Authors: Kathy Bell
She did not want to strain her
eyes studying the computer screen any longer and decided to take a
walk around the block herself and see if she would meet any more
neighbours. Slipping through the door into the cottage, she picked
up her ID badge and tucked it into her pocket. Her shoes were by
the front entry. As she bent to pull them on to she noticed a small
wire protruding from underneath the baseboard trim. Adya knelt on
the floor, pulling at the fine wire with her fingernails. She was
able to dislodge it from the baseboard, following the wire to a
cable junction box connected to her television. Laughing at
herself, she realized the cable was simply a really bad hiding job
done by the cable installation technician and she was becoming
paranoid. Three Eleven Corporation would have no reason to put her
under surveillance and even if they wanted to they would be much
more competent at the installation than what she had just
discovered. She sighed, really too tired to go for a walk. She
prepared for bed and called her parents.
“
Me again, Dad, how
are you today?”
“
Good, missing you
like crazy, though. I hope there aren’t any movie stars down there
on that island.”
“
No, Dad, no movie
stars. Miss you too. Things are really interesting. I can’t believe
all the stuff Three Eleven does. I had no idea.”
“
You do good, get
yourself a job there, okay honey? It’s a great chance for
you.”
“
Yes, Dad, I’ll do
what I can.” The sounds of a hand covering the mouthpiece came
through the line, and then Samantha spoke.
“
Hi, hon.”
“
Hi, Mom, love
you.”
“
Love you, too. A good
day?”
“
Great one, I’m
learning all about how the company runs. It’s wicked
big.”
“
I know. Hopefully
it’ll have room for one more person.”
“
I hope so. Gotta go,
it’s late here. We’re off by one hour. Good night, Mom.”
“
Good night, dear.
Talk to you tomorrow?”
“
Probably.
Bye.”
In her journal Adya noted how
visiting with Stephanie made her yearn to hold her own children
again, to be able to tuck them into bed at night with a song or
story. Tears flowed silently down her cheeks as she realized the
chances of any more stories ever being told to her family were
dwindling with every passing day. Closing the journal, she mourned
the family she would likely never have.
Journal of Doctor Nicholas Weaver
September 6, 98 P. I.
I never calculated the
possibility of Adya not being born, but in one timeline, the ninth
effort, it happened. Hope once said to me in passing “I was almost
never born because my mom was almost never born. The world is full
of so many decisions, each one seeming personal but in the end of
global significance. Because the reason why my mother was almost
never born is the reason why I am the only pregnant woman on this
planet.” The cause of our salvation was the cause of Adya’s demise
in one of the timelines. To move her soul onto the next timeline, I
have to know the moment of her death. I was unable to locate the
file documenting the procedure. All of the years, all of the
lifetimes, were lost into the ether.
“
Good morning, Miss Jordan.”
“
Don’t worry about the
title, Terrell, Adya is fine. Miss Jordan sounds like some stuffy
career woman and that is certainly not me.” Her pronouncement was
met with a tentative smile. “And, I’m sorry, but I can’t stand
sitting alone in the back seat while there is a perfectly good spot
up front. While you’re my driver, let’s dispense with the
formalities, alright?”
“
If you
insist.”
“
I do. I never stand
on ceremony.” She hopped into the front seat of the sedan. “Since
you don’t have the limo anyway, I may as well ride
shotgun.”
Terrell’s smile grew wider. “Sure
thing. The limo’s usually reserved for larger groups, while the
sedan’s for individual runs. I…well…I hope you don’t mind me saying
but with you all dressed up to the nines and gunning for a top spot
here, I never would have expected you to ride in the front.” He put
the car in gear and began the short drive to the office
buildings.
“
Appearances can be
deceiving but I’m glad I’m giving the impression of professional
detachment…I’m going to need it with all those executive types,
aren’t I.”
“
No offence, Miss…I
mean Adya…but there’s never been a woman even in the running. You
must be something special to have made it this far and even if they
don’t bring you on board you should be proud. And, I’ll be rooting
for you if that counts for anything.” He stopped the car outside
the tower doors, and she opened her door before he got the chance
to step out. He gave a chagrined smile, nodding to her
wishes.
“
Thanks, Terrell, that
counts for a lot. I’ll see you this afternoon, have a great
day.”
“
You too. Knock ‘em
dead.”
Abraham and Jennifer greeted her
in the conference room before beginning the tour of the tower. He
directed her attention to the West facing windows.
“
This entire island is
owned by Three Eleven. It is our main base of operations. The Three
Eleven tower is the tallest building on the island, rising four
hundred feet above the ground. It has thirty stories and almost two
million square feet of usable space.” The swell of pride in his
voice matched the satisfaction in his eyes. He indicated the
numerous bodies visible below. “Ten thousand employees work here.
The entire island is dedicated to housing the employees and their
families, as well as the requisite staff to service the needs of
the workforce.” He gestured toward the small parking lot where vans
regularly entered and left the area. “We use a shuttle system for
transportation. No one has their own car.”
“
Do people pay for the
shuttle?”
“
No. Actually, they
don’t pay for anything in the traditional sense. The island
operates on a unique economic system. Physical currency isn’t
exchanged here. A credit system is used, since every person on the
island is either directly or indirectly involved with the
Corporation. Residents of the island receive all basic necessities
as part of their employment agreement – clothing, food, local
transportation, health care, and shelter.” He held up his ID card.
