Rebel

Kyle was a gardener who lived in a rural part of the country and resented the trip he was required to make into the city each year. It was especially irksome because the family on whose estate he labored had so thoughtlessly set his annual physical checkup for the middle of April when there were so many chores to occupy his time and thoughts. As he had done for the last twelve years, he kept his discontentment bottled up inside. Individual thought was considered anti-social behavior and was also against the law.

Therefore, rather than question authority for even a moment, Kyle did his best to keep his mind on the chores he would have to make up in the next few days in order to keep the lady of the estate uncomplaining and cheerful. So while he negotiated his way through downtown traffic, he mapped out a daily work schedule for the next three days; to the azalea beds he would add a special fertilizer he'd concocted himself which was rich with iron and zinc. It was also time, he reminded himself, to prune the roses near the trellis-lane; and the day before yesterday he'd noticed a large section on the west end, near the lily pond, where unruly weeds were sprouting at the foot of the bamboo shoots.

He was so caught up in thinking about how he would start Wednesday morning that he almost missed the turn on the airway, the planned route that would take him to Federal Avenue and Main Street. Ninety seconds later, seeing the flashing sign: D-23865, he slipped into the parking space reserved for him and exited the transpod.

From the vast rooftop, he followed a gold line painted on the floor toward the nearest elevator. The gold line was located in the exact middle of eight other bold colors. Along the way to his destination in the basement of the building, as usual he directed his attention to robot watching. Each year there were several new models to observe. Even though Kyle did not know the exact model names for each brand and style, he knew most of the modern ones by sight. Of course, there were the old antique jobs, too. Many of them appeared as though their circuits were minutes away from burnout.