00050

Number 317 sat on the edge of his cot in the mining dormitory. Today's shift had been uneventful. Just shovel and dig and load carts. No one gave him a risky job, such as digging out volatile pure fuel nuggets from the ground. True, pure fuel deposits were not uncovered every day, but it happened with enough regularity almost to make No. 317 the resident expert, because of his experience, for digging them out when a miner did find a pocket of the pure fuel rocks.

Something troubled him. He tried to figure out what. It wasn't the way most of the miners regarded him as a pariah, especially during recreational time. The others discussed digging techniques, or bragged how many tons of ore they had dug that day, stuff like that. The miners always gathered together at the end of a shift like a collective. Yet almost no one wanted to fellowship with 317, because, to this day, he could not muster up the proper devotion for their Governor, the way the others loved him.

Sure, their ostracizing of him concerned No. 317, but that wasn't what sat in the back of his mind, nagging him at the moment.

Well then, what caused his unease? What was the problem? He felt an inner disturbance all the time, lately- no, ever since he woke up as a miner. But the feeling seemed to increase dramatically, since the visit of Gov. Bright himself to see 317. After that meeting, 317 got the distinct impression he should know something about Gov. Bright, something nobody was telling him. Not all the hoopla they told the miners when they woke up for the first time, how wonderful the Governor was, but something else. A secret? What, though, was that secret? If only they didn't keep blasting that infernal digging music/noise, so he could think!

He lay down and still tried to untangle the confusing mystery, drifting off to sleep, floating away to his miner's dreams...

No. 317 smashed at some extremely stubborn boulder blocking progress for a new tunnel in the fuel ore mine. The blue-greenish rock spanned the whole width of the shaft's pathway. He smashed at it with his sledge hammer, trying to clear the path, threatening to break the sledge with his fury. He wanted to demolish the obstruction in the worst way, and yet whatever he did to the rock showed itself to be completely impotent against the monster boulder. No matter how hard he brought down the sledge hammer against it, he was unable to even scratch the surface of the 

huge stone.

317 paused, tired, very tired. Too tired for a miner to be. His chest heaved as he panted for breath. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Behind him, the rest of his Mining Team cheered him on. "Go, No. 317, go! For the Governor! For Earth! For the World of Hope! For the people! Go, 317, go! Smash that rock! Don't let it get the better of you! Smash it for Gov. Bright!"

No. 317 resumed his task, with new determination. He attacked the boulder with all the vigor he could muster. Grunting, he swung the sledge wildly, like a crazed animal. He yelled at the rock and continued to swing away... and then he stopped to examine his progress. 

None. None at all. The boulder remained in place, unscratched, blocking the way. But he had to get through it! He sensed that beyond it lay paradise and contentment.

He shook his head in frustration. Immediately after that, the booing started. His hissing team-mates tossed rocks at him, pelting him in his head and on his shoulders. The stones stung.

"Boo! You're a lousy miner! You're no good!"

One of them postulated, "Maybe it's because he doesn't really like our beloved Governor!"

"Yeah, maybe that's it!" another agreed.

Soon, the others picked up the complaint. The angry miners shouted and shouted at 317.

"Wait, wait-" No. 317 faced them. He wanted to reason with them, to explain how hard the boulder turned out to be.

Naturally, the miners yelled at him all the louder. "What a low-life! What a dirtbag! He doesn't love our beloved Gov. Bright! He doesn't love our beloved Leader!"

"Why, No. 317, is this true? I am very disappointed to hear that."

317 turned to the voice. There, in front of the boulder, stood Gov. Bright.

“Gov. Bright!" Embarrassed because he couldn't damage the boulder for the Governor, 317 asked, "Let me try again, Sir!"

Gov. Bright graciously stepped out of the way. "Please do."

No. 317 hammered it with a vengeance. He must have struck it with over a hundred mighty blows, as hard as he could. Still no results. "If- if I can just get through this rock, I am sure I can learn to love you, Gov. Bright!"

"Really? I say, the reason you can't smash through it, is because you don't really want to," Gov. Bright told him.

