Smartystan

The first day on the just over broke (JOB) or rather jolly over business for both Sheltham and Mala brought them good fortune. The way that the structure of the roadways had been set up caused Sheltham to rejoice. He felt a sense that this all coordinated into a great whole. All he had to do was sit in a station and oversee the hundreds of trucks on roads separated from other cars. No more did citizens have to worry about eighteen wheelers barreling down the road at breakneck speeds. The synths all drove the vehicles with precision. Again, all of this was apart from the smart cars synths who drove on residential streets and highways. Sheltham had a boss named Tussler Gorely that smiled too much but seemed genuinely amiable. His skin looked like Sheltham’s. He wasn’t obese but just about there. He had a starched white shirt that looked extremely clean but his belly protruded over his belt buckle, making him seem clean but untidy.

“So, Felton Sheltham…how are you liking your first day?”

“It’s wonderful, sir. All of the training in driving made me expect that I would be on the road myself, though.”

“We run those tests as a default, you know, just in case.”

“Okay.”

“But you’re doing great. Those synths are running right on time. All of the deliveries are being processed. Keep on doing what you’re doing.”

Sheltham smirked and leaned in a bit to see his work. His brow furrowed.

At the office, Mala looked at her digital screen and input data that corresponded to the Smartystan private works foundations. Her superior, Tamil Vetri, looked slim and almost too fit, if that’s possible. She had big brown eyes and skin the color of curry.

“No first day jitters I hope,” Tamil announced.

“No, not yet.” Mala replied this with every ounce of confidence that restored a sense of trust in Tamil.

“I’ll see about your schedule and of course you can look over your stats and figures and vacation time on your own. You can even schedule appointments for the various executives that come in here.”

“Thanks.”

Tamil walked away with a sense of pride about her new hire, a smile plastered on her face.

“Tamil, I just….” Mala turned but her boss was gone. She didn’t sit glumly, she returned to her work.

“Sir, I’ve integrated the traffic pattern but there seems to be an issue with one of the synths. It may be malfunctioning.”

It was the first time that Gorley stopped smiling. He punched in a code that contained eleven digits in it. He did this with dexterity and the intent to solve this problem. It persisted. What a first day, Sheltham thought.

“It’s not your fault, it’s the system that seems to have been hit by a cyberattack. Remain calm. This has happened before and in this new nation, we have a robust system that counteracts any and all threats against our network.” Tussler said this with solemnity, pride. Sheltham continued to do his part to get the rest of the trucks online and in standing order. The entire endeavor meant that he oversaw a few hundred trucks making their way on the highway. The ones that malfunctioned, it seemed like forever before the attack had been eliminated but it was only ten minutes.

“You see? That’s the power of this place. Minds met with ethics cause the evils of this world to scatter. Great job, Sheltham. Can I call you Felton?”

“Sheltham’s fine, sir.”

“So it is. Just look at it.” Both men stared at the big board before them while other workers maintained their composure and looked like monoliths in starched dress shirts and ties. Two hundred cyber attacks against the network made up the total. All but one had been eliminated. That was Sheltham’s.

“It’s no worries,” Tussler reminded him with a sigh. “Again, you did nothing wrong. It’s just one of those cases where the system gets the best of you and you can’t seem to shake it. Excellent effort, nonetheless.”

“Thanks.”

Mala sat by herself in the breakroom. She dined on fried chicken pieces, corn, and green beans. She kept her mind occupied with the various news stories coming out of the country-state. She anticipated the day where the coveted brain chip would be available to the public. Some people didn’t even think it was real. She knew better. She had seen a press conference with Belinda Gummer who had made subtle movements that had to have corresponded with it. During her hour-long break, she chose to go outside and just take in the air that smelled like asphalt after the rain had fallen. This first day she wondered about the boys in the day care and in school. Nothing bothered her about their care or their education. There seemed to be a wonderful understanding of the way that the private school system had eradicated the government school setup and allowed students to flourish.

She returned to her desk with a bit of a pep in her stride, and a smile curled around her mouth. She continued to make schedules and organize notes, knowing that her first check would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Sheltham took a break also. He skimmed through digital trade magazines on archery, martial arts, and gardening. He felt a sense that he could use his hour-long break to great effect as well. When it came time for him to get back to his station, he knew exactly what to do. The trade magazine had prompted him to perform with the highest levels of excellence possible. The trucks on the screen moved in a procession like a ballet of fossil fuel powered behemoths gracing their way across the roadway stage. For the most part, he remained by himself. He had some of the highest scores during the training phase and this pushed him to be even greater than before in the doldrums of another State.

Indeed, this melding of morality and intelligence had proven great for the couple at their respective jobs.