"Sheldonopolis…"
Summary: In a dystopic future, Humanity's last hope is the visionary metropolis created by the genius of grand Administrator Sheldon Cooperson and Rotwolowitz, the inventor...But is it a paradise or a Sheldonesque version of Hell? And can a savior from the waitressing ranks of its cloned workers change its future?
Sheldon Cooperson, the Master of Sheldonopolis… Dr. Sheldon L. Cooper
Calvin Cooperson, his son… Dr. Leonard Hofstadter
Rotwolowitz, the inventor… Howard, the engineer
Amy, nervous Chief Assistant to the Master of Sheldonopolis… Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler
Penny/Futura, her android double…
The Creative Man…
Death…
The Seven Deadly Sins… Penny, the waitress
The Thin Man… Name withheld by request
Male Worker clones… Howard, the engineer
Grotta, chief clone supervisor for the Heart machine…Female worker clones… Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski
Georgy… Stuart Bloom
Part IX…
While there are no official restrictions on members of the two major classes traveling between the sectors of the global megacity that is Sheldonopolis, it is generally accepted that the worker clones may only cross into the paradisiacal upper levels on official business, with id, subject to intense and careful questioning by the security forces, both public and secret…And while the elites would expect in theory to face little such hindrance, social pressure doing most of the work in keeping them to their world, in fact, the security forces did monitor for any such unofficially sanctioned crossings by them as well. And in recent years, a handful of had occurred as various liberal groups among the elites, dissatisfied by the occasional official show tours, sought to learn more about conditions below. Few of these having succeeded in penetrating far, none lasting long, as Amy had noted to Calvin…Suggesting that the Thin Man and his team had agents in place in the Workers' City itself, at least in the Machine Districts…So it was not entirely without the risk of being detected and, politely, stopped and returned, that Calvin made his cautious way into the upper levels of the Workers Sections. Fortunately, even the elite reformers had chosen to go the safe and comfortable way via the standard entrances, never expecting that they might be interfered with or shadowed by the Thin Man's agents. Calvin, however, had wisely chosen another route…
…A route known to him by his father's tales of the early days of the megacity's construction…When he and his old colleague and once friend, Rotwolowitz had happily toured "their" growing metropolis via the access tunnels and even the vast drains, studying every inch of the work, often in the company of their mutually beloved Hel…
(Right…Howard noted to Bernadette…Picture Sheldon in overalls "clambering" through tunnels and drains…
"Literary license…Rather like the idea of some short and unphysically adept people engaging in heavy labor." Amy frowned.
"We fit the machines…And cost less to feed than hulking types. Pound for pound, we've metabolically the right stuff." Bernadette noted, grimly.
"Excuse me…I often tour the darkest haunts and byways of Sheldonopolis myself…The deepest bowels of the city know me." Sheldon insisted.
"As an avatar in a simulation, Sheldon…" Howard rolled eyes. "You also fight dragons and giant orcs and defeat the Galactic Empire in bloody space battles. Whereas in real life you couldn't fight off a bluejay…"
"Howard. It's cruel to remind Sheldon of that incident." Amy glared. "He loved that bird with all his heart."
"Thank you, Amy." Sheldon sighed. "I appreciate you understand what I went through then." Sad shake of head…
Of course I would've poisoned my rival's bird feed in time if he hadn't fled…She noted to Penny.)
Slipping into an old inspection tunnel, Calvin had made his careful way to one of the vast air shafts reaching to the very depths of the Workers' City. For now though, his intent was to encounter his brothers and sisters at their work…Learn of their sufferings and woes first hand. An investigative report, to be recorded on his personal S-phone…
And just possibly get a line on that girl…Who no doubt had much to offer…In terms of information as to conditions among the families, the children…All that sort of stuff…
He climbed down the shaft to the inspection entrance at the primary Machine District level and made his way out into the walk- and road-way around the main area…Reaching a door without detection and entering through a steam cloud of sweltering heat and humidity.
No weather or climate control down here…He peered through the hot fog…His fine silk clothes damp but still a dead giveaway to any passer-by but the benumbed workers trudging about. Only the very rare glance his way with a weary flicker of interest…
Still sooner or later a supervisor in more alert and fearful condition…Or more likely, one of the Thin Man's spies…Would catch sight of him or receive a report. He hurried into the thick of the working area. Clangs and brutally harsh sounds all about him…
The sudden piercing shriek of the shift change siren startling him…While the passing or posted workers barely looked up from their labors, numbly awaiting relief from their agony…
He looked cautiously about to see where one machine and its operator, apparently controlling some vital function, stood in isolation, somewhat protected from the view of the swarming hordes of workers coming and going to their various posts.
Brother…He eyed the weary figure at the machine…The said figure standing upright as best he could manage after a week and, today, several hours of back-breaking labor, struggling to move the mighty controls and keep the system in its delicate balance.
Collapsing in exhaustion even as Calvin reached him, trying to speak to him… "Brother…"
"Hey! Help!" Calvin called, grabbing at the worker as he fell…
Hmmn…One of the newer lines, I see…He eyed the face…
"You're all right, you'll be fine…" he soothed the poor frail fellow, crumpled in his arms.
"The Machine…!" gasped the worker… "The Machine!..." he pointed in terror, struggling… "Someone must stay with the Machine!"
"Someone will…" Calvin insisted…Stroking the terrified young worker's head to calm him.
