SimpliCity

Chapter 1

         In The City, there were many buildings, big and small. Some were for business and some were for living. Some were used by the law enforcement, and some were used for medical treatment. None of them were owned by one specific person, however. Nobody truly owned anything in The City. Instead, all things in The City were owned by The Leader.

         The Leader owned each and every object in The City, and made sure that they were always up to his standards of perfection. The standards of perfection applied to every object in The City and to every person in The City.

         The Job Council was a branch of The Leader's government that made sure that each and every person in The City had a job as chosen by The Leader himself, and The Job Council made sure that each and every person was meeting their requirement for their job.

         The Financial Council made sure that people were given their quota of money in order to be able to afford their necessities to live, while The Medical Council would oversee the health and wellbeing of people, making sure that everyone lived up to their standards.

         Of all the branches of The Leader's government, The Law Council was the most important one of them all. The Law Council would oversee the behavior of all the people, making sure they obeyed the laws at all times, and never once would they attempt to do anything that The Leader would disapprove of. Those who dared to break the laws would face dire consequences.

         These are but a small example of the many Councils that reside within The City. There are many more, but these are some of the more primary ones.

         The City was surrounded by a large wall that separated it from what was said to be nothing but deathly conditions on the outside. Nobody ever spoke of the outside, as it was considered to be a taboo. For all that mattered was that they were safe within The City.

         Everything was perfect. There were no negative thoughts, no crimes or acts of violence, no need for anger or hatred. Nothing of that sort would be tolerated. Everyone would be happy and living together within The City.

         Of course, one must realize that perfection is simply in the eye of the beholder, and that even perfection itself can be flawed. As shall be proven by the introduction of a certain person.


Chapter 2

         The elevator slowly descended down the shaft of the 42nd Building Of Business, and when it reached the first floor, the doors opened with a small bell ringing to indicate that the elevator had reached its floor.

         Norman Burgess, a twenty-eight year old male, who worked as an Information Inputter for the The Medical Council, stepped out of the elevator and walked to the large glass double doors. As he pushed them open, a slightly cold wind entered the lobby, mixing with the warmth within and creating a rather unusual feeling in the air. The late afternoon air was fairly cold for a day in the Third Month, considering that the First Season would be coming in a few days.

         Trying not to shiver as he braved the unusually cold weather, Norman walked a few feet to the stairwell that led into the subway station. He walked through the gates and down the clean stairs, toward the platform where the Zeta Line subway trains ran. Already, he could see there were quite a few people standing on the platform, watching and waiting for the train to enter the station. He could see at least one of them were shivering, and he didn't blame them.

         The Energy Council and The Financial Council had agreed that excessive heating in The City was causing many to exceed their monetary quota, and decided that some public places would only be heated during certain times. As a result, the subway system was originally going to be heated only from Nine o'clock untill Fifteen o'clock, untill The Leader decided that it was too soon to do such a thing, and cut heat to the subway stations indefinitely.

         With a loud rumble, the subway train, six shiny silver cars with a purple stripe on each one, and the insignia of Zeta on the front display of the first car, entered the station. The doors slid open, and some people exited, while the rest of the people on the platform tried to fit into the nearest car to them, hoping to find a seat after a long, hard day.

         "Once again, this is Business Area 40. Transfer here to service on the Omicron Line and the Beta line," The voice of the conductor echoed over a speaker in the ceiling of the second car that Norman had entered and managed to find a seat in. The car was already starting to get full and some people had to stand up, when, with a soft whoosh, the doors slid shut, and the train pulled out of the station.


         "This is Residential Area 20. All residents, please be prepared to show proper identification. Visitors must have a visitation pass ready for inspection," The conductor's voice spoke up again as the train entered the station some time later, and at that, Norman stood up and exited onto the platform, pausing at the exit gates to show the guard his identification card for the Residential Area.

         "Very good timing, Mr. Burgess, we're just about to prepare a shuttle for the Residential Area. You have plenty of time to make it I'm sure," The guard said as he handed back the identification card after inspecting it carefully. Norman nodded and proceeded through the gate and up the stairs to the lobby, where another train station was.

         The shuttle was like a monorail system that ran through the Residential Area, providing service for each Residential Building. Each Residential Area had a shuttle that would run at all times of the day, and would stop at each Residential Building. It meant that all persons would be able to travel regardless of what time of day it was.

         At the moment, the shuttle had just pulled into the station and was waiting for passengers to board for service to Residential Buildings 20-29. Norman walked into the first car and took a seat on one of the comfortable couches that served as seating for the passengers. The space between the buildings was rather long at the discretion of The Residential Council, as persons who lived too close together could cause conflict, which meant that the Residential Buildings would be built far apart from one another.

         As a result, it was a long ride to each Residential Building, so it was important that passengers be able to be comfortable during their ride to their Residential Building.

