BAD WINE CRAPPY CHOCOLATE

CHAPTER SIX-1

Cori Fitzgerald approached the same processing station her son would use to enter futuristic Chicago. She stared in awe at the skyscrapers behind the large gray building. These imposing structures were taller than any she had seen before, their inhabitants having forsaken the earth to reside in the clouds. The darkened windows on the pure white buildings reflected the early morning sky with its various shades of blue. Cori could not believe that this was the city she lived in for all her life, even considering that it was now 75 years beyond her own time. Max interrupted Cori's thoughts, grabbing her by the arm and pulling the young woman off the path that led to the entrance.
"When you go inside, an imager will examine your eyes," he told her. "You have to put in these lenses so it will identify you as Hilda Wright.'"
Max handed her a pair of false irises. "Who's Hilda Wright?"
"She's an old lady from the south side." "But I don't look old."
"That won't matter. As long as your iris says you're Hilda Wright, you are. The security systems they have in the city leave a lot to be conspired. I think the authorities want it that way, so the people don't feel too secure. If they did, they might start thinking about making changes."
"I assume you mean a lot to be desired. Why can't I just tell them my real name? I haven't done anything wrong."
"Because you're not in the Security Bureau's database. And that's even worse than being someone like me, who's done plenty wrong, at least from the government's point of view. It's best for you to come into this city as someone else. Now, if you fuck this up, I'll be nabbed. And then I'll have to kill you."
Bardy's serious expression quickly changed to one that featured his contagious smile.

"Very funny," she responded with a grin. "I won't screw it up."
Cori, who had never worn contact lenses before, struggled to put them in. Max eventually assisted her.
"Now, put this in your hair, just above your forehead."
He handed her a small device, the size and shape of a dime.
"What does it do?"
"There's a machine inside that shoots a beam of light at your forehead. You won't be able to see it, but the light's there, believe me. It will tell the security people what you're thinking. This little gem will tell the machine that you're only thinking pleasant thoughts."
"Get out! There's a machine that can tell what I'm thinking?"
"There is."
"If it can really read my mind, then it'll know that I don't think very much of the future, at least so far."
"The plug will stick to your hair. It almost always works, but just to be on the safe side, think about eating a delicious dinner. Only don't include any meat in your meal." "Why?"
"The powers that be have a thing against meat."
"You mean this computer, or whatever it is, can tell what kind of food I'm thinking about?" "Yes it can," Bardy replied. "Now let's go, Hilda."
As they began to walk toward the building, Max looked at Cori and laughed.
"What's the matter?" she asked him.
"Look at your hands."
Cori had her thumbs hooked on the belt loops of her pants.
"That's a sure sign that you're nervous," he explained. "I'm not kidding about that. You have to look relaxed, or this will never work."

Cori followed his advice. There was not a hint of anxiety in her posture when the woman from another time stepped into the small chamber to be examined. She began thinking about eating a health salad, although a plate of corned beef suddenly appeared in her mind as a long robotic arm with an imager on the end came down from the ceiling. Fortunately, the plug was successful in preventing Cori's innermost thoughts from being revealed. Her irises were examined, and soon after a door granting access to the city opened. A screen over it welcomed Hilda Wright to Chicago.
Cori found Max outside.
"Way to go, Hilda. By the way, my name is Tom Jackman. Let's catch a train. Gino's place is on the other side of the city."
"I want to find Brandon."
"We will, just as soon as I take care of some business."
They started down a very wide, paved path situated between the towering buildings. There were no traffic lights or parking meters in the area; in fact, there were no roads. This city appeared naked to Cori.
"What happened to all the cars?" she whispered to Max, trying to avoid being heard by those around her.
He pointed to the buildings and said in a normal voice, "They were used to build the starscrapers. The aluminum from the cars was made into a new metal alloy called autal. People usually walk to wherever they're going now. Because it's good for you."
"Aren't you worried about someone overhearing us?" Cori asked him.
"That's the only thing I like about the city. No one gives a rat's ass about what the people around them are doing. They're all using their Mibils, so no one is going to hear a word we say. Of course, as Nathaniel says, all the annoying habits people have are amplified here, since there are so damn many of them. It's really no bargain."
"What's a Mibil?"

"It's a computer chip that's implanted in a person's brain. You can use it to communicate with people or to watch a movie or do just about anything else you can think of."
Cori observed the pedestrians walking alongside her. There was a detached expression on their faces. The people and things around them were apparently too unimportant to warrant their attention. They had taken a mental journey to somewhere far more interesting, though their bodies were still trapped in Chicago.
"Do you have one?" Cori asked.
"I had a Mibil when I was a kid. That's how I got through school. The signals to it are supposed to be blocked when the class is taking a test, but I had an arrangement with the school's technical person. I wouldn't have passed any of the classes if I didn't get the answers from my Mibil. When I became an adult I had the thing removed, because I don't trust people. The government is going to find a way to listen in on people's conversations, maybe even read their minds, if it hasn't already. The only thing I'd let someone put in my head now is a good idea."
"If this is the future, why didn't the farmer that gave us the horses have any machines?" "A lot of people like to live a simple life. Especially the Canucks."
"Your place is in Canada?"
"Yes."
"You said there were no police around to arrest Wendell. Why?"
"The Canadian government likes having me around. And that's all I'm going to say about that." "You're living without any modern conveniences, too. That toothbrush I used was absolutely primitive."
"I know. It was made with pig hairs."
"What!" Cori exclaimed as she almost retched. "What's the matter with you?! How can you live like that!"