II
The relocation office's purpose was to decide if the person requesting the move would actually benefit from one, and then they select the best-suited destination. The first time Helmholtz had been transferred, the order for his relocation had come from Mustapha Mond, so the appointment was not necessary, so this was Watson's first visit to the Department of Relocation. Helmholtz placed the call that afternoon and got himself an appointment for ten o'clock the following morning.
Despite the conditioning he had received that made him sleep better, Watson did not sleep at all. He kept waking in a cold sweat and had trouble falling back to sleep. He refused to take soma to help his slumber and because of the lack of sleep he was a bit off the next morning, but his head was clear and his mind sharp, and that's all Helmholtz cared about.
Watson's helicopter reached the roof of the Department of Relocation just as Big Henry was striking 10. Foregoing the elevator for only the third time in this life he dashed down the stairs and burst into the hall on the 14th floor. If nearly every building hadn't been built on the same floor plan, Helmholtz might have gotten lost in the labyrinth of staggeringly similar doors. Briskly walking down the hall and rounding a corner, Watson passed three alphas' that were discussing the pneumatic women they had each had the night before. One of the alphas was busy boasting about how he had had four in one night; for some reason Helmholtz felt that he were in a butcher shop.
Watson paused before he entered, taking a moment to stare at the writing on the tinted window that made up the upper-half of the door. In small text near the bottom it read:
The Department of Relocation
Above these words, in big bold letters it bore the same message that every other door in that hall and in the rest of England. Despite the immense number of times it was repeated, Helmholtz still considered it and it was as if it were his first real time. The lettering read:
Community
Identity
Stability
Without knocking Watson entered.
"Ah. Mr. Watson, fifty-sis seconds late I see," said the department Director, "Never mind that, lets start the interrogation shall we?"
"Yes lets," replied Helmholtz, disgusted at how genuinely cheerful this man was. "In this world," thought Helmholtz, "No one can be that happy. It's just not sane."
After answering at least five hundred questions (a hundred of which Helmholtz was positive were absolutely useless) and an hour of waiting, Helmholtz was granted a transfer. Though Helmholtz Watson had been labeled as a "possible security risk" he was transferred to a very queer island. It was quite an unorthodox island indeed, anyone that went there never even requested a return transfer. I was even rumored that people were actually still born there! (Of course these rumors were said to be false, if no one left then where do the rumors come from? Plus it was still a civilized society and the Bokanovsky Process enabled humans to create dozens of clones from one egg. There was no need for sexual reproduction). Despite the island's queer nature, Watson was still allowed to move there, partly because of his answers, (all lies, but Helmholtz knew what they wanted to hear) But mostly because he had a little nudge from Mustapha Mond himself.
Most of the World Controllers are afraid of sending anyone to this strange island, but Mustapha saw it as a way of getting rid of his dangerous garbage. As it turned out, Mustapha should have followed the judgment that the rest of the Controlling Council made, because if he still had picture satellites in orbit, Mustapha would see that this island was in no way shape or form following the rules the council had made. The crisis that was culminating on the main island of Japan could be the biggest thing since the nine years war.