Jon kept his eyes to the floor as the elevator began to descend. It seemed to rattle even more this morning than it did last night – which was only a few hours ago. It actually felt like less of a rattle and began to feel like more of a shake.
Oddly enough, this didn’t panic Jon. Quite the contrary, an elevator that inevitably broke down simply meant that it would finally get fixed. At least that was the hope. Maintenance workers in this building seemed to be few and far between. It wasn’t until something finally broke that anybody ever saw it get fixed. Jon just hoped it didn’t break until he was safely out of it.
He looked up and watched the numbers count down from twenty-seven – even slower than any time before.
25.
Shake, rattle and shutter.
24.
Shake, screech, rattle and pop.
He looked away from the numbers and put his eyes back on the floor. Perhaps the ride would go a little faster if he just watched the elevator car tremor on the surface below. For a moment, he thought back to his morning wish of a small-scale force of destruction such as a flood, or earthquake to mix things up. Well, he got his wish. The irony.
With the lack of sleep, rather than fearing for his life, all the jolting action from the elevator put Jon into a trance. Jon slowly lost himself to his train of thought.
Today was not an ordinary day. If it was anything, it was the start of the first day of the rest of his life. Or whatever life he had left. He was now a party member. The giant lightning bolt through the star, emblazoned on the floor was a reminder of that. If there was any freedom to be had yesterday, it was gone today. He was under the watchful eye of the party. Maybe he should have just accepted his fate in that box of a prison. Maybe he should have played by the rules and never put himself in this position. Maybe he should have plucked that pin out of its box, threw it at Greenwald and let everybody know just what he thought of the party and their party platform. He would have been sent off to the Adjustment Institute at best, and sent to the Work Force Participation Camp at worst – which both usually ended in death. As soon as this elevator hit the lobby, the life that Jon knew, and only tried to enjoy, was over. A new life, a life of servitude and unquestioned obedience, would begin.
Jon was brought back from his trance with a jolting thud that caused his knees to buckle. He reached out and grabbed the handle as fast as he could. The on-board system kicked on to play its departure message, but all that could be heard was more static and popping from the speaker. The numbers showing the floor number were no longer appearing. Jon didn’t know where he was, if he was where he needed to be, or if he was still ten-stories up, he didn’t know. Then that same door he had to squeeze passed started to twitch and to move. It very slowly opened to reveal what Jon probably should have been expecting, but after this little disaster of a quick elevator ride, he was happy to see it.
The elevator hadn’t quite made it to the lobby. It had stopped about halfway between the lobby and the first floor. Whatever happened, and whatever broke didn’t matter. That one door, still trying to work properly, revealed that not only did Jon have to squeeze his way back out, but he had to make a bit of a jump as well.
He stood, stared and thought for a moment. It was a good thing he left just a little earlier than he meant to. It seemed this short elevator ride would consume half of his brainpower – and free time - for the entire day.
He began prying the half-functioning door as best as he could. He managed to squeeze his body into the opening. Now he had to figure out how to keep the door open and bend over far enough to make the jump into the lobby. He decided to just to fall onto his backside while keeping himself wedged in the door.
Success.
His legs were dangling in the lobby below. Now he had to squeeze the rest of his body through and continue with the drop. He put both of his arms over his head and grabbed the exterior of the doors with the palms of his hands and pulled until his hips squeezed through and gravity took its course.
Success.
He had now pried himself out of a halfway-suspended elevator and managed to hurl himself to the ground below. It was shaping up to be quite the day, indeed.
Jon lifted himself from off his face and began dusting off his clothes. He looked up to catch eyes with a fellow who had just exited from the adjacent set of elevators.
“Boy, you’re lucky you live on that side of the building eh?” Jon said with a smile as he left the man looking onward in curiosity.
He walked out of the lobby doors and into the sunlight of the morning. It was a welcomed feeling after the previous night. The hustle and bustle of the morning commute was something Jon hated, but today it was a welcomed sight. He walked down about a block from his building and climbed the steps to the platform that was for boarding the transit system. He was right on time, too. Especially considering the little hiccup with the elevator system, maybe it wasn’t going to be such a terrible day after all.
That high hovering bus came roaring over the vehicles below. The guardrail securing the platform retracted into the platform at break-neck speed. Everybody waiting on the platform hopped to their feet and boarded the floating bus.
The seats were full before Jon even had a chance to think about it. He was one of the lucky ones who got to stand, and hold on for dear life. He clutched the harness that came down from the ceiling with a firm grip as the bus revved up and began its journey through the labyrinth.
As he was standing nearer to the front of the bus, Jon noticed a book, a manual, sitting under the dash of the operator’s station. He found himself wondering what was in the book. Most probably it was an operations manual and nothing more. It likely contained what the operator was supposed to know about the vehicle being operated upon, which couldn’t have been much as the operator only had to sit in the seat while the bus drove itself. They were more observers of the passengers than anything else. Still, Jon wondered what was in the book. He started to recall that oddly placed book he found in the library last night. He was not offered much closure there on what it was, as his curiosity ended with a quick kick to his ribs. The binding was different from anything he had seen before. It seemed to be of high quality. The gold leaf writing was most peculiar. “Howdy partner,” what did it mean? He had never heard anybody ever talk that way. Out of that misplaced sense of curiosity and the desire to know, Jon decided he would test it out here on his way to work.
