Odyssey of the City of Lights

Odyssey of the City of Lights - Book 1 - Chapter 20

Sunday afternoon found Aaron and me wandering into the community building, a structure that never ceased to astonish with its multifaceted innards. The first floor was basically a food court that hummed with life, where aromas mingled, music danced on airwaves, and a few community activities were available. Above it, offices sprawled across the second floor, including the bank where I had opened an account a few days earlier. Today, however, our destination was the third floor, a haven of communal working spaces and creative studios—a hive for minds like Aaron's.

"Sent the project over to Mason and Amelia," Aaron said, his voice tinged with anticipation as we approached the escalator. "Mason's all hyped up about seeing it in VR."

"Can't blame him," I replied, glimpsing the approval in his eyes. "Your work deserves more than just a flat screen."

The escalator carried us upward as Aaron fiddled with something on his glasses, and my thoughts ran away from me. A week ago, everything here would've seemed outlandishly foreign—the people adorned with full functional prosthetics, bodies illustrated with ink, piercings punctuating skin, and attire that screamed individuality. But today, I watched them with a sense of normalcy.

"Amazing how quickly things become ordinary," I mused aloud to no one in particular.

"Right?" Aaron chuckled, eyeing a passerby whose neon hair defied gravity. "Guess it shows how adaptable we humans are."

I nodded, my gaze fixed on a panel embedded in the wall. Approaching it, I uttered a polite "Please indicate that Eli and Aaron have arrived" to check in and watched as it lit up, responsive. When it completed my request, I couldn't help adding, "Thank you," aware of how absurd it might seem to thank a machine.

"Never change, Eli," Aaron grinned, clearly amused by my courtesy to the inanimate.

"I was raised polite," I shrugged, the words slipping out with a lightness. "Besides, who knows? Maybe they'll start being nice back," I joked, half-expecting the panel to chirp a 'you're welcome.'

Aaron explained that official final work needed to be done in places like this to ensure that all parties were recorded working on the project and demonstrated willing agreement to a cooperation contract. Something about the room monitoring system records the actions and interactions, along with all identifications and whatnot.

I only marginally understood it. What was wrong with a notary public?

The lobby area of the third floor was a hub of creative energy, buzzing with the chatter of artists and programmers mingling around holographic displays.

Among them, Amelia stood out, her slender figure sitting on a bench by the wall, doing something with her AR glasses. A trace of laughter rippled from her.

"Hey Amelia, you're early," Aaron's voice broke through, tinged with a hint of red cresting his cheeks.

Her hands fluttered, casting away invisible threads as she disconnected from augmented reality. Springing up with a grace that seemed choreographed, she greeted us, "Oh hey, Aaron, Eli. Yeah, I came a bit early."