[IC] The New Rebirth

[Ladon]

2130, November 30th. It's been over a century since anyone of our family line has stepped into mainstream society. From what I gather, it's because of my great grandparents need to not conform. To not be slaves to the things we created. To flourish. Sounds like a lonely idea, and it kinda is. The people we see that's not used to our ways often call us risters. It's slang used to describe people who have "disconnected" from society. Thinking they're doing something different, or something new. That's the lonely part: It does feel as if you are disconnected. As if you're being shunned. Others like us are few and far between. There used to be more, but it seems they blended in with everyone else. I'm just here hoping to see the city for my own eyes...I hope I don't become li- Snap. The tip of the pencil cracked, sending miniature wood chips into the tainted near black soil below. Sparsely covered with browning grass, and noticeable plastic substitutes. The substitutes shined back at him with their slight glare that came from the murky sunshine. "I need a new pencil..." Said the boy, wiping the sweat from his head with his gloved hand, before tugging at his caramel khakis, and dusting off his sky blue shirt. "My grandmother told me it used to be much colder...guess it seems warmer then what I expected." He closed his journal, it's cover writhing of age. It was dirty brown, with the pages barely hanging onto the spine as he slipped it into his dark green bag.

"I can write more when I get there...the city is only a few more paces north...Nepago." Underneath the dim late autumn light, Nepago surely shown like a diamond among the rough, a rough which was nothing but open, fading land which gave way steadily to the metropolitan horror. It's saddening to some, yet impressive to others. The way the city was shaped in the fleeting distance, it seemed almost like a snow globe, the buildings smooth and made to represent shapes of the odder variety. As he edged closer to Nepago, he was met with various oddities of varies intensities that he was no accustomed to. A retched smell that was akin to that of human waste, a heat that would rival the mighty sun's, and a dazzling light that could blind a God itself. Yet, the boy pushed on, until arriving into the city moments later, allowing the sensory it gave off to consume him, from the musty air, to the abnormal heat, and more people he has seen in his lifetime. All seemingly packed. He waeved his way through a small corner...it was night now, not that it mattered, as the lights only shown brighter in an array of dazzling colors. Railways through the rooftops, that led to the unknown underground, from supposed land vehicles that never actually touched the land. It was all...strange. And strange enough, he was surrounded by many others, but none like him. They all seemed faceless, only moving from an unknown A, to an unknown B. As if he was alone, yet not alone. Alone amongst others.

[Blubaron45]

Bernardo - An unknown phrase
Thursday; November 30, 2130 - 7:30am

Vigilaveris...

Bernardo woke up the morning after a dream of peril and what felt like temerity, something obscurely unmemorable to his mind dissipated the moment he became conscious, to the sounds of amicable chord progression from a piece by Bach that then seemed to ease his mind from the chaotically unknown dream he had the night before. A dream of discomfort and to him what felt like ominous warning to him, a dream in which he woke up sweating and anxious to in his comfortable bed. Nothing was truly ever clear to him why he was having these dreams, maybe a part of him was telling him something. Stress from work? Not enough breaks? Need a better social life? were the innate thoughts which darted through his mind like lines of code that went down from compiled codes of a newly written program, something which he regularly does as a Computer Software Engineer. The whole notion of unraveling the mystery to the explanation of these dreams was of course open to ambiguous interpretation, yet nothing could painfully answer the questions of how he was having these dreams or why he is obviously having a great deal of discomfort from them or the voice that spoke to him moments before he could hear before waking up. And nothing could therefore explain his painful desire to know why. Whatever it was, he had no choice but to have to get ready for work. It was 7:30am and the early night spent before being along and playing video games after a long day of work was over, a new days starts. Time for work.

In a slow, yet progressive attempt to get out of bed, Bernardo found himself with his feet finally touching his soft chenille floor, rubbing his feet against the soft carpet. He then proceeded to rub his tired eyes to console with his tiredness. With one yarn and stretch, Bernardo finally found himself standing on his two feet once again, almost ready to another morning. The sounds of amicable chord progression still dully played as they echoed throughout his apartment, serving as his alarm. Bernardo took a few steps into the hallway and entered the kitchen to be greeted his his Operating System.

