Platform Five

The ground shook beneath Madison's feet as she walked down the sidewalk. The townspeople had voted on endless summers and no rain, but Madison had never liked the feel of the Geothermal Manipulator vibrating below.

Ages ago, a ground that shook meant something was wrong – she had read about earthquakes and natural disasters in history books. In some parts of the world, it still happened regularly. But here, a ground that shook meant that you were lucky enough to live someplace where everything was right. The weather was perfect. The filtered and medicated air that everyone agreed to pay for with tax dollars kept the people in their suburb relatively healthy. The food, shipped fresh from the outlying farms to the homes of whomever ordered it was plentiful and nutritious. She was lucky to live here, she knew. But on days like today, that head knowledge didn't make its way to her heart.

It's a blessing and a curse to live near a Platform. It would be nice to have to travel to get to one, to have some time alone with your thoughts on the way. Instead, Madison only had to walk a couple of blocks to get there. It was too soon to go back; she had left Kevin at the Hospital only a week before.

Yes, Kevin had broken her heart, but to go back to the Hospital a week after his termination still felt wrong somehow. It was the same uneasy feeling that settled in her stomach when her friends started dating a Natural Born the day after their purchased spouse was taken back. Everyone said that this was okay, healthy even, that it can make the sadness go away sooner. But Madison was starting to feel as if some of the things that people say are okay were not. Shouldn't there be some type of grieving process? Her heart was still hurting from last week. Even though she knew he had cheated on her, somehow it didn't make the way they ended okay.

She tried to stay optimistic. This was a fresh start. Madison remembered how happy as she was a year ago, on her twenty-first birthday, when she took her first trip to the Hospital. Her sister said she was too young to buy a boyfriend, but Madison couldn't see any reason why not. She was eager to get on with her life rather than waiting around on an immature Natural Born guy, and if she could craft a man was truly perfect for her what was the harm? She would have married him right away if that was legal.

Madison shook her head at how naive she had been before. She had started composing a list of everything she wanted in a partner at age 18, and she still failed. That's why last week, she led Kevin down this same buzzing sidewalk to the Platform that connects to the Hospital. She told him they were going to build a baby. He had a cheerful, dumb expression plastered all over his cheating face as he climbed up the steps of the platform.

Only the most affluent towns had Platforms, which were direct links to the Hospital. If anyone else wanted to pay for the Hospital's services, they had to travel to a wealthy city like New Park or Green Cove and then visit a Platform. Madison lived in Green Cove, a small yet beautiful suburb near the city of Old Chicago. Her town was full of coffee shops, quirky bookstores, parks, and friendly people who said hello. Most people didn't travel, of course. Gas was expensive. Even people in Green Cove walked everywhere. Than again, people in Green Cove had no need to travel, really. Few people were lucky enough to live in a place where everything they could ever need is made for them and delivered right to their door, customized to their liking. Living two blocks away from Platform Five was a dream come true.

Madison started walking up the 50 steps on the platform, which was elevated into the sky like a stairway to heaven. In the distance, Madison could see her next door neighbor Gwen sitting and waiting for the pod. Next to Gwen was Gwen's daughter, Gabriella. Madison chuckled at Gabriella's whimsical attire, imagining how much her mother must hate her black combat boots and ripped leather jacket. It was the type of artificial non-conformity that you could order on websites like Red Topic. Interesting, but not truly threatening.