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  He looked out the bedroom and saw the tiny twinkling light on the headboard, indicating recent use of the isomentalizer. He smiled relieved, turned around, and still thinking went into the shower:

  “I do not know how is that Lucy almost never uses it. I absolutely depend on this device.”

  He took off his pajamas and threw them into the laundry basket. He pressed the button on the side of the door and waited for a few seconds, until the steam coming from inside had formed a thick cloud. He stepped forward. The heavy jet of warm water hit him on the shoulders, returning to his body the feeling of being alive, just like each morning.

  Thirty minutes later he showed at the end of the upstairs hall, dressing for the occasion. He went down and crossed the lobby toward the sitting room with large windows where Lucy, wrapped in a silk robe, was waiting with the breakfast ready.

  His shape got enlightened by the rising sun. The still reddish glow, coming through the window, mingled with the daylight of the lamp on the table.

  Through the windows one could see downtown buildings profiles and the mountains behind them, still with winter snow remnants on their tops.

  He paused at the door. The memories of so many shared years came into his mind. How they had reached middle age together and how they had rejuvenated by replicating; she first, using their lifetime savings, and he shortly after, as a benefit provided by the corporation when he got promoted to monitor; and then, years later, they had done it again, although by then both of them sponsored by his employer, just having to pay in return by renouncing to ever raise a family plus the mandatory oath of loyalty to the leader.

  Seeing the woman he had loved for so many years he told himself that he would do it again as many times as needed. Then he recalled those distant years when their relationship was not going well, which fortunately had ended after her second replication. Afterwards, everything had gone smoothly.

  His self-assurance was supported on his relationship with Lucy. He could not even conceive the fact of spending the rest of his life without her. She, in turn, always seemed happy of sharing her life with him while living an existence that other people would envy, as only the wife of a senior executive of a corporation could afford to enjoy.

  He sat at the table to drop what he had in mind:

  “I used the device again last night, did you notice?”

  “Yes, I came back from the Reaction Pro-Integration Group meeting and found you asleep. As it was still early, it was easy to guess.”

  “What could I have been thinking about this time?”

  “I do not know, but it seems that you cannot quit. Are you aware that in recent months it has happened almost twice a week? What is worrying you? We are fine. I feel wonderful and I see you happy when we are together. What goes through your head when you get here after work?”

  “I do not know, and luckily, I don’t either remember anything. Thanks to that we can keep our lifestyle, and please, stop questioning me. Better hand me some breakfast.”

  The next half hour was spent in silence. He was showing a hint of concern for his wife’s comments, while she, in silence, had kept wondering about the possible causes of her man’s attitude, that same guy who until a few months ago she had thought to know so well. From conversations with many other people, she knew that the isomentalizer was a device to be used to at most once a month. Twice a week seemed too much.

  After breakfast he got up to go to the closet next to the front door. He opened the oak door, reached for his golf bag, and settled it on his shoulder. She walked him to the door, where he laid his load on the floor and embraced her. Then he kissed her gently and said:

  “I do not know what is wrong, but I love you and you are the most important thing to me. I promise that I will make an effort to calm down.”

  “I love you too,” she said holding his hug. “I know that everything will be fine. Promise me you are going to relax, and enjoy your game. I will go to the spa for a massage and wait for you in the afternoon. Have fun!”

  Saying no more, he crossed the front door. With the golf bag on his shoulder he walked the yard from the driveway to the garage door, which as he approached began to rise to let him in.

  He stopped beside his car. He put his right hand on the trunk, which responded immediately, opening with a snap to let see the place where his golf set would do the trip.

  He walked towards the driver’s door while the trunk still was closing. He touched the handle and the door opened just like the trunk. He settled inside, slightly touched the identity sensor, and all systems started at once. He just had to say “agenda” for the trip begin.

  The engine started with its usual purr. Such was the noise of the energy source that would propel the car to the meeting place that Friday, first day of the weekend.

  The car moved on its own through the garage’s entrance up to the gray cobble road. It was on its way to that morning’s appointment.

  Man and vehicle went through the tree lined path that led to the freeway, and took it to complete the 19 mile distance. The trip lasted a total of twelve minutes, during which thoughts returned to overwhelm the man’s head.

  He had to struggle to move beyond his recent conversation with Lucy. As soon as he managed to let it behind, that morning’s agenda took its place:

  “Strange, only once the leader has invited me to play golf, and that time was to mingle with the group when I got my promotion to monitor. Now he invites me to play again, and in the company of two sub-leaders. It must be something important, especially when yesterday I was assigned to such an unusual group. None of them was more than a sub-rank. That is weird in itself. In all of the years that I have been a monitor I had never been assigned to handle a group so peculiar. Anyway, it is just a matter of waiting to see what is coming. The leader is always right.”

