1 FCM City

With most of the world using pulse phones which are worn around the user's wrist, which will allow access to a multitude of features substituting all handheld devices such as smartphones. The 'Pulse Watch' series of phones which had features such as facial recognition, iris scanning accompanying pulse checking for verification, all in a single USB-sized device which also came with a holographic display. This was the brainchild of FCM Corporation, Oriel Foster.

Foster Communications(FCM) which was the most used communication network around the globe due to its pulse phones used by majority from teens to elderly folk. The Foster Communications(FCM) was established on an island country which was basically a man-made island covering an area of about six hundred square kilometers, it was approximately the same size of Madagascar situated between the Maldives Archipelago and Mauritius Island.

The FCM Island was a rectangular shaped island having a forested region with transplanted trees and relocation of various animals including lions, tigers, etc. have been done for ecological purposes, in turn occupying 20% territory of the island. Having been established with all state of the art facilities ranging from multiple playgrounds for particular sports, a spa facility, a gymnasium, an underwater aquarium, hospitals, private military troops, its own skyfarms, and housing facilities for 50 million residents including the employees and their family members under FCM's care. Basically, it accompanies all facilities provided in any major cities around the globe.

And in the center of the island was a hexagonal structure which was the heart and soul of Foster Communications. The 'HEXAGON', the FCM city which also was its headquarters.

The headquarters of FCM which had high walls of fifteen meters stationing its own military force of about 1,000 troops for general security and defense. While the whole island has about 100,000 elite veterans under FCM's wing for homeland security.

The headquarters takes an area of about 600 km2 with walls in a hexagonal shape with stringent security checks for employees and visitors alike. This was all done to protect its secret of the 'pulse phones', the FCM had invested ample amount of funding for the private military.

To work for FCM Corporation came with its benefits, like family accommodation on the island and high flexibility for work schedule, an ample amount of discounts for employees on the island with their family members included for entertainment, education, medical help, etc.

All this is owned by the second richest person on earth, Oriel Foster. The communication mogul himself is also the president of FCM Island. The reason behind him being in second place on the wealthiest list is due to spurlging of money to build his country. And is also known as Shangri-La of the Indian Ocean due to it being one of the cleanest places in the waste-filled world.

My name is Alexander Stark working for this corporation for 2 years and celebrating my 24th birthday all alone in my office on new year's eve. It's frustrating and being sorry for my self being incapable of getting myself out of this helpless situation. Each year I used to celebrate with my sister who is my sole family member related by blood other than my niece who was her child after marrying Vic Oastler.

Being orphaned at the age of eleven while my sister Hazel who was attending her 12th grade to get into an FCM affiliated college for business administration. Though we were both under trauma my sister picked up all the responsibilities of the house as well as my upbringing and her education.

I used to see her studying late at the night after finishing all the housework. She also became the person dearest to me as she raised me like a child. As she was going through her graduation after entering the FCM's college on merit, she still had to support my education fees in school and for college, in future, so she started her own food stall away from local administration's vigilant eyes.

Since she was having a hectic lifestyle I also helped her by working with her at the food stall.

One day I said to her "I don't want to study. Just you study nicely I will work at the food stall."

The only reply I got was knuckled on my forehead. According to her education may not guarantee you a job but it will at least make your life more comfortable.

In her first year of college, she got accepted as an intern for a branch of FCM. Working through the degree college from the first year till the third she became an entry-level manager from a temporary employee. Being a permanent staff of FCM which had about one million permanent staff members from janitors to CEOs around the globe, she flew to the FCM Island taking me along with her. By the time I completed my college, my sister in her mid-twenties became one of the CEOs of the communications department.

Hazel Stark my sister married with the nephew of Oriel Foster, Vic Oastler. After their matrimony, the next year she gave birth to a beautiful daughter who was named Angel. During her pregnancy, she had labor pains so she could not work, so she gave her office to her husband, Vic as an acting CEO because he was also the nephew of the FCM's president so there were no objections from any executives.

I completed my college and through my sister's husband's recommendation got to work as a pet care worker as my part-time job for the main office. Being a job of accompanying cats, dogs, hamsters, etc., on walks, bathing them and cleaning their shelter thrice a week but the pay was equivalent to running a food stall for a month.

By the time I completed my graduation my sister was in her late twenties became divorcee. She hid it from me because I was in my last year of bachelor's degree, as she didn't want to give me any form of stress. She also took full custody of Angel even though she was not working as Vic had grabbed the opportunity of bribing high-level executives to secure his position as CEO, while my sister was on maternity leave.

The reason she divorced him was due to Vic got caught while sleeping with her friend Anita even though he was married to my sister. Though she gets pension worth of an entry-level manager to support herself and her kid. But I knew that bast*rd played with her just so he can get the position of a CEO without any snares.

Because of this, Hazel went into depression but I took care of her and Angel even while working in FCM's communications department as she took care of me in my childhood.

Working up to the position of HOD of Communications took me only two years as I was constantly preparing to take the position of CEO from that bast*rd Vic.

But I didn't know that he would place me to work on the last week of the year by rigging the lottery for selections of the candidates.

As I was hungry I was going to the cafeteria on the main campus to celebrate new year's eve along with the unfortunate employees who couldn't go on holidays with their families. Walking through the soundless hallway from my office to the main hall, I couldn't even find the slight noise of the air neither my footsteps.

[Ding! The cleansing is being initiated.]

The female voice shattered the silence in the air and I crouched on my knees holding my stomach as I was in sharp pain along with an earsplitting headache. After a few seconds, I lost consciousness.

While I woke up there was a thick layer of dirt on my clothes with an unendurable stench. My pulse watch was broken I don't know how, but I couldn't contact anyone. The grime was gooey black and was slimy. But instead of cleaning myself I ran back to my office as I was feeling ravenous as though I could eat a whole goat.

As I took some steps and the grime was falling off my clothes and body, with every step I was getting more voracious than ever I had been my whole life. I wished that I could eat my hands to satisfy my hunger.

'Slap'

To eliminate such an ominous thought out of my head I struck my self hard on my head. Instead of

running I sat there and entered a meditative pose to calm my heart and body before thinking anything about the voice I heard and my self-control on hunger.

As I was pacifying myself inwardly, I again started hearing the voice.

[The inspection done on the Terra Mater(1) shows the requirement for detoxification of the planet.]

[Only the worthy may prevail as the non-achiever are swept by the tide of cleansing.]

I couldn't make a heads or tails of the situation nor the message given by the omnipotent person. Only that the earth may be undergoing a planetary-scale change. I as soon as I calmed my appetite, I ran back in my office and had a thorough body shower and dumped my clothes in the laundry basket in the corner of my office.

After wearing my spare clothes I picked up my office phone to call any other department or person to check if I had a mental breakdown or was everything really happening.

'tring tring', ....'tring tring'...

No one was answering the call. After trying once more, I picked up my walkie talkie and connected it to the frequency of the one kept at home with my sister.

'crrrrrcht...' "Sister are you there. Please respond." 'crrrrrcht...'

As there was too much static voice coming I thought that all communications with the world were encountering the same problem. And only I got muteness in return from the walkie-talkie. Fretting about my sister and niece I was just waiting for them to reply.

Notes: (1) Terra Mater-> Mother Earth.