Tom’s Survival

Author’s Notes: This story was written for Dan Peavey, a man who is always fulfilled when working his hardest and doing his best.

Tom would wake up every morning and shut the blinds from his window.  The ever-expanding view of space that unraveled outside of it had a tendency to be a bit too bright in the mornings. What an eyesore, seeing infinite and vast creations of the cosmos.  He could have spent points to change his window to an artificial sunrise, but opting for no simulations saved points. In addition seeing planets and stardust every morning reminded him that he was, in fact, on a spaceship. It was a sobering thought after waking from his adver-dreams. Rubbing his eyes and splashing water on his face, he’d check his mirror for daily notifications.

+5 points: You woke up on time!

+10 points: You got a full 8 hours of sleep!

+50 points: 5 perfectly productive days in a row!

The various meters and bars representing Tom’s life began to fill up.  His Happiness Graph maintained a steady plateau. His Productivity Meter made it to full once a day. His life expectancy was at the 80% mark of the Bell Curve and he was only a few more points from earning another level.  He brushed his teeth as the Nation-Ship’s National Anthem vibrated into his skull.

We are faithful to you-TO-pia, provided by Microsoft!

And we swear our might to you, our lords, in our own AT&T home!

May we find a planet for our kings, and we’ll call it MSNBC-Earth!

Our faith is placed in you our kings, sponsored to-day by:

Taco Bell Tuesdays! Now serving fair-trade petri-meat.

+10 points: You made it through a full 30 second brush!

Spitting into his sink and placing his toothbrush down to charge, Tom get ready for his day. His toothbrush downloaded tonight’s ad-feed, an additional +10 points if you brushed your teeth before sleeping. Tom swapped his sleeping clothes for his standard issue work clothes. He turned to look in the mirror and put on his Blue Pin, an indication he he worked in manual labor. It also served as an easy way for White Pins and Chosen to avoid speaking with him. A lot of people saw it as a badge of shame. Tom was happy to still have a place on the ship.

Stepping out of his apartment, Tom’s door sealed behind him with a vacuumed click. He looked out into the body of the ship from the small balcony off his apartment complex. The city within his Nation-Ship stretched for miles. Buildings climbed from the bottom floor and stretched their way up to the simulated-skybox above. Today the sun bore the Taco Bell logo, and the clouds were in the shapes of menu items. Gordita shaped clouds softly drifted next to nachos and burritos, prices listed neatly below. Tom yawned and waddled his way downstairs to the Generator-Bus Stop.

The Generator-Bus was an energy conductive form of Public Transit. Everyone on the bus would jog on a platform, and that power would back into the Nation-Ship. Tom could afford the insta-transport, but he enjoyed commute times. Public Transit let him meet people outside of work. The Generator-buses treadmills were also a form of exercise, and he’d get points for powering the Nation-Ship and maintaining his health. Tom smiled and said “Hello!” to the Generator-buses driver. The driver was a robot with a holographic face that automatically drove the bus and avoided collisions. It couldn’t register his hello, but it’s the thought that counts. Tom liked being nice to people in the service industry.

+10 Points: Thank you -TOM- for using public transit! You will earn (+2) points for every (10) steps taken today!

3…2…1…Jog!

Everyone on board the Generator-Bus marched in unison. Tom looked around for new faces. People would often take the Generators as a last ditch effort to earn more points. If you don’t make point quota enough times you’d have to relocate to another ship or face “Lock Out”.  Lock Outs means. The Nation-Ship’s Collective Chosen have decided that you can’t provide for the ship anymore and would send you out the airlock. Tom liked to cheer on new Generator passengers, but making friends just to lose them was simply the worst. He’d keep a tally on who lasted more than 4 weeks, then he’d introduce himself.

Achievement Unlocked: Congratulations Tom! You’ve earned enough points for another day off! You have (200) days off saved up! Why not take a vacation to Metropaclis? The magical metro-tropical metropolis!

Metropaclis seemed like a nice Space-Nation. It was filled with young, rich, beautiful passengers. If living there meant you were either famous, born under a “Chosen” name, or you were attractive enough to get work as a part of the Ship’s “Scenery Department”. Everyone else could visit, but only for a maximum of 7 days. Any longer and people would start thinking you might live there.

After a 20 minute jog Tom arrived at his station. The Bus dropped him off right outside his workplace. A giant glass bubble sealed off the isolated environment necessary to provide the upscale organic experience demanded by high point earning residents. Tom looked up at the entrance while his body and pin were scanned.

+25 Points! Welcome to work Tom! This is your (50th) consecutive day of showing up on time!

The doors flew open as Tom braced himself for the rush.  Pollen, moisture, dirt, heat. It all flew at him at once like a hug from mother nature herself. A smile crept over his face as the familiar smells brought him the one thing no other part of the ship could provide. These plants grew naturally, unmodified, and free. Even with the robotic aids someone needed to watch over the process. It was something that separated him from the ads, the oceans of people, the tiny bedroom and the knowledge that he was a cog in a system much greater than him. Here things were aloud to be free and to grow just a bit wild. They could live outside the lines, with no one telling them how.

Thank you for your work today! You’ve earned (230) points, having accrued a total of (798,452) points. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Tacos sounded nice, so did spending time with friends. There were tons of things Tom could do with his workday done. But he didn’t want to leave work, not just yet. Plucking a tomato and making his way to the highest point in the dome, Tom watched over his plants and smiled. Disconnected, alone, and free.