1 A riot of colours

It is said that when we first arrive in this world we are as white as a blank sheet of paper while at the time of our inevitable departure the paper is stained a pitch black of a tone darker than the night sky.

I haven't had the opportunity to test that assertion as of yet.

If you were to ask me what hue is my paper right now , I would answer you that is a dim -grey.

A grey so dull that in this colourful world its presence fades away into the background.

Like a mirage it has no basis at all in reality.

I wasn't always like this , of course.

Once I was like you as well , bubbling with youth and enthusiasm as verdant as a grassy meadow , as blue as a summer sky.

Somewhere along the line I just lost my way like ninety percent of everyone who crosses that blissful period.

The grass in the meadow withered away leaving the rocks behind to rise to the surface.

The summer sky was shrouded in clouds turning into a grey horizon that stretches into infinity.

In the end the closer I got the faster it ran away from me like a mirage.

My train of thought is broken when I realize that unconsciously I have reached my destination ;

a shining tower of glass and steel in the IT district.

Oh did I mention it has a fancy sign right at the top , at about forty stories high that says Gplex .

Sorry you wouldn't know of it , of course.

Gplex short for Googolplex is perhaps the most famous company in the world in the software- IT sector perhaps you have something like it on your side as well ; the one company that is responsible for everything from search engines to autonomous driving , to the market synchronised in the digital and the real world , to maps and well I could go on and on but you get my point right ?

If you don't then I really can't be bothered to explain.

By the way , here's a fun fact or rather a not-so fun fact talking so much has made me unbearably thirsty ; a quick pop in at one of the dispensers in the reception relieves my thirst.

I move on then swimming into the sea of workers moving up like just another freshwater fish migrating in search of the home that would never come.

Now , to answer your queries you might be wondering why am I so moody and downcast when I have a job in this 'so-awesome' company.

The truth is my job isn't some fancy desk-job that has me relaxing on comfy sofas with a lovely view and a glass of champagne to boot.

Perish the thought.

Reality isn't so beautiful.

I am just an ordinary programmer in the testing section of the Services department.

The most dead-end job in the most neglected department.

To inform you why is it so I must give you a brief overview regarding how jobs are classified here in the IT world.

Very roughly the companies are divided into the two categories of Product based and Service based , based on who their client is , the general public or other companies in various sectors.

It is mostly the product based companies that do the more 'awesome' things in your cognition and are higher up the ladder.

Gplex being at the very top of the pecking order is naturally mainly a product based firm , that doesn't mean however that it doesn't provide any 'services' .

Most services are 'personalized' versions of their own products but for some 'non-mainstream ' issues an entirely new solution has to be provided for.

That's where we , the service department come in.

My job here is that of a 'debugger' which means I am the one who finds 'errors' in the codes that others write. Errors which if not treated can prove to be catastrophic later on and cost the company billions at the very least.

' Almost everyone can write code , whether good or bad but it is very few who can spot the 'invisible' especially in the creations of others ' , at least that's what my prof back at the Uni had to say.

Now I'm not so sure.

You see , with the rapid pace of advancement of technology most industries are heading for a greater push in 'automation ' ; their aim being to eliminate the superfluous tasks which can be easily substituted with 'lower-man power' and thus lead to better returns.

How can the IT industry the pioneer of this initiative be far behind ?

According to rumours the R&D team here at Gplex have already developed a 'Automated Systems Debugger' which is even know undergoing Beta-Testing (Programming jargon for one of the several tests that each product has to satisfactorily pass to be rolled out . )

The fact that is has crossed the Alpha-Testing phase ( my job basically ) and entered the Beta-Testing one ( where it is being tested against real-world programs) worries me.

If the subsequent part of the same rumours are true then this debugger which has been designed specifically keeping the requirements of Servicing software in mind would be enough to do the job of the entire section on its own.

Lacking better qualifications and with the inevitable spread of this software , I would be out in the streets , living hand to mouth.

My dream which has slowly eroded away will degenerate in a single step into a nightmare.

Although my mind is in turmoil I show none of it as I head to the elevators with a can of cold-coffee in hand that I grabbed from one of the vending machines.

Most of my companions in the elevator turn their head away from me deliberately.

It seems that I wasn't the only one who heard the rumours.

I don't care much about their reaction , the way I see it the rot has already spread partway to their papers painting the sheets in a brownish hue.

I pop my can open and take a sip of coffee .

I drink as slowly as possible , savouring each sip to the fullest.

The cool liquid enriched by a strong bitter aftertaste pours down my throat , wetting it.

I can feel every single drop , every single flavour , to an extent I never could before.

I wonder why.

A soft ting reminds me that I have arrived at my destination ; the elevator doors open and eject me.

The sound of the elevator doors closing is like that of a cage barring shut locking me inside.

Nobody follows me .

I take a deep breath and walk forward for some strange reason my eye keeps twitching without pause.

I do not worry about it too much.

Through the vast windows I can see the impressive skyline illuminated by the crimson of the setting sun .

There is no other light anywhere.

Terminals lie unoccupied , the tubes are dark , no breath of air is realized from the vents .

My brow furrows.

