OCCULTA

Written by: Chris Fennell, Anne Grimm, Megan Hasenwinkel, and Rachel Seow

Written for Vibs Petersen, FYS 27
December 11, 1997

CHAPTER 4

"I found this BB-30 child on Wide Boulevard this morning. Please inform its compartment watch," Wen said to Yar at the front desk.

Yar nodded and punched in the notifier.

"Call Ray to come to my office with the child listings," she added as she headed towards a blue door.

"Bye, Wen," Eveille called out.

Wen turned to see the child staring after her, her small face now pale with apprehension. Then she went into her room, closing the door behind her.

Moments later, the blue door opened and her acquaintance Kin walked in.

"I have the child listings you requested," he said, sitting down.

"Why are you here? Ray is my WA." Wen informed him.

"He died. Now I am your Work Acquaintance."

"What must you be briefed on?" she inquired, already making notes regarding what needed to be done as a result of this unexpected change.

"Everything. Ray died at six-thirty today and there has not been sufficient time for me to be informed of my responsibilities. I know nothing about the work you have been doing."

"It will take several hours to brief you as this has been an on-going project of four years." Wen opened her file box and pulled out cases on various Projects. Methodically, she went through each one with Kin and concluded with a recounting of a meeting she had just had that afternoon with the Executive, "...and so, as of this semester, control of population and mortality rates have been perfected and will remain ideal forever. As a result, the Executive has announced that the four-year rule of the preservation of E2TR patients will, henceforth, be an unnecessary drain on resources and shall be terminated at the nearest convenient date. All new-formed babies afflicted with the syndrome will, from now on, be allowed to starve, as will any children presently alive who have not yet recovered from it."

After making a few short notes, Kin looked up, "What would be the best way to dispose of the bodies?"

Evening. It was dark by the time Wen stepped outside, heading toward the tallest building on the corner of Crowded and Smith Boulevard. It was nearing the dinner houra set eating time advised by a former Executive, precisely calculated for optimum healthand most Pullusians were already inside. She pushed open the heavy door, removed her clothing, and was promptly descended upon by an anti-bacterial cloud. Through the semi-opaque air, she saw there were many other bodies filling the small room undressing and being similarly disinfected. Then, they were all herded toward the lifts which would stop at floors with vacant tables and indicate how many were available.

Wen was given table #45-03 on the forty-fifth floor which was identical to every other. The elevator door flipped open onto a large room thirty tables in length and width. Lined up exact as graph paper, the square tables was made large enough to accommodate one correct-sized Pullusian each and spaced carefully apart so as not to have diners imposing on each other's space. Every chair was turned towards the east wall where the large digital clock could be seen by all.

Once seated, Wen's body was scanned to obtain her list of ingredients and Nutrition Facts: her Total Fat Content; her cholesterol, sodium and sugar levels; how much fiber, vitamins and minerals were still required for the day; and how many of the mandatory eight glasses of water she had yet to drink. Then, her meal would be ordered for her accordingly.

Eventually, everyone's meal was served, but the room's inhabitants were motionless, all nine hundred pairs of lemon-yellow eyes remaining trained on the large blue numbers counting down the seconds. The dinner hour was met with little noise, save for the single hiss of every sleeved arm reaching for their utensils at once.

Wen made sure to finish everything placed on her table before the time was up. It was the last meal of the day permittedany food consumption after the dinner hour was unhealthfuland she didn't want to go to bed hungry. Also, when scanned at the next meal, anyone detected with nutrient levels below what was acceptable would be forced to make up for it. Meal build-ups had been known to occur. When the time limit was up, people were let out of the restaurant one floor at a time, their clothing returned at the door.

On Straight Boulevard, Wen saw her acquaintance Non. They arrived at their Pullusian box at almost the same moment. They were disinfected and were undressing when Kin entered, sealing the wall behind him.

Non went straight to bed. Wen spent a few minutes going over the next day's schedule. She had an important meeting with the Executive at nine. Then she packed up her miscellaneous box and went to bed. As always, she fell asleep immediately.

Continue to Chapter 5