Among my family and friends, there have always been jokes about how I have no regard what-so-ever for my health and safety. I felt that I was demonstrating this as I walked down through the maze of underground tunnels beneath Boston, towards The Bounty Officers' HQ, with a hangover and an apparent death wish.
That morning, I had waited until Genie had shot up her daily dose of HARMONY, and then had explained to her the situation. While HARMONY does block out all feelings of violence and anger, it does not block out the feeling of disappointment or sadness. That was made clear that morning.
Genie expressed feelings of worry and dread, saying things like, "What if you never return?," and "What about us trying for children?" I guess she was worried that the terrorists would kill me. Or at the very least, she was worried they'd cut off my dick.
If I was being honest with myself, it felt nice for her to express these worries with me, and to see her like that. That sounds absolutely terrible, but I can explain myself.
Ever since HARMONY was introduced, it has become almost impossible to have a real conversation with people. Arguments are a part of a healthy relationship, and it's impossible to have a fight when one of the participants physically are incapable of doing so. Ever since HARMONY has been introduced, I haven't had a real, genuine, passion-filled conversation with my wife, and sometimes I miss it. The conversation we had that morning was most likely the closest we will ever come to having one ever again.
After she expressed her concerns, Genie went back to eating her waffles. As I walked towards the door, there was no resistance, no "I love you." Nothing. I only turned back once, in order to kiss her on the forehead. She didn't even try to reciprocate the emotions that I was feeling towards her.
And that's precisely why I despise HARMONY. It turns people into robots, giant globs of passionless mold. The only difference between humans and vocations in this day-and-age was that we were lazier. It disgusted me.
Finally, I reached the sphere that people of my profession called headquarters. The three leaders were still sitting in their seats, as if they had never left.
"Do you guys just live here?" I asked as I slid into the flat bottom of the sphere.
"No, we just woke up early this morning," answered Officer Burton. "We knew you would come… You're a good officer Mr. Chapman."
"Thanks," I said. Making my way towards the other side of the table, where a seat was waiting for me, I glanced quickly at where I had left the vocation the night before. It was gone, of course. I knew it would be.
"Did you have a good night's rest, Mr. Chapman?" Officer Anderson asked.
"Not really," I replied. "I have a hangover and my ribs still sound like gravel when I bend over. But other than that, everything's all good in the hood."
"Great!" Officer Anderson exclaimed, obviously not catching my sarcasm. Anderson was like that. He was a funny guy.
Officer Wright pointed to the chair that occupied the only open side of the metal table. "Please, take a seat. We have a lot to discuss."
I walked over to the seat, and sat down. It was comfortable, and suddenly I saw why the leader spent so much time here. I could've sat there forever, staring at the damp, bland walls. For some reason, it was almost hypnotizing, but it could have been the fact that it was six a.m. and my head felt like a bell in a tower that had just been smacked with a hammer.
Professionally, I made finger guns and pretended to shoot them at my bosses. "Shoot."
"Let's start with what your job is going to be," said Officer Wright.
I nodded, and pursed my lips.
"You, Officer Monty Chapman, will infiltrate the terrorist group known as Destruction, and destroy the drug that they have created - what we now know as WAR - and foil their second plan, which is to blow up HARMONY Headquarters. Do you understand these terms, Mr. Chapman?" Wright inquired.
"Yes, I do," I said.
"Now, let me explain what exactly WAR is," continues Officer Wright. "WAR is a drug that is exactly the opposite of HARMONY. The powerful elixir targets the part of the brain known as the amygdala. The amygdala stimulates the hypothalamus, and creates a feeling that I understand you are very familiar with. Anger.
"Once the drug takes control of the amygdala, WAR constantly stimulates the hypothalamus… at least, while it's in your system. To put it in simpler terms, while WAR is inside of you, you are constantly angry. This will result in drastic effects, due to the fact that because of HARMONY, people haven't felt anger in a long time. The person who has been, for example, fucked over by Jerry will finally be able to understand that they are being fucked over. Jerry will be murdered."
"Holy shit," I said, trying to catch my breath. The vocation was right, if I didn't stop this thing, my race and I was fucked.
"Mr. Chapman," said Officer Wright. "Your job is to get a job at the HARMONY Headquarters, and stop them from the inside. Obviously, getting a job won't be too hard, you'll probably be put into a position that can't be occupied by an emotionless robot, such as receptionist or human resources. The stopping of the terrorists will be the difficult part, and we regret to inform you that they have already infiltrated the HARMONY Headquarters."
"Uh oh," I said intelligently. "Is there any good news?"
"Actually, there is," said Officer Burton. "There is a human already in the HQ, but she isn't one of us. We recommend that you… how do I put this?... Befriend her."
"Woah, woah, woah," I resisted. "I'm a married man."
"We don't want you to bang her, we just want you to make her an ally," said Burton. I saw her resist the urge to sock me in the face. "This is going to be a lonely operation, and we'd like you to stay sane. That is why we would also like you to keep a journal."
Officer Burton pointed towards my pocket, and I took out my communicator and handed it to her.
While Burton started to play with the communicator, Officer Anderson slapped a manilla folder onto the table. "This is everything we know about the receptionist that you are to befriend."
"You guys stalked her? What the fuck?"
"The fate of the world hangs in the balance of a man who stands in front of us with a hangover and shit-breath," said Anderson. I swallowed hard. "We felt it was warranted."
"Touchee," I said.
I opened the folder, and flipped through the pages. The woman I was to become friends with was named Berlin Lewis. She was extremely beautiful, with long, curly brown hair and kind eyes. I began to sweat, as the room grew warmer and warmer.
Burton handed me back my communicator. "I have installed an app that you can record your journal on. It will automatically be shared to us. We recommend you do this everyday, so that we know you're okay."
"Sure thing," I agreed.
"Now, Monty Chapman," said Officer Wright. "Please hand in your blaster and badge. You are no longer a part of The Bounty Officers." She winked, and it took me by surprise. I had never seen a sense of humor within Wright. Maybe it took me risking my life.
I nodded and smacked my blaster down on the table, as well as my badge. I glanced at my badge and chuckled. My name was signed in messy writing - MONTY CHAPMAN - and the picture of me was far from flattering. I had a black eye in the picture. I had gotten into a bar fight the night before.
It started because some guy had accidently bumped into me. I was so excited to be a Bounty Officer, that adrenaline was pouring out of me. I turned to confront the punk, getting out, "What the fuck do you think you-" before I realized how big the guy was. One punch from him, and I was unconscious on the dance floor, people kicking me as they buggied the night away. Each kick resulted in a muffled, semi-conscious "ow" slipping from my lips.
I smiled, mostly because I couldn't wait to get my blaster and badge back, but also because, remembering that night, I realized how much I had grown.
Grabbing the manilla folder, I turned on my heels and started towards the exit. Deep down, I knew that I was going to see the leaders soon.
"Good luck!" came from one of the leaders.
"Thank you," I answered, without turning my back.
Being a Bounty Officer was the only thing that kept me waking up in the morning, the only thing that gave me a sense of identity. Now, it had been stripped.
I was no longer a Bounty Officer. I worked at HARMONY Headquarters now.