If the Heat Won't Kill Ya...

I look out the window and realize I'm at my destination. My travel unit slows, taking a left turn, and seamlessly lands atop one of the charging stations. The automated stairs unfold and rest on a small platform. It’s all perfectly timed, a smoothly synchronized movement.

The top of my travel unit pops open as I stand straight and glance around. Everything is still. The calm before the storm. This place is out in the middle of nowhere, the earth is scorched and barren all around this city, (which doesn’t seem to be faring any better.) The sun’s damage is making it more and more precarious to live outside of Beginning.

Well, I’m here to do a job so I look around near the entrance. Not too far away two security guards shift to standing. I had caught sight of them as I was approaching. They both were leaning back into their chairs, legs stretched out in front of them, heads resting against the cinderblock-equivalent wall that has recently been erected. A make-shift umbrella offers them a smattering of shade.

They jump to attention at the sight of me descending from my travel unit and immediately start walking towards me. Their eyes meet mine, but they instantly shift to peruse my car. It’s one of a kind. I’m used to people drooling over it. I see the brightness in their eyes as they nudge each other, both whispering like adolescent school boys. I smirk to myself.

So I stand, taking a little pride in my creation. It is - afterall - a work of art. The two burly men step nearer, almost afraid to come too close. In my college days, I would have slinked into the background and found another way of passage before these muscle-men got too close to me. I was much more lanky back then. An easy target for rambunctious, brainless, buffoons. Not that I’m saying that’s who these two are. I’ve met my share of smart, overly muscular men –and women, so I’m not going to jump to stereotyping.

“Good Morning!” I extend an exuberant hello.

“Morning,” they follow in unison. It’s hilarious to see these two giants, Beginning’s finest security, standing shyly back, not wanting to approach.

“Would you like to come check it out?” My eyes dart between both sets of their glazed-over eyes.

“No Sir… We don’t want to impose.” The slightly shorter, more stocky one answers for the both of them.

“It’s fine! Come take a look, before the rest get here.”

Both simultaneously take a handful of steps, landing at the base of the stairs. I’ve stayed on the lower rung, waiting. I’m confident in who I am. But these two here. Well, even standing on the bottom rung of a three step stair, I’m still just an inch or so taller than either of them.

I know Beginning has a grueling selection process for security –that goes without saying, but these giants are the largest I’ve seen. Maybe they’ve found a way to grow them bigger and stronger in one of their secret labs. I wouldn’t put it past them.

BUD greatly discourages any marking of our bodies - at least where the public can see. They thrive with unity and similarity. But they encourage security to tattoo themselves –more as a warning for people approaching. It’s kind of a red flag –or a set-off flare. BEWARE! Both have a fair amount of ink along their necks and down both of their right arms. It’s nice work. The color’s vibrant.

I have some ink. Just to the right side of my groin. It’s intricate work. I had it placed there mainly for the ladies to admire. Kind of like a cool ice breaker/conversation starter, before we get into… things. It depicts the head of my horse, along with some really detailed scroll work that snakes around my upper thigh.

Rally was my horse growing up on the farm. Thankfully he passed just a year and a half before we had to go through the Relocation Process. I would have never been able to be separated from him, or even worse, watch as they took him to put him down. So yeah, it was for the best. But now I take him with me wherever I go. I know, I know… I’m a sentimental A-hole.

-

Well, I stay perched on my rung while the two of them timidly walk around my car, talking and pointing. Finally asking some questions. I step back inside, leaving the top open as I start it up for them and they both laugh out loud. Boisterous laughs bursting free when I show them the fire shooting from the side engines. I’m chuckling to myself as I watch the two of them, laughing and smacking eachother hard on their biceps. Their smack would probably send me across the floor, and I’m pretty muscular.

People don’t get to see or be around blazing fire (or simulated in this case) and it always fascinates the curious. Beginning has page upon page of rules that need to be enforced for the perfect world to function correctly. No open flames is one of them. That’s where my invention comes in. I smile to myself as they finally make their way around and I descend from my travel unit, outstretching my hand to make their acquaintance.

We instantly jump back into work-mode as the two of them take turns catching me up to speed with the lay of the land. There were a few incidents when they first arrived six weeks ago that they had to deal with.

I listen carefully to their report, even though I am fully aware of all the activity happening here. I get reports instantly as it’s happening so I can understand what my crew is stepping into and then make adjustments. Like today, I upped security on the Eastern border, that area seemed to be the most restless. But I like to hear about it from the people who actually have their feet on the ground, they’re the ones dealing with it. I can get clear answers. That way I immediately know if my intel was correct.

