The Electric Archipelago (WIP)

Chapter 4: Sunshine and Tanned Bodies

The city looks so different from the air. The details, the litter, the graffiti, the tension, it is all omitted. While I am in the sky the ugly, oppressive buildings become marvels of engineering and I find that I am inspired by human accomplishments.

My car has entered one of the major skyways. Traffic is relatively light; I am making good time. The Alpha Prime system is advising me to drive safe, the other companies are giving me similar reminders, except for Charles Fauré. The car in front of me has a bumper sticker that says, "I'm a PB and proud of it."

I get a message from Délta Corp. I have been randomly selected for an audit of my search history. That's fine, I don't have anything to hide, I could give less of a fuck about Mars. If I did need to look up something that they don't like, I would just use another company's network.

The Archipelago is a massive vacation spot located under a giant dome. I am dressed for a tropical vacation, which is about as far as I can get from my usual attire. Burabō runs The Archipelago, they charge five hundred Tokens per day, thank God he said that they would cover expenses.

As the car flies itself to the nearest parking lot I ponder the assignment. My best guess is that she ran off with some rich guy, or maybe a guy who did a good job convincing her that he was rich. Either way, he will be easy enough to track down once I get a name.

I can see it in my mind's eye. He butters her up, tips big, spends big, and tells her that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. What is a poor girl that is struggling to work off the debt that she incurred to get that nice body supposed to say?

I finally get a response to the message that I had sent as I was packing. Howard does administrative work at The Archipelago. He was easy enough to find. It was as simple as logging onto Burabō's social network and running a search for a few keywords. From there I had concocted a story about being a newbie in need of help; several people had told me that Howard was the guy to talk to, after all, he was so knowledgeable and helpful.

My story is that I need access to the system, I have been locked out for some reason. He has taken the bait, given me a bypass code that I can use until I get it worked out. I hastily thank him, saying that I owe him one.

The walk across the parking lot is miserable. My swimming trunks and Hawaiian shirt do nothing to keep out the cold. I am shivering by the time I enter the building, should have waited for a shuttle. There are two entrances, one leading to Aikitol, the other goes to a hub for the other islands.

Aikitol Island is a family place, it is where you take the wife and kids for a little bit of fun in the sun. The other islands are where the real action can be found. They are where singles or couples go to party.

I take the tunnel to the hub. Signs, both in the real world and the digital one, warn me that no children are aloud past this point and that I am about to enter a clothing optional area. They must have a jammer in place, I can't access the systems of the other corporations, I am trapped in the Burabō version of reality.

I reach the end and find myself on a tropical island, or in a very convincing reproduction of one. It is bright and warm, something that I am not used to. In fact, I would say that it is somewhat blinding. The beach is nice, I find that sand is far more pleasant to walk on than concrete. Several ferries sit at a dock, each boat is surrounded by signs that talk about how much of a good time you will have.

Beautiful young bodies are everywhere, they are all naked save for those seashell necklaces. A group of lean, handsome, brown-skinned young men beckon me to join them on the boat that would take us to the island that is for gay men. I politely wave them off, making a beeline for a group of young women. Then I realize that that is the one for lesbians, so I change course and finally find the right place.