Be Better

The Department of Emotional Stability and Public Sanity had voted that sentimentality was no longer useful. The debate had been quick, and the Department Chair had appeared on TV that Friday announcing that "another microchip would be made mandatory to stop sentimentality from corrupting us from our present missions". Most citizens had taken this announcement in good stride, and those who questioned it were asked to do so with a Department Representative. No one ever did. The microchip installation would happen at the Department's main building. So, Steph and David had decided to go together, once again , so they had developed a quaint routine to the installations. They would stop for strawberry milk at the Milk Bar, talk about something trivial and small and then Steph would pretend to be concerned about what the chip would do. Steph would usually pay as David had lost another job.

"Would we forget each other?" Steph asked as she pushed the pink straw from one side of her mouth to the other. Her pale green eyes were unfazed by the burning sun. Chip 1 had helped them with that.

"I don't think so; I just think we wouldn't really care about each other much. You know, like when I think of you, I won't think of YOU."

"Seems fair"

"I don't know about this one" David pushed a hand through his short hair. His fingers came away greasy.

"The last one was not so bad, and you hated the idea of it."

"Ya, but Steph, we won't care about our mums or friends anymore."

"But maybe that will stop you from being so sad all the time. That is what they said on the TV. It will help us be better at what we do. You can get a better job."

David twirled the straw in the remnants of the milk as he thought of his mum. He had been unnaturally sad the last few weeks, and his Department Representative had already installed the Anti-Depression chip. Surely, whatever was left to make him miserable would be fixed by this chip or the next one? They had also told him to carry around a picture of something that made him feel "productive and meaningful "and had given him a misshapen locket with a stamped emblem of the Department on it. Steph joked that it looked like a heart and that he should put a picture of his mum in it. He had placed a picture of Steph that he had taken at C hip 2's installation. He liked the way her smile curved on her top lip and the faint glow of the pink milk moustache.

"You're ready?"

"Steph, you are sure we will still be friends?"

"How should I know?" she slipped an arm through his and threw some coins on the table as they walked towards the department building.

They passed dodgy repair shops, sun shield sheds and dark little dens with soft neon lights that read things like "Care Less. Work More" and " Are you are better now?". Steph had always cared less about things. When the "Control Your Self – Get Chipped" campaign had started, she had been one of the first in his life to get excited at the prospect of being controllable and being a better person. She had been the one to push him through the doors and held his hand as the microchip slipped into his left eye.

"Steph, wait !" he hung back, causing her to stop too. People milled on by on their productive missions.

"What? Don't chicken out, David. Come on!" she had played this game before with him.

"I don't like this one, "he said in a low groan.

"Fine. Don't get it then!" She unwound her arm from his and huffed as she walked on. Her platinum white braids swung like chains from her head. David hung back and watched her. The first two chips had taken away a lot of what he had felt for her, but he was sure it had once been something warm. She turned her back to the oncoming traffic and watched him, her head tilted to one side.

"David. It is for the best. We won't forget each other, ok. I promise," her head still hanging to the side, and David, in his sadness, nodded back at her lie.

He walked to join her, and she smiled as she relocked her arm around his. The Department building was bright white and hurt to look at in the sun – some security measure thought up by some security chief in some year after the Great Burn. They went in, waited, filled out the forms and waited some more. David got called up; first, the unemployed usually did so that the officials could use a few minutes to talk about life choices. The installation was painless, and David was reminded to "start being part of a productive future". David was out before Steph, and he could feel the chip swimming behind his eye, his vision blurry as he looked up into the sun. The chip found its spot, connected to the other ones and switched on. A familiar but new buzz swam in his ears for a second and then went dead. He rubbed his eyes as he saw Steph exit the building and walk down the steps towards him.

"Steph.." he wanted to ask her if she felt ok but the words caught in his brain before they hit his throat as if a small net was waiting there.

"Hi," she said as her eyes met his and disconnected. He tried to smile at her, but no muscles moved.

"Time to go home, huh?" she said as the buzz wore off in her head. Her hair fell down one shoulder, and the small silver pieces caught the light as she stood waiting.

He popped the locket open and looked down at her likeness and back up at the real Steph in front of him. The buzz began in his left ear before he disconnected. They quietly walked home.