My crew are my family, and I take care of them. I’ll never - as much as I have control over - allow them to enter a volatile situation. At least not without ample protection. Like these two gorillas. And I say that with the fondest affection. They know their business well, and I instantly feel confident in their protection. Besides, I do my homework. I haven’t worked with either of them before, so I’ve run analysis of their previous work, I’ve read all the reviews, assessed the risk, and have decided that they'll be my bodyguards while we’re here.

If they do a good job, I may request them to be part of my team. BUD allows me a lot of perks, choosing the people I work with being one of them. They know how important I am to making things run smoothly for the new territories. In reality, that’s their biggest risk. If the Newbies don’t acclimate, that’s usually where the problems arise. Again, I get it.

Things will only run as smoothly as the people will allow. We can’t have rebels leaking into Beginning. I know I have my concerns about their operation, but I also know things need to run in a certain manner or all hell will break loose. And, just to clarify, my group of former rebel-misfits aren’t the kind I’m talking about here. These rebels just want to cause trouble for trouble’s sake. They’re usually just bullies that have turned into dysfunctional adults. Those kinds of people, I don’t mind putting in their place.

The two brutes take one more spin around my travel unit while I’m looking at my monitor, finalizing some last-minute details. We then take a quick walk around the perimeter of their station. The walls are erected to keep order. Control the rehoming of every citizen. The Robots are dropped off two to five days prior to security arriving and they can erect about 125 meters within an evening's time. The walls are as strong as concrete, but lighter weight, and lock together so they’re sturdy, yet convenient.

The walls come down and are moved to another region almost as quickly as they go up. As soon as we load the last of the citizens in any given region, the walls are moved. As I always say, efficiency is the order of my day. It’s a beautifully orchestrated plan… if all goes according to My plan.

“When is your crew arriving?” The shorter one asks. “They’ll be here…” I glance at my watch. “Actually, in less than ten minutes, we should be able to see them coming…”

Even with my aviators on, looking out over the dry, barren land makes it difficult to see anything. The sun-scorched plains are void of any life and the heat warps the air above the ground causing ribbons of heat to turn into waves. I lift my hand, shading my eyes. In the distance, I can see - like a mirage - a shadowy cloud coming our way, just on the horizon.

“I believe that’s them…” My arm stretches out, pointing to where they’re coming from. Short, burly dude turns to look, his hand immediately shading his eyes as he flips his sunglasses back down. I turn back to them. “So, which one of you is Cliff? His hand comes forward and I shake it. 

Shade smiles, shoving his partner, who doesn’t budge. His thick legs are like oaks planted firm in the sand. “That leaves you to be Shade.” I extend my hand to Shade, who grasps it tighter than then I'd like, shaking it vigorously. I have no doubt, if the spirit moved him, he would dislodge my shoulder in a blink of an eye.

“Alright!” I loudly speak, breaking his hand-shaking trance.

“I’d like you two to assist me while I’m here. I’ll assign a couple security guards to man the gates and take your place.” They pause, glancing at one another with kind of stupid looks on their faces. “Is there a problem with that?” The taller, leaner one - Cliff, speaks first. “We were told that once you arrived, we were done here.”

“Oh.” I look back and forth between them. I have the final say in everything pertaining to the relocation, and I want them with me. I’ve been hearing rumblings through the grapevine. Topeka is one of the last cities who had communications with citizens in Beginning, and there have been some protests. Nothing earth shattering, but still. Not everyone is happy to see us coming and I want to stay safe. For myself and my crew.

“Are you two stationed somewhere after here, cause I can get those orders changed.” They look at each other again. It’s weird, it’s like they talk telepathically, or - more likely - they know one another well and can read each other’s thoughts.

“Sir…” Shade clasps his hands in front of him, wringing them. “What is it?” I look between them both. “Well Sir, it’s just that we had a couple days coming.” “Oh. I see.”

I step closer, leaning in. I really want them as part of my crew. “I could make this worth your while… I mean, unless you have big plans already set in motion.” They both shake their heads, their eyes lighting up again, but it seems they're still not ready to commit so I decide to sweeten the deal. “What if - after we’re through with the first region here - I see to it that you both get an additional week's bonus pay. Would it be worth your while to stay on?” Two huge smiles emerge on their faces. I take that as a yes. There’s some hard back slapping happening, as they both lumber back and forth on their tree-trunk legs, like doing a little ‘giant dance.’ I let out a laugh, get another slap on my back, and turn around to see when my crew will be landing.

