Bridge to Nowhere

New Arcadia

Wednesday Afternoon–New Arcadia

Rick steps out of the elevator. Painted on the floor is a green square. Well, at least it's still green. The elevator opened on to a small subway platform. As Rick exits the elevator, a subway car arrives, and its doors open. Rick feels his ear tickle.

"Welcome, Dr. Munday. Please have a seat. It's a short ride."

The sound in his ear is strange. It isn't like hearing sounds from a headset or speaker. The sound is inside his head. Rick hesitates.

"Have a seat Dr. Munday." Wincing pain accompanies the sound in his head.

The elevator doors close behind him. The subway is the only option. Rick steps into the car and sits. The door closes, and the car moves out of the station into a dark tunnel.

A series of back lit images are mounted on the tunnel wall. As the car leaves the station, it passes the panels at a faster and faster pace. The images flicker, becoming a blur. Soon the blur becomes animated. As the car passes, the images play out like a video stream. A speaker in the car plays upbeat music and a female voice-over is synced with the images.

"Welcome to New Arcadia. A development under the auspices of Operation Hard Shell. We've created an optimized, self-sustaining environment with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, business growth, and cultural development that allows for personal freedom, and the attainment of your full human potential."

The panels display artist concepts of a futuristic city filled with hard-working, happy people. Rick thinks it looks like Disneyland's old Tomorrowland. Rick feels cheerful, but sleepy. He yawns then slumps to a deep sleep. 

                                                       ---------------------------------------

When the subway car comes to a stop, medical staff move Rick to a waiting gurney. Zsoldos watches the scene while on a video link with the doctor. "The normal course of Rehabilitation for this one, sir?" the doctor asks.

"I don't want him thinking he's been under for twenty years. I need him functional and ready for orientation within four hours," Zsoldos replies.

"In that case, I recommend a moderate dose. When the subject wakes, he will feel disoriented and have no memory of the life he left behind. He may think he has lost several days, while he's slept for only three hours. The effects of Rehabilitation will dissipate over time, but city atmosphere will help maintain compliance," the doctor explains. 

                                                     ------------------------------------------

Rick wakes as if startled. He's lying on a narrow bed in a white room. The floor is unpainted cement. He looks at his arms and body and finds himself dressed in a silver tunic, gray slacks, and black canvas deck shoes. He sits up on the bed, admiring the uniform. Rick tries to think, but his brain won't let him. He tries to remember how he got where he is, but his mind is blank. He doesn't notice his Smart-Band is missing.

A door opens at the far end of the room. Two young men, led by a young woman, walk briskly into the large room, stopping smartly at Rick's bedside.

"Hello," they say in unison with big smiles, and such a friendly tone, it's almost unsettling.

"Welcome to you, Richard Munday," says the young woman in a sing-songy voice and a bright smile.

They are young, sharp, and fit. The young woman is very attractive. The two young men wear VUE lens, but the young woman does not. They wear uniforms of black slacks and sky-blue tunics, with gray piping around the neck and the shoulder seams but with no insignia or rank. They each wear a kepi—small caps like the ones worn during the US Civil War. The caps have an 'A' embroidered on the top in silver braid.