It is indeed, dearest.
Don’t really know what to say now…
Well, should come back tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.
Yes.
Sophia – 21:24
Hi, all. I’m Sophia. I’m really excited about this place. It’s so beautiful here and it’s nothing like I’ve ever done before. To be honest, I’ve never really worked before. I hope it’s fun.
Joan – 21:42
Hello. Whoops, probably didn’t need to wave. The accommodation seems lovely. All the sheets are new and everything smells like new paint. It’s all so unbelievable, I can hardly believe it! This is just the new start I need. I so wish my Pete could be here. Oh, I do hope they like me.
Jacob – 22:41
Good evening, I’m Jacob… Erm, most of us arrived around 4 o’clock this afternoon. We were told to wait in the car park. Well, I say car park but it’s just a bit of ground with less grass than the rest. Anyhow, we waited until Gordon and the others turned up in a coach before we had a look around our new home for the next half a year. I have to say I’m very impressed so far. Oh, a bit about myself. I’m a doctor at Mercy General in the City and work in the emergency department. I do hope my skills are not required on this little social experiment, ha ha. Anyway, as I was saying, we arrived at around 4 today and have just about got settled in. We drew straws for the rooms we were all assigned, well, apart from the families, of course. I think there are 3. Families, that is… Tomorrow, being Sunday, we’ve all decided to go down to the beach for some sort of barbeque as a sort of a getting to know each other session. A damn good idea, I thought. Well, goodnight all.
Isabella – 23:04
O my god, I’m on the telly! Hi, mum. Hello, everyone else. The girls down Bradley Road are never going to believe this! Er… don’t know what to say really…I’m on the telly. O my god, it’s so nice here! Like being on holiday! Can’t believe how long that man spent in here. What on earth can you talk about for that long?
DAY 2
Ben – 07:02
Hello. I didn’t get a chance to come in yesterday. Early to bed, early to rise, that’s me. I work for Chemical Bank on Lexington. I’m 34 and for the better part of my life I had the honour of serving in the 12th Airborne. We were part of the final push on the capital in the great purges. We were there, getting rid of those greedy treacherous bastards. Can’t believe it was almost 18 years ago…I’ll have to tell Gordon I won’t be here next Thursday and Friday. Regimental reunion you see. Great bunch of lads.
Jacob – 16:23
Afternoon, all. I can inform you that the barbeque was a great success. We all got introduced to each other properly and had a splash of wine. The food…mmmM, Howard and Deborah can really cook. I will have to pop into their restaurant at some point. I’m a little worried about some of our younger inhabitants. I do hope they don’t drink too much and stay out all day in the sun. I’ll take them some sunscreen. Yes.
Gordon – 18:46
This is brilliant. I’ve met some fantastic people. The food is fantastic. Should have brought more drink down to the beach, though… What the hell am I doing in here?
Sunny, Isabella, Sophia and Gordon – 01:17
We’ve had a great night, ain’t we?
YES WE HAVE.
O my god! There’s some boring people here though, sooo bad. Bet they moan tomorrow. Pass us the bottle.
You’ve only known them for a day…
They’re old before their…you know?
What?
I dunno…time.
Who’s older than their time, Isabel?
You know…Jacob, Ben, and all them.
I’m sure they have their plus points. What are we doing in here, anyhow?
They don’t have much hair between them…
I can cut hair, that’s what I do. I could do it lovely... Gordon, GORDON.
Just leave him.
Why?
I think he’s gone to throw up. He’s yummy.
Sunny!
O my god!
Well…
I’ll go find him.
Do you think?
What?
You know…Sophia…and…
Those pair?
DAY 5
Deborah – 07:12
Had a terrible night’s sleep. A few of my uncommunity-minded colleagues woke us up last night as they made their way back from the beach. I wouldn’t mind but they woke Poppy up and she finds it terribly hard to get back off to sleep when she’s been woken. I can’t believe Howard. He didn’t even stop snoring! Ah well, I best get off to work. I’m going to surprise everyone tonight with some treats from the restaurant.
Jacob – 08:10
Good morning, all. And as 1 of the fortunate few who loves their job I am continuing to work full-time. I believe Howard and Deborah might still be working full-time but I’m not entirely sure. I will have to follow that up and get back to you. The community workers are still working on that horrible pool and clearing fields. I do think some of them are treating it a bit like a holiday camp… Oh dear, is that the time?
Sunny – 16:01
This is the easiest, most entertaining few days I have ever spent, and you don’t even have to chip in for the beer! We haven’t really achieved anything towards self-sufficiency yet. All I’ve done is work on the pool, hardly a priority.
Joan – 17:40
Handed in my notice today so I only have 2 more weeks of work. Really looking forward to being able to pitch in round here. I’ve always wanted to grow my own veg and stuff. Might ask everyone if I can start a herb garden.
Gareth – 17:59
Hullo, everyone. We marked out some fields this morning and should be getting ’em tilled and planted within a couple of weeks. Some of these young ’uns ain’t done a day’s work before. They’re enfusiastic though. I’ll give ’em that.