He looked down at the older lady sitting in front of him and waited until she looked up to see who was staring at her.
“Howdy partner,” he smiled at the lady.
She looked up at him with a gaze of mistrust and confusion.
“I hate the bus,” she muttered as she returned her gaze to the floor.
He merely nodded his head in amusement. Maybe he used the phrase wrong, but this wasn’t going to be his last attempt. Not by a long shot. It had been a long time since he had found anything new. Between the nauseating commute to work and his small, dingy living quarter, nothing was exciting anymore. He tried to go cruising in a convertible, but that didn’t end in Jon’s favor. This however, whatever it was, had peaked Jon’s interest. He found it to be very exciting. It was so exciting that he began to think of schemes. He had to get back into that library and see that book again. He wanted to know what was to be said throughout the book. He wanted to know what other books were around those shelves. It became clear that the party had something to hide, but there was also something to be gained by being amongst their ranks.
Jon began to feel that somehow his newfound chains and bonds were somehow going to set him free. Somehow, he was going to slip passed the watchful eye of the party while he was right underneath it.
But then, maybe, maybe this was part of the bribing process. Jon always knew that becoming a party member meant a more lavish and comfortable lifestyle. It meant not just having more food, but good food. It meant not having a living quarter, but a home. Maybe he was seeing exactly what he was supposed to s
ee, so that when push came to shove, his loyalty would hold steadfast with the party.
So much to think about.
It was at this moment Jon could have really used a place to sit down, but here he was, still on this crowded, glorified bus that they referred to as the public transit system.
For the first time in a long time he was excited to get to work. He was ready for that sense of normalcy he was never really looking to do away with. Standing there in that boring, uneventful repurposing facility was sounding like the ticket to a better day.
The roar that the transit system was capable of rustling up began to slow and become a quiet hum. The journey from one end of the city to the center of town was coming to an end. They were now in the shadows of those skyward towers.
It was the strangest thing. Here stood these colossal buildings. They stood, almost as monolithic monuments to the testament of this modern man. They were so tall they seemed to flirt with the very clouds that presided over them. But there was something missing amongst the giants of the city. Jon had never quite figured it out. He knew he was supposed to stand in awe of these achievements.
But they were cold.
Jon exited the bus but not before giving a quick wink to the lady he had greeted earlier in their journey to the outskirts. She was still not amused by his antics. Out into those industrial streets he went. Those streets that seemed more alive with dirt than anything else, that were more of a home than anything Jon knew. He spent the majority of his days here in the dusty bowl of the industrial district.
Before Jon could turn his gaze to the building where he was currently employed, he saw her. There she was in all her beauty. She was perfect, and it hurt to see her so far away. Those unforgettable curves that seemingly ran in circles, how could he ever forget them?
It was his convertible. And she was locked up behind a gate. She was here for repurposing. Jon had spent so much time and effort into getting her into his hands, and she was taken from him.
Knowing that this would not be their last encounter, Jon took note of the time and headed to the front doors of the giant warehouse. As much as he loved that vehicle, it had caused him enough trouble already. There was no sense in losing his employment – and prompting another visitation with Greenwald-status over it. He was flirting with being late.
Being late for a work shift was not tolerated. Of all the silly little infractions Jon had gotten away with over the years, this was the silliest of them all, but it would be recorded on his encrypted data – permanently. It was a black tally mark against anybody who failed to be where they were scheduled to be. It was something that was looked at and considered when being reviewed for an advancement opportunity or a transition to a new employment location.
The party was interested in good girls and boys who behaved and did as they were expected to do. This was a quantifiable approach to ensure that mindful people did just that.
Jon walked promptly through those automatic doors and passed the front desk clerk who never paid him any mind. For a time, he tried to say hello. After that failed time and again, he resorted to simply smiling. Soon the smiling faded when he finally admitted to himself that the front desk clerk just didn’t care if he was arriving to work or not.
He only had a matter of seconds before that black tally mark was forever coded into his encryption registry. He stopped walking quickly and began to jog slowly. Down the hall, and passed the front office doors he went. He opened that tall black door that lead out to the warehouse. He wasn’t clocked in until he was at his station.
His station was little more than a chair with access to the repurposing facilities digital-projection-all-access computer database. Most of the time he was little more than a glorified data analyst and data entry personnel. He would spend all day, every day, going through inventory, checking registry errors during computer upload processes and then go through inventory a few more times.
Anybody could do this job. It wasn’t a difficult thing to learn, but it afforded Jon some opportunity. To get those private living quarters he hated so much, he could have just as easily ended up in sanitation or day labor. People were sent to where a position had a vacancy and needed to be filled.
