conveyer belt led from the right side of the factory all the way to the left. There, the food was wrapped in biodegradable plastic and stored in compartments until the drones came to pick it up in the evening. The system was quite impressive, having been given to them by the Guilderans, who were highly advanced at agricultural science. They had advanced the stages of growing crops in order to double their world’s food supply, and were now helping to do the same on Earth.
As a result of these advances, food sources were now abundant, making it nearly impossible not to feed every mouth on the planet. Dietary restrictions had been put in place early on during agricultural development in order to reduce the need for meat. Reliance on plant-based protein increased, meaning there was less need to house farm animals. Most of them were shipped off to neighboring farming planets. It was certainly a thriving society.
The diagnostic app beeped from the touch pad and Erika went to inspect the results, noting that there was some damage to conveyer belt number four. She typed in a work order for the following day and shut the box, rubbing her hands together.
“Well, that wasn’t so difficult,” she said out loud. “Now to get back to my plants.”
While Erika walked the path back to the greenhouse, she noticed a collection of workers heading in the same direction. They all hauled their own vegetable or fruit, chatting intermittently and laughing. None of them looked or talked like Leonard. He seemed to be a true gentleman despite his social class. He was a gritty man with a gentle heart and kind eyes.
Inside the greenhouse, Erika greeted Ulita who was setting some plants out in the main area of the dome. She set them down carefully and checked the roots for proper growth, just as she had taught Erika to do. Erika was quite fond of Guilderan culture and admired their knowledge of crops. It had brought numerous advancements in her field and had earned her a number of awards as a result.
“My goodness, Erika. Your face is flushed,” Ulita commented while standing. “Were you running?”
“Oh, no. I just had to walk to Factory G and back for a malfunctioning platform,” Erika explained. “I think it’s just the heat.”
“It’s not that hot out,” Ulita said.
“Guilderan skin is a lot more resistant to heat than mine is,” Erika said.
“That’s very true,” Ulita agreed.
“So, how’s that new formula coming along?” Erika asked, opening up her touch pad to prepare for the end of the day.
“These zucchini roots aren’t doing so well with the new hormones,” Ulita replied. “Could I tweak the formula a bit?”
“Absolutely,” Erika responded. “The other one worked fine. I only changed one or two components for the new one.”
“I’ll have a look at it mañana,” Ulita said.
“That sounds good to me. Shall we catch the dinner rush?” Erika asked.
“Certainly! I think I could
go for a veggie burger right now,” Ulita replied.
“Oh, that sounds exceptionally delicious,” Erika commented. “Let’s clock out and beat the rush.”
“Definitely!” Ulita replied.
Erika punched her numbers into the touch pad and handed it to Ulita who clocked out and turned off the pad. After setting it on the table, she grabbed her purse from the locker at the other end of the greenhouse and the two of them walked out towards the dining hall. There were already a number of people heading in that direction, their chips buzzing with recent events and other local news.
Our great province has provided food for this world as well as many others. What do you expect will happen next, Mr. Wallace?
Ulita turned to Erika and commented how he looked like he was gaining weight.
“I suppose our formulas are doing something right,” she commented with a wink.
The girls giggled and walked inside the dining hall, lining up along the counter to receive their portions for dinner. For the remainder of the evening, Erika kept Leonard in the back of her mind, frequently bringing the picture she had snapped of him to the forefront of her vision. Someone asked about her silence. She brushed off the question, saying she was just being tired.
I hope I see him tomorrow, she thought. And maybe I’ll be brave enough to ask him to dinner.
Chapter Four
The following day, Leonard was walking the length of the path up to the greenhouse with squash on his shoulders when he encountered a lovely purple flower standing tall amidst the rest of the flowers. It smelled like lavender. He bent to sniff the petals and smiled, immediately picturing Erika. It caught him by surprise to picture the beautiful scientist who had been kind to him the day before.
He considered plucking the flower from where it was growing, but decided that he didn’t want to ruin the beautiful plant. It would have been a nice gift for Erika, whom he was sure was working in the greenhouse today. As he approached the dome, excitement washed over him and his stomach flipped. He set the squash down on the scale and waited for the display to register the weight, then tapped the touch screen next to the scale. A smiley face appeared, wished him a good evening, and Leonard looked around for the lovely lady who was quickly stealing his heart.
She was nowhere to be found.
Coming out the door was Ulita who pushed her blue hair behind her ears as she tapped the keypad to lock the door.
“Good evening, amiga,” Leonard said. “Where’s Ms. Erika?”
“Oh, she left early today for an appointment,” Ulita replied. “How is the harvest today? Good?”
“It has been excellent today. The squash has grown rather quickly,” Leonard replied.
“Bueno. Have a good evening, amigo,” Ulita said with a wave as she walked away.
“You, too, amiga,” Leonard said.
Disappointed, Leonard walked in the direction of the recreational center where he typically showered after work to get the grime of the day off his body. He grabbed a fresh towel from the warmers and stepped into a stall, pushing the digital buttons for a warm shower. The hot water fell over his muscles and soothed his aching body, his chip alerting him that his energy levels were low.
The words scrolled across his eyes. Alert: energy levels depleted. Nourish immediately. He tapped his temple to turn it off.
“I’ll get food in a minute,” he said out loud.
A few men entered the washroom and occupied the other stalls, talking loudly about the harvest and the curfew.
