Reality is a story the mind tells itself.

— Dr. Doug Rattman

Monday, July 21, 2081

All her life, Chell Kolminski has waited for something that would define her life. As the morning subway passed volatility over her twenty-storey apartment, she was woken to the same life that waited for her as she slept. She pressed her head down, as she tried to stretch out the muscles in her neck. She had been sleeping on the same mattress for over a decade, but never gotten around to buying a new one. She got out from under the faded sheets and walked to her small, yet tidy, bathroom. A single incandescent light bulb lit the room, as its hum was soon silenced by running water. Chell always hated using the gel tooth paste, she wanted the paste, but it was never on sale. She brushed her teeth as the sink slowly began to clog. She continued with her daily morning routine as she left her apartment with a bagel at hand.

As she walked down the crowded streets of New York, she pulled her hand out of her pocket to check the time. A five dollar bill that was considerably crumpled fell out and blew down the streets by the wind of passing vehicles. She chased it, casually, for nearly ten minutes, but only to witness it being found by a ten-year-old and her mother. That little bitch stole my lunch, she thought. She continued to the subway as cars decorated in high-durability electroluminescent wire passed both over and under her. Before walking down the stairs, where the vintage Helvetica signs from 2011 still hung, she noticed a silver Lexus R-1451 pass by. She watched it at a red light, in total envy, as its simple beauty drew her breathless. Chell always loved vehicles, but never bought one because it would just put her in more debt. She walked down the stairs as if left and boarded the Blue Line. As the train traveled over skyscrapers and highways, she saw the Bermuda Big Screen advertize Aperture Science's new household sentry turrets. What a useless invention, she though as she held the stainless steel handrail in the subway filled with subtle, indistinct chatter. She arrived at her stop and stepped off the subway. Chell hated crowded subways.

Walking through the revolving doors, Chell was greeted by the unhealthily-euphoric secretary.

"Good morning, Chell!" She said enthusiastically.

Chell smiled and quickly walked to the elevator in hope that a conversation wouldn't occur. The elevator doors opened, and before Chell could leave and take the next one, a handsome man in a navy blue suit greeted her,

"Ah, Chell! Good morning!"

"Morning, Charlie," She smiled as she tightened the strap on her purse, trying to look busy.

"So, I didn't see you at the potluck yesterday? Where were you?"

"My house was broken into, so I had to check that out," She said staring at the LCD display that said they were twenty floors away from their destination. "It turns out that auto-lock doors only work when you put your key in them,"

"Really? Because my sister has one and she says it works flawlessly," Charlie fixed his $800.00 square Dior glasses.

"Who would have guessed," Chell said willing to give up a lung to exit the elevator.

"So," Charlie began as his voice softened, "What are you doing tonight?"

The elevator doors opened and an automated voice announced,

"Floor six-hundred twenty-three. Florcan Logistics."

Chell quickly left the elevator as she turned and looked at Charlie,

"The answer's still no," she said as the doors closed and the elevator proceeded upward.

Chell walked past the minefield of cubicles as telephones rang and a plethora of service representatives put on their best "I am concerned, but I really couldn't give less of a shit" voices. As she walked to her desk, a little Filipino lady in a dark red blouse looked at Chell as she spoke on the phone,

"Yes, Miss Watson, I understand that it is not working, but have you tried replacing the batteries?" She mocked the person on the phone with her hands, as she smiled at Chell. "No, the device will only accept Lithium Ion B62445 fuel cells." "You get them at Wal Mart" "Alright, have a nice day." "B-bye, Miss Watson,"

Chell sat down at the desk opposite her and put on her headset,

"It's gonna be one of those days?" Chell asked.

"I just can't wait until 10:30, so I can get out of here and sleep!"

Chell smiled as she waited for the computer to turn on, "Shit, what's the boot code again, Michelle?"

"222" Michelle replied as she took another call, "Florcan Logistics, please hold."

Chell continued her inevitably boring job until 10:30, when the office closed.

"Hey, Chell, some of the girls are going to Sparkies, wanna join us?" Michelle asked ask she waited for the computer to turn off, with her finger on the power button of the monitor.

Oh shit, now what? What'll I wear? I knew I should have done my laundry this weekend, Chell thought as she picked up her cell phone from her desk.

"Sorry, hon. I have to get home and…do a thing," Chell couldn't think of a convincing lie, as she was drained from hours of inept customers and questions that somehow escaped Google.

"Alright, maybe next time," Michelle smiled as she walked toward the elevator.

Chell waited in the office, just to avoid anyone she already said goodbye with earlier. There was a radio playing, somewhere on the other side of the office. The overhead florescent lights slowly went off one-by-one. Chell walked toward a big glass window that overlooked the city. Buildings with thousands of neon lights lit up the streets. It would have been reasonable to think that night was brighter than day.

After taking in the view that she had see at least a hundred times, Chell headed down to the lobby. She took the stairs for two reasons: stairs don't break down and people don't usually take the stairs. Chell hated everyone in the office. They all talked the same, they all walk the same and they all crack the same jokes. Chell got to the lobby and left through the front door. The only people left in the building were custodial staff. She walked down the city street to the subway. After waiting for half an hour, the subway never came. She walked out of the subway station and looked for a taxi. After walking a few minutes, her stomach growled. She headed to the nearest McDonald's for dinner. What a shame, I leave school to work for school. Now I work to eat. Suddenly, I can't even afford to eat. Chell reached into her purse and managed to come up with enough change for a double cheeseburger and large coke. She walked home in the warmth of neon lights as she dreaded another day.