"Good morning Mr. Gutiérrez, should I get your coffee ready?" said the female voice that emitted from the computer, it was none other than the Operating System which was a given to him completely free of charge from working at Elias, an illustrious multinational software and technology company which was in fact, one of the best in the entire world (and still competing with JazyCo). The computer voice was soft and alluringly consoling like the music that played. It was not a bad morning to start, apart from the distressed caused by his dream.

"Yes, please." he concurred, clearing his throat and preparing his work clothes while making his way to the shower where he then had a sort chance to attempt to contemplate the meaning of his dream he had the night before, an attempt which, again, failed. "And could you turn on stove number 4 when I get out of the shower? Thanks Gina." After the shower, found his way back to the small kitchen with his coffee heated and his fourth stove turned on in which he proceeded to pour himself a cup of refreshing and invigorating coffee and start breakfast. Like most mornings, he spend his breakfast alone while listening to useless emails which were mostly deleted unless it was either work or family/friend related and the sounds of good music being played in the background which helped him go through his days.

"I sense concerned tonal patterns in your voice, Bernardo. Is everything alright?" The tone in Gina was almost concerned, she was one of the 'top-of-the-line' OS systems Elias had to offer, if not the world. She had the ability to sense tonal patterns in people, in fact, she could do it faster than most other OS systems. Not to mention that she was also chosen out of thousands of other voices and then modded to fit the user's preference.

"Yes, Gina. I'm fine." He responded with a inevitable sigh of distress while gradually eating his bowl of cereal.

"I also sense a hesitation in your response which may indicate that you might be lying. Tell me, Bernardo, what is on your mind? How are you feeling?" Replied Gina they don't call these 'top of the line' machines for nothing, Bernardo then told her vaguely of that dreams which were bothering him. With that, Gina then responded courteously as she was programmed to do, "If you ever need some, here are the numbers from a Therapists with decent reviews. According to your insurance information, they will all be completely free of charge thanks to being an essential employee at Elias. May I put them on your notepad and under contact lists if you should ever need them?". Gina showed on a separate hologram, the list of therapists she had just mentioned.

"Um, sure thing Gina." Bernardo briefly responded, finishing his breakfast in which he then proceeded to dampen his plate under the faucet before placing it into the dishwasher. He then put on his jacked, adjusted his tie and headed out the door, leaving Gina, the 'top-of-the-line' Operating System and starting another potentially boring day of dull repetition at Elias.

[Meridian]

"No, I'm telling you this is worth at least 700 Units. Come on, I upgraded it! That means it should be at least a thousand, but I'm feeling nice today and knocking off thirty percent." Branden grinned at the man opposite her. She did so love haggling. The man frowned, reaching out for the phone, but Branden quickly moved it out of his reach.

"No touching the merchandise," She warned in a sing song voice, smirking. "Do you want it or not? I've improved the processing speed and a bunch of other things you won't understand, but I can tell you that if you're not gonna buy I'm just going to give this to the next person who walks by for free, and they sure as hell won't give it to you cheap like I am."

"You call 700 cheap?" The man said in disbelief. "You know what, fine." He grumbled, tapping away at his watch. "There. 700 units transferred to your account. Can I have my phone now?"

"Here ya go. Pleasure doing business with you," She grinned, tossing the phone at the man and walking away. "See ya next time, Sal!" She called over her shoulders, adjusting her trench coat. She checked the band on her wrist, calling up her account. There it was, all 700 units more than she had before. She weaved through the crowded market with ease, yawning. What time was it? Down in the underground, you could never tell. Sickly industrial fluorescent lights illuminated the place, interspersed with the glow of multicoloured lanterns Undergrounders were fond of using. She glanced at the band again. 10 AM. That meant she hadn't slept for two days, but she was still feeling a little too hyper to put her lights out just then. What to do, what to do...?

She gave a cheerful wave to Meros, the owner of a food stall as she stopped in front of it. "Hey, just dropping by for some breakfast," She said, sitting on the only stool he had and swinging around. "What do you have?" His stall was fairly small and dingy, but people in this side of the tunnel didn't care- they knew he had some of the best meat around.