At this time almost everyone should be back after a short evening break ready to sweat into the wee hours of the night as our job calls for.

I notice that a solitary office still has its light open , it's big compared to the workstations used by us and has a separate space with a glass door partitioning it from the rest of the common area .

For some strange reason I compare it mentally to one of the other similarly situated offices I saw in some of the more 'fancier' departments .

I come to a dismal conclusion.

Even so I walk on and gently rap on the glass door .

"Come In " , a voice slightly rough bids me enter .

I deftly close the door behind me and seat myself as best as I can on the only chair that is free.

The man seated behind the desk in front of me has a mane of grizzled hair , that and his stone like face which possessed an aura of raw majesty once , earned him the moniker of 'Lion' from us subordinates.

Coincidentally his name Shi Kuang fitted well with his temperament as well , you usually don't see a miraculous occurrence like that outside the world of novels , comics and other fictional universes.

The lion looks more like an old tabby-cat now.

He says nothing at all for a few minutes preferring to stare at me in silence instead.

I being the law-abiding person that I am , maintain the same humble visage I put up when I came inside.

At last when the silence starts to become uncomfortable he forces himself to speak.

"You must be wondering why the others aren't back by now ," he says softly.

My heart lurches in response .

I don't like the direction where this conversation is heading.

I nod gently to convey my assent . He continues

"Here " , he says passing a thin sheaf of papers over to me.

I don't need to read them in detail to figure out the contents.

"Is it true ? ' , I ask rhetorically , I do my best to keep my voice as even as possible but it comes out a bit on the higher side than what I would have preferred.

He sighs and turns away so that he no longer faces me.

He is unable to look me in the eye.

He continues on matter-of-factly but his throat chokes midway betraying his true emotions.

" As of today this section no longer exists , an operator from the multi-purpose division has been transferred to take over operations which had been covered by the said section . All of the employees have been deemed to be extraneous and have been laid off as a result. As per your contract you would receive no severance pay or any other benefits."

A wide smile spreads across my face.

"I understand , section head ." I say in a sing-song voice .

The man doesn't respond but I believe I can see tears glistening on his cheeks when he realizes that it is the last time anyone would call him that.

My smile just gets wider.

He looks me over one last time before closing his eyes.

Our audience is over.

I gave him one last bow of respect and leave never to return again.

The way back home passes by in a blur the only concrete thing I remember doing is buying a six-pack of beer at the nearest convenience store before I stomp back inside my small apartment on the top floor of a building that has experienced more summers than I have .

The rickety door crashes shut with a bang that doubtless woke up the rest of my neighbours but I am in no mood to listen to their complaints.

I take my six-pack and head out through the fire-escape to the roof.

When my mind has frozen and my body is in a state of paralysis the prospect of a good,long drink under the night sky seems relieving .

A couple of minutes later I settle myself down on one corner of the rooftop , near the exit , preparing to have a peaceful drink.

I am disappointed once more.

With a loud pop one of the cans of beer opens but I don't put it close to my lips at all instead it lies abandoned on my hand busy bubbling froth that escapes from the lid.

I am transfixed.

The reason for my gaffe being the strange sight that I am treated to.

There is a lone woman standing at the farther end of the roof , facing away from me .

Do not get me wrong the reason I'm spaced out is not because of the sudden presence of the woman ; the roof is a communal one after all and it is reasonable that others can access it as well as I can .

What worries me is her position.

She is standing too close , dangerously close to the edge , it was as if the slightest of breezes could push her over.

Although my mind is befuddled as of now , there's no way I'm having an accident on my conscience.

I desperately open my parched throat and shout out to her in some semblance of a refrain that I hope would be sufficient to get her away .

"Oi ! Get Away from there ! One slip and you're done" .

Her ear twitches as if in response to my yell . She turns her head towards me revealing a devastating beautiful face framed by rich purple locks.

Her face which could have put any of the most famous celebrities to shame doesn't interest me as her cold visage delivers words that resemble a pail of ice thrown over my head.

"Bai Yuan , 24 yrs old , No immediate family living , Graduate of the National university of L state , fired at 18:24 hrs precisely from the Gplex corporation , fated to die tonight at 20:15 hrs along with all of those currently in this building."

Her voice as sweet as an oriole seems extremely rough to me at that moment.

Although most of what she said was information that could be found on the records , the last bit froze my marrow.

What does she mean when she says that I'm fated to die in exactly ..five minutes , now ?

For some reason I'm less inclined to think of it as a joke , perhaps because the face she is making right now could in no way be associated with a joke.

Some subconscious feeling is assaulting my senses telling me to believe in this ridiculous information a fact which forces me to question my own sanity .

Regardless it would be all right if it's a hoax ..but on the off chance that it is true what then ?

Was this frail seeming woman a terrifying terrorist in disguise maybe one of those lunatics who to prove their point are willing to blow up so many innocents ?

I can't take any chances.

With how things are there is no way the police are going to get here in time , not with the downtown traffic at this hour.

Which meant I have to do something on my own .

When I looked at my emaciated arms that weren't much thicker than hers I begin to wonder if it's really the right way to go.

Still there's nothing I can do now can I ?

If I have to leave today it was about time I dyed myself pitch black.