         After a few minutes, the doors slid shut, and the shuttle slowly pulled out of the station. An automated voice over an unseen speaker stated, "This is the Residential Area 20 shuttle, making stops at all Residential Buildings. Please feel free to make yourself comfortable and be sure to remember to get off at your proper destination. Thank you and have a nice day."

         Norman pressed a button on a panel next to his seat, and a touchscreen appeared in the wall in front of him that separated the two cars, or in this case, the passenger car from the operator's cab. He pressed a button on the touchscreen, and a small slot opened beneath it. Out came a can of carbonated cola, which he took. At that point, the touchscreen disappeared, and Norman took a sip of his cola, setting it in the drink holder in the armrest of his seat. There were no windows to look out of, as there was nothing to see other than the buildings of The City. Instead, passengers had the option to watch a moving film or listen to musical compositions. Norman chose neither of these today, since he felt different than usual, but he wasn't sure what it was.


         "Entering Residential Building 26. All persons who reside here please be ready to exit and have all belongings with you when exiting the shuttle. Thank you for riding and have a nice day," the voice said, stirring Norman from his thoughts, and as the doors slid open, he quickly stepped out of the shuttle car and onto the platform. He walked slowly to the corridor that led to the actual Residential Building itself, stopping to throw his empty cola can into a nearby disposal receptacle. The corridor was a gray color, and was lit on either side by numerous lights that made the color brighter than it probably was.

         He finally arrived at the black, solid wall with the door that would only open if one slid their identification card or their visitation pass through the slide mechanism beside the door. Fumbling in his pocket for the card, he finally found it and slid it through the mechanism. With a high-pitched beep, the door opened, and Norman walked inside.

         He walked up the carpeted stairs towards the second floor, where Residential Room D was. The first floor had Residential Rooms A and B, which were reserved for the supervisors of each Residential Building. After that, there were eight Residential Rooms on the remaining three floors. Norman was about to slide his identification card through the mechanism by his room, when a voice caught his attention.

         "Hey, Norman!"

         Norman looked around and, while he tried to smile, it just didn't feel the same as it should have. Something about this whole thing didn't feel right, yet it was unfamiliar at the same time. But that wasn't what had gotten his attention.

         Elena Simon, a female person Norman had known for some time, and had felt that their relationship was starting to become romantic in some ways, was standing there. How did she get upstairs without him noticing? And what did she want? Still, the sight of this woman was enough to make a male person become weak.

         Her eyes were narrow and a deep black color, just like the thick, curly hair she had that was worn in a slightly wavy style. Her skin was tanned in a moderate way, and was very tall with some muscles on her. To some, her hands may have seemed large, but it was a feature that didn't matter to Norman.

         Elena was known for wearing clothing that had some kind of blue color on it, and today was no exception. A medium colored blouse along with a dark blue skirt that ended above her knees, allowing one to see her shapely legs, with blue heeled shoes adorning her dainty feet.

         For some reason, she seemed rather happier than normal. It was not uncommon to see people looking happy, because one of the main rules of The City was that one must always be as happy with things as possible, so as to prevent conflicts from even possibly happening. Norman could only wonder what was going on inside that mind of hers.

         "Do you mind if I come in with you? I've been working longer than I normally was scheduled to be in The Transit Council, and I haven't had a lot of time to be with you." Elena's voice was soft and delicate, just like Norman was used to.

         "I suppose it should be all right, although I must say I am feeling a bit under the weather," Norman replied as he started to open his apartment door, gesturing for Elena to come inside. Elena nodded and stepped into the lush carpet of Residential Room D, followed by Norman, who shut the door behind him, and as soon as it closed, it dawned on him what the problem was. Yet, if he told anyone about it, The Law Council would probably impose the worst type of punishment possible upon him, since speaking of such a thing would be in violation of the main rules of The City.

         He was unhappy.


Chapter 3

         Elena casually strode into the apartment room and walked into the living quarters, sliding her heels off and setting them to the side as she sat down on the couch. She emanated a sigh of relief as she brought her feet up onto the couch beside her, rolling her neck tiredly as the tension from her daily work began to release. While she had worked with The Transit Council for two years, it was only recently that she was promoted to Secretarial Assistant for The Transit Council, which resulted in a massive change in her attire. As a result, she was not used to walking around in heeled shoes all day.

         Up untill her promotion, she had simply worked as a Train Monitor, working from the building of The Transit Council while monitoring a different line of the subway from one of the Monitoring Systems each day. Her job was generally giving operators information on trains that were running with a delay of some sort, had ceased to function properly, or to avoid any type of collisions in the tunnels. The Maintenance Council did not like having to work in the tunnels, where it was difficult to see or move around.

         While most of the Train Monitors had to be good with their eyes and their response time, Elena always seemed to perform exceptionally better than most of the persons who worked alongside her. As such, when the time came for a promotion, she was chosen to become a Secretarial Assistant, a position that was very hard to achieve, and anyone who attained that position was viewed highly by all the others in The Transit Council.

