SYSTEM-ONE Novel Sneak Peak!

CHAPTER ONE

Megan Stone

Date: 15^th June 65U – The 65^th Year of Utopia

 The rain pattered upon the window. Tap. Tap. Tap.

‘Good morning, Maron City!’ a male voice cheered over the radio, which was built into the interactive glass windowpanes. A holographic display flickered with the details of the day’s events.

‘The day is the fifteenth of June, the sixty-fifth year of Utopian society! The Maron council is meeting today to discuss the festival preparations for the sixty-fifth annual declaration of our utopian society. In news of the terrorist attacks that occurred earlier this week, one suspect was apprehended late last night and was taken to Bunker 27 for further questioning. Our province’s Overseer has stated that terrorist activity has now reached the yearly high, but that System-One is declaring that all citizens harbour no fear in the influx of terrorist activity, as System-One has dispatched several battalions of wardens to protect our city streets. Now, as for the weather, despite the current deluge, the sun will be shining later today, with a temperature of around nineteen degrees! However, expect a bit of smog to drift around Gernsbury late afternoon as lunar fragmented activity increases towards the end of the week. We hope all of you lovely people enjoy a fantastic day today! And remember, the System is your Truth, the System is your Freedom, the System is your Prosperity. As after all, you deserve it.’

With a shuffle of bedsheets and a stretching groan, Megan Stone slowly prised open her eyes to the new gloomy day. She felt the cool stillness of the air, witnessing the soft strokes of rain that slid down the windowsill. She ran her hand through her long brown hair. The floor-to-roof window of her apartment slowly adjusted to the light of the day. All the details she needed to know were flickering upon the window, yet she cared not to look at it.

She shuffled through the covers and looked to her left. Her partner had already gotten up. She rubbed her eyes and opened her Integration Key’s holographic display; a ton of notifications were waiting to be read on her Sysweb profile. She groaned, sat up and dangled her legs off the edge of the bed. I enjoyed last night, she told herself. She smiled softly, placed her feet onto the fuzzy, warm carpet and stood up with a stretching groan.

She walked over to the window and hugged her arms close to her woolly jumper. She noted her reflection in the glass. She was a very beautiful young woman of twenty-two years. Her olive skin had a natural beauty that complemented her long, dark brown curly loose hair that was currently a frizzy mess. She was a woman like any other, but had everything a woman her age would want: a lovely house, a good-paying job, a handsome boyfriend, she had the life she had dreamt of when she was sixteen. Yet, despite all of this acclimation of desires, she had a curious heart that yearned for discovery, as something still plagued her; she did not know why, but she felt… empty.

Just like everyone else.

I am not empty. I am fulfilled. I am happy, she told herself. A smile appeared on her cheeks. The tapping of the rain was soothing to her ears. And behind the glossy dew of the downpour, she could take in the city of Maron City.

She reminded herself to take note of her room, an important daily task of hers to help her remember how much System-One provided for her.

With a fuzzy, creamy coloured carpet that stretched across the entire room, to a door of a large mirror-sized cupboard, which could be opened to reveal a large assortment of clothes, she became happy. Directly in front of the bedroom door, sat against the wall, was a large master bed with a white duvet and creamy coloured pillows. Behind it sat the backrest of the bed, which was golden brown wood, and the walls in this room were a light creamy colour, with a few cupboards that hung above the bed.

She heard a clatter from the other room. She turned to her bedroom door and stepped through, into the main room of her apartment, where she was met with a warming aroma of the electric stone-framed fireplace, which emanated a soothing temperature from the opposite wall.

It was a large, open, and very clean room, with light blue walls, wood-planked floor and a grey ceiling. A flat screen TV hung above the fire, with a black leather corner sofa sitting with its back to the wall beside it, and the sofa’s corner stuck out into the room just beside three steps that led up to the open kitchen. There was a small coffee table in front of the sofa with a bowl of consumable plants. To the left of the main door was the open kitchen above the sofa area. It had creamy coloured cabinets, both on the floor and above, with a black granite countertop. The cabinets sat directly behind the leather sofa, only standing a few steps above it, but there was a glass wall with a wooden top between the sofa and the kitchen. There was also a kitchen island with two stools on its left side and a cooker which was built into the cabinets with a small cabinet fridge next to it. Cabinets hung above, mostly filled with glasses and bowls, and just a metre from the entrance was another door which led into the bathroom, which had black tiles on the walls with a dark grey tiled floor with a fuzzy, creamy coloured carpet next to the sink. Beside the sink was a shower, in front of that was the toilet. Above the sink was the mirror, which stored all her medication.

