The com´s alarm woke her early. She put on her briefs and ran down to the courtyard to do her Tai Chi practice, then showered and dressed. She considered going casual, wearing only a torque or necklace, perhaps. In the end, for this rather formal business trip, she voted for conservative business wear. She slipped cuffs on her wrists. A collar around her neck carried a diagonally striped cloth (‘Why do they call it a @tie?´) that fell between her breasts almost to her waist. She left her light brown hair long across her back, slightly restrained by an ivory bar.
Gold ear cuffs weren´t considered out of place in this case, but she made sure to apply her current flash (hetero, non-committed), an adhesive design which went above her left breast, like a badge or, the thought occurred to her, a combat ribbon. One or the other – coded earrings or flash – was essential to wear: to wear neither would be a come-on.
She slipped on high-cut briefs and secured her knife on the inside of her upper thigh. The kilt, though open on the sides to the tight, broad band that defined her waist, almost concealed the weapon that everyone carried. Her shoes were nearly invisible, a cap over her toes, a foot-bed that clung to her sole and enough heel to shape her calves.
Pru ate a quick breakfast. She docked her remote in her data port to suck her mail, put it in her shoulder bag and left the apartment. It was only a short walk to the Metro station, past storefronts that were beginning to open for the day´s trading.
Prudence lived in the Washington Sector of the Atlantic Controlled Area. Since the development of the force fields that were now an accepted factor in everyday life, populations had concentrated in huge, climate-controlled cities that were roofed by the fields few people really understood. Temperatures remained stable at a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius and humidity was carefully controlled. Artificial rain washed the streets and the air at night. Because of the stable environment, customs of dress tended toward the cultural minimums for any given society.
Pru had found an apartment in the Old Town of Washington, once known as Georgetown. As in most older sections of Controlled Areas, the buildings were holdovers from earlier times, some of them dating from the early 22nd century. The old streets were broad and lined with trees, leaving ample pedestrian space where once vehicles streamed. Now, vehicles only appeared rarely to deliver goods and pick up shipments. Occasional police patrols swept by in open ´mobiles and residents on in-line skates took their exercise.
Outside the Controlled Areas, of course, normal weather set the bounds for clothing and most other activities. In the Out-of-Control areas that industry and agriculture led the way, for those were the locations that fed the needs of the bustling CAs. Vast areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and the East were the granaries of the world and the industries that manufactured the artifacts of society were spread across those areas of the world not covered by the residential fields of the CAs. The result was a reasonably balanced population: those who chose agriculture or industry generally located in climate-controlled enclaves near their workplaces or lived OC. Those who chose urban life and service businesses lived in the large CAs.
Today, the refreshing, humidity-controlled breeze that normally circulated in Controlled Areas stirred Pru´s hair as she walked down the street to the slideway. She waved at shopkeepers she knew. As she passed an intersection, she noticed a police patrol cart with its flashing lights. ‘Probably an overnight break-in,´ she thought.
Crime in the Controlled Areas was light, by standards of the past, since those convicted were expelled from the Controlled Areas and required (or forced) to live outside, where CA services were not available. For those who lived peaceably in the CAs, there was a reasonably efficient system of social welfare to protect those who could not or would not live productive lives. None of those lived particularly satisfactory lives, nor did they suffer excessively. They weren´t happy, nor were they – as far as Pru knew – rebellious.
The reason she and all the rest of the CA residents carried knives and were trained in their use from childhood was because there are always people who are willing to prey on the weak or unaware. Of course, carrying a knife did not guarantee either strength or awareness. That was why Pru always knew where she was and who was around her. Her alertness was second nature.
As she walked through the neighborhood, she could see places where trash still lurked, awaiting cleaning crews. Those citizens who could not or would not maintain a more orderly life usually spent the nights in the industrial sectors where there were places they could shelter. Since it was never very cold or very wet, they could easily survive that way until they either came to the attention of the police – with possible Expulsion the result – or of the welfare apparatus with some form of minimal assistance in view.
Pru turned and took an escalator down into the depths of the city. The local Metro had her at UnionStation in plenty of time for her long-distance train.