         "Would you like some iced tea, perhaps?" Norman asked from the small space where the food and dining utensils were stored.

         "I would definitely like that," Elena replied as she moved a little further onto the couch.

         "Very well, I shall have it ready in a moment," Norman said.

         Elena sighed a little, reaching down to rub her toes a little. Her feet had taken most of her tension during the day, and after all that she had been through in one day, having to deal with a Council Representative who had been secretly envious of her promotion, only to be found out a few minutes later by another worker. As a result, The Law Council had administered a substance via a hypodermic needle that rendered the Council Representative unconscious, and then he was carried away on a white stretcher.

         Elena could only watch in horror as the Council Representative was wheeled away on that long white stretcher, which would be loaded into an Emergency Transportation Vehicle, and then taken to the Building of The Law Council, where he would face the ultimate penalty for attempting to cause a conflict within The City. The penalty was so severe that nobody ever dared speak even in the slightest about it.

         Norman came into the room and set down two glasses of iced tea. Elena thanked Norman and took a glass, sipping the cool drink and the feeling of thirst disappeared, making her feel a little more happy. The happier a person was, the better off they were when viewed by The Leader.

         "Are you feeling OK, Elena?" Norman asked.

         "Well, having to wear heeled shoes all day can tend to make one rather sore, but I am all right otherwise," replied Elena.

         "I see," Norman said, taking a sip of his drink and setting his glass down on the small table in front of the couch. "Would you like me to massage your feet?"

         "That would be wonderful," Elena said, her eyes widening a little as she put her glass of iced tea onto the table and extended her feet into Norman's lap.


         Such a beautiful body, a beautiful face, and beautiful hair. All on his couch. Elena was truly magnificent in terms of her appearance, and it always seemed she looked better with every passing day. From her head down to her blue painted toes, Elena was a shining example of beauty.

         "Try to relax, Elena, this won't hurt a bit," Norman said as he took Elena's right foot and began to press his thumbs into her sole, rubbing in a circular motion with the thumbs.

         "Oh, yes," Elena said, making sounds of pleasure and delight. Her feet relaxed a little as Norman continued to rub Elena's foot. He pressed gently into her arch, making circular motions that got bigger and bigger, trying to cover her entire foot as best as he could, before proceeding to rub her toes gently, which brought more sounds of pleasure from Elena.

         "You seem to be enjoying this?" Norman asked.

         "Indeed, this is something that I've needed all day," Elena replied, her body seeming to be reducing in tension. At that, Norman took Elena's left foot and proceeded to massage it the same way he'd done with Elena's right foot, carefully rubbing and massaging each part of her foot. When he was done, he set Elena's foot back down on the couch. Elena grinned and took another sip of her iced tea. "The happier one is, the better off The City is," Elena said, reciting the motto of The City.

         "Indeed," Norman replied, trying to smile as genuinely as he could. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to smile as best as he could. He wanted to tell Elena about it, but he couldn't bring himself to, for he dared not tell of the ultimate sin of The City. Instead, he just tried to keep a positive look on his face as he sat with Elena.


         It was some time later, and Elena had fallen asleep in Norman's arms, when the signal of Twenty-One o'clock sounded, indicating that curfew was now in place, and that anyone outside of their Residential Rooms would have fifteen minutes to return, or be transported to the Building of the Law Council for whatever penalty the Council deemed appropriate, based on their History of Violations. Elena stirred and looked up. "Oh dear," She said. "I must be going. It was nice seeing you, Norman." She slipped her shoes back on and walked off. Before she left, she added, "Maybe tomorrow night, we could have our Evening Meal together?"

         "We'll see, perhaps we might be able to," Norman replied, standing up to escort Elena to the door. He opened it for her, and before she stepped out, she briefly paused to kiss Norman on the cheek. At first, Norman didn't show any emotion on his face, but when he closed the door, his eyes widened. He began to realize that the relationship between him and Elena was getting more romantic with every time they were together. Yet, the Council of Relationships had a specific standard that men and women were not allowed to have a romantic relationship unless they were granted permission to do so by the Council.

         "But why?" Norman thought to himself as he headed to his lavatory to wash up and prepare to sleep for the night. It was a question that no one dared ask any Council for any reason whatsoever.

         No one, ever, under any circumstances, asked anyone, "Why?"


Chapter 4

Good morning, it is the Seventh Day of the Third Month. As you awaken for another day, remember our motto: The happier one is, the better The City is. Recite it genuinely, and remember it for your day.

         The sound of The Leader's voice awakened Norman from his slumber. As he looked up, the clock stated it was Six-Thirty, and this was the time for citizens to awaken, unless they had a clearance from The Medical Council to remain in slumber. In a situation like that, they would either remain in their residence untill they were given clearance to return to their active duty, or they would stay within a facility of The Medical Council for treatment of whatever ailed them.