("Uh…Howard…?"
"Cut…" Howard sighed, wearily… "Yeah, Stuart?"
"Does Leonard…I mean, Calvin…Really have to 'stroke' me? I'm just a little uncomfortable with that."
"Twenty…" Bernadette cut in.
"Stroke away, Leonard…" Stuart nodded, resuming position.
Why have you spend twenty minutes arguing versus an extra five bucks?...Bernadette shrugged to Howard's grateful beam… "Though if he goes higher tomorrow, that's it.")
"Someone will stay at the Machine…" Calvin solemnly noted…
"ME…"
(Really? A spotlight on him, there…? Bernadette eyed Howard. What, is he Jesus Christ? Or Angel from the old Joss Whedon show? "If it was good enough for Fritz Lang…" Howard noted.
Fine…Roll of eyes…
"That is brilliant, Howard." Penny sighed.
Oh, Lord…Bernadette frowned at Penny's eager face.
"Ok, Leonard…You can stop receiving your benediction and get to the machine…" Howard noted.
"Uh, sure…")
Calvin, setting the young worker on a bench, hurried to the machine and began copying the worker's movement as he'd observed for the past fifteen minutes… "This is it, right? Just set the big hands to the bulbs as they light up?"
Weary nod from the worker, now struggling to sit a moment…
Piece of cake...Calvin shrugged…
He'll think differently in half-an-hour…The worker eyed him…
"Faster…You have to reach the lights before they go dark…" he insisted, gasping a bit.
Boy, relieved of the mind-numbing tedium for a moment and already I got some ideas on how to improve this thing…The worker eyed the machine. I don't know who this clown is, some wealthy slummer…But if he'd just be willing to run the machine about fifteen minutes longer while I jot down some ideas for the foreperson…
Whoa, wait…Is he who I think he is? Blinking stare…
"You…You're Calvin Cooperson, son of the Administrator…I saw you on TV at your race…And on the news hour getting awards for being the son of the Administrator…"
"Well…I did receive a couple…Hey? I did earn my medals, ya know."
"Really? First place in 'Civic Team Player'?"
"That's a coveted award…My dad said…"
"Whatever…Keep moving those machine hands…!"
"Look, I came here to learn about conditions…"
"Uh-huh…" stare… "You needed to come down here to see we're miserable, underfed, and leading generally hopelessly brutalized lives leading to an early death?"
"Well…I needed details…"
"Keep moving those arms! Oh, I'll do it!" the worker struggled to his feet…
"No, I've got it…It's easy, I just needed to do it a couple of times…Now, look…I want to trade lives with you."
"Done." The worker eyed him calmly.
"You don't wanna think about it? Possible punishment, loss of your job, your home…Trouble for your family?"
"I swelter ten hours at this damned thing every day without fail…I'll be kicked out like a dog as soon as I can't operate the machine properly from a stinky job that pays me in room and board, plus just enough to pay the Sheldontax under the Sheldonopolis Revenue Service to the brutal Sheldonopolis tax farmers who squeeze us dry…I live in an apartment smaller and filthier than the dog kennels at the Eternal Gardens.,,I delivered pizza there once. And I've no family, I'm a new-line clone, we don't get the right to have families for another generation. No, I don't really need to do anything but thank God."
"Well…Ok…We'll need to change clothes…"
"Uh…Here? In the machine room? Fella, you may be junior lord of all you survey but my mother…Clone Artificial Womb Tank 18001…Didn't raise a rube."
"Just the pants and shirts…Come on, we've no time…"
Hmmn…I've heard stories about this one…The worker eyed Calvin…
Still, out here in the open…He sighed and stripped off his worker's suit…Calvin taking off his shirt and pants even as he continued to work the machine.
Hmmn…Gettin' a little heavy here…He blinked.
"You'll need this…" the worker handed him the final touch, his worker's cap…
18111, Georgy…Calvin read…Smiling and putting the cap on…
"Pleased to meet you, Georgy…"
"Likewise, sir…" nod...
"Say you look pretty good in that…" Calvin noted.
Uh…Narrow look from Georgy…
Yeah? And the next step is…?
"Here, take this…It's my friend and helper, Amy Josephine Fowler's address in the upper City…"
"The upper City?" Georgy blinked at the card with Amy's address…
The glorious, luxurious, temptation-filled upper City?
"I want you to go to her place and wait for me there…Just slip out to the surface, no one will stop you going out. Take a cab, you'll find my card has unlimited credit. Just avoid letting the police catch you and don't talk to the exit guards more than you have to. Tell them if they ask, that you are me, down to see how folks are after the M-Machine explosion. Checking for my dad, the Administrator…Got it?"
"I think so…Ok." Nod…
"Ok…I'll meet you there after the shift. Thanks, Georgy."
"Oh…Don't mention it…" nod…Stare round…
Free, free for ten hours…Whoa…Upper City paradise, here I come! Georgy beaming, hurrying for the exit…
("And cut…Nice job, people…" Howard beamed.
"Yeah…Howard? Could we run that one more time?" Stuart asked. "I didn't feel I quite captured Georgy as I wanted to you. Didn't get all that quiet desperation and sense of blighted, dead dreams? I really think I can bring it if you'd give me another run through."
Amateurs…Penny shook her head…One scene and they're spouting off like they've been in the Craft all their lives… )