Corporate Partnership

Morning came too quickly and the sweet embrace of sleep was yanked away. Liam lay in bed staring up at the ceiling with his one eye memorizing every crack and imperfection. There was no reason to get up. Another shift was coming exactly identical to the previous, and the one before that, and the one before that, and the thousands before that. Did it really matter if he simply didn’t get up? Would anyone even notice, anyone care? A robot might, but that was about it. There was no real reason Liam could find to get up. The bed was inviting and it was easier to just lay there and do nothing at all.

One of the ear clips lying on the singular table beeped with an unfamiliar message. Was there a real reason to pick it up? A hand was spread across the side of the bed, the fingers twitched. Probably best to hear it out. Liam forced those fingers to move and shoved the clip in his ear.

Important message from Trans Cont. Management!

“Read it.”

Dear Li—

“Just summarize it.”

The new employee begins work today, you are expected to guide him through his first day. Would you like the file on him?

“Nah, I’ll just meet him.”

Your shift starts in 40 minutes.

“Guess I have an excuse to get up then.”

Liam slapped his clips back into place and carefully placed his right eye back in its socket.

“How old’s this guy?”

22 years of age.

“Ah ****, so I’m dealing with a kid then.”

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Liam crawled out of the comfort of his bed and rose to his feet like a reanimated corpse. It was going to be a long day, he needed a pick-me-up. He rummaged under his bed, procuring a half-used pack of cigarettes and a lighter. His feet carried him outside where he slumped against the wall of his house and sparked one up. In the early hours of the morning the street was empty with no one around to notice his legally dubious vice.

His lungs choked on the smoke, but the nicotine buzz kept him going. It had been a while since he’d smoked one, he needed to save every penny after all, and regular cigarettes were too expensive, but some days he needed something. Trans Cont. was bound to have hired some brat for slave wages who had no desire to be there and would cause more problems than they were worth. He exhaled a puff of smoke, watching it lazily drift upwards towards the vents in the earthen ceiling of the road. Well, he was no different, it’d be alright.

Your shift starts in 30 minutes.

A shirt change and a face wash later Liam set out early for once. This early in the morning the station was empty as usual. Liam paused before the employees’ room before wrapping his fingers around the handle, waiting for the beep and click and then pushing open the door. A young man was there waiting for him, standing anxiously about. Liam glanced at him before simply closing his right eye to get a pure, unadulterated view of him without any filters or enhancements.

He was young, his white hair cut short and neatly combed over. He was on the shorter side and stood there uncomfortably shifting his weight between two scrawny legs while his round, clean-shaven shaven face painted a clear picture of internal anxiety. His two metal eyes were shiny and spotless, and his face was coated with the newest model of clips.

“So, uh, you’re the new kid,” said Liam, extending a hand.

“Yeah, I’m, uh, Andrew Williams sir,” responded the new employee, his sweaty and somewhat shaky hand clamping around Liam’s.

“Liam Miller.”

“You, um, only have one eye open.”

“Huh? Oh,” said Liam, touching his right eye, “I only got one of these, kept my other eye natural, like to close it from time to time, helps me get a better view of things.”

“Is it squishy?”

“Huh?”

“Your natural eye.”

“Oh, yeah I guess so. If you turn off all your visual filters you should get a better view of it.”

“You never got that eye replaced? But what if it starts going bad?”

“Uhhh, I guess I just liked being able to see the world as it really is. Helps with being a janitor oddly enough. Haven’t had any problems with it yet.”

There was a moment of awkward silence which Liam assumed was his cue to take charge.

“So, uh, let me show you around the place.”

He pointed towards the lockers, “pick one of those as your own and use it to store your uniform and spare clothes.”

“Are, uh, are we the only two working here?”

“Yeah, normally it’d be just me, but some Union suits are gonna be hanging around a while, so they want some extra hands to keep things spotless while they’re here.”

“But this place is huge!”