Isabella – 19:56
Feeling SOOO ill. O my god. I couldn’t even go to work today. I hope the girls weren’t too swamped at the salon. I’m NOT drinking tonight... I really like Sunny. He is SOOO much fun. Think I’ve found a real friend there.
Sophia – 20:04
Hello, having a great time. Gordon has gone out of his way to make me feel welcome and, although the jobs have been a bit gruesome, that pool for starters, the vibe is really laid back and relaxed. Just what I needed after the last 6 months. Anyhow I better go.
*
Gordon walked slowly into the dim light of the TV room, then leaned against the door at the back of the room. He glanced around to see if she was here. He could just make out the side of her face painted by the flickering light from glowing box. His eyes lingered briefly before being accosted by the moving images.
“…the hour-long speech, available to watch in full on the Channel 6 website, addressed before Assembly and the House of Sub-Commanders was filled with references to the terrorist threat posed by Visio Targus. Here are some excerpts:”
“Today we rise, like an eagle circling the battlefield, fully awakened to the danger imposed upon every soul of this great land, a land once again draped in the shrouds of war. A grief felt by a nation from a coward’s attack has shifted to stern resolution and a demand for swift and unyielding justice. Let me shoulder your fears, your worries, and let the tears of our great nation be the judge of these cruel and merciless terror-mongers.
“I will not stand by idle as the enemies of liberty loom above us, threatening to attack the freedoms we hold so dear. We must not forget lessons taught to us during the great purges, an era rife with surprise attacks and mass civilian casualties. We must never forget the sacrifices of our soldiers, our great warriors, our glorious dead, who laid their lives down for the liberties and the freedoms we now take for granted.
“All our evidence points back to Visio Targus, the collective name for a group of affiliated terror cells fractured during the purges. They are now renewed and are spread throughout this country like cancer with terror and anarchy their
allies in this dreaded resurgence. Again, let me take your fears and let me use our nation’s soldiers as an antidote to the plague threatening us in the darkness to come. We will respond. We will be victorious.”
“The Commander, in his lengthy speech, summed up by asking the Sub-Committee for additional resources to combat the terrorists and to urge people to continue to go about their day-to-day lives, calm and determined in the face of this new threat. In response, today has already seen a record number of arrests by police, MSD and army units, the detainees being held for questioning in a temporarily-converted army barracks. Prominent civil rights protesters are questioning the use of these tactics and have urged the House of Sub-Commanders to withdraw these additional powers. These arguments were rejected by the Sub-Commanders and the new ‘Liberty’ act was passed shortly after the speech. The civil rights advocates found themselves losing even more support after the speech with this afternoon’s march being postponed due to lack of support. Tonight at 10, Channel 6 will be probing these issues further with an hour-long special.
“And, finally, following an anonymous tip-off to police, the body of an unidentified male has been discovered in a shallow grave on a disused carrot farm. The head of government forensics described the corpse as ‘grotesquely mutilated’ and claimed that ‘in 30 years’ he had ‘never seen anything like it’ adding that ‘parts of the body had ballooned to bizarre proportions, seemingly post mortem’. The police are pursuing several leads and are urging members of the public to come forward with any relevant information. The government has not linked the corpse to any recent terrorist activity but added that they aren’t ruling anything out at this stage.
“More on this and our main stories at 7 o’clock tomorrow morning. Goodnight.” And with her usual wink, Pelexia was gone.
Gordon could feel the blood rushing from his face, collecting in his heavy feet. Light pinpricks of pain danced around his fingers and waltzed up his forearms. Breathe, he thought, before opening his eyes into bright light and Jacob’s looming face.
“You fainted. You’re okay now. Take deep breaths and keep your head down.”
*
DAY 9
Isabella – 14:02
Going into town later. I can’t wait to let my hair down! Jacob is lovely. He fixed up my foot but he keeps calling me a half-worker, whatever that means. Perhaps it’s 1 of those generation gap things? I CAN’T wait for tonight, it’s going to be mental.
Jacob – 15:57
Good afternoon. We’re all having a relaxing Saturday on the beach and things are coming along nicely after the meeting. Namely the non- and half-workers are getting stuck into their jobs and everything is getting a little bit more structured. There are some great ideas floating around. Sunny has started brewing his own beer and wine in an effort to cut costs among some of our heavier drinkers. He has also put forward the idea of starting a micro-brewery so we can sell what we don’t drink - most admirable.
Ben – 16:16
The Regimental reunion was a triumph as ever. Some heavy traffic on the IA 46 but it didn’t dampen spirits any, I’m glad to report. I still don’t understand why people have to get up so late; it’s wasting the whole day. They could get so much more accomplished if they just got up earlier. I get up at 6 myself. Might have a word with Jacob and see what he thinks. He could put it forward at the next meeting. Ballsy chap Jacob. I like a man with balls.