“We can’t even go grab a pint. I could really use a cerveza here soon,” said one.
“I’m sure the curfew will be lifted within a week. They never last long,” said another.
“Did you see the new seeds they gave us? They glow if you look close enough,” said one.
“I’m sure you’re hallucinating, Steve,” said the other.
“No, I swear!”
Leonard chuckled to himself and pushed the digital button for soap, allowing the white foam to coat his body before pushing the button to rinse. When he was finished, he shut the system off and grabbed his towel, carefully patting his sore skin dry. He wrapped the towel around his waist and went to the locker area where he quickly dressed and headed for the dining hall. Peter joined him on the way.
“Greetings, amigo,” he said while patting Leonard’s shoulder. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. How about yourself, Petey?” Leonard asked.
“Doing just fine. It’s been a great day. I’m excited for our next hockey match. I think the province is heading next door to the Freya region,” Peter replied.
“That sounds fantastic,” Leonard said as they entered the hall.
It was bustling with life, the tables lined with men who all worked in the same field and greeted each other happily. Leonard and Peter grabbed trays and walked through the assembly line, pushing buttons and watching as food appeared on their trays. They took a seat at the far end of the dining hall and immediately dug in, Leonard tapping his temple to tune into the news that was about to air.
Recent studies have suggested a distant neighboring planet has life forms. Such life forms had only been rumored, but now Horrtian scientists have confirmed their existence. The Horrtians had been observing the planet, monitoring for any signs of life. Their observations revealed that the planet had been harboring a different species altogether which may emerge shortly. We have Horrtian scientist Wakulai Moniger on the line with his thoughts…
“Well, that’s interesting,” Peter commented before taking another bite of his bread.
“Another species?” Leonard asked. “I thought we knew all the species in the area. We already have a few inhabiting earth like the Horrtians and the Guilderans.”
“It just goes to show that we still don’t know everything,” Peter commented. “We’re still learning, especially now when we have practically everything we could possibly need.”
“But it still doesn’t make sense. How could a species hide when we’ve scoured most of our galaxy?” Leonard asked.
Peter shrugged while chewing.
“Again, we really don’t know everything. We just think we do,” he responded.
“I guess that’s true,” Leonard said.
The two finished their meals in silence. They returned their trays to the washer, then headed for the door with another group of men.
“I’ll see you mañana, Pete,” Leonard said.
“Alright, amigo. Sleep well,” Peter said while heading in the opposite direction.
Leonard waved goodbye, then walked the length of the trail towards the monorail that would take him home. He boarded a pod and held on to the strap above him, wishing he had snapped a picture of Erika when they were talking. He hadn’t seen her all day, but then again there didn’t seem to be any reason for them to come into contact. The only reason they’d met was that there had been an emergency in Factory G, which had the same path he used daily.
I could make an emergency, he thought. Perhaps I could tweak one of the wires in there so we run into each other.
It would certainly make Erika check on the factory, but he didn’t want to cause a scene. He knew the cameras were up in the corners watching for intruders. There could be a way to pay for a hacker to do the same thing, but that would be too costly. Leonard reasoned that it might be better to leave it to fate.
The pod came to a slow halt and Leonard stepped on the platform that would lead him to his apartment. He pressed his code into the keypad and walked inside, the aquarium in the window turning on immediately. It instantly comforted him. Another round of news came from his chip. He tapped his temple to switch off the news, then lay back on his bed with his hands behind his head. It had been a long day and he wanted the silence of his apartment. Nothing but the sound of gurgling of the aquarium filled the small room. His eyes turned to look at the aquarium that was glowing a deep teal.
He studied the digital fish that floated in the tank and smiled as they danced betw
een the digital seaweed and coral. It made him miss the ocean. Perhaps Erika would join him for a trip soon when he received his vacation days.
That is if I ever get the courage to ask her, he thought. I’ve never felt so shy before. What kind of spell has she put me under?
As he picture her beautiful smile and those gorgeous brown eyes, he slipped into a happy state of sleep. He dreamed of walking with her along the sand. His fingers intertwined with hers, feeling the warmth radiating from her hand. One finger trailed along his shoulder and he sighed contentedly, waves of water splashing over his feet as they walked through the wet sand.
He turned to look at her and smiled wide, squeezing her hand as they continued to walk. A flock of birds cried overhead and they both looked up to see the gorgeous white feathers fluttering about. While they strolled in silence, a soft beep came from the distance accompanied by a red light. It persisted to grow louder until Leonard turned to ask Erika where the noise was coming from. Within moments, his eyes popped open and he was wide awake staring at the ceiling. The beep was from his chip. It was time to get up for work.
Chapter Five
Across town, Erika was waking to the same beeping sound from her chip. She opened her eyes and looked over at the digital clock next to her bed while yawning. Pushing off the sheets, she pressed her bare feet to the tiles and recoiled at the coldness. She pushed a button on a keypad near her bed to warm the floor. Once it was to her desired temperature, she smiled and pressed a few buttons on the keypad to get coffee and pancakes ready in the kitchen.
When she stood, she stretched her arms up over her head and exhaled, bending over to touch her toes. She stood from the bed and went into the bathroom to run a warm shower and then stripped her clothes away. After a lengthy shower, she went into the kitchen in a towel and served herself coffee, munching on a few pancakes before getting dressed.