Clone City

Ord’s room was on the second floor of a two-floor dormitory located in Clone District 5. It stood near the perimeter. The room was small and sparsely furnished and had only one window – a pair of sliding glass doors that opened onto a narrow veranda which was used for hanging clothes out to dry. Ord stood behind the doors watching the sun set. He wondered why he had begun to enjoy watching the sun rise and fall. He did not know, but every evening when he got back from the Hub he would find himself at this window watching that great orb sink. He supposed he found it relaxing. The way the colours changed and, even when darkness fell, he marvelled at how sudden it was. He could not decide whether the darkness rose or fell. Perhaps it was like a net of tiny black points getting larger until they blotted everything out. Whatever, it didn’t matter. It was beautiful. He raised his head a fraction to view the saffron mantle that spilled over the treetops.

He wondered why he had never noticed all this before. He supposed, he’d had no need to then. Then, he wasn’t ill. Before, he would have been out with co-workers – eating, drinking, playing at the game centres, going to the sex parlours, just being himself. But since the headaches began, he found the noise, smoke, drink, confusion and crowds unbearable. Now he preferred to be on his own. He found it calmed him to watch the sky shift through an ever-softening spectrum of colour. Even the trees grew stiller, he thought, noticing how they had stopped swaying.

Two months had passed since he had submitted the C80 and he’d heard nothing. He had carried on working, doing his best. But everything felt different. He was becoming more and more conscious of things that he’d never paid any attention to before. It was like he was seeing the Hub differently. Noticing its smells, sounds and even stopping to feel the texture of the boxes he was stacking. Everything was getting…he wasn’t sure there was a word for it…closer, more real? Before, he just did everything without thinking. Now he felt there was an edge to everything.

He had lost his temper. That was four days ago. It was a small matter, but he’d been led off the Hub floor. It didn’t involve anyone else, thank the Codes. He lowered his head in shame. He’d hurled a box. Didn’t know what had come over him. He was kicking it when the restraining hand of a security guard brought him back to his senses.

He wondered if the authorities would let it go by. He’d been taken to a manager’s office, told to take a seat, handed a glass of water and asked if he felt all right. He thought they’d really tear into him, give him a lecture or make him recite the first ten slogans. But no, they accepted his apologies. In fact, they were very kind. That was when he’d mentioned the C80 to them. They said they knew nothing about that, but assured him they’d look into it. They said he’d probably get a reply soon. They told him to take the rest of the day off and relax. They’d let him know when to come back. Everybody had been so kind. But he’d still not heard from them. Surely they wouldn’t… No, he mused, brushing the thought aside.

As darkness fell, a strange thought made him straighten up. He wondered what it was like…Out there. Codes, why am I thinking such a thing? He shook his head. They’d been told never to cross the perimeter and, as far as he knew, no one had. Who’d want to anyway? It was dangerous. Everybody knew that. And yet, the stillness...it all seemed so…peaceful.

Ord turned away from his ghostly reflection and looked around the room. He wondered if he would ever get a bigger one. He’d heard some clones had been rewarded for their years of service. He’d never actually met one. He supposed he would forfeit any reward after what had happened at work. He was still young, only 34, he thought. Perhaps, he could make up for it.

Sighing, he sat on the sofa and pushed a button on the home automation console that was built into its arm. A large picture materialised on a screen that filled the entire wall. He flipped through some entertainment channels till he reached the multimedia encyclopaedia he was searching for. He set the search at random and waited for all the crazy things that such a search usually threw up.

The first find was about ‘Odin’. He listened to a narration of his place among the gods of a primitive militant religion and how the invocation of his name inspired the Goths and other warlike tribes to fight so fiercely that a powerful empire fell and an age of chaos ensued. Amazing, he thought, as he looked at the virtual images of these warriors. They’d be no good at the Hub, he concluded, in an effort to cheer himself up.

The next find was ‘marriage’. This was described as a social union blessed by religious orders. How ridiculous, he thought, not to say unnatural, cruel and perverted – to bind healthy people by law to one partner. Although, on reflection, he thought it was not unlike the consort system practised by nobles and directors. While citizens were encouraged to bank their sperm or eggs at a young age in case they wanted children, the nobles and directors rarely did so. Most men opted for a vasectomy to avoid incurring the cost of abortions. He’d heard that some women opted to have their oviducts blocked. Later, if a couple wanted to have a baby they would arrange to have the gametes of their banked sperm and eggs united. But even then, they did not live together. They might, but not in the way marriage was described. The law was not about keeping partners together but protecting mothers and children financially.

Feeling his head begin to tire, he stopped the search and began to think about calling up a sex servicer. He’d not been feeling much like having sex recently. It was unusual. He enjoyed his sex and spent most of his wage on sex play just like other clones. He toyed with the telecom, but let it drop. Listlessly, he pushed the console button again and flicked it to The News show.

As he watched, Ord was unaware that he also was being observed. The Security Department had ordered the activation of a small device installed in the upper corner of his screen. All screens had this ‘eye’, though not all were activated. In fact, it would have been impossible for the Security Department to observe every clone at the same time because its personnel were too few. In any case, there had never been an occasion when more than a few clones needed to be observed simultaneously. But now, far away, in an empty room of the Security Department, an image of Ord’s pale face flickered on a screen which would be viewed at a later, more convenient time.

Ord suddenly sat bolt upright when a newscaster began to report an incident at the Hub. ‘There was an ugly incident at the Hub some days ago. A clone had to be dragged off to a safe room. And what do they have to say about this at the Hub? We’re going live: here’s John Truman at the Hub with an on-the-spot interview with Packer Manager Ying Huang.’ The manager’s face appeared but no interviewer could be seen.

‘Huang, News has it that a Packer went berserk and had to be bundled into a safe room. Is this true?’

‘Well, there was a disturbance and, naturally, that’s to be regretted. But I’d like to stress that one bad apple shouldn’t be taken as a reflection of our workforce.’ Huang frowned. ’In fact, morale has never been higher. ‘Deeds not Words’ is our motto.’

‘Will he be back to work tomorrow?’

‘He has been asked to rest.’

‘Was he reprimanded?’

‘He agreed to rest.’

‘Do you plan to take any further action?’

‘No comment.’

‘Will he be junked?’

‘That’s not our decision.’

The picture cut back to the studio.

‘Thank you, John. And now we have a report coming in on the big match…’

Ord felt stunned. His eyes bulged as he stared ahead seeing nothing. His head began to spin as a riot of thoughts clamoured for attention. Unable to bear it, he pulled his head down between his knees. In an agony of shame, he wondered, would they? Could they junk him? Unable to bear the cramped space of his room anymore, he rushed out.

Once he stepped out onto the street, he began to run to burn off energy. When he finally came to a gasping stop he was surprised to find himself beside the perimeter. He could hear the wind soughing through the trees that stood only fifty metres away on the other side of a stretch of open ground. He waited till he stopped panting before turning back. All the way, he was tormented by the thought that they would come and take him, as they had Krm, to the Encrypt.

When he got back, he threw himself onto the bed. No sooner had he done so than he felt his head begin to throb with pain. He groaned as he twisted from side to side unable to sleep.