Chapter 2: Dinner

Supervisor Charles looked at his tired and ragged team. They took on several dozen pests in two drones and had survived the entire ordeal with only some bruises and scratches. Even the micro technicians put in their best effort. It was an overall successful project. The project closing report must now be written.

“Good job team, go to the HR department to collect your bonus pay!” Charles grinned.

Rarely does he ever give out bonuses, but today he was in a good mood.

Gin couldn’t help but smile. This was the first time he had ever received a bonus ever since he started his job at the Corporation.

The team dispersed from the landing site of the transport vehicle. Gin would need to wait several hours before the shuttle to his room pod comes. With the free time, Gin explored the parts of the city he was unfamiliar with.

Growing up in Area 97 wasn’t very quaint. It was a poor area with strife and chaos as its patrons. Gin grew up there. As an orphan, he had little support thus he quickly grew independent. Although sustenance wasn’t that much of a problem, he never felt full before. Thankfully, his strange growth condition and his perseverance were noticed by the Corporation’s recruiting manager and he successfully entered the job training for micro technicians. It has been 5 whole years since he left his horrible home of Area 97.

Today, the team landed in Area 23. It was close to the farms near the top, so they received far more natural sunlight than the dark and moist places near the bottom of the valley. People here were better off. Their complexion looked healthier and they sang praises of the Corporation for giving them such great benefits.

Gin looked around at the unfamiliar area. The buildings were built using black metallic cement that absorbed as much heat as possible from the sun. The heat was used to generate power for the building itself. It was very self-efficient, although it required constant maintenance.

Architecture technicians were considered a completely different occupation than Gin’s job. They were under a different department essentially, a competing department at that.

Advertisement flashed across his helmet constantly. Thankfully, Zin was there to help filter out the more annoying ones. There were some larger animated billboards that Gin couldn’t help but stare at. They were advertising a new form of entertainment for the Corporation’s employees. It was the HR department’s new method of motivation.

After all, the saying goes, ‘A motivated worker is a profitable worker.’

But the product was far too expensive for poor little Gin. Maybe after a few more years working for the Corporation, he could save up enough for it.

The sun was setting. The pollutants in the air altered the color of the sunset into a strange shade of purple. Either way, Gin appreciated the sun as he rarely saw it back in Area 97.

After walking on the sleek metal ground, he reached a branch of the HR department of the Corporation.

It was the largest building around, several stories tall. The logo of the Corporation was carved into the front of it like a symbol of peace and unity. Even as dusk came, a countless number of people were entering and exiting the building like a constant stream of worker ants.

Gin was still wearing his gaudy orange safety uniform and bubble helmet. He looked like a carrot with a marble on top.

Zin sent a confirmation code to the HR department’s AI and received a number for Gin. When his number is called, he gets to enter.

“Your HR visitation number is 61792, there are 412 people ahead of you right now,” Zin said monotonously. “Suggestion: Consume dinner as the wait will take over an hour.”

Gin sighed but agreed with Zin’s suggestion. No use just standing around like a fool in such a busy area.

Although he was poor in all sense of the term, Gin still managed to save up enough company credit to eat proper meals in the upper areas. After all, he worked for several months already.

There was a nearby sandwich joint that many employees liked. But it was constantly full of people, so Gin couldn’t get in.

Waiting in line for a sandwich could take even longer than waiting to meet with the HR department. Thus, Gin walked away from the busy square.

“Zin, any restaurants near me that have space?”

Gin asked his handy assistant.

“Checking capacity records of surrounding eateries…Data received. Records show a ‘Joe’s sloppy chop shop’ current has space. It is due northwest from your current location. Do you require a GPS map?”

Gin sighed and accepted the map. Although the restaurant’s name wasn’t very appealing, he was too tired to really walk to another area just for food. He only had an hour anyways.

But he soon regretted his decision.

Minutes later, as Gin sat in front of a large plate of what seemed to be potatoes and meat, covering in various condiments and sauces. A large frown was plastered across his face. His bubble helmet was turned off and had reverted into a set of goggles.

“This is…,” He couldn’t help but grimace, “This is made from those rodents isn’t it?”

Gin wouldn’t dare to say that out loud though. He recognized the smell of the cooked meat anywhere. During today’s project, a rodent managed to bite into a power cord and was promptly roasted alive when the metal bolt impaled it along with the cord.

Joe’s Sloppy Chop Shop really was a chop shop. It took the meat that the Corporation disposed of and turned it into edible stuff. Although ‘edible’ isn’t really quite the word for it. After all, even a nugget of uranium can be eaten at least once.

Although the source was disgusting, the aroma certainly was enticing enough. He was in Area 23 after all, if he didn’t know the source of the meat, he would have accepted the meal as rather good.