“It’s all tracked through these.” Abraham led the way to the
elevator.
“
Everyone receives a
monthly stipend in addition to their necessities. Elective expenses
such as entertainment, special activities, or extravagances, come
from the stipend, which is quite generous. We’ve never lost an
employee to a competitor and have a huge pool of people who want to
work with Three Eleven. Other companies are now trying to follow
our lead because of the incredible productivity of our
teams.”
Adya nodded sagely, “Operating at
the peak of efficiency.” Jennifer’s startled glance met hers, the
corners of her lips lifting slightly. Abraham ignored the comment,
entering the open doors of the lift, selecting the button for the
third floor.
“
I understand you met
Nora Lamont, an example of an auxiliary worker married to a direct
employee. Most of the support workers providing services for the
corporation are actually spouses and children of employees. There
are many communities now being built upon our model of a core
business area and the secondary industries being kept
geographically close to each other and relating directly to the
operations nearby.”
“
I am impressed so far
Abraham, at the structure and productivity of your society. It is
reminiscent, though, of the secluded compounds of religious sects.
Do you find any members of the outside world challenging the power
of Three Eleven or protesting the influence and
operations?”
He quickly defended the programs.
“Unlike religious sects we do not proscribe behaviours or clothing
nor do we limit or inhibit the interpersonal interactions or
lifestyles of our staff. The diversity of our executive ensures
Three Eleven has never had a whisper of racism associated with it.”
Abraham ushered the women out of the elevator ahead of him,
conducting them to the greeting area of the child care
centre.
“
I will leave you in
Jennifer’s capable hands to continue your tour of non-essential
facilities. She’ll introduce you to key staff in each area. Feel
free to ask her any questions you may have, she’s well equipped
with most information you might require.” He left them and returned
to the elevator. The assistant’s gaze lingered on his back for a
moment.
Adya looked at the children, a
slight smile on her face. “Do you want to have
children?”
Jennifer’s lifted her chin, back
ramrod straight. “Not at this time, although I do hope to
contribute a couple to society. The Corporation emphasizes it’s our
role to ensure the propagation of the species, especially people
who are productive, intelligent, and competent.” She swiped her ID
card at the gate, waiting while Adya completed her
entry.
“
You’ll find the
facilities here unlike anything you might have been familiar with.
Top specialists in the fields of developmental psychology,
neurosciences, and cognitive psychology as well as medical doctors
work together to determine best practice for the children.” Taking
a moment to watch a toddler play at a water table, she continued.
“Set up as laboratory schools, we implement cutting edge programs
in stimulation and support.”
“
Nora Lamont mentioned
she comes here with Stephanie. What ages are covered?”
“
Nora’s a love, isn’t
she? From birth through to age 16, all kids are eligible for child
care or educational training here. There is no charge even for the
younger children. Learning is not delineated by age, but rather by
concept and ability.”
“
Sounds a lot like
Montessori Method.”
“
I’ll let the
department head tell you more, but I do believe you are
correct.”
The entire child care area was
open concept, punctuated occasionally by closed in structures which
turned out to be rest rooms. Children of various ages and stages
played throughout. Young infants were tended to by older youngsters
and playing beside toddlers and pre-schoolers. There was an
extremely low ratio of little ones to caregivers. She repeatedly
heard children calling for Mom or Dad. Many of the adults in the
room were the parents. She scanned the room for Nora, but did not
see her or her daughter. Jennifer led Adya to the only walled
office on the floor, introducing Amanda Jones, the department
leader.
“
I have to keep little
hands away from important papers, else I would not have walls at
all,” Amanda explained. “Otherwise all areas of the centre are
accessible to the children and their parents. We want to encourage
exploration, not inhibit it.”
Adya spent the remainder of the
day with Amanda, becoming familiar with the initiatives into
foetal, infant, and child development being pioneered by the
residents of the laboratory school. Excited and intrigued by the
projects, she felt at home for the first time in this
timeline.
Returning to her cottage, Adya
thanked Terrell for the ride and began preparing supper. She called
home after putting a steak in marinade and lighting the
barbecue.
“
Hello?”
“
Hi Mom. How’s
everything at home?”
“
The usual. We miss
you, how’s your orientation going? What was your first day
like?”
“
I got an ID card.
They have quite the security system here. Then I had a tour of
their child care centre. I hope they put me in with the real
programs soon.”
“
Now, there’s nothing
wrong with getting involved in child care, you know the years
before five last the rest of their lives.” That slogan had not
evolved until the 1990’s in the original timeline, a sign of a
Three Eleven initiative.
“
Yes, Mom, but I’m
hoping for something a little more glamorous.” Still trying to act
the part of the star-struck teenager, Adya relished her
role.
“
Take anything they
offer, dear. I would be so thrilled for you. Have they given you
any indication of interest?”
“
It’s only my first
real day, Mom, I don’t know yet. I have to go, my steak’s ready to
grill.”
“
Your steak? You don’t
know how to barbeque.”
“
I…well…Jennifer’s
doing the grilling.” Her first real slip. “Love you, Mom.” She
returned to her dinner preparations.
A soft knock on the door
interrupted her tossed salad. Adya was surprised to find Jennifer
smiling nervously.
“
Hi, Adya…I…ah,
wondered if you needed some company? It’s just that…I…”
Adya opened the door wider and
beckoned Jennifer inside. “Have you had supper? I was just getting
it ready and you’re more than welcome to join me.”