Gordon – 17:38
I admire Jacob for calling that meeting last week. We had been treating the place like a bit of a holiday camp. It really moved things along. Gareth and Leigh, our farming experts, have been instructing people on how to grow things and keep animals. The vegetable fields are beginning to be thought about now. It would be amazing if we could become self-sufficient. I do think we need to start looking at reducing our utility bills, perhaps with solar power or a wind turbine. Jacob and Ben have been inventing some odd labels for people. Calling people who work full-time on the outside ‘workers’. Those part-timers are called ‘Half-workers’ and, most insultingly, everyone else is a ‘Non-worker’. I can’t say anything to him, as it might come across that I’m not being impartial. I might ask Sophia if she would have a word with him.
DAY 10
Gordon – 10:00
Oh balls, I think we’ve come upon our 1st stumbling block. This may not work. Or it could work. We just can never spend any money in the outside world.
Ben – 10:46
I am shocked and appalled. Between the 6 of them they managed to spend over 300 pound in an evening. It’s unacceptable, simply unacceptable. As soon as Jill, the treasurer, told me, I called a meeting. It’s my money! What on earth were they thinking? They weren’t, that’s the answer to that!
Sunny – 13:12
This is crazy. How can we be expected to stay in all the time? I wouldn’t do that in the outside world so why should I do it here? I thought this place was supposed to improve our quality of life, not create a miniature society where the people who earn money get to control our actions. That’s exactly what happens on the outside.
Sophia – 13:21
I tried to reason with Jacob and Ben but they aren’t having any of it. I think the problem is that nobody really has any idea what’s going on with the money. I don’t really know how much I can spend. They’re talking about 320 quid as if it’s a lot of money but I’ve spent more at lunch with friends on 1 bottle of champagne…
Gareth and Leigh – 13:30
We just come in to tell you the good news. The missus, my beautiful wife ’ere, is expectin’. Only light duties from now on, my dear.
Nonsense Gar’th. I never shirked with the last 2.
Well you ain’t gettin’ any younger…
Cheeky!
Come on, let’s get out of ’ere.
Isabella – 13:42
Oh my god I’m so hung over and I’ve got to go to another 1 of these stupid meetings.
Sunny – 17:59
1 more thing I’ve realised about this stupid, ridiculous worker/non-worker nonsense and the fact that none of them…WHAT? NOW? OKAY, you can stop banging on the door.
*
They had all collected themselves together in the courtyard under the early evening sun. Earlier, regimented by a grumpy Ben, they had set out a large number of chairs in neat rows. Strangely, he had placed them facing the rusty indecipherable statue at the courtyard’s centre, having positioned a wooden pallet at its base for the speaker to use. Gordon had placed an additional camera at the back of all the chairs. He reasoned with himself that putting people under the illusion that millions could watch their antics might curtail some of their more ridiculous observations and remind them why they were here. It was a quarter past 7 before everyone had taken their seats, causing Ben and Jacob to exchange a few glances and adding to the frosty atmosphere. The silence was broken when Deborah, carrying a smiling Poppy, emerged from the main building amidst a flurry of apologies about her lateness and with questions over a missing ‘tippy’ cup. Gordon was seated at the back next to Sophia and Isabella.
He was chewing absently on a fingernail when Ben stepped onto the pallet and coughed loudly to attract the attention of the congregation. Speaking with military precision, he said, “Excuse me. I think everyone’s here now. We should start. I…”
“Hang on just a moment.” Gordon arose from his chair and disappeared into the main house returning moments later with another camera. He placed it near to the other 1 on a tripod, perching himself on a nearby rock.
“For close-ups,” he said, in explanation. He smiled to himself, knowing that he had just cunningly placed himself outside the discussion. It would be fun, he thought, pretending to be a reporter.
“If everyone else has gotten everything they need, I think we should start,” Ben said sternly.
“I don’t have my ‘tippy’ cup,” came a small voice from the crowd.
Amid a few sniggers from the back, Deborah could be heard with a reassuring, “We’l
l find it later, Poppy.”
“Well, okay, then. I think we should start with a few words from Jill, the treasurer. Jill?”
Jill stood up from her seat and made her way to the makeshift podium, clearing her voice on the way up, sounding like a tractor driving on gravel. “This meeting has been called to address some issues of finance or, more specifically, the excess spending of the group’s finances.” She cleared her throat again, more for effect, Gordon thought. “It has come to our attention that a group of you spent over 300 pound on Saturday night and to the workers, including myself, it seems to be more than a little bit unfair.”
“Excuse me,” asked Sunny, “but who are ‘the workers’?”
“Us full-time workers, that’s who,” Ben interjected suddenly.
“I thought we all worked full-time,” Sunny enquired back, pretending not to understand Ben but knowing it would cause maximum annoyance. A murmur went around the crowd.
“You know what I mean,” he snapped. “We all know who pays for who here.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“I’m a WHAT?”
“I said you’re an idiot. What are you even doing here?”
“How dare you speak to me like that?” Ben spluttered standing up to face Sunny. Gordon zoomed in on Ben’s face. “I pay for you to be here.” He pointed a shaking finger.
“You put money into this place but we all work here.”
Deborah now joined the debate and said, calmly, “Hang on, hang on. Would you please sit down? Ben and Sunny, would you please mind your language? There’s no point in getting angry. Jill, why don’t you carry on and let’s see if we can resolve this?”
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