With a sigh, Gin reluctantly took a bite as he tried to forget the ordeal he faced today. It tasted normal. Like meat and potatoes with just enough saltiness to give it a bold flavor. Forgettable but filling, suitable for consumption by the employees of the Corporation.

It was better than the nutritional gruel that Area 97 served. It provided enough nutrition for an entire day, but it was flavorless at best. Some even tasted bitter and left a slight processed chemical smell lingering on the breath of those who ate it.

Gin couldn’t be picky now, but he did feel like it was a waste of his hard-earned credits.

After finishing the entire plate of the stuff, he patted his full stomach and took a leisurely stroll back to the busy square. His number was close, only a dozen left to go. He put his goggles back on but didn’t activate the full helmet. Zin’s voice finally buzzed in his ears again.

“Your number is called. Please report to the window ahead.”

Walking along the path painted on the metallic ground, Gin walked to one of the countless windows dotting the side of the building. The window slowly faded from white to transparent as an employee of the company in the HR department came face to face with Gin.

“Employee number?” She asked.

“MT718-A,” Gin quickly replied as he recalled one of the most important numbers of his life. “Here to receive my bonus ma’am.”

The employee’s eyebrows rose in amusement. A sly smirk almost appeared on her face but quickly faded before it even came into existence.

“I see, please wait a moment.”

The employee started to type in the numbers into the database. Soon, Gin’s profile was pulled up along with any bonuses that were attached to it. A glaring red envelope hung in the corner of his profile. The employee opened it and was momentarily unsure of what to do. Slowly, she recovered. Thankfully, her professional attitude ensured that Gin didn’t notice anything wrong with her face.

“Confirmation scan please.”

As she said that, a port opened up from under the window with what looks like a biometric scanner. Gin placed his thumb on the device as it quickly scanned his thumbprint.

“Confirmed, accept your bonus please.”

The scanner was replaced with a tray with a small black box on it.

“Please move along so that we may serve other employees,” The woman reminded Gin as her window faded to white again.

Gin took the black box in confusion and walked away from the building.

“What is in this thing?” He wondered, “Zin, scan it for me.”

“Scanning…,” Zin buzzed, “Results unknown, box material prevents scanning. Must be opened to continue the action.”

Gin became even more confused. The Corporation was often very transparent with what they were doing with its employees. After all, unknown factors can stir fear, and fear can lead to rebellion and chaos.

The box didn’t have words or symbols on it. Even the ribbon on it only displayed the Corporation’s logo.

“Let’s get home first before I open this.”

Gin decided.

There was only an hour left until the shuttle to his room pod dropped by. It would bring him to the employee resident cluster for trainees up in the upper thermosphere. The cluster of resident pods hung in low orbit dotted around the world.

Using the last hour he got in Area 23, Gin explored the magnificent area. Walls upon walls of tall buildings made the area into a labyrinth of offices, housing, and stores. But out of all the walls, the tallest was still the HR building at the center. Advertising flew across the air in the form of LED drones and animated billboards. Transport vehicles brought employees in all directions to other areas of the city.

The smell of dusk lingered in the air. It was filtered but still had a hint of a metallic scent. Steam rose from the vents on the ground as the heated floors released its built-up pressure. The sun during the day heated up water under the artificial ground of the area. This created steam that powered turbines that helped power parts of the city. The Corporation would try anything to save money, being self-efficient is a great way to cut costs.

The water in all the Areas comes from the largest man-made river at the bottom of the valley. Employees called it the Styx. It was where life and death both exist. But Styx isn’t just a single river. It also branched out into countless underground reservoirs and underground rivers within a large cave system.

The entire thing was called the River Styx.

As the sun finally vanished behind the mountains, darkness quickly washed over the city. But just as quickly, the LED lights of the advertising became brighter. The entire area glowed neon with various colors and lights. This was a place that came alive during the night.

Sunset also signaled that Gin’s shuttle was arriving soon. Taking in the last sights of the neon cityscape, Gin walked towards the shuttle depot.

______

“Pressurizing…, oxygen levels at normal. Enjoy your stay MT718-A.”

Gin stepped out of the pressurization chamber fully decontaminated. He tapped at his wrist and ankles four times in a certain rhythm as his gloves and shoes slowly unbound from the orange overalls. Finally, he removed his gloves and shoes off. It was one of the more satisfying feeling that Gin has ever felt. His pores could finally breath properly and he felt the brisk air in his room.

He took the chip out of the goggles and slipped Zin back into the wall terminal.

“Welcome home,” Zin said to both himself and Gin, “No new messages from the company, please await your next project.”

Gin finally had time to relax. Every day for the past few months, as soon as he got home, there would be a message from Corporate about his next project tomorrow. Some projects could last several weeks. Today’s ordeal only took one day but was physically exhausting.