“This is an all day job.”

Andrew seemed a little surprised by the lack of employees but nodded along as Liam continued, “There’s a quick washer in that corner, use it for your uniform. This closet’s got all the supplies and carts you’ll need. Just don’t forget to swipe your badge whenever you start or leave.”

“Is there anyone monitoring us?”

“Nah, it’s all automated. Plenty of cameras around to track you, but as long as you just show up and actually do your job no one’ll care.”

“But how do they know we’re actually working?”

“People with the badge are tracked and your mini-me should be synced up to Trans Cont. to monitor you. The computer watching the cameras will notice if things get too dirty, but with two people that won’t be a problem.”

“My mini-me monitors that?”

“What, this your first job? You sync your mini-me with whoever you're working for and it’ll give you job info and monitor your effectiveness.”

“I never realized it did that.”

“You got a map and schedule?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, then it’s already synced so don’t worry about it.”

“But what if I’m not working hard enough or—”

“No one cares about two random janitors, long as you actually clean there’s nothing to worry about. Now, if you’ve got a uniform you should probably change into it.”

The two of them slipped into their uniforms, baggy white things that buttoned up and proudly displayed the name of their company. Liam couldn’t help but notice bandages on Andrew’s arm, it was the sort of thing the filters would normally cover, but a biological eye wouldn’t miss it. So this was the sort of person Trans Cont would hire for a temporary janitor’s job, a junkie fresh out of college who probably needed the cash to pay back on a hefty load of debts. Liam wondered how long the kid would last.

“Right,” said Liam, “I better walk you through what you’ll actually be doing.”

The pair walked outside the room and Liam opened up one of the cabinets in the wall, “These rustbuckets are about a decade outdated, but they cut down on a lot of the work. They’re solid when it comes to floors but you’ll have to go over them to make sure they got everything.”

Andrew looked around the station, “We clean everyday? Nothing looks that dirty.”

“Turn off your filters idiot.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“They just want it cleaned daily so any foreigners get impressed by how tidy everything is.”

“ ‘Cause they usually have natural eyes?”

“Somethin’ like that. Anyway, it’s pretty simple, just mindless grunt work. Your mini-me should help out with anything complicated. Just share your contact and hit me up if you need anything.”

“We’re—we’re starting now?”

“Yep, what else did you think you were gonna do today? You can take the east side of the station, I’ll take the west and we’ll meet up at the port entrance.”

The trickle of people into the station began to enlarge as time passed, expanding into a steady stream before bloating into a downpour. The station was gorged on the amorphous white river of people and Andrew was lost to sight, the bodies of oblivious people whose metal eyes were fixed on unseen colors and objects obscured the kid from view. Liam was alone, a rock in the middle of a pale sea that swirled about him. The people surrounding him seemed hardly cogniscent, more like androids, following their pre-programmed paths to cram themselves down the hungry gullets of trains, a constant flow of sounds, smells, and sights keeping their brains pleased and oblivious to the grime coating their shoes or the trash slipping between their fingers and cascading onto the station floor.

The mini-me had begun playing music at some point and guitar chords blotted out the thousands of feet and voices talking to people that weren’t there. A metallic janitor was stuck, tripping on the stairs, its mental fortitude eroded from ceaseless use. Liam sighed and set it off on a different route.

“Hey, uh, Liam?” a voice called out from the usual quietude of the job and directly into his ear.

Liam flicked open his right eye to see the new kid hovering before him.

“One of the lights here is out. What do I do about that?” asked Andrew.

Liam closed his eye again and simply listened to the voice.

“There are spares in the closet, your mini-me should point them out.”

“Thanks.”

There was silence, but neither side abruptly ended the call and Andrew spoke up again, “So, uhh, how long have you been, uh, working here?”

“Small talk, huh?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just—”

“No need to get so flustered, just used to being alone during work is all. I guess I’ve been doing this for, let’s see, 12 years I guess. Since I was 23.”