She took a seat next to a dumpy, overweight woman whose tight, dark polo shirt did little to improve the sight of her unhealthy, flabby body. She was deep in a printed scandal magazine and scarcely looked up when Pru took her place. In the climate-controlled CAs, few people wore more than briefs and kilt. When custom required, some people – especially such officials as police, and people who weren´t pleased with the state of their bodies – wore light shirts or other coverings. The North American and European CAs generally favored minimalism where clothing was concerned.
Across from Pru a young couple sat down and moved as close to one another as possible. The pretty girl wore her flash and a necklace with a pendant that rested between her breasts, typical for tourists or non-business people. Her torso was decorated with a few colorful tattoos – or, more likely, faux tattoos that could be varied according to whim.
Her micro-kilt showed off her firm thighs, and it was clear she carried no knife. Her boyfriend, however, was muscular, with a cotton-knit singlet that emphasized his broad, muscular chest. You could bet he carried for both of them.
There was not a lot of crime in the Controlled Areas, but in every crowded habitat, there are places where the law does not see, or is not available when needed. Industrial areas were often nearly deserted in off hours, and there are always people who will prey on strays. It was the responsibility of each citizen to protect him or herself, a responsibility Pru had always taken seriously. She´d seldom had to draw her knife in defense, but spent time during her more-or-less weekly sessions in a @Salle des Armes practicing with it. She felt certain that, if she had to draw her knife, it would not be returned to its sheath un-blooded.
Pru took out her remote and reached to the seat controls to turn on the privacy shield, blanking the chatter and noise of the car. On her remote, she called the office and left word she would not be in, then disabled the phone function and opened her mail. From her bag, she pulled out a reader, connected it to the remote and began dictating her replies, then moved on to other work in the files she had sucked.
After the train left Trenton Sector, Pru noticed that the youngsters were kissing passionately, the girl´s hand frankly underneath her man´s kilt. He sat, eyes closed, his hand caressing her breast. Pru realized this was the beginning of extended foreplay and returned to her work.
In PennStation, Pru left the car behind the lovers, who went directly to one of the rental shelters where you could spend an hour or a night on a sparse but clean, comfortable bed. She found her way to the local Metro line for Yonkers. At Yonkers Portal, she got off, looking about for Terry Sideman. He came toward her as she passed through the gate, wearing cuffs and a tie similar to hers above a sober blue kilt. His remote rode on his hip in a masculine holster.
“Right on time,’ he said. “I´m glad to meet you.’ He offered his hand.
“Thanks for meeting me. Do they have cabs here? I mean, I could have gotten to you that way, you know.’
“Yes, but I wanted to meet you right away and spend the trip to the office briefing you. We´ve got a lot to talk about, and I want to get things moving.’
‘None of that Asian indolence here,´ Pru thought. She noted his flash – not unlike her own – then spoke aloud. “Well, there´s a lot I need to know, and I must say your idea is interesting. But, I´ve got a good job, and you´re going to have to sell me to get me to move.’
They walked out of the terminal, but not before Pru stopped at a public data port, scanned her CID and the office code and squawked the work she had done on the train to her office. She added a note that she would be Outside Control for the rest of the day. The small display on her remote listed her phone calls, but there was nothing urgent and she left the phone function disabled.
She smiled at Terry. “I´m OC for the rest of the day, and unless something really bad happens, they can´t find me.’
“I hope they won´t need to.’ He lead the way to a large, dark-green ´mobile and opened the side. She climbed in and settled on the broad back seat. He sat next to the driver, turning the front seat to face her. The driver nodded to her when Terry introduced them, raised the ´mobile on its fields and they drove ponderously off into the countryside. Pru noted that the driver carried a stunner, which cued the realization that the ´mobile was, if not armored, heavily built and well protected. Was OC, this close to a major population center, really that dangerous?
The ´mobile quickly left the portal area and moved off on a wide way of prepared and compacted earth along the river edge. The surface was even and undisturbed by the lift fields of the ´mobiles. They merged into a swift, automated flow, mainly of business ´mobiles and freight lifters bringing produce and other products to and from the Controlled Area. There were very few passenger ´mobiles since most people used the Metro between CAs.
They talked as the Hudson River passed to their left.