Chapter 1

"And this," Three introduces, "is Create-a-Sim."

On conveyer belts, Sims are moved into little booths with a pre-rendered set behind them, showing a corner with blue walls and a full length mirror. There, with the Sim on a rotatable platform, the Overseers assign the Sims with their gender, species, skin tone, hair, and all the particular qualities of the Sim.

"Yes, I've heard of high-tech advancements of your Create-a-Sim. Is it true your Overseers can choose patterns and colors for any article of hair or clothing?" Four asks.

Three, the older, wiser one of the pair, has sharp, angular cheekbones. Her eyes are an unusual red behind her rectangular glasses and dark hair in a sensible ponytail. She's dressed in a sleek, but casual black business suit, custom-colored to be the blackest black her program can provide.

"That's right, Four. Perhaps I'll give you the code so you could add it to your own program some day."

Four follows Three as she gets a closer look at one of the creation chambers, with a female Sim posing on the cream platform. Three waves away the Overseer.

"Ah, Overseers, so reliable, if a little inefficient at times," Three compliments the silent Overseer as the Overseer walks toward another creation chamber.

Four watches as Three selects this particular Sim's traits, "Hmph, it looks like this Sim was created in the image of the Overseer. Hopeless Romantic, Artistic, Computer Whiz, Social Butterfly...tsk, tsk, all conflicting traits that don't point toward a particular career or lifetime wish. This is not what my program was created for. This is what I mean, about Overseers being inefficient. Oh, I'm sure Two would eat this Overseer right up, what with her focus on emotions and all, but this...is not my cup of tea."

"But Three, isn't it the Overseer's job to decide a Sim's destiny? To oversee all of their daily activities in order to guide them toward their predetermined destiny?" Four asks.

"That's true. But while the Overseers are in charge of the Sims, as Heads of State we are in charge of both Sims and Overseers. Our programs dictate what the Overseers can do with their Sims, and through our programs we encourage what our Overseers should be doing with their Sims," Three explains.

Four looks up to this woman. After all, Three is her guide and mentor into the world of becoming a Head of State. The newest member of the Coalition of the Heads of States, Four needed a mentor to guide her in the methods of creating, and most importantly, controlling Sims and their Overseers. Three was only too happy to oblige, although Four didn't necessarily agree with all of her design choices. Four has her own vision, one that would take her society of Sims and Overseers to the next level.

Taking control of the Overseer's Controller, the blue, panel-like device that allows a Head of State and/or Overseer to control aspects of their Sim's society, Three starts to change the female Sim's traits.

"Let's see...this Sim's lifetime wish is Professional Author. That means they'll need the Bookworm trait, the Perfectionist trait, and for good measure, the Loner trait. There, much better," Three finishes, giving the Controller a final tap.

Four looks on, astounded by the efficient work of Three, "Why, you've just changed that Sim's entire personality! Altered their destiny!"

"Perhaps," Three doesn't appear too concerned over the consequences of her actions, "but that doesn't mean they can't still pursue the same things. They're just reprogrammed to prefer certain paths, and have a better chance at succeeding in our suggested futures."

While Three continues giving Four a tour of her Create-a-Sim, an Overseer named Shellie creates a new batch of Sims. Shellie, having worked under Three for many years, finds using Three's program easy to navigate. Her Controller blips and bleeps as she presses the little blue buttons, and scrolls down all of the clothing options.

"Another new batch?" Bernard, a fellow Overseer asks, his creation chamber right next door to hers.

Shellie sighs, "Yes, I loved my last family, but I simply felt it was time to move on. So I deleted them. What about you?"

Bernard shakes his head, "No, I instructed my Sim to plan out another outfit. I just wasn't satisfied with his look. Although…"

Looking up to find Three and Four on the other side of Create-a-Sim, Bernard leans in to whisper to Shellie, "I've been offered a position overseeing for Four."

She gasps, but keeps her voice hushed, "You? Working for Four?! Well, I never thought I'd see the day."

"However, I hear Four's program isn't exactly...up to snuff," he confesses, "in the early days, the program didn't even have pools! How do you satisfy Sims without a pool?"

Shellie chuckles, "Bernard, these are Sims we're talking about. They don't need pools, they can fill their Fun need and raise their Athletic skill through other means. Besides, a Sim mainly finds success through careers, it encompasses the majority of lifetime wishes."

"But...I don't think that's the focus of Four's program. I think Four has something else in mind in the design of her program. I'm just not sure what it is," he confesses.

Shellie completes her Sims, a husband-and-wife duo named Carlos and Grace Littlejohn. Taking them out of Create-a-Sim, she plants them into the neighborhood of Starlight Shores, and sets them down in a large empty lot at the edge of town.

"I can't believe we've just bought our own plot of land!" Grace Enthuses about New House to her husband.

"Yes, it was very kind of some stranger to deposit fifty thousand Simoleons into our account. Now we can build our own house, and I can start my own day-care service!" Carlos cheers.

There's a short pause between the couple, with Grace shuffling in place for a moment or two. The two look back up to find that in place of the expanse of green grass, a fully built house stands in front of them.

"Our new home...praise Will!" Grace Leaps into Arms of Carlos, ecstatic as ever.

"Well, I'm going to Register as a Self-Employed Daycare Worker, you better head down to town to get a job as well," Carlos tells his wife, putting her down.

"Hmm...you're right," Grace nods as a car appears in her inventory.

Shellie the Overseer directs Carlos to the computer inside the house, and, after having bought Grace a new Vorn P328, she directs her to drive it to the City Government Complex, an amalgam building containing the City Hall, Military Base, and Police Station, where Grace will get a job in the Military career. Shellie, the "anonymous donor" of Grace and Carlo's extra fifty thousand Simoleons, could easily motherlode again, giving them another free fifty thousand. After all, money is of no importance to an Overseer, an Overseer can generate money endlessly. It's to the Sims that money is important, for to them, money is finite, and money means success.

Author's Note: It's been years since I've written a fanfic for The Sims, so this is quite the return-to-form for me. For those of you that remember The Green PlumbBob/The PlumbBob Saga, I still think about that fanfic from time to time, but I doubt I'll continue it, as much as I love the characters

Thanks! :)