  When the vehicle stopped, he had to wait for the two cars ahead to move away, which happened quickly, allowing him to reach the drop point, just outside the door of the old country style building that housed the camp registration table.

  The driver’s door opened. The trunk lid was released as if the car had guessed it was time to unload its cargo. As the golf bag was removed from its interior, the trunk shut again and the vehicle started toward the parking area.

  A few steps forward, the man’s walking was stopped by the arrival of the cart that came to his encounter. He unloaded the golf clubs in the rear compartment and then proceeded into the building.

  His lower rank playmates were by the registration table already. They had arrived only minutes earlier.

  He walked over to them and greeted them with a strong handshake, kicking off the usual casual conversation.

  While chatting unconcerned, the leader arrived. The three of them went to him to greet him, one by one, with the customary formality. The next thing was going to the back door to exit towards the tee-off. There they found four carts with their golf bags, waiting for them.

  This morning’s air was feeling cool. The silence was broken by the chanting of thousands of birds that filled the treetops. A gentle morning breeze moved at whim the thick foliage that framed this scenery, so carefully preserved, and the green open spaces ahead encouraged them to live the adventure of trying oneself.

  The leader took the first turn. He fixed a tiny tee in the grass, on which he carefully placed a golf ball. He chose a wood from his bag, stood close to the ball, brandished the stick twice to warm up, got one step closer and released a blow long and accurate. The ball took off, flying through the air right over the midline of the green strip, to land very far forward, jumping gaily until it stopped. Without saying a word, the leader picked up the tiny compressed cellulose tee to make room for the next player.

  It had been nearly thirty minutes and two holes played when silence was finally broken. The leader turned to the three of them:

  “As you know, within our corporate mission underscores our commitment to support the growth of our business and to expand our power and inf
luence over the management of global affairs. In a world whose population has ceased to increase, the way to grow is to absorb as many of our competitors as we can. It is the case that, after several years of strategic efforts, we have successfully taken over one of the organizations that until recently was one of our competitors. First we managed to limit its share in our natural markets, and then we undermined its weight in global decision-making. The counselors of this group have decided to grant us control from next week. That is the reason for this meeting. The leader will be removed and we will form a new directive based on a co-leadership exercised by you two. For the rest of the organization, the new chain of command will be based on the promotion of sub-ranks from ours. For that reason, you, mister monitor, will be responsible for assessing the mental profiles of the staff presented yesterday to you. Among them you must choose who will form the new directive.”

  After the speech the silence returned. The leader restarted the game. The others followed. Finally the question had been cleared. Endless possibilities had been opened for all three of them. While the two brand new co-leaders were experiencing mixed feelings of joy and apprehension, knowing that the co-leadership implied the start of a competition in which only one of them would be the winner, the monitor had realized that, once he had been chosen to set up a new management, he had acquired the power to do and undo others, including his two playmates. At the end, mental profiles of both of them would fall into his hands, and the ladder’s final decision would be based on his judgment. And what was even better, after a very long time, finally he had at sight the crack through which he could enter the path that over time might let him climb further in the organization.

  From that moment everything fell into a heavy calm. All of them caring only about their own games, and breaking the silence only from time to time by the occasional comments relevant to the outcome of a particular blow.

  They were near the end when the leader coincided with the monitor to launch an approach shot and took advantage of this opportunity to speak to him alone.

  “I have noticed in your recent backups that you have been isomentalizing with a frequency higher than usual. While to me, that in itself is proof of loyalty and discipline, which adds to the confidence I have been professing you, on the other hand it can be a sign that something is bothering you.” He took a while to get his next shot. Then he continued. “As you have noticed, I have started to talk to you in a more familiar way, and at this time I hope that you do the same, because from now on we will work closer. You will become one of the elite group in which I support my performance. From now on, I will be counting unconditionally on you.”

  Such a revelation took him by surprise. Although a while before he had been shaken by the announcement of his latest assignment, this news had made his adrenaline soar to the sky. He had to make great effort to keep his voice steady as he answered:

  “Count on me. I feel privileged and will not fail.”

  His mind clouded for a moment. When his thoughts turned to flow again, he realized that he was affected in an entirely new way.

  “I cannot contain my excitement,” he said to himself, “I never imagined to find myself talking in this way to the leader. He must not notice how I shudder. I have to regain control of myself to get my next shot. I must look firm and self-confident.”

  He took a deep breath, fixed his eyes on the ball and let go all his tension in his next blow. The ball traveled farther than planned, bypassing the red pennant marking hole 16. The leader could not hide a smile as he watched the projectile exceeding its flight to betray the nervous state of the player.

  As the ball landed, the two of them went on walking, stick to the shoulder. There was no further comment.