"You'll eat what I give you and like it," Meros growled playfully, setting a plate of steaming stir fry in front of her. With a word of thanks, Branden proceeded to inhale the meal, chatting with Meros about his family as she did. When she was done she hopped off the stool, said good bye, and continued on her way.

Still, she had no idea what she wanted to do. Then the idea occurred to her. How about a trip to the flip side? She hadn't been out in the sun for a while, and above ground always smelled less like feet. Navigating the small side alleys and tunnels, Branden began to make her way to the top.

[Ladon]

Everything seemed to move at a faster pace in the city. A sea of people. Faceless people. Most seemed to move around him, following, each other as if he was an obstacle obstructing any progress they desired, even if it was only for finite satisfaction...but that is all he can really assume. Most of these people wore odd clothing, clothing that stood out, but they were all so similar...so no one seemed to stand out. Most wore dark clothing, typically shorts with bright neon colors that didn't compliment each other, coming off more so as ugly as opposed to stylish. Some dressed similar to how he did, yet their clothing seemed to be made in a similar material to the newer ones, as opposed his own. Almost as if mocking their style, less than embracing his. It was all too much to take in, and it seemed that he may never fully comprehend.

He took out his old journal, careful to not harm any of the already fragile pages, flipping through to calm himself within the crowd. This made him stand out further, yet holding the journal in his hand, and rereading the familiar passages gave him an odd sense of security, reminding him that there's at least something that wasn't alien to him. Pulling out his pencil once more to add on, he remembered, he had no usable utensil with him, but only a piece of old wood that had seemingly outlived it's usefulness. "I'll find another...or a sharpener..." He told himself, placing it back into his pocket before maneuvering through the crowd. The crowd itself however, was only getting ever so thicker, almost drowning him, pushing him away from his unmarked path being the raging current it was.

It was useless, as he cannot fight against such a powerful force that were they, and thus threw himself to the side, and creeped into the shadows between buildings; the alleyways. There were no people here. All that resided here were old clothes, food, and carcasses of rodents that laid to be forgotten. No dumpsters, or trash disposals even, and the very ground beneath him was oddly natural. To the left, were the very river of humans he escaped from, determined to reach their destination, and to the left was rest of the alleyway, only opening up more so as it housed a removable grate to the unknown to him. Seeing however as there were trains that led beneath the earth, it wouldn't be to far-fetched to assume the grate led to a similar location.

The boy slid down against the wall, and exerted more carbon dioxide into the air around him as he breathed heavily. With little second thoughts, he proceeded to search the clothes around him for a writing utensil, so that he may...document his experiences. Such little has happened, but he has much to say. He eventually found a red, slick pen forever stained by dirt, and began to add on to the journal.

-ke them.

Everything is different.

He paused, and slammed the wall with his fist in disgust. He thought he had more to say, yet he can't put what he was feeling into words. "Everything is different...I suppose that's all I can say."

[Blubaron45]

Bernardo - Nothing out of the Ordinary
Thursday; November 30, 2130 - 8:15am

There was almost a sense of disbelief walking outside and anxiously waiting for the bus to get on the bus, this was a life Bernardo still needed to apt to after his days in college were over. The nights of staying up and reciting mathematical formulas, doing proofs, or code compiling programs and there was a sense of comfort in that internal struggle, the feeling of being in-objectively intimacy after a long and stressful day the moment when you finished your tiresome homework or written a few thousand line of code and finally put your head down to rest; This was nothing like what his job is today. There was truly nothing to rest on after a 'long day' and the moment you did, you were gawked at then scolded. Only to be condescended on like an lazy animal but Bernardo could be in worse conditions as it could be much worse.