It was as simple as that.
Everybody was trained to do their job effectively and nothing more. People were rarely allowed to transfer from one field of expertise to another. Once you were given your work assignment, you could count on that being your assigned task until the day you were no longer a viable source for production of quality and quantity – i.e. permanent retirement.
Jon had gotten to his station with only seconds to spare. He looked at his colleague, Mike, who was returning a curious look at Jon’s entrance.
“Howdy partner,” Jon said to him with a smile.
Mike’s face only became more puzzled, as he cocked his head to the side. Then he quickly disregarded Jon’s comment as nothing more than Jon being Jon.
“You cut it closer and closer every day, don’t ya?” said Mike.
Mike was about ten years older than Jon. He had been stuck working in the same position without the opportunity to receive any sort of advancement since the age of twenty-five. He was a surprisingly tall fellow. He stood about an entire head above Jon, but he wasn’t intimidating by any means. He had that slim and lanky type of build. Tall enough to reach just about anything but not wide enough to stand much of a chance in an altercation.
“I’m just happy to be here, Mike,” Jon said back with that form of sarcasm that only Jon knew how to convey. It was so thick at times that people often didn’t know how to respond.
The loud and obnoxious morning alarm sounded to inform all employees that work had officially begun.
This morning shouldn’t be such a bad morning. It was inventory morning, which meant Jon got to wander the lot outside, record all the new vehicles that had arrived and enter the re-purposing data into the system. It was still data entry, but at least he was moving around outside where there was at some sense of life.
After the work alarm sounded Jon headed toward the exit next to the docking bay.
“Don’t have too much fun out there,” Mike shouted as Jon walked away.
Jon turned with a smile and shouted back, “You know I will.” He turned his head forward and shook his head a bit. He would give away his food rations to never hear anybody say that line ever again.
Jon reached the bay door and grabbed an RP, retrieving pad, on the way out. It was a slim device designed to retrieve available data from the new vehicles and present it to the operator, Jon. The information would then be sent into the system, where the facility would be prepped for whatever purposes the vehicles were going to be used.
Jon knew his first stop, his or what used to be his, vehicle. It was just sitting between all the other vehicles, discarded and ready to be stripped and repurposed. That sweet little vehicle had already collected a layer of dust. Jon raised his RP in front of the car. It was followed by a faint, “beep.”
The information popped up onto Jon’s screen. It was all there and Jon was thankful that it was him who would be viewing the information and not somebody else. It was slightly embarrassing. He scrolled through the repurposing report. It stated the vehicle was in violation of at least thirty different codes and statutes.
Not surprising.
The report was nothing out of the ordinary. It stated the vehicle was to be stripped of any custom parts, refurbished and rebuilt. Then the vehicle would be put back onto the grid system, but to Jon’s dismay, it would have a new operator.
“I told you, you wouldn’t get away with it.”
Jon nearly dropped his RP, which would have cost him dearly. He quickly turned to see who had snuck up behind him. Mike. Of course it was Mike.
“What are you doing out here?” asked Jon.
Mike looked back at the opened bay and through his hand at the building, “Meh. They’ll never know I was gone, or miss me if they did,” he said with a smile. “So,
what happened and how are you still working here after getting caught with this?”
Jon wasn’t too sure how to answer his question. He was never any good at lying. If he ever found himself lying, he presented in such a way that it seemed he was begging his listener to understand that he’s lying to them. This time however, he had to convince his friend that he was telling the truth. Nobody was to know that he was now a reluctant party member. What better way to tell a lie than to tell part of the truth and leave the rest out?
“Enforcement pulled me over on the Outband. They weren’t too happy about it, but I was lucky to get off with a warning,” he said to Mike.
Mike stared at him for a moment. “Just a warning?” he asked while tipping his head to the side.
John took a quick breath and swallowed, “Yup. Lucky me, I guess.” He then shrugged his shoulder, hoping that Mike would just let it go.
Mike gave him another stare, “Right. Lucky you.” He stared at Jon hoping that he would cough up some more information. As soon as the awkward tension set in, “Well, maybe I should get back to my station. I don’t get away with warnings.” Then he turned and headed back to his station.
Jon let out a faint sigh of relief. He knew that Mike knew he was holding back information, but he didn’t care. It was better to leave his work buddy in the dark instead of risking another visit from the likes of General Greenwald. He gave the car one last glance before moving on with task at hand. He knew it would likely be the last time he saw it. By the end of the workday it would be stripped down to its stock guts at best, and at worst just scrapped for parts.
The rest of the day went by slowly and quietly. Jon could tell Mike knew something was amiss, but it wasn’t any of his business, quite frankly. That’s how you stayed out of trouble in this town – minding your own business. Don’t ask too many questions and most certainly, don’t expect people to answer them.
Jon spent the rest of his day going through syntax errors in the onboard computers of the vehicles that were set for repurposing. He would locate the errors, enter the information back into the system and the computer would do all the rest.
The Cowboy of Pinnacle City Page 6