With all our distractions, we didn’t get any of my usual preliminary work done this morning. Time snuck past me. I really am off my game. I gotta get it together, I wanna get out of here… I need to get outta here tonight. That’s probably my problem, the anticipation of seeing her again is screwing everything up in my mind… cause all I can think about is screwing her. God! Get your mind out of the gutter.

-

As we walk, and I let them catch me up on anything important that somehow missed ending up in my daily reports, I assess everything from the guard stations to the loading docks. They've shared about a breach that happened on the south-western side. Sometimes these incidents aren't in the reports because it can halt the evacuation process.

Usually, by the time we’re all scheduled to arrive, there's nothing to be done by this point, so unless they can’t handle it on their own, I encourage the security team to handle it themselves, just bring me up to speed once I arrive. If needed, I send out a specialized team. They're called Enforcers, but they’re the equivalent to what a SWAT team used to be, without using militant force, instead they separate the leaders from the pact, which usually causes citizens to fall back in line.

Beginning really isn’t about force. They want people to be happy to come, that’s why they do all that advertising, and send in ambassadors to answer any questions. But, there are always those few. The ones who want to buck the system, they don’t care what the system is, they just want to be against it. If people just paid attention to the news, saw the devastation of our planet, they’d be begging us to get into Beginning as soon as possible. I’ve found - through my five years in this job - that ignorance still exists, and… it’s alive, healthy, and doing well.

-

I pull my hanky out from my back pocket, wipe it over my dripping wet face, and tie it around my neck, sighing heavily. We've only been out here fifteen, twenty minutes, tops, but I forget what it's like being away from our perfectly, temperature-controlled life. Especially when we get further and further away from Beginning. I'm just coming off of my required office time, so that's another tick against me today. Not to mention, the sun is scorching out here. Big F-ing surprise.

The two of them watch me with a similar smirk spread wide across their faces. “Oh shut up! I know, you’ve been out here way longer than I have.” They glance at each other and then back at me. “We didn't say a word.” “Yeah right! Didn’t I tell you that I can read minds?” There's a strange pause as they contemplate the reality of that, and then we laugh together.

“We'll gladly keep you with us during the Relocation Process, ya know –if it'll reacclimate your body's temperature regulating. It’ll only take you a couple days.” Cliff smiles wide at Shade, who's busily nodding in solidarity. “Very funny! I'm surprised the sun hasn't melted your sense of humor yet. And thanks, but no thanks. My temperature controlled caravan I get as office space works just fine for me.”

“It is brutal out here.” Shade sobers up and Cliff continues. “The city isn't that much better. It feels like the land is becoming more and more unstable.” Our eyes meet and we both understand what that means for the rest of the earth. Time is ticking and we had better get our rear ends in gear. I don’t care what BUD says. We’re the ones out here on the so-called, front lines, experiencing it firsthand.

-

BUD’s headquarters always predetermines what area of a city will be the first to go through the Relocation Process. That first group always seems to be the largest. It makes no sense seeing as it’s the busiest, most confusing day, but… I have no say in this. I just do what I’m told… That is, until my feet touch the ground. Then it’s my rules, my way. And… you had better stay out of my way.

Today I’ll need to set half of my crew up to go through this segment’s allotted personal items that each citizen gets to bring along, plus I have to work with the crew that scouts out all the livestock and pets. The healthiest get a microchip and then are loaded into their own travel unit, the rest are disposed of at their location. Thankfully that’s not my job anymore, I just need to oversee it all. All healthy livestock is dispersed throughout Beginning to be incorporated with all the other livestock within the borders.

Pets are placed in the forward compartment of each belongings unit and will be reunited with their owners once the process is completed after they've been thoroughly checked and given a stamp of good health. That’s always a big challenge. Obviously, people don’t like being separated from their pets. I get it, I don’t know how I’d handle it if Haywire was taken from me. Chip or no chip, I don’t like the idea of him being at the mercy of people I don’t know. That’s why I make sure Calvary is in charge of that portion of the move. She’s one of my best crew members and she’s great at calming and reassuring panicked citizens.

At first she fought me on this assignment, stating that just because she’s a female, she’s not a babysitter. We went round and round until I pointed out all the past situations that she stepped in and calmed everybody down, keeping World War five from happening. She cursed me, then obligingly took the assignment.