While Bernardo stood outside, he listened to the classical music that he first found in college that used to help him sleep, relax, or concentrate. As much as there was comfort in the things he loved doing in college in contrast to what he was doing in work, an definite juxtaposition and a painful mentality, if there was any comfort in anything it would be most certainly the fact that he was going home after a long day on a Friday and waiting to get a beer with his friends Jerald and Thomas. The music he was listening to was the Mozart 'Divertimento in D major, K. 136', a tune he first found in college after making an acquaintance of the College Symphony who one day were playing Chamber music at the Science Building, it was a pleasing nostalgia that transcended him from his boredom from work. Still waiting on the sidewalk outside of his apartment complex, he saw the bus fly in from a distance before descending down to take him to his job.

In a slow, yet progressive attempt to grasp the reality that he was going to work, Bernardo soon found himself look up towards the steps and the amiable bus driver who came to greet him. After a short 30 second of introductory exchanges and laughs, Bernardo soon turned casually to see most likely one of the only co-workers who he sees on weekends, Gerald. With a reciprocation of nods and smiles, Bernardo found his way to his usual seat. The bus itself was small since it was there to pick up at most 20 or so other colleagues as the driver was exclusively paid to do, just the employees that lived near the area. As the hover bus ascended into the sky, and made its way to other apartments of other colleagues who lived nearby; Just three more stops before it would take all of them to their work. Luckily there was Gerald to talk to, someone who could get his mind off both the utter boredom and what has been bothering him this morning.

As they exchanged in short conservation, Bernardo tried to make the best of his morning by listening and watching what was going on outside from his window. There was surly comfort in regularly seeing the people who are relevant in your life, although a greater disappointment in never truly knowing who any of them are, even if they are 'just your colleagues or superiors.' The lives they lived, the people they fell in love with, their aspirations as children compared to now- their stories as human beings and not crazed, repetitive, robots. As they talked, Bernardo's eyes soon drifted away into the streets below him with a glance at the crowded streets below as other men and women (who he supposed were also bored of their jobs) all speedily made their way to work. An essential way to survive, is to become apt to the surroundings you are in, even if it meant being uncomfortable. Bernardo saw that all men were all slaves in one way or another, he could read it in their faces: the discomfort of going out, the trapped condemnation of labor and the digital mediums they escaped to was all almost too real. A break from painful reality. All of them with blank faces, their motives not entirely their own. All except for one soul he saw down there in the abyss that was the crowded streets below Nepago, a boy as a matter in fact, trapped and was being shoved by a crowd of distracted pedestrians, who Bernardo saw holding what appeared to be book. The boy had a goofy gesture, something nobody else could see around them.

There's a fish out of water He thought to himself as he also tried to also keep track of the conversion Gerald was trying to have with him, responding with a 'uh-huh', 'yea' or a simple 'okay.' The odd soul almost brought some optimism to Bernardo, a wry, wondering, and deviant individual who seemed to be obviously out of place and lost in his own world and yet so intact with what was going on around him. The bus soon began to turn a corner as it passed through the buildings, Bernardo hoped the best for whoever that deviant soul was down there.

The bus then stopped to it's designated area, the blue Elias building on the northwest edge of town. There were about four of them around the city of Nepago, all of them were as brightly large as the other. Bernard and Gerald pushed themselves up and stepped into the large, illustrious building to head to work. Both men then raced to find a spot for themselves in a somewhat spacious elevator before pressing the button so others couldn't come in to crowd the platform. Gerald smiled as the one man lost his chance of coming in as the doors abruptly shut on him. Everyone in the elevator who were there inside with them were completely unfamiliar to both men but one group of men stood out, their odd behavior almost obvious and the moment they left the elevator, Gerald gave a small chuckle who then proceeded a silent remark about them being nerds, they were after all in a large computer company with essentially thousands of programmers. Typical Gerald.

"Y'know, I'd honestly rather work in a room of full nerds than pretentious dickwads who nit-pick everything uttered from your mouth for sport." Replied Bernardo, referring to Gerald's boss.

"Oh yeah, what's the difference?"

"Nerds aren't that socially bright, plus even if they do those things, they never anything to intentionally destroy you, thus is the workplace. You wouldn't know the difference, I guess that's why you work under me." He replied, trying to sound as mockingly ignorant and Gerald in an attempt to tease him.