Beside the bathroom door, the wall stuck out. It had a wooden countertop, which held multiple picture frames that changed the picture now and then by fading in and out of the next. In front of the small shelf was a table with two chairs sitting opposite each other, which was where she ate. To Megan’s right, just behind a small corner, was a large black coloured shelving with different assortments on it, mostly picture frames, but a few small sculptures of interwinding, curling rods. A sign was set on the furthest shelf at the top, saying: “The System provides.” Throughout the room were different paintings of coloured lines or splotches, nothing of notable detail.

The glass windows that sat on the outskirts of the tall building spanned from the bedroom, past the bedroom wall and up to the fireplace. A full-length, floor-to-ceiling glass window that was spotless. They would change tint automatically depending on outside luminosity, allowing Megan to sleep peacefully whenever she wanted to.

Megan wandered to the glass panes and gazed outside. She could see for miles across Maron City as she lived in one of the towering skyscrapers of Gernsbury Apartments; as such, she could look out directly into the city, as her bedroom was almost smack bang in the centre of a three-way road, one going right, left, and straight ahead. They were perfectly straight roads which stretched towards the boardwalk. She also looked down at the street, people walking everywhere under umbrellas, cars driving, buses turning, officers and wardens patrolling, adverts singing, the usual and comfortable routine of life, the stuff which happens every day. She crossed her arms and felt a great degree of thankfulness, a pleasurable feeling that was often granted to her by the System.

‘Morning, beautiful,’ a soothing voice spoke from behind her. Nathan Ross wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.

‘Morning, Nathan,’ Megan snickered as she held her hand on his.

‘How was your day?’ he asked as he rested his head on her shoulder, staring at her reflection in the glass. She could see his face, which was a very proud and handsome face, especially for his age of twenty-three. He was a model in Media One’s Modelling Agency. He had short, naturally flowing hair and muscular shoulders. He was taller than her; the top of her head only reached the top of his shoulders.

‘Oh, you know. Same old, same old,’ Megan replied, giving a small smile. ‘I took tomorrow off, since it is your nieces’ integration.’

‘Ahh, Stacy’s integration,’ Nathan chuckled as he straightened up.

Megan noted that a small smudge of food was on Nathan’s Integration Key. ‘Ugh, Nate, you need you keep your Key clean.’ She quickly licked her fingers and rubbed the food off the metallic blue band around his wrist.

‘Haha, I know, hun, I just didn’t have time to clean it after making food. But hey, Gabby popped in earlier to say hi, she was very excited about the result, but didn’t tell her anything as I wanted you to know the good news first,’ he added seductively.

Megan turned to face the muscular man who was wearing a tight white shirt with blue jeans. A little confused laugh escaped her lips as she asked, ‘What do you mean?’

He smirked and offered his hand. Megan curiously took his hand, and he escorted her over to the dining table, which was beside the wall and sat her down. He placed a note on the table. The letter was already open, it was clear Nathan had read its contents.

‘What’s this?’ Megan asked as she glanced up at him, seeing him lean over, proud and smiling brightly.

‘It’s from the O.B.A.,’ Nathan responded, bobbing his eyebrows as he pushed it closer to her.

Megan’s eyes lit up. She grabbed the note, pulled out the paper from within and saw it was from the Office of Baby Administration. With a teaming excitement, she read, ‘Dear Mr Ross and Miss Stone, you have been accepted for the bearing of one child!’ Megan squealed joyfully, and she jumped out of her seat. ‘This child will be a girl… and…’ Megan read out all the information on the letter, the child’s given designation, their roles as parents, and everything else that they needed to know.

‘Miss Stone, you have been granted the chance to become pregnant within the next month… and we hope you enjoy the little bundle of joy which will be coming into your lives!’ Megan shrieked playfully. She jumped up again and hugged Nathan, who laughed proudly.

‘I can’t believe we’ve been accepted,’ Megan cried and wiped her eyes. ‘All those applications… all those assessments… it didn’t go to waste.’

Nathan smiled. ‘It’s amazing, I’m so proud of you.’

Megan stepped down the stairs, wiped her eyes and tried to pull herself together. ‘Hoo okay,’ she breathed in, trying to gather her thoughts together whilst Nathan watched from afar by leaning against the table.

For a split second, she felt a sudden, unexpected, weird tingling about this situation. She didn’t understand why, but surely there should be easier ways of- I am granted a child. Ignore that thought and enjoy the news, she told herself.

Good point, she replied. She turned around and faced Nathan, who had a flirtatious smile spanning his face. Megan smiled back, ‘Well…’

‘Well, well, well,’ he snickered. ‘I think it’s time.’

‘I think it is indeed,’ Megan replied flirtatiously as she gave a cheeky smirk, stepping up towards him, she pulled on his shirt and embraced him, kissing him on the lips. He pulled her along and led her to their bedroom. They continued to embrace, and Nathan slammed the door shut.

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