"I- I don't?" What a funny idea. But he didn't laugh. After all, it was the Governor who suggested it. Bewildered, he asked, "Then- what do I want?"

A woman's voice asked, "Don't you know? Don't you remember, George?"

"Huh?" He saw an attractive woman standing closeby, between him and the Governor.

Who is she? He tried to think... "Nina? You're- Nina!”

And with that, he awoke with a start, falling out his cot and calling out Nina's name. The jolt of landing knocked the sleep cobwebs from his skull. "Who's Nina? Who's... George?"

No. 317 couldn't get back to sleep. He waited, lying still and quiet, until sleep period ended. The buzzer sounded then, announcing the start of a new work period after breakfast and the inspiration rally.

He started his shift on time, but that strange dream interfered with his concentration. Leading the team today, No. 25 demanded, "Now what's the problem, No. 317? You're more unfocused and unmotivated than usual, hard as it is to believe that were possible.”

“I- I'm not sure what the problem is," 317 replied. "I had a most disturbing dream, and I can't quite remember it, and yet, I cannot get it out of my mind."

No. 25 sighed. "317, you are pathetic. I want you to go see the miner doctor. Tell him about it, before your dreams become problems. I've seen it happen before."

He sent 317 off with a human guard escort to the miner medical facility on the surface above, on the side of the mountain opposite the entrance to the mines.

Dr. Glom, the on-duty doctor, listened to 317's story. "I see. Well, No. 317, it's really nothing to worry about. I think I have the cure for you." He fished around in a medicine cabinet crowded with pill bottles and salves and more pill bottles. The doctor pulled out a box of tablets. On the carton was the name Wipe-Out Enhancers. He held out a large pill for 317. "Take this, and you won't have anymore of those troubling dreams."

317 took the pill out of the doctor's hand and stared at it. "Okay, thanks, Dr. Glom. Um, what is it?”

Dr. Glom held out a glass of water. "I can guarantee it will work. I can explain what it is, but it is too technical for me to explain it to you in a way that you can understand it."

The guard said, "Well, go on, No. 317, just take it then."

317 popped it in his mouth and drank down the water. "So I won't have anymore troubling dreams tonight, Dr. Glom?"

Dr. Glom smiled reassuringly. "You'll be okay, now, No. 317. I had heard about you for awhile, and I was thinking of giving you one of these pills ever since you came to my attention. I always hesitate, though, to hand these pills out, because of the possible side-effects."

"Side effects?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about. You're still alive, so I think you're okay. Usually the Governor likes to see if the problems resolve themselves. It isn't cost-effective giving these pills every time a miner has a problem like yours, because the cure more often than not kills you. But you are still alilve." He told the guard, "You can take him back to his work detail. He will be okay, now.”

When No. 317 returned to his assigned duty for the day, the guard informed No. 25, "Dr. Glom said there may be some drowsiness and confusion, so he may be off his quota today."

No. 25 frowned. "That's too bad. I guess the rest of us will have to work harder again to make up for his deficiencies AGAIN."

317 sheepishly hung his head. "Sorry..."

"Well, maybe it will be worth the inconvenience, if you finally get cured and can pull your share of the load for once.”

No. 317 worked as hard as he could. From time to time No. 25 glanced over at him, to see how he was doing. And from time to time, 317 also glance over at 25 and the others, to see if anyone was looking. When a moment came that he was unobserved, he took out the pill from between the back of his tongue and his molars. A big pill to keep hidden there all that time without accidentally swallowing it. And to speak with it while it was hidden in his mouth- But he had pulled it off. Nobody was the wiser.

He dropped the pill into the dust of the ground, stepping down on it and crunching the pill with his big boot until it was pulverized and mixed in with the other dust and dirt on the floor of the mine tunnel.

317 told himself, Something's going on here, and I don't know what. If only I could remember... Next recreation period, I will try to find No. 248- maybe he will be free, also. If we can get together and I can discuss the matter with him, maybe he will have some answers, or at least some sensible advice.

(c) 2012 drk