Rich
stood outside the men's room on the promenade level at the southern
end of the Battlestar Resort and Casino. That wasn't the casino's
actual name – that was Skyy or Cloud or something stupid like that.
Rich had sneaked in with the use of an access pass he'd found in a
garbage can on the street level near the escalator taking those who
were lucky enough to access the casino, which catered to only the
high rollers and where Rich had once been a bathroom attendant. He
had been replaced by a Furman Service Aide. A robot – although no
employee is allowed to call them robots because the customers don't
like the term.
The
pass was found under an uneaten boat of nachos that Rich saw a frat
boy throw in the garbage before heading up. Rich wasn't normally in
the habit of digging food out of the garbage – he hadn't thought he
was that desperate. His empty stomach told him otherwise as he stood
guarding the trash can so that no one else could grab the nachos. In
his mind, a debate raged. He knew a line would soon be crossed, a
line into poverty. It wouldn't be long before someone threw something
else in the can, pushing the nachos further down.
He
made a quick grab lest anyone see him. Stuck to the bottom of the
boat was the coveted pass. He saw what it was and quickly pocketed
it, moving away from the bottom of the escalator. The nachos were
cold and the cheese nearly solid, but he ate them without much
thought of their condition. As he ate in the shade of fake tree, he
suspiciously looked around. People with lost passes usually came
looking for them.
When
he felt it was safe, he pulled the pass from his pocket. It was
embossed with the Battlestar's name, but looked different from the
normal employee or visitor passes. It was dark blue with a cloud on
it. Having worked in the casino, he knew the pass had a limited
lifespan and once was discovered missing would be deactivated. He
would have to act now if he hoped to gain access to the promised
land.
He
looked above to see where the Battlestar was, and spied it about a
mile to the north, hovering 450 feet above the Strip and supported by
its five-foot thick rails on either side of the empty 8-lane road
below. The hotel and casino moved on 20-foot wheels at a nice 1.2
miles per hour. It only stopped when it reached its northern and
southern terminus twice a day, and then only to change directions and
go in the opposite direction. Rich could see why it was called
Battlestar; it looked like one of those space ships he saw in movies
when he was a kid.
How
long had it been since he'd seen a movie? Probably a decade or more.
The
decision was made and he moved to the escalator. It took him up 100
feet to the first platform – anyone could go that far. At the
platform he boarded another escalator, then another and another until
he found himself at the entrance of Ceasar's. It seemed hotter up
here, if Vegas could get hotter.
Rich
had two choices – wait until the Battlestar made its way back to
this platform, which would be about 10 hours, or enter the upper
level of Ceasar's and make his way north on foot by going through all
the casinos, which were connected in various manners – walkways,
shared doors, bridges that crossed the street below. Keeping a brisk
pace, he could catch the Battlestar within an hour, quicker if he
ran. Although running might attract attention in a different
situation, it was not uncommon to see someone running to catch the
Battlestar. If they were really rich, customers could catch a people
mover designed to take you to the casino.
“Pass
please,” the greeting robot at the door of Ceasar's pleasantly
demanded. It was similar to the one that had replaced Rich at his
job. He swallowed his anger, he wasn't the only person to lose his
job thanks to the robot revolution in Vegas. He should have seen the
changes coming, but he was incapable of too much advance planning.
Rich
handed over the pass to the robot and swallowed a dry stone in his
throat, afraid of what this simple act might alert security forces.
“Welcome
to Ceaser's Palace, Mr. Parker. Your 300,000 Battlestar credits are
welcome at any of our tables,” the robot said. “Enjoy your stay.”
It
handed the card back and gave a subservient bow and extended three of
its six arms in a welcoming gesture.
“Uh
… thanks,” Rich said, trying his best not to act suspicious. He
made it into the casino, and quickly – but not too quickly – made
his way north. It was nice to be in the air conditioned comfort of
the casino. He gave little thought as to who Mr. Parker might be, but
was tempted by the amount of credit on the pass. That temptation
would not be satiated, though. Rich knew enough to know that security
would easily catch him if he tried to use the pass at a table or in
slot machine. His hope was that he would be able to make it to the
Battlestar before it was deactivated and security hauled him out.
He
had no problems though as he made his way through six crowded
casinos, crossing the Strip twice. He made it to the platform at the
Sahara in time to catch the tail end of the Battlestar, but was again
surprised when he was welcomed in. Only this time, the greeter robot
offered to call a transport for him. It was being much more
subservient than the others. He turned down “the usual transport”
and lost himself in the crowd on the casino.
Rich
did not normally attract much attention, he was neither handsome nor
ugly, short nor tall, thin nor fat. Despite his dire financial
condition, he was still well groomed, as a man who had made a living
doling out advice on such things to other men could be. But now he
was standing outside the men's room where he had worked for seven
years and he didn't know why he was there. That's not quite right, he
wanted to destroy the robot that had taken his job. That was the
extent of his thoughts – there was no political agenda, no
solidarity with his fellow bathroom attendants who were thrown out of
work, or even the larger number of dealers, cocktail waitresses,
maids, bell boys and such who were displaced by the robots.
“You
need to go back to school and learn a new trade,” the HR director
had told him when handing Rich is severance check. Rich tried, but he
knew that he was nothing more that what he was – a guy who handed
out towels and made suggestions on cologne in the men's room. For
that, he was paid well enough for a man of his limited intelligence.
It was a living.
He
was already 56 years old, what else could he do? All of the service
jobs were gone or disappearing, replaced by a mechanized workforce
that didn't ask for days off. He wasn't smart, had no depth of
character and didn't understand much of what he saw of the world.
He'd never really had a conversation of any substance in his life, he
had no depth. He'd never felt a lover's kiss and never realized he
had been missing that until he felt a hand on his arm while he was
standing outside the men's room on the south end of the Battlestar
casino.
Rich
didn't normally care for anyone touching him, but this touch didn't
bother him. In fact, it felt good, and nice and warm and if he could
have found the words to describe it, it would have been joyous. How
do you describe the feeling of love if you've never known it before?
It was as if Rich had spent his life only being able to see in black
and white and then … bright, vivid color.
In
his ear, he felt a warm breath that made the hair on the back of his
neck stand on end.
“I'm
glad you made it,” a light female voice whispered. He didn't have
to look to know who it was, her touch told him. But he had to see
her. Holding his arm was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen –
maybe 30 or even younger. Her hair was as black as a raven and her
eyes as blue as the sky.
He
knew her, but didn't know how he knew her. Her name was Parker but
Rich didn't know her first name. He looked into her eyes and was lost
in the possibilities of the world with her flashed through his mind.
He knew what she wanted him to do.
“Make
it stop,” she whispered in his ear. “You understand?”
He
nodded and she was gone and he already missed her.
Two
thoughts entered his mind, but only one became an obsession. Rich had
never known love until that moment and he would do anything to get it
back.