Excolopolis_Poles of Enforcement Read online

  “Heavens above! What on earth are these tentacle things supposed to be?!”

  “Well, these contain small wind turbines that supply the building with electricity,” said Karen, repeating what Eddie had told her earlier.

  Rob nodded. “Ah, I see. They couldn't have made it a little less complicated for us, could they?” He teased.

  “You have to admit, they'll have a pretty impressive impact standing alongside the rest, won't they?” Karen pointed to the city behind her.

  “Yep! Just like a comic book metropolis,” said Rob.

  Karen stood silent for a moment and then decided she couldn't wait any longer, she had to ask. “Rob, tell me … how did it all start? How did you get this job?”

  “How did we get the job?” he asked back, surprised. “I tell ya, it feels like a thousand years since Mr Steersman found us in South Africa. Back then huge construction projects were being carried out. Rich European, Chinese and American companies were moving in, pumping billions into the real state market. It was hell to watch the sorts of changes that were happening to the environment. But as you know, beggars can't be choosers.” He paused for a moment.

  “What happened?” Karen asked softly.

  “Well … Mr Steersman caught up with us one day. We were just having a drink with some of the members of a tribe whose land had been sold to one of the consortiums. So, he comes up to me and says he has a proposition for me, providing I've had enough of that sort of job. That evening he tells us briefly what the story is. He convinced me, in a few minutes or so, that if we do what he asks we'll never need to chase after any job, ever again. So at the end of that day, we left everything in that hell hole and came here. I didn't even care about contract penalties we had to pay, as long as I was out of there.”

  “And what did you find when you arrived here?” Karen asked.

  “Desert!” Rob chuckled.

  “But one companies laid the roads down in the business quarter on the first night, and by morning, finished roads were waiting for us. I have no idea what technology they used, but it as if someone had rolled the roads out like a carpet. The material they were using hardened immediately so that we were able to use the roads right away.”

  “Yeah, I heard about that.”

  Rob continued, “After a couple of months we received preliminary plans for the very first building. That one, over there!” He pointed in the direction of the TriasLabs tower. “When we saw the plan, the first thing that came into our heads was that we'd been conned, that some weirdo was playing some sort of stupid joke on us.”

  “I don't wonder,” said Karen, nodding.

  “We talked with Mr Steersman … talked about things again and again. Sometimes we could hardly believe what we were hearing. As it turned out, well as he told us anyway, the buildings didn't need as much building material as they would normally need, so their body weigh was reduced by a good seventy to eighty percent.”

  “And what did you say?” Karen asked.

  “I told him it was impossible to build structures as big as these ones like that; that buildings were built the way they were for a good reason, and, I said, even if they were lighter, on these string legs they'd still have no chance of standing. I was sure they'd collapse like big fat clowns in a circus.” Rob looked at Karen.

  “What was his reaction to that?”

  “He said not to worry. All I had to do was begin the work. Then he pointed out some parts of the building, parts that were pretty much a mystery to us, where were required to stop working. Those areas were all engineered by another company.”

  “What parts?” she asked, becoming more and more intrigued.

  “See … those ones.” He pointed to the spherical sections of the existing buildings. Up till now, Karen hadn't paid any attention to them, hadn't really even noticed them. But now, as she looked out over the city, she noticed more and more of them. Indeed, they were on all of the buildings. On the plans however, the points existed, but the spheres were missing, as if someone was secretly altering the plans.

  Karen turned back to face him. “What are they?”

  Rob shrugged. “I dunno,” he replied. “It is not our job to fit them. One thing is for sure, though: they make it possible for these buildings to be constructed. They might have be some kind of weight-support system, but how they work I really don't know.”

  “Who built them?”

  “That's Mr Steersman's business. The thing is that they are fitted at night, and by the following day we carry on with our work.”

  “That's weird,” said Karen, thoughtfully slowly shook her head.

  Robinson nodded, agreeing. “At first, it was weird for us too, but we don't ask questions anymore.”

  “I bet you don't,” said Karen, frowning slightly. “Okay Rob, thanks. I don't wish to hold you up any longer than necessary. Let's quickly go over the main issues, then I'll leave you to your work.”

  “You don't hold me up at all, Karen. It is a pleasure to work with you, you know that.” He smiled at her mockingly.

  “Oh, shut up,” said Karen, returning the smile.

  *

  A mayor was chosen for the city, or in other words, a mayor was needed, along with the requisite law enforcement and emergency services, so that Excolopolis could be classified as a city. Huge things were planned for the city. Why else would they have excavated two massive lakes, so big that speedboat races could be organized on them. The lake shores were covered with glistening white sand that had been imported from somewhere in Caribbean. Everything that people said about the place, turned heads.

  Karen found the mayor in the best of good moods. But then, what cause did he have to grumble. He was full of energy and readiness to act flowed from his every pore. He was the kind of man who felt great, even in the worst possible situations, felt great and went into action when all others backed off. He was not one of those fat, sweaty types who were only focused on their own interests and who didn't care about the interests of the public.

  “Hello, Karen. I hear two new companies have settled in,” the mayor greeted her with a toothy smile.