That was over three years ago, and now she has it so perfected, she rarely has any issues. Don’t tell her I said this, but her voice is normally quite gruff, although, when she’s dealing with citizens who are nervous about being separated from their pets, she can lower her tone to a level that could charm a cat out of a tree. Which she’s actually done on occasion.

As for me, I actually oversee all of the procedures. That’s my official job. But, I run a tight ship. I’m always lending a hand where it’s needed to keep things moving smoothly. My crew appreciates that about me. I feel - if my crew is happy, then things will move along swimmingly. So, I make sure they know that I value them. When they work efficiently, my job becomes so much easier.

-

People who are slated to move into Beginning are allowed a small number of personal items. BUD prides itself with providing all the essentials a person or family unit needs within its own borders. But still, they try not to be heartless, allowing everyone one personal box --1 meter square. We, of course, have the final say over all of it. That goes without saying. Each citizen is microchipped, matching their personal box’s code. Both are scanned at processing so their box won’t - and can’t - ever be scanned to another individual. It’s foolproof. We haven’t had a single box go missing or returned to the wrong owner.

-

My best friend and right hand man, Kendalh, takes care of that end of things. Overseeing the crew on the ground, working with individuals. But, there’s always something that throws a wrench in the gears. That’s why I always think to myself, this perfect world cannot be maintained with imperfect people living within the borders. I hate being the pessimist, but everyday this job just confirms my beliefs. People are people. Some are good… and some are bad. No amount of coddling or making sure their lives are perfect is going to change that.

One of my smaller crew’s will check houses for historical items or valuable antiques. This can result in a horrendous hassle that my crew has to go through. Beginning has the right to confiscate all antiques and heirlooms to be placed in their museums. No gems are exchanged. (And I think that’s the problem.) BUD feels that history should be for all to enjoy. Of course they give credit to the family they take it from. Giving them a small gold plaque with their surname, placed right below the artifact, along with a ribbon cutting ceremony introducing the new piece(s) to the museum.

That’s their way of justifying stealing. I guess. And, surprisingly, (I say, tongue in cheek) not all families feel that a plaque and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is sufficient payment for taking a family heirloom. I can’t blame them, but that's the way of it. Might as well let it go and move on with your life. It’s only a thing. Seriously, just let it go. Even if I don’t necessarily agree with this rule, I’m much more smooth-tongued when I’m cajoling citizens into giving it up ‘for the betterment of the community.’ That is a talent of mine… Wooing people into complying.

-

“We should get at it then,” I say as I slap my hand against Cliff’s broad back. We pick up our pace and finish our tour of the outer region just as the sea of BUD’s units start arriving –each travel unit, locking into a solar powered charging station. I jog over, even though I’m already exhausted from the heat, to greet Kendahl.

“Dude!” The top pops open as Kendahl stretches his arms up to the sky. He’s lanky, 201 centimeters tall! Putting him in a normal travel unit is like shoving a tuna into a sardine can. His body literally is unfolding as he stands, shaking his limbs, trying to get the feeling back into them. It doesn’t dampen his spirits though. He turns towards me, his grin a kilometer wide. He’s my natural version of PET. His smile always lifts me. I don’t need any drug stimulation when he's my best friend.

“You’re finally here!” I fake look at my watch, tisking at him, shaking my head. “Oh don’t start with me! You Jack Rabbit! You only have yourself to get here…” His arm swings wide over the fifty-some travel units locking into stations behind him. “I have this whole circus to rein in!” He chuffs like a cougar. I laugh at him, nod my head, and murmur something about being a freakin 'baby.

He lumbers along, takes two gigantic strides, and is right next to me, pulling me into his chest, those extended limbs of his, locking me into an embrace. Normally, on any other given day, I wouldn’t put up with this sort of behavior, but we haven’t seen each other in over two weeks and I guess –absence makes the heart grow fonder. I break free, smacking his solid chest. He’s all muscles, even though his frame is lanky. “Hey Dude, it’s a little too hot for bodily contact… of any kind.” I shove him back but all he does is laugh again. “Good to know.” There’s a wink that follows but I have a feeling my words went right over that skyscraper head of his that rests on a giraffe's neck. I need to say that outloud, it's a good dig.

“Say! How was your well deserved vacation? Did the Mrs. and your rugrats enjoy your ski trip?”

“Oh God! They… Well, we had a blast! Can’t wait to catch up with you!”

“Glad to hear it.” My arm stretches around his back, giving him a hard smack.

“Ready to get back into it? You should be well rested by now.”