“Wow… I’m 22 now. That’s a long time to be a janitor.”

“Well, I guess someone’s gotta do it. Besides, no one gives a **** about some random business major so I’ll take what I can get.”

This is a public area, crude language is prohibited.

Andrew’s voice sounded a little higher pitched, a concerned edge beginning to creep in, “You’ve never tried to get another job?”

“ ‘Course I have, who wants to be a janitor for the rest of their lives? But after a thousand applications, well, money’s money no matter how small the amount.”

“Do you, uh, think that I might perhaps be able to find a different job?”

“You fresh outta university?”

“Yeah, I just, no offense to you, but I don’t really wanna be a janitor for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t be so polite about it, ain’t no one goin’ to college just so they can work as a janitor for the rest of their lives. If you wanna different job you just need somethin’ on your resume that stands out.”

“I… I don’t really have anything.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll—” Liam paused, who was he kidding? This awkward kid was probably more likely to overdose than land a good job, “—well, no, you’re probably ****.”

This is a public area, crude language is prohibited.

“Really? But I mean I’ve graduated, I’ve got a degree…,” Andrew’s voice trailed off shakily.

“Listen kid,” sighed Liam, “you live, you work, you die, that’s just how it is no matter how much you make. Just pinch your pennies and keep an eye out for a job opportunity.”

There was silence for a long moment and then Andrew responded, “You’ve been doing this longer than I have, is it—err—are you happy with it?”

“**** no, but, ya know, it is what it is.”

This is a public area, crude language is prohibited.

He woke up, worked the whole day, lived as cheaply as possible and collapsed in bed watching the free generated slop until sleep eventually took him. That’s the life Liam lived, and Andrew was probably doomed to that or worse, but he couldn’t beat the sudden compulsion to say something more.

“Don’t worry so much about it. You didn’t get a good job straight outta college, that’s normal. Some people in life are just lucky, they’re chosen and created with the best genetics and raised by a rich family, but guys like us are raised in the gov houses and created with inferior genes simply for the sake of diversity. It is what it is, so don’t worry too much, your luck might turn about yet.”

Andrew was silent again, this time for even longer.

“I guess,” he finally replied, “never really thought about it like that.”

“You’ll be fine, just make sure you get up every morning and keep going, take it day by day or somethin’ like that.”

“O-okay.”

“Surely you know the old mantra: ‘There is no country greater…’ ”

Andrew somewhat reluctantly continued it a moment later, “ ‘No nation more advanced.’ ”

“There you go! I knew you were a gov house kid.”

“Yeah, I suppose I am. That mantra’s just, ya know, not that… well, it just feels off.”

“Don’t beat around the bush, it’s propaganda we memorized ‘cause our lives were paid for by the government. It’s got a point though, as much as your life sucks here it’s still better than most people’s out there.”

“I… I guess.”

“Just keep your chin up, it’ll be fine.”

Liam flicked open his right eye to take a look at the kid, even if it was just his filtered face. His digitized form was much older and more confident looking than his actual self. A face the complete opposite of the timid boy.

People came and went and they continued working. The hours slipped by and Liam pointed out the best places to get lunch.

“What do you do while you’re working?” piped up Andrew.

“Music mostly,” grunted Liam in response.

“You don’t watch anything?”

“How the **** am I supposed to clean if I’m staring at something else?”

This is a public area, crude language is prohibited.

“Doesn’t it get really boring though?”

“You just turn your brain off and wait for the time to pass.”

“That sounds… miserable. And you’ve been doing this job alone?”

“Yeah, I s’pose so.”

“Does it get…”

“Hard? Can’t say I wake up excited for the day, but if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

“That’s… well, how’ve you managed to do this for so long?”

“I dunno, you just wake up and tell yourself you’ve got work, then go and do it, rinse and repeat. But, everyone’s got a vice, a little something to make it through those hard days. I smoke the occasional cigarette, it’s a good pick me up, and you can do it before work unnoticed.”