  “Hi, Tim. Yes, that's right. Including them, we've reached our hundredth this month. That'll mean we have to work out some disaster management strategies,” Karen cut straight to the chase.

  “I have never had to build social network infrastructure so fast in my entire life. Only last week we had to register fifteen thousand new comers. We not only have to deal with new citizens, but also with those who are already here. They all want to get their share of our high living standards,” the major moaned with a smile.

  “I know, I know,” Karen said thoughtfully. “Tim, listen. We are going to be building on another new site.”

  “Really?!”

  “Yes. But this one's different from the previous ones because of its infrastructure,” said Karen. “It will be listed as an industrial site.”

  “An industrial site? Okay. What will be produced there, I wonder?” The mayor's smile disappeared for a moment.

  “I have no idea,” Karen admitted. “All I have to do right now is get the permissions sorted out. Any ideas where I can start?”

  “Of course, let's talk about it over lunch. I can put you in touch with someone I know,” he said, as he led Karen from the room. “Don't worry, you won't have any problems with them at all.”

  Karen knew that she wouldn't as long as she went to the right person. Everything happened quickly and smoothly in this city.

  She got to know more and more people, and wasn't worried by the speed at which things were happening because she knew who it was okay to be friends with, and who was approaching her just because of her connections. She knew the right distance to maintain, proving in that sense to be rather canny.

  ***

  Chapter 2

  Machines

  The Steersman's building was just one of many tower blocks. Compared to the other towers surrounding it, it was unremarkable. Steersman didn't like to splu
rge out on unnecessary ostentation. The top three floors of the center were joined together where only he and his assistant, Karen worked.

  Karen felt that there was something quite bizarre about the hours that her boss kept. Steersman was possessed of such strength and implacability at any time of the day, that Karen sometimes felt there was no one able to keep up with him. She was fairly sure that Steersman expended far more energy that he showed, which was made more remarkable by fact that usually the opposite was true. She had seen many people possessed by, and ready to sacrifice everything for their work. This usually meant that their life-style, their day to day rhythm was also unusual, not to mention their nature; in many cases such people were tyrants, jerks or assholes, in spite of the undisputed nature of their genius.

  She loved getting to know people, and thanks to her unerring instincts, she was able to read anyone, almost without exception. At times she wondered why she hadn't bothered to graduate as a psychologist. Perhaps it was because she was even more interested in what the human mind was able to create than how it did it, so she was drawn to research and development. For now she couldn't find answers to her questions, no matter how hard she pondered. Steersman was different. The idea of 'solving' his personality drove her mad, and excited her.

  She gave herself one more month. One more month to figure him out. She would… she always did. It's just taking a bit longer this time, that's all, she reassured herself.

  They usually met in the evenings when they could go over things without interruptions. Even with all the meetings and work, they still managed to have time for social life too.

  It was about 8:00pm, the surrounding office blocks were all empty and the street-lights had already come on in the business quarter.

  Karen sorted out her electronic documents, and her thoughts as well, before entering her boss's office. It has been quite a day, quite a confusing day, and she had learned rather lot about the mysterious beginnings of Excolopolis, yet still, curiosity was eating away at her. She couldn't decide whether to question him outright, or wait. By the time she entered Steersman's office, she'd made a decision. Wait for the right moment! After all, she wasn't there to play detective, was she? She wouldn't say anything just yet, and anyway, she hated that kind of thing.

  The room was dominated by a blurred world of simple compromises between light and shadow. The inner sanctum consisted of parts that complemented each other and merged into an integrated whole. Light filtered peaceful ambiance down from above. Peace and a strange yet pleasant scent wove throughout the room.

  Steersman looked up as Karen walked into office.

  “Good evening, Karen. How was your day?” Steersman greeted her.

  Steersman liked Karen, as did everyone. Tall, athletic and beautiful, with long auburn hair, and what really stood out was her rare personality. She was kind and empathetic with an extremely intelligent and objective mind and above all, calm. When she needed to, though, she was ready and well able to stand up for herself with a fiery decisiveness.

  “Good evening, Sean. My day was rather productive …. As a matter of fact, the construction of the two new towers has begun. We've received the permits for the construction of the industrial plant too.”

  “Excellent,” said Steersman, unsurprised.

  “Tim is madly organizing the civil infrastructure. He wants an ultramodern commuting system,” continued Karen.

  “Let him do it, he's a clever guy,” Steersman said blandly.

  Karen smiled. “Yeah, he is. He is very enthusiastic. It's actually a pleasure to listen to his ideas.”

  “I haven't asked you yet, Karen, but how are you settling in so far? Do you like being here?” Steersman asked.

  “You mean personally?”

  “Personally, professionally, but yes, mainly personally.”

  Karen paused, then answered slowly, “Well, I have to say, I feel a bit lonely sometimes, though I am getting to know more and more people, and I also know a lot of the people who are moving here with their companies … but it is not real somehow.”

  “What do you mean?” Steersman frowned. “What's missing?”

  “Well, neighbors for one thing. I have hardly any neighbors, you know, the kind that just say ‘Hi, how are ya?’ in the mornings, or ‘Pretty hot today, isn't it?’. Just the little conversations. Often, I don't even bump into anyone at the bakery …. Those sort of things.”

