THE OUTSIDE WORLD
The orchestra was playing a concerto by Mozart with the composer at the keyboard in the spacious yard in front of the palace when a man slipped up to the mayor of New York and told him, "Some people in Brooklyn claim to hear pounding."
"Ignore them. They're just imagining it. Maybe there are some bugs in their EPU programs. Sometimes I even hear a little pounding in the programs I experience. But no doubt they're getting old since they've been around a few centuries. Just leave me alone for a little while. I'll check out what's going on later."
"As you wish, sir." The man left the mayor to continue hearing the concert he froze while the two were talking. About ten minutes into the concert, the images the mayor was experiencing started looking a little funny. Sometimes Mozart would look like another composer and the style of dress would change from 18th century garb to 19th century garb and back again or change to 22nd century clothing which was out of place in the program.
The mayor became distracted and ended the program in order to enter another program which was of New York City in the year 2401. No one knew exactly what year it actually was since experiencable programs had become reality for the world's people for the last three centuries. Since that was 2102, it had to be at least the early 25th century. But due to time dilation, there was no telling what year it was. It could be winter or summer and no one knew since everyone was in a program that seemed more real than reality.
The mayor met with the city council in Manhattan in the council chamber. The complainers from Brooklyn appeared as projections in the room at the front of the chamber. They looked as solid as everyone else in the room. The mayor and council members listened closely as the leader of the small group spoke.
"I've been living in Brooklyn all my life and for the last few months I've been hearing pounding. I don't know where it is coming from. It just comes out of nowhere and seems to have no source. I've heard the noise in nearly every program I experience. So have my friends here." They all shook their heads in agreement. "Is there anything you can do for us? It's just about to drive us crazy."
The mayor said, "I'll send a tech crew out to Brooklyn to see what the matter is. So don't worry about a thing. Once everything is straightened out you'll be able to go back to enjoying your favorite programs. Does the pounding interfere with your work programs you experience?"
"I've tried to live with the noise. But I don't know how much longer I can go on."
The mayor made some gestures in front of him and seconds later, the projections of three men and a woman appeared next to the projections of the people from Brooklyn.
"These people will help you find out what the problem is. Will that satisfy you?"
"It will have to," said the leader of the people from Brooklyn. Seconds later, all the projections vanished. The mayor made some gestures again and a man appeared in the front.
"I had some glitches in the program I was experiencing," said the mayor to the projection of a man. "Maybe you could check it out. It's the Mozart, April 12, 1778 in Vienna program."
"What is happening?" asked the projection of a technician.
"The clothing of the musicians went from one century to another and even Mozart was Beethoven and then Chopin for awhile. I just had to bale because I couldn't enjoy the program anymore. Please check out what's happening."
One of the council members said, "I was having some problems with some programs I was experiencing too. Could you look into it?"
The projection asked, "Are any other of you having problems with the programs you're experiencing? I'd like to see some hands."
Everyone raised their hand which surprised the mayor who assumed only he was having any problems.
"I'll enter the main computer. It might solve the pounding problem in Brooklyn too. I'll be a ghost in the machine and scan the programs to see what I can do. It is an old system about half as old as the city. I'll check when it was last totally scanned last."
One of the council members said, "I believe it was totally scanned about three months ago. But with a system that is over 300 years old, problems happen like with any other old system. I just hope we don't need to overhaul it. The people of New York may not stand for a major cessation of EPU service."
"I was involved with the total scan. I didn't detect any major problem back then," admitted the technician. "But as you said, it is an old system. An earthquake out on the Left Coast disrupted service for nearly a week in Los Angeles last year."
"I know," said the mayor. "It cost Mayor Fong his job. Just make sure nothing like that happens in the Big Apple," demanded the mayor of the technician. Seconds later, the technician disappeared.
The mayor sighed and told the council members, "We can't afford to have the system down a few hours, let alone a week. If any more problems are reported to this office, send out techs immediately. I was wrong not to do something right away. If there is the smallest problem, have it checked out. If I go down, some of you are going to go down with me. Remember that. Now let's get back to work. We don't want the taxpayers to think we don't work for a living."
Everyone left the room and went back to their offices in the program. Even the mayor decided not to go back to the Mozart program. As he was leaving the room, things began to happen as they did in the Mozart program. The dress of the people he saw went from the 18th century, to the 25th century, to no clothes at all at times. It got so bad that the rapid changes seen in the hallway and the rooms began making the mayor dizzy. He tried to sit down. But the chair disappeared and he landed on his butt on the floor.
Suddenly, the mayor found himself in an EPU chamber. The lid popped open and a surge of energy was felt as the numbness in his legs and arms began to go away. The life support tubing disconnected from the injection ports on his body and arms and he was able to leave the chamber which he had not left after being placed in it over 75 years ago.
What the mayor saw shocked him. He found himself inside a cavernous dome where over 5 million other EPU chambers were assembled. Since this had to be Manhattan, that meant the other boroughs had to have a few million more EPU chambers in them. Due to the low level of light, the mayor couldn't make out how large the dome was.
The mayor walked between over 100 EPU chambers and reached the wall of the dome. He pounded on the curved wall and made it ring like a monstrous bell. Maybe there was someone inside the Brooklyn dome that was pounding on the wall. It couldn't be outside the dome because as far as he knew, the nuclear war that took place shortly after the domes were erected around the world ended all life outside. The domes protected mankind from total annihilation and mankind had flourished.
The mayor headed for a subway station that would allow him to travel via subway tunnel under the East River to Brooklyn. They hadn't been used for around three centuries so the one he reached was in pretty sorry shape. At least the lights were still working even though they hadn't been needed for three centuries. The only place it was dark was in the tunnel.
The trip to Brooklyn took over an hour since he had to feel his way along the rails to the first station in Brooklyn. At the station he found the gate closed. Maybe it was closed to prevent wild animals from entering the tunnel to Manhattan. But as far as he knew, there were no animals under the domes.
The mayor shook the gate hard. Due to rust, the padlock popped open and fell to the floor. The gate was another thing. He had to push hard to move it. But it eventually gave in and opened to allow the man to leave the station.
Instead of entering the Brooklyn dome, sunlight streamed into the stairwell that led to the surface. The mayor found himself in the outside world staring at the Brooklyn dome which was about half a mile away. He stood and stared at it for about a minute when a little girl walked up to him.
"Mister, do you know who you are?"
He looked down at the girl who was wearing a simple plaid dress and plastic shoes and said, "I'm the mayor of New York. Who are you?"
"My name is Sally. I live on the other side of the dome. Where do you live?"
"I live inside the Manhattan dome. Do you know of anyone who is pounding on the Brooklyn dome? Some people have been complaining about it."
"My friends like to walk on the dome wearing sucker shoes and stomping on it. But I'm afraid to try it because Mom says I'll fall off and hurt myself."
"Has anyone fallen off?"
"A few people. Some have hurt themselves real bad."
"Then don't climb on the dome. I'm surprised people are out here. I was always told a nuclear war killed everyone outside the domes."
"That's funny. I was always told everyone inside the domes were dead. They were some kind of graveyard that should never be entered."
"Aren't you afraid to see someone come up from the subway?"
"Nah. I never believed the stories about dead people being under the domes. Would you like to meet my mom?"
"Don't you think I might scare her since she may think only dead people are under the domes?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. I know you'll scare my brother Jim because he always says to me he's going to stick me inside one of the domes with the dead people when he's mad at me."
"Lead the way then."
The mayor took the hand of the little girl and headed toward a bunch of kids who were pounding on the dome while a couple kids were walking on it. And yes, Jim was scared when the mayor told him he was from the Manhattan dome.