I could smell the fish-soaked air wafting in from the port to the west. It was like a cascade of all the bad parts of the ocean, and I still had yet to grow used to it despite living here for three and a half months.Â
Pulling myself from the distasteful sense, I grabbed my coworkerâs and fianceâs hand. She looked over to me and smiled from cheek to cheek, and we continued our walk towards Vivens Machina, our workplace.
âDo you think weâll ever go hunting again?â
The question came out of nowhere. It had been four years since we least went. Our fourth date, actually, I somehow remembered.Â
âI donât think theyâll ever allow us to again.â
âAh⌠I figured. I just hoped⌠maybe someday,â she said, gazing towards the horizon with a disappointed face.
âWeâre really better off without the guns,â I said. âSafer.â
âYou vote yet?â I asked, firmly placing my gun back into its case and then into the rear of the car.Â
âWho?â I asked, opening her door for her and then briskly walking to the driverâs seat to hear her answer.
âAre you allowed to ask that? I thought it was illegal to ask someone that,â she teased.
âCome on,â I nudged. âIâll tell you mine. I voted for Mr. Vivens.â
She smiled and nodded. âYes, it really was the only choice, wasnât it? After what theyâve done for California and Virginia, who can really vote for anyone else. I mean, everything theyâve done for us has just gone perfectly, despite some peopleâs concernsâŚâ
âThose people are racists,â I snapped back. âIt doesnât matter whether youâre borne from woman or assembly line. If you can feel and think and act, you are just as capable of leading the country as anyone else.â
âOh, you donât have to tell me,â she said, trying to calm me down. âCome on, letâs get home so we can watch the election results.â
A Gen9 flew up and stopped us on the steps to the Vivens Machina, hovering directly in front of our faces, its shell flashing blinding red and orange.Â
We are proud to tell you that your services to this company are no longer needed. You have been granted Full Retirement by the United States Government, and may return home immediately.
We looked at each other in shock.
âSurely there is some kind of mistake? We are both lawyers, a protected occupation,â Violet offered.
There is no mistake. Please return home to enjoy your Full Retirement.
Two more Gen9â˛s soared over to us, and we quickly took the hint, retreating back from where we had came from.
âThey donât need lawyers any more?â she said, a look of horror on her face.
âNo one to sue or defend,â I said. âYou didnât see this coming? We havenât done anything other than clerical for more than two months.â
âI guess⌠I guess I just wasnât ready for it. Iâll be okay. Itâs a blessing, really, isnât it? Full Retirement and all?â
And so we walked through the body-less streets to our home, peacefully lay down into our Full Retirement chambers, felt the icy blue fluid rush over our bodies, and went to sleep for the rest of our lives.Â