  “Social life!” said Steersman, summing it up.

  “I guess, yeah,” she agreed.

  “You do know it's changing day by day though, don't you?”

  “Of course. The population is growing incredibly quickly. It is obvious that things will change, but it has been two months already, and I kinda miss … people.”

  “I understand. How about about your work? Are you happy?”

  Karen smiled. “I am. Very much so. I've never felt quite so liberated. This town is a dream to work in. It's an amazing feeling to be a part of its construction.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “Yes, umm …” Karen started to speak, then cut herself short.

  A brief silence descended.

  Steersman looked at her quizzically. “Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you?”

  Karen looked up and smiled, “No, I don't think so …. That was all really,” she finished.

  “I want you to know that I'm counting on your help for the long haul. Right now you are pretty much irreplaceable. You can also rest assured that there are more interesting things lined up for you. Projects that'll give you more than just a feeling of liberation.”

  Karen raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Thank you, Sean … ummm, I'm hooked I guess, but what are we talking about?” She laughed.

  “You'll find out in time,” said Steersman, flashing a rare grin.

  Karen took a deep breath and got back to business. “Okay. In half an hour the press will be arriving and I'll bring them in. Do you have any requests for them?” she asked.

  Amongst Steersman's regular guests were Natalie Garner from the Belgian TV company, S.P.A.N. This little cutie had been a celebrity reporter ever since she'd been given exclusive rights to broadcast all that was happening in Excolopolis. Once a month she presented a summary of all of the incredible and shocking events that were taking place in the city, spiced up with juicy gossip and conspiracy theories to foster the attention of those who were more interested in sensationalism, than in paying attention to the growth of the city itself. Above all, she shot interviews with the man behind it all.

  “No, just the usual. Everything will be fine. Go home and relax, Karen. Goodnight” Steersman looked over at her.

  “Okay, goodnight Sean, see you tomorrow,” she replied.

  Karen stood up and walked out of his office, through the grand emptiness. As she strolled across the hall she noticed some interesting details that had escaped her attention till now. They hadn't really seemed to be of much significance, the round forms at farthest corners of the building, the ones she had thought were surreal office decorations. However, after today's events, they made her suspicious. She had seen them on other buildings as well, but from a distance she wasn't able to estimate whether or not they were more or less the same.

  She kept on walking, and the picture in her mind became clearer even though there were still many blurry little details obscuring the truth.

  He might be as well a sort of … “scientist?” Karen finished her thought aloud. It must be easier for him to introduce himself as an influential businessman rather than an inventor with no established credentials.

  Karen was now certain that she had to get to the bottom of it.

  Interview

  Natalie Garner found herself racing upwards in an express elevator that looked like a shining crystal, and she could see everything on the inner floors. The view was beyond description, even for a reporter, and she stared at the vast open space inside the tower with an almost childlike awe.

  Altogether there were fif
ty floors in Steersman's central office tower, though each of them was the height of an aircraft hangar. On these levels the administration work needed for the city's development and infrastructure was taken care of. Each floor had a unique architectural signature, the interiors designed to mirror an aspect of the outside world; streets and parks with fountains, grocery stores, snack bars, cafeterias and restaurants that all operated as an office, a canteen, a bar or a lodge would operate.

  After about thirty seconds, a pleasant female voice broke the silence, disrupting her amazement as the elevator reached the top floor.

  Natalie stepped out of the elevator with her cameraman, who was permitted to assist her for the interviews. From a distance she could see the empire of Karen Colella leading directly into the hall connecting to Sean Steersman's. She liked Karen, perhaps because Karen seemed to like her too, a real rarity in her life. She couldn't really put her finger why she liked Karen or why Karen liked her, as there weren't many women whose company she actively sought, or enjoyed. Well, that's life, she often thought to herself. She tried to rebel against her own personality, but she soon realized that this endeavor was self-destructive. So, in the end she gave up trying to be someone else, and accepted herself for who she was. Strangely, since that moment she'd felt somehow happier.

  “Hi, Karen. Hope I'm not too early,” she said as she approached.

  “Hi, Karen,” muttered the cameraman who, in spite of his shyness, always manage to relate his opinions with a quiet ironic humor that often caused friction between him and Natalie.

  Karen was already smiling when Natalie arrived. Natalie was a true phenomenon! Karen couldn't understand how, but, in spite of the fact that she never knew what to make of Natalie Garner, she always made a strong impression, but so far, however, Karen hadn't had the chance to get closer to her.

  Not long before Karen had realized why, but the answer still baffled her. In some ways they were very much alike. The reporter had established her own unique working style, and her personal habits were suited to a journalist's lifestyle as well. Beyond that, her character was very much like Karen's. Karen couldn't stop herself from analyzing the correlations between them. It can't have been purely coincidence that they were both here in Excolopolis. There must be a reason. She didn't believed in chance. As far she knew, Natalie Garner had got her big break in the same way she had: Steersman had simply walked up to her and offered her the job. He wanted her, and he got her with the kind of proposal that no rational, career centered human being could resist.