Life on Mars

Chapter Four

Despite the uneasy quietness around Barnbrook in the daylight hours, Touchreik had never felt threatened, even at night. On rare occasions he'd seen citizens sitting around in the tree-lined square, dozing in the cool breeze as it whispered through the leaves. The surrounding buildings channelled sunlight into the square in peculiar ways. The residence was a compliment to the designers whose usual predisposition might be towards interiors. In the case of Barnbrook they'd undoubtedly found time to entertain themselves by planting 'easter eggs' within the structure. 

These weren't visible to everyone and it was tenants who lived in the upper floors, those who might have switched off their augmented windows who admired and reported them. The rooftops and square were adorned with intricate mobile sculptures, designed to play with the sunlight as it poured in at differing angles. Whichever apparition these honoured residents saw when they looked down depended entirely on their location and time of day; a bird in flight in the morning, a man surrounded by twinkling stars at dusk. One had reported how the small pond in the centre had turned a luminescent sapphire colour one autumn evening. These visions were renowned for shifting before witnesses to the spectacle could be brought to the window. He'd heard there was a fellow on the 19th floor who meticulously recorded these sightings, but the reason for doing so was as much a mystery as the sightings themselves.

Heathen was a world very different from the one Touchreik studied as part of his work. In 2515 few found the need to venture beyond their own homes and few did. The Saviour machine catered for all physical needs and the virtual world allowed citizens to work, play and socialise anywhere their minds could dream of without ever setting foot outside. The supply of food, clothing and other resources was integral to the structure and automated. Heathen provided an excellent minimum standard of living and so few were motivated to improve it. These things made Touchreik a bit of an oddity in two respects. 

The first because he had an occupation and the second, that he physically attended it. Even those who chose employment would rarely need to attend in person. V-World's ability to tap directly into the human nervous system meant all virtual experiences whether social, work or fun were as close to reality as reality itself. The benefit being that V-World was a completely safe environment with no accidents or mag pod failures to worry about. The rules of a V-world sim could be defined by the user or the sim itself. A day at work doing a laborious labour-intensive task could transition to space adventures and war games from the very same seat. Since Mother had made so many DNA changes to the pool over the years, V-world had eliminated the need for physical intimacy, something very well provided for in the virtual world. In lots of the latest generations of humans the useless organs of reproduction had been removed altogether. Even socialising and sports were mainly experienced within V-world, it was simply the centre of the universe for most. It was for these reasons that the doc was unusual in seeing so much of the square below on his regular commutes, albeit from ground level.

The Barnbrook apartment block and his work environments were secure, as was the transport system. However, the apartment foyer between the transporter and entrance was effectively a public space. A paved area that ran alongside the square with benches giving the ambiance of a place one might meet and chat with friends. It was reasonably well lit, but he'd seldom find himself out after dark and even if he did his Augmented Reality Device could be switched to infrared. In all the years he'd lived here he could hardly remember meeting a single individual from his block; that is until last week.

He'd been returning home after a late shift at the institute having returned later than expected from a field trip in the reserve. The door of the mag slid down as if waving as the transporter pulled away. Touchreik was tired and pinched the top of his nose as he walked briskly towards the block door. As he pulled his hand away and opened his eyes, he noticed a figure walking towards him, at the time presuming he was from his block. The man, although he couldn't be sure at the time strutted forwards with his chest out and arms waving in an exaggerated manner.