  Another half hour had passed when they were pulling their last strokes. The new co-leaders were on first, and they managed to tie their scores two strokes over the other two. The next up was the monitor, who looking up to the scoreboard, noticed that he was in a tie with the leader. His first intention was to hole out. The shot was easy. He held his putter and stood in position. He breathed deeply while slowly separating the metal head from the ball. He paused. Then he pushed forward, but twisting his wrists in an almost imperceptible way just before making contact with the white sphere. The ball rolled gently, touched the edge of the hole and continued its journey to stop a few inches away.

  The leader took the last turn and holed on the first try, thus winning the game. They had met again the obligatory mandate: “The leader is always right.”

  Once carried out farewell formalities, the monitor headed to the bar at the end of the clubhouse. He crossed the door and paused for a moment, looking around for any of his usual playmates, but no luck. He spotted an armchair near the terrace, next to the large door that was wide open. There, he would get the freshness brought by the breeze from the waterfall outside. He sank into the cushions until having reached the pleasant feeling of relaxation throughout his body. He ordered a beer, and then went to recap this morning’s events.

  Everything had happened so suddenly that he had to go minute by minute over every action and every expression of the participants.

  He congratulated himself for having been lucky enough to be asked to join the elite group of the corporation, as by that fact alone, the position achieved would place him socially at the level of the most important sub-leaders. The power acquired by virtue of this appointment would open him the higher gates, including those that led to the counselors. The increase in his salary that should come with the promotion would not be negligible, regardless that in that sense, his situation was well off in itself. Moreover, like any other promotion, this would attract a further amount of veiled rivalries and enemies, not counting, of course, the two co-leaders who now knew they were under observation.

  The new workload would keep him busy. That would help him to set aside whatever they were the thoughts that had been assaulting him in recent times. In addition, Saganville would cease to be an eventual prize to become a place made available. Lucy would be delighted.

  3

  It was ten to nine Monday morning when the new member of the elite group crossed the entrance of the skyscraper, home to the corporation’s offices.

  He went along the line waiting to take the elevator, turned at the end of the wall, and walked to find the private lift that ran straight to the penultimate floor. The door opened as soon as the system acknowledged him, he set foot inside, and the trip began.

  This was a beautiful morning. A vibrant energy had seized him from the moment he woke up. His first day as part of the elite group was arising him emotions as he had not felt in a long time. Life seemed to smile him again and the promise of setting aside the tedium of his daily routine lied head.

  At the 104th level the air was peaceful. Although in this floor there were 34 offices, an absolute calmness could be sensed. The coming and going of the staff was barely noticeable.

  Once inside his office, surprises began. The information system’s display was packed with new messages. The access codes showing on it were putting within his reach a huge amount of previously restricted files, and besides that, dozens of new links had been enabled, allowing him instant direct communication from that day on with other members of the group, many of whom had sent him their words of welcome already, and many more kept coming in.

  During the first hours of the day he devoted to the tasks entrusted to him by the leader on the previous Friday, but slightly after midday, curiosity overcame him. Then he began to peer into the classified files that had just become within his reach.

  He went through the index list, checking the titles one by one, until one of them caught his attention. He read in a low voice: “Position of the Reaction - Monthly Update.”

  He opened the file to carefully study is contents. Here, among other things, were the details about geographic distribution and quantification of the population called the “reaction bloc.”

  His surprise was enormous when he found t
hat the figures shown in this document were much different from those reported through media to the inhabitants of the overdeveloped world. The bloc was not only in no danger of extinction, but on the contrary, was growing in a sustained way. There also was summarized a number of trade operations between both sides, the kind that was not supposed to be happening. The last part of this document reported the results of the corporate leaders’ bloody methods to keep this bloc alive, yet away. The world self-proclaimed as overdeveloped was just a myth. Many of its operations still relied on supplies obtained in the traditional way, which were imported from the territories controlled by the reaction bloc. Only this way could they manage to keep up their gigantic industries.

  He studied the document for several minutes, going once and again over data and statistics, just to find at every step more inconsistencies between the official version of the global situation and the facts showed in it.

  When he finished the reading he was astounded. He had to come back from his surprise to close the file and resume the activities suspended when he was overcome by curiosity.

  This information would not have caused great astonishment to some other member of the elite group. To reach a privileged position it was necessary, first of all, to have passed through the careful scrutiny of thought that the Internal Security Central periodically carried out to all executives since getting to the lower levels in the hierarchy.

  In this scrutiny, characteristics such as loyalty and lack of critical sense towards the actions of superiors were specially sought. It seemed that the newest member of the elite had managed to pass this testing thanks to the repeated use of the isomentalizer, which he had abused in recent times driven by a combination of discipline and fear of losing his position. However, deep inside there was still his natural need to evaluate all information entering his systems. Despite the large number of years during which he had managed to numb his reason, he knew that his life as a member of the organization betrayed basic ethical principles, the very same that had been instilled in him during childhood by his parents.