by John M Grier
The Government
Unlike Paul, when Janet got home, she enjoyed a rather lengthy shower, with as much hot water as she could stand. She was really unaware that Paul, restricted as he was like all civilians were, only had hot water occasionally. She was a government employee and had privileges that they simply did not. Janet was not abusing her power; she was simply part of a vastly different culture.
Sometime in the past, civilians and government employees drifted apart to the point that no one ever crossed the line to form any kind of friendship with the other side. This was not a written rule or even a law, but stemmed from the fact that the two groups had become estranged.
For example, Paul lived in a two room apartment, which he paid for with one third of his salary, no matter how much that salary was. In this way, how could he complain? If his salary were to decrease for some reason, he would still only pay one third of his new salary.
Janet, on the other hand lived in a twelve room apartment, complete with every luxury imaginable. She had no reason to look down on Paul for his living conditions, because she was simply unaware of them. She had no idea of the lifestyle Paul and his fellow civilians ‘enjoyed.’
So, where Paul endured a cold, brief shower, for the good of the earth and its environment, Janet had never considered the possibility of taking a cold shower for any reason. The thought that anyone should never occurred to her, or anyone else she knew. On the other hand, Paul was equally unaware of Janet’s living conditions.
Perhaps if they both were aware of their vast differences, they would each understand the other’s side when it came to things like living conditions during remote expeditions, such as the one in Canada they just left. Paul didn’t mind the conditions, for the most part because they were not much different than his home conditions. Janet, however, had no way to know this or come close to understanding it.
So, as she stood for many long minutes, letting the hot water cascade down her body, she thought of Paul. She couldn’t understand why he hated her so much. She did everything she could to encourage him to like her, but it seemed as if everything she did was wrong.
She had secretly formed an attraction to him when they were first thrust together two years ago. She kept her feelings to herself, though, because she knew none of her friends and fellow government workers would understand. After all, Paul was just a civilian and she was Government! Certain things should never mix! But after his assertiveness on the recent dig, she secretly found him even more intriguing.
She dried off and made her way to the kitchen area where she could see what was available for delivery today. Should she choose Vegan, or go all out and try a decadent soy patty? Somehow, she knew Paul would not choose the Vegan option, so she didn’t either. She placed the order and waited rather impatiently for the three minutes it took her meal to arrive. While waiting, she tried to put Paul out of her mind.
This was yet another difference the government employees enjoyed that their civilian counterparts were unaware of. Janet’s meal was delivered via a tiny matter transfer pad, located behind a door on the wall of her kitchen. She had never given any thought as to how it worked, or how the food got to her, or even where it came from. She simply read a menu, ordered the meal and waited a few minutes until it arrived.
Paul, on the other hand, had to trudge off to the Community Distribution Center to obtain food, which was always cold. If he was fortunate, the line that always formed behind the microwave oven his community shared would be short enough to wait in. Otherwise, his meal would remain cold. Usually, he ate cold food and never had a choice as to what it was.
After dinner, Janet decided a massage was in order. She lay on the massage table in her relaxation room and enjoyed the deep massage the table was capable of. However, she couldn’t help but think of Paul.
She finally worked up the courage to contact him and let him know how she felt. She had wanted to call him for quite some time now, but always gave up at the last second. The least he could do was talk to her, right? Mind finally made up, she said “Computer, please locate my co-worker Paul from the last expedition I led.”
The computer responded with “Madam, Paul is not within the city walls at the moment.”
She sat up abruptly, both shocked and deeply concerned. “Well, where is he?”
“He is located twenty-seven kilometers west of Harmony at the moment and has been there for six point nine three hours. Shall I attempt contact with him?”
“What could he possibly be doing there? There are no other digs scheduled that I am aware of. Is he alone?”
“There are no other signals emanating from the area. I would therefore surmise that he is alone.”
“That sounds very dangerous, being that far from the city walls, alone. He could be hurt or in some sort of danger! Maybe I should go there and see if he is okay.” The thought never occurred to her that if she went there as well, she would also be alone, at least for the trip there. She fretted about it for a while longer before finally deciding to be brave and just do it. She would figure out what to say when she found him.
“Computer, please obtain a vehicle for personal use to be delivered here within the half hour” she said.
“As you wish, madam” it replied. “Shall I obtain a driver as well?”
“No, I think I shall drive myself this time. Thanks anyway.”
Now she had only a half hour to decide what to wear. She walked to her closet and proceeded into it several meters. Turning right, she strolled to the far end, deep into the far-reaching depths of her vast collection of clothing. Finally, she chose an outfit that she hoped Paul simply could not resist! She would be stunning in this dress.
Finally emerging, she found the vehicle had been delivered nearly thirty minutes ago. Feeling on top of the world, she got in and headed for the gate.
Her idea of driving herself was much different from what Jack would have thought, had he known what she was up to. She simply got into the back of the Hoverlimo and told the car where she wanted to go. It was up to the vehicle to decide the best route, etc. She wouldn’t be bothered with such trivialities.
As a result of her non-interest in where she was going, when she finally did look out of the window, all she saw was wilderness. With an involuntary shiver, she thought to herself “Who would want to come way out here if they didn’t have to?”