"Fair enough." Gerald added which was then followed with a small chuckle. "You do want to hang next weekend?"

"Like always? Sure thing, just don't forget to invite Thomas, or he'll get pissed off like last time again."

"I thought that was your job?" He playfully added, leaving the elevator at the 278th floor. "Don't worry, I will. See you tomorrow."

"I'll see you around." He replied, watching Gerald turn his back while the heavy metal doors in front of him closed and took him to the 345th floor where he would officially start his day in Elias.

[YankeeMom]

Raelea was the youngest of her and her brother. Being born and raised in a age where technology was everywhere, it was no wonder she was so shy and quiet and kept to herself. She had buried herself into programming ever since completing high school online. Her brother had helped her through it and taught her everything he knew. Now she was running her own site called ChatNGo, a service that allowed anyone to talk to anyone at any given time. By the touch of the button it would scan and find random people that were on and you could talk to. It didnt have to be a friend or anyone you know. So far it was hitting off good and a lot of people seemed to enjoy her site.

Dayne was her older brother and he always did what he could to look out for his younger sister and protect her, even if it was from the very people she lived with. Ever since he graduated, he had caught on to the likes of the goverment and the pills that they fed the people to keep them in line and docile, you could say. It was a means to keep them from thinking on their own or their own free will. Since then he had taken her pills and hidden them, but pretending as if he had taken them to her all along. Of course Raelea knew nothing of this and looked up to her older brother, not realizing the trouble she could be if it was ever found out.

Keeping to herself, she lived in her room for the most part. Equipped with a small fridge and snacks and the likes. It was as if she had a one bedroom apartment at her parents house. It was how she chose to live, never trusting to move out on her own as she pretty much had stayed and grew up in the confines of her house. Days went by and nothing changed. She did the same thing every day for as long as she could remember. Only know she was an adult instead of a kid learning, she was programming.

With a knock on her door, she grumbled as she slowly sat up in bed and stared at her door as if it was the devil. She sighed some as the knocking continued and then swung her legs over the edge of the bed as she sat up. She then got up and walked to the door, her blonde hair a tangled mess as she opened the door.

"Who are you and what do you want at this hour?" She grumbled as she hadnt been asleep for long before being woke up.

"Its your mother dear, now wake up and get yourself together. Come downstairs as soon as you are." Her mother stated and then turned to leave her standing at her own door.

What on earth could it be that her mother would come disturb her at this hour. Blinking a few times she then wondered where her brother was, he was usually the one that woke her to tell her good morning and the like. But he hadnt this morning, her gut felt heavy all of a sudden and she shut her door and sighed some. Something was wrong, she just knew it. Walking over she picked out her normal clothes, black jogging pants and a t shirt, her comfy clothes. Besides it wasnt like she was going to go out or see anyone important.

Walking back out of her room she headed down the stairs to see what was going on and why on earth she was being woke up at this hour for. She made it downstairs and not only was her mother awake and waiting , but so was her father. She walked over to the kitchen table and slowly sat down as she stared at both of them. They looked at one another and then at her, neither saying anything right away.

[Meridian]

Branden squinted as she came up on the surface. Was the sun always that bright? She shielded her eyes with her hand and waited to adjust. Everything was so clear and fresh up here. Coming up always reminded her that the air wasn't supposed to smell of feet and sweat and refuse. She stepped into the crowd of people on the streets, blending in seamlessly. She navigated the crushing mass with ease, slipping into the small gaps in the crowd. No one noticed her, everyone glued to their devices. She spotted someone using the new ChatNGo app and scoffed. What was the use talking to people you couldn't see? And you definitely couldn't do business with strangers. They were the quickest to scam you.

She saw someone who wasn't on their phone though, and frowned. What was he holding? A book? She'd never seen one of those for real before. She grinned. I knew coming up was a good idea. She stepped out of the crowd when he fell out, and found herself in a gritty alleyway. The man was sitting down now, holding a pen and writing. She stood and watched him for a while, curious.

"Everything is different... I suppose that's all I can say."

