Gray Skies by Spangler Brian

Author:Spangler, Brian [Spangler, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
Published: 2013-06-22T21:00:00+00:00

5

Amidst the bustle and commotion of their building’s courtyard, Sammi squeezed Declan’s hand, and mouthed, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Hearing those words aloud felt good. He pulled in a breath, preparing to share the fond thought, but before he spoke again, she’d let go of his fingers. Remains of her warm touch stayed with him, and he watched as she started the walk across the courtyard—the yard, as they liked to call it. She turned back once more, raising a single finger high above her, signaling for one hour. Declan nodded, and waved. When she turned away, her figure melded into the crowd around her. If not for her red hair bouncing to her graceful gait, he would have all but lost sight of her. He glanced around at all that was familiar to him: the people, the smells. He was home.

Their building was one of the largest in the Commune. It was a place where hundreds of families, adding up to a few thousand people, lived and worked. His father called it “the donut”, explaining that the shape of their building resembled a popular ancient pastry. Declan grinned at the name, trying to imagine what a donut must’ve tasted like. His father also told him that, at one time, their building was a historic hotel, catering to the well-to-do, and the scientists who’d worked on the VAC-Machine closest to them. But, to Declan, the donut was his home, and it was as alive as he was, eating and breathing, just like its inhabitants. Hundreds of years old, with balconies on every floor, and a covered courtyard at its center, the massive circular structure survived as an accumulation of resin-coated concrete and steel.

Each floor held a designated purpose: some grew food, and produced medicines, while others tended to the elderly and the sick, preparing them for their final passing. The lower floors managed communications across the dwelling and the Commune, and also handled the collection and distribution of energy. The area immediately beneath the courtyard was dedicated to managing people, which he thought was an odd task. It was a bureau for tracking each person and their family history, and the recording of births and deaths. That was also the floor where the building’s computers hummed an electronic language, like Andie sometimes did, only bigger. The sub-floors beneath the computers managed the functions of the building, and the manufacturing of their coveralls, shoes, and his favorite, of course, the recycled pulpy fabric used to make parchment allowances. There was also the lower environment beneath that, where most never wanted to work, but it was vital to the survival of their Commune. It was where his stories went after he wrote them: where massive recyclers turned their waste back into water, pumping it high above the building to the top floor for the gravity feeders to distribute downward to all of the dwellings. The farming floors were located on the higher levels, too, taking their share of water, but returning what wasn’t spent, once the growing plants had quenched their thirst.

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