Ha!” His laugh is loud and sharp. “Obviously the sun’s fried your brain if you can’t remember what it’s like around my house. Jeez, five females to one male. Believe me, there’s no rest my dude. I have to come back to work for that.”

“You’re the one who kept punching out those babies. Four kids is crazy in this day and age. I’m surprised you even got clearance for that many rugrats. Don’t you guys know how easily contraceptives can be obtained?” “You know Jessie, if she sets her mind to something, you’d better just strap yourself in and go along for the ride. And she came from a big family… so there you go.” I cough out a laugh. “Big family!? You might as well call her a circus rat for how big her family is. There’s no reason for that many kids, I pity her mom!” I shiver at the thought. Jessie has twelve siblings. It’s insane! “I did put my foot down,” Kendahl grins like he's made an important decision. “I told her on our vacation that I want no more baby-making sex. We're done!” “And her reply was?” Ken drops his head. “Well, first she said, fine, then no more sex. After I picked my jaw up off the floor she changed her tune, telling me we're done when she says we're done because it's her body that's affected by pregnancy, not mine.”

I break out laughing at that. “Well Bro, I guess you'll just have to learn to love going along for her ride!”

“I might have said something to tick her off.” “And?” My eyebrows raise. This is good. “My response to her ‘my body’ statement was –it might be your body but it's my wallet.” I cringed. “Oooo, that's bad dude!” His hands went over his privates. “She might have just as well kicked me in the gonads for the response she gave me.” He put his hand up, palm facing me, “and don't even ask because I refuse to repeat what she said to me.”

“Jeez, that bad?” He just nods. “What do I do? She owns me. And getting kicked out of bed royally sucks.” I just shake my head in solidarity.

Kendahl’s gaze takes in the territory. “God! It’s like a dessert out here, isn’t it.” “What? You haven't noticed? Did you sleep the whole way here?” “Actually, I did. It's the only good sleep I've gotten in days. The couch isn't comfortable. I mean… neither was my travel unit seat, but at least the constant humming of the engine lulled me to sleep. I might not stand straight for a couple hours, but I'll be fine.”

I laugh at him. He's always got me in stitches. “Alright my dude. Can’t blame you. Tough luck with Jess.” “It'll be fine. I'll show her! I'll just have the surgery.” His hand raises as his fingers mimic scissors cutting. Now I cover my junk. “Won't she kill you?” His hand slaps my back. “Just razzing you.” I shake my head. “Come on, we've wasted enough time. Let's get cracking.”

I turn towards the gateway wall where Cliff and Shade are back at their station, sitting in their chairs, side by side, like tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb. I shouldn’t think that. These guys are good guys. Smart even. I turn back towards Kendahl. “Hey, while the crew’s unloading, let me introduce you.”

I start walking towards Cliff and Shade, Kendahl skips to catch up with me. I turn towards him. “Give me your thoughts, I really like these guys, I think we should consider adding them to our crew.” “As what? Bookends?” He laughs at himself. “Very funny! No, as security for our crew, and maybe full time bodyguards.” “Bodyguards?” Kendahl pauses, so I stop and turn to face him.

“You know better than I do that things are only going to get more tense the further out we go to incorporate cities into Beginning. People are already scared of the unknown.” Kendahl's fist goes to his chin as he thinks. “Yeah. That makes sense.” He just nods and we start walking again.

As we approach, they both immediately stand to greet us. The rest of the crew knows what to do and they’re already busy unloading our solar panels, computer systems, along with setting up the tables, tents, crates, refreshment centers, and sanitation stations, all for the slew of people that will soon be walking through those gates.

They’ve gone through this so many times we all could probably do it in our sleep. In fact, I think many do. I don’t care, as long as they treat the people with respect, and get the job done, they can sleepwalk through the whole day for all it matters.The two smile wide. I make all the introductions. Kendahl’s arm comes up, smacking Cliff’s immovable bicep. “Dang! This bicep is made of marble.” Kendahl laughs, rubbing his fist, pretending he broke his fingers when he smacked him. We all laugh. I turn towards Shade, guys, this is my right hand man… and best friend, Kandahl.” Shade’s smile is as wide as Cliffs.

The three of us catch Kandahl up on those things he doesn’t know yet and we strategize, making sure we’re all on the same page. Once those gates open, it’s like the floodgates have been lifted and we’re gonna be outnumbered and over-run with hordes of people, chomping at the bit to get to the promised land.

It’s our sole responsibility to see that every man, woman, and child gets there safely; well, at least in one piece anyways. My crew works tirelessly to ensure people are as comfortable as possible throughout the whole process.