“Um, should you be admitting something like that?”

“Why not? Cigarettes are illegal, sure, but cig companies are worth too much for anyone to care.”

“But you said it out loud, your mini-me could report you!”

“You think your mini-me can’t tell when you’ve got nicotine in your blood stream?”

“That’s private medical data though! That stuff is better protected!”

“What? You think the gov can’t access stuff like that? The reason is that they just don’t care. They only care about the optics of drugs, of saying they’re illegal to brag about being some progressive nation, but the reality is that those companies have a lot of money, enough to line politicians' pockets and convince them it’s not worth the money to actually enforce such laws.”

“Do you really think they’re that corrupt?”

“What’s the alternative, that they’re completely incompetent? Just think about it, if they’re able to grow us people up in labs and control our genetic make up to fit whatever societal goals they’ve got it’s completely inconceivable that they wouldn’t be able to get rid of cigarettes!”

“But… that’s so…,” Andrew sighed, “that seems so cynical.”

“That’s the worst part about this job. You got too much time doing mindless drudgery and you inevitably start thinking, and the more you think the worse everything feels. Better not to think at all.”

Silence eventually crept back between the two janitors, but an odd feeling roiled inside of Liam, something he couldn’t quite place his finger on. The hours blurred together, a thick paste gunking up his mind, and suddenly his shift was over. Liam paused as his mini-me blared in his ear. When was the last time he’d ever lost track of time while working? When was the last time he hadn’t counted down the final minutes?

“Hey Andrew,” called out Liam to the new employee once everything had been put back in its place and they’d changed out of their uniforms, “what’d you think after your first day?”

“Not horrible I guess,” replied Andrew, “harder than I thought it’d be though. I can’t imagine doing this every day for 12 years.”

“It’s that or starve, but you’ll get used to it. Not so bad after a while.”

Andrew nodded, “I guess so.”

“You headin’ home now?” asked Liam.

“Yeah, I gotta take a train to the east housing block.”

“Gotcha, well, see ya tomorrow I suppose.”

The trudge home felt weird, that strange feeling coming back to pester Liam again. A hole in the gut, a place where something was supposed to be, a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time. He trudged home in silence, that feeling nagging at the corners of his mind. Feet pressed forward, the same path etched into their memory.

Loneliness, that was the word, it slipped unannounced to the forefront of Liam’s thoughts and he paused on the concrete bridge. How much time did he actually spend talking to people? When was the last time he’d spent that much of a day talking? When was the last time he hadn’t worked a shift all on his own? Liam stared out over the void left by the railingless bridge and rolled the word around in his mouth.

“Loneliness,” he whispered the word out, letting it hang in the stale air.

Feet crunched on the crumbling streets, listlessly shambling forward, all former routes seemingly forgotten as Liam went along for their aimless ride. The hollow feeling left him restless and unsettled, so he simply wandered, passing the squat squares of boxy housing blocks and the warm glow of shops and restaurants open late.

He looked out at the world with his one flesh eye and it seemed more shabby than ever. The streets were shattered and cracking, ceiling lights flickered, windows were grimy and covered in a layer of filth that could only come from being underground.

The city proper was located in a massive cavern stretching miles across and thousands of feet high, but it suddenly seemed cramped and claustrophobic. The walls pressed in and all the people ran about like rats in a cage furiously scrambling across their wheels while the radioactive wasteland above loomed like a constant reminder of their imprisonment.

Liam eventually stopped outside his home, its drab door an unwelcoming eyesore, but if he didn’t sleep soon he doubted he’d be able to get up for work. Sleep refused to come though, and he lay tossing and turning on a worn through mattress, that same empty feeling taunting his restless mind. Time creeped by ever so slowly, and in an attempt to ease his uncomfortable mind he found himself masturbating to generated porn and riding the pleasure high to an uneasy sleep.