"Everything's different how? The city's been like this as long as I can remember." She said, tilting her head to the side in interest. She glanced at her watch as a ping came up. Another offer of a deal. She'd deal with it later. Right now, her focus was on this strange man who wrote in a book and not typed into a phone. Books were obsolete now.

[Ladon]

"Everything's different how? The city's been like this as long as I can remember." The sudden interaction made him jump up from his daze. He didn't expect an individual from a sea of other "individuals" to attempt a sort of conversation with him. It was off putting, to say the least due to it being so...unforeseen. Yet it was all the more welcome. It wasn't his escapism that relied on familiarity, but maybe it can be used as a substitute. Something to distract him from the loneliness that...being in an unknown environment brought, even if this experience with another person was fleeting, and the feeling would be finite.

He gazed emptily at his book for a few silent seconds, gathering his thoughts. He looked up to the stray person, trying his best to seem welcoming as opposed to repelling. Oh right...she asked a question. "Everything just...is...Oh. I suppose it just seems really different to me. The city, the people, how everything looks, sounds, smells. I'm...not from here. I'm from...beyond." Realizing how ambiguous his explanation was, he quickly edged out the alleyway and pointed to the general location of which he was from, which from the distance resembled more of a naked hillside, not even housing the place he called "home" with people, and daily experiences he would recognize.

"I'm from out there, you see? The city is not my native land, I'm from..." Hesitating, he tried his best to pull together words that would sound or seem familiar to this person who resided in this city, this person who lived a very different life than he had at this point. Vocabulary that he heard being thrown around beforehand came to mind, yet they all left a bitter taste in his mouth given their derogatory intentions. "I'm from what you would call the 'Outlands', one of those 'risters'." The Outlands were a term he heard coined to describe those who live outside the large cities where civilization flourishes. Those who live in the Outlands, are also referred to as risters. He grimaced with saying those words out loud, yet he felt that was the only way to get his point across.

[YankeeMom]

Raelea stared at her parents who were sitting across from her as she waited for an explanation as to why they woke her up so early. And where was her brother. He wasnt down here yet. Her mind wondered on what was going on though she could come to no conclusion. Standing back up she looked to them and then pointed in the direction of his room.

"I will just go and get Rarick from his room. I think he would need to be here too.." She stated as she started to walk off.

"Raelea, sit back down. Rarick isnt here." Her father stated.

Fear rushed over her as she turned back around and looked at her parents once more. She then headed to the table and sat back down. Her mother looked even more worried now more then before. Something had happened and she knew it wasnt good. Tapping her foot on the floor she waited and still neither wanted to say anything.

"Say something. Tell me whats wrong." She stated in a scared voice.

"Hunny, your brother was involved in a accident last night, he didnt survive it. They called late last night. We thought it best to wait till morning. I know how close you two were. They did everything they could to save him." Her mother stated.

Holding his hand out he reached across and laid the pills on the table. He then looked to her and gave a weak smile. They were a couple of different ones. Now days there was a pill to fix everything, including emotions. She looked at them and seemed a bit surprised. What were the pills for, she wasnt sick or in pain. She blinked a few times and reached out and took them.

"I just want to be alone." Raelea stated as she stood up.

Grabbing the pills off the table she turned and walked back up to her room. She locked the door behind her and then went to her desk and set the pills on it. What the hell were they for, she never took pills. She then went over to her bed and laid down with her face in the pillow and screamed. There was no way that Rarick wouldnt be coming back, he always came back and he took care of her. This couldnt be happening. Tears fell down as she laid there and cried for what seemed like a couple of hours.. This wasnt right how could she stay here when there was no more Rarick.

Finally pulling herself together she grabbed a bag and put in her phone, computer and some spare clothes. She needed to get out of here for a bit. She opened her door and went over to Raricks room and looked around at the the stuff in his room. A room that would remain empty from here on out. She walked over to his desk and seen a picture of the two of them. Fighting back the tears she grabbed the picture and then walked out of the house. It was unusual for her to leave on her own but her parents didnt seem to notice. She never really left the house, staying in was always her way of life.