A short break gave him the time to wash away the accumulated fatigue in his body.

“Bring up the hygiene room pod selection.”

Room pods contained only of the most basic sink and toilet in them. If one wanted to bathe, one required a hygiene room pod. There were several different selections of hygiene rooms, ranging from basic to fancy. Some higher quality rooms cost credit to rent.

Zin pulled up a screen with a selection of hygiene rooms that fell under Gin’s affordable price range.

“Just give me the basic one.”

Gin finally said with a sigh as he remembered he already spent credits on food today.

Zin confirmed the selection and a room docked next to Gin’s.

As he opened the door leading into it, a small common bathroom was displayed. White ceramic tile floors, a white seated porcelain toilet, a white porcelain sink, and a standing shower. The entire room was white on white on white. Compared to his dark and gloomy room, the contrast was intense.

Gin stepped in and turned on the faucet. Clean water flowed out.

“Everything seems to work.”

He had heard cautionary tales from his co-workers about broken hygiene rooms that left the employees in hospital beds.

Finally taking off the grey overalls, Gin walked into the shower. He turned on the faucet as cold water flowed, shocking his system awake. Slowly, the water warmed up and it relaxed his body. He could feel the fatigue was literally washed away. Having an actual shower always felt much better than decontamination.

After taking full advantage of the hygiene room, Gin once again wore a grey overall as he sat in his bed staring at the black box. He couldn’t recall any other employees telling him about getting a black box.

“Just what is this thing?”

Gin wondered.

“Just open it, the Corporation wouldn’t give you something that would damage their personnel or property.”

Zin said with less monotone in his voice. It seemed that when he was plugged into the room terminal, he starts to show some personality development.

Gin agreed and slowly removed the ribbon with the company logo on it. The ribbon suddenly disintegrated into small particles that got blown around the room by the fans.

“That’s something interesting new technology. Is the R&D department responsible for that?”

Gin pondered.

There was a limited capacity for waste. Having the ribbon disintegrate meant less waste to dispose of. Not only could the company satisfy their vanity and improve the product image, they could also be conscious of the cost of waste recycling.

The lid of the box opened up automatically as if the ribbon was the only thing keeping it closed.

Inside was a small bright blue terminal box. There was a slot in it for an AI chip to fit in.

“What is this thing?”

“Scanning now, nothing in the database matches description of item. Must be something far too new and thus it hasn’t been registered yet.”

Gin and Zin both stared at the mysterious blue terminal box.

“D-do I plug you into it?”

“I would strongly advise the user to NOT stick your AI assistant into random terminal holes,” Zin firmly replied, “Although our AI code is robust, and security is strong, hacked terminals can still greatly damage us.”

“A hacked terminal? Why would the company bonus be a hacked terminal?” Gin scoffed, “Don’t be so paranoid. By the way, did you develop more personality since this morning?”

“Personality node Alpha has completed structuralizing at 01:00 PM.”

“So, you now have some personality!” Gin smiled. Talking to a monotonous AI wore down on his nerves.

But despite Zin’s argument against it, Gin still really wanted to stick him in the blue terminal.

“Come on, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s the company’s product after all!”

“Fine, as your personal assistant AI, I can only give suggestions and never make decisions for my owner. If you must stick me in that thing, then it is your decision to do so.”

Gin grinned as Zin finally let up. He could leave feeling guilty for later. For now, he was curious.

With Zin’s chip in hand, and the blue terminal in the other, Gin sat impatiently as he slowly inserted the chip into the terminal.

A soft continuous dinging noise echoed from the device. The process continued for slightly over twenty minutes then halted suddenly.

“Update complete.”

Zin finally said.

“So, it was an update package…,” Gin exclaimed, finally satisfied, “What features do you have now?”

“Three features installed. Capitalist Conquest installed. Combat system installed. Player account program installed.”

“W-what?”

Gin was shocked. What the heck was Capitalist Conquest? None of his co-workers mentioned this before.

“Zin, open the information manual for the three features.”

Soon, three screens full of texts opened up on a holographic display screen in front of Gin.

As he began the read, the facial expression on his face changed constantly and dramatically. From a smile into a frown into anger, back into a smile. It was as if he had schizophrenia. Finally, Gin sighed after reading all three screens.

“Partner, looks like you and I are in for a long journey.”

“Indeed.”

Zin and Gin both sighed.

Their lives were controlled by the company after all. From food, water, shelter, and everything else, they were all provided by the company. Now that Gin worked full time for them, he had an obligation to meet. They used the resources to train him, he worked to pay them back.

Now it was time for him to pay up. But it was also an opportunity for him to move up the corporate ladder.

Capitalist Conquest, a game of augmented reality where employees reveled in entertainment and opportunity.