Now the house seemed to small and not home anymore. Going out was the only way to clear her mind and the hurt that came with the news this morning. She walked down the sidewalk with just a back pack on her back, her hair was still a bit of a mess and she looked like a total wreck, but she didnt seem to care what others thought, she just needed to get out of the house.

[Meridian]

"I thought you guys were all backward and tech-hating and stuff," Branden said curiously. "At least, that's what most of the feeds say. There was this one doc blog where this guy wend into the Outlands, right? And apparently the natives tried to burn his phone, they thought it was evil. Although you're using a book instead of a phone, so maybe part of it's true." The man really was pretty weird, Branden thought. He didn't seem slow, stupid or backwards in anyway, but why didn't he use a phone? Maybe he hadn't been here long enough to get that used to technology.

She crouched down next to the man. "What are the Outlands like? Why did you come here? Why are you still here? You don't seem to like the city very much." Branden could kinda understand why. The city was crowded, polluted, and had petabytes of information being sent everywhere every second. It could be a bit overwhelming, but city dwellers grew used to is very fast. It almost became weird and unnatural to be anywhere without a connection to the CityNet, without having a constant newsfeed in your ear or the Lens Plus which let you see your own holographic screen in front of you. What Branden found funny though, was how every one looked tapping at screens in the air that only they could see. Everyone else looked crazy.

[Blubaron45]

Bernardo - A Day at Work
Thursday; November 30, 2130 - 1:35pm

The company advocated "advancement day" which singularly was an event to give thanks to both the sales team on being the top software company in sales and the development team for being considered as one of the most advanced, as a reward, everyone in the office would wear what they so desired; Bernardo, formally, kept on his suit and never saw a point in looking unprofessional.

Like in most days, there was an slow and progressive attempt to aspire to soon be done with his work by the end of his shift, despite being weeks ahead of his work. Bernardo urged himself to disdain from all personal relations from his colleagues including the accountant who happened to be quite fond of him, if there were any and at times would see his fellow workers fool around mainly because they were ahead. He could not really blame them, if there was one thing about being human: it's your sense of playfulness which Bernardo soon took to his coding rather than with people, something he considered a waste of time when it came to work.

And there was one good thing about working in Elias: it was the fact that he loved to program and the fact that he was apart of a team and company which he didn't mind. There was a sense of transcended intimacy between his machine and him, a connection between thought and quiet, distracting concentration which attached the ambitious worker to his machine, trying to keep his thoughts today away from the message he dreamed about which caused him some discomfort.

What could it mean? He asked himself. It in that brief moment of thinking about what significance that dream had, if any, and focused on writing a script which he might recommend to the rest of the development team which would patch a file on a potential glitch. Then his boss, a balding, middle-aged man with leftover black hair that surrounded his crown, sharp facial features and a beard approached him once again. Bernardo soon assumed it was to check up on him once again. For some reason, his boss visited him often, although never to ever really pester him about work as someone might think a boss might do. It could because I'm so cool and interesting he soon playfully charmed himself - although realistically, he had no idea why he visited him as often as he did compared to all the other programmers in the development team. Most of time, it was to ask how he was doing or what thoughts he had about certain subjects regarding the implementation of new, innovative ideas. While writing his script, his boss cleared his throat to alert Bernardo to his attention in which both men reciprocated small introduction that was soon followed by a recommendation his boss had for Bernardo.

"I was thinking..." He said, still playing with his pen and looking down at Bernardo's desk which itself happened to be very organized yet maintained it's own personality, something you can consider being organized by a human being rather than a machine."-that maybe, you can take a day off? You're one of our best programmers here and I'm sure it would do you a great favor in taking a small break. For at least a day. As we already said, we're weeks ahead of schedule. What do you say?" He added, giving a brief moment for Bernardo to think to himself.

A day off? Bernardo surprisingly asked himself, there would be nothing better than taking a day off although he had no idea what he might do that day. Bernardo soon made up his mind, choosing to stay home and when his shift was over, Bernardo soon met up with Gerald who was so distracted by his phone, as most people normally are, he did not even notice Bernardo. They both soon took the bus and headed home, still thinking of the message he received in his head the same morning.