Jan flew her own autoflyer to the deck outside her apartment and landed it on the half circle of cement. Wind whipped at her clothes and hair as she went into her apartment through the sliding door set into the brushed metal skin of the tower. Her cat, Willie, rubbed against her legs as she put her keys on her small kitchen table and pulled off her dark gray jacket, draping it over a chair. She bent down and scratched Willie’s ears, then stood up and pulled a flat pack out of a cabinet. She put it in the microwave, pressed a few buttons and quickly used the bathroom.

Just as she was going back to pull the pack out of the microwave, her door buzzed. She walked over to it, and slapped the button to open it. It shot aside, revealing a boy standing in front of her holding a suitcase.

“Uhh…” Jan said.

“Is this apartment 274, 323rd floor?”

“Yeah,” answered Jan. “And I suppose you’re…?”

“A roommate, but there must be some sort of mistake, considering you don’t look like you’re named John Estevez.”

“Brilliant.” Jan muttered. “Well, come in, I guess.”

“I’m Zeke Thomas.” the boy said.

“Jan Estevez.” Jan replied as she pulled her meal out of the microwave. The pack had formed into a sandwich, and Jan put it on a plate and set it on her table.

“There’s mealpacks in the fridge. You can put one in the micro if you want,” Jan said.

“I’m fine, thanks. What’s your major?” Zeke asked.

“Sorry?”

“Your major?”

“Oh! Uh, psychology. What’s yours?”

“Pre-med.”

Awkward… Jan thought.

“Do you have an autoflyer?” Zeke asked.

“Yes…” Jan answered, dreading the question he was about to ask.

“Would you mind if I borrowed it?”

“Can you handle the horsepower?” Jan shot back.

“I have a license,”

“That’s not the question.”

“I’ll take the elevator.”

He left, and Jan sat down and ate her sandwich slowly. She threw the plate in the small sink, and picked up her phone. She put the earpiece in her ear, and turned it on.

“Who would you like to call?” asked a smooth, but obviously computerized female voice.

“RURM office,” Jan said.

“Connecting…” said the voice.

“Hello, Residential Unit Roommate office how may I help you?” said yet another perky computerized voice.

“Uh, I uh, got a roommate today, and I’m a girl and he’s a guy and, as far as I know, that’s not allowed, so, um, yes, I suppose that’s it.”

“Please state your name,”

“Jan Estevez,”

“Please state your roommate’s name,”

“Zeke Thomas,”

“This complaint-slash-request will be handled as soon as possible. Thank you for calling the RUR--”

The computerized voice was cut off as Jan flipped off the headset and put the phone back in its cradle. As she fed Willie, the box next to her door buzzed and a slip of paper fell into the bowl beneath it.

To Mr. Zeke Thomas:

We at the RURM office have received a complaint /request from your current roommate and you will be moved to Apartment 74 on floor 125. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

-- The RURM office

Jan tossed it towards her table and it fluttered down to rest against the chipped vase of iridescent flowers in the center. Jan slipped on her jacket and punched the button to open the door. She walked across the bridge to the central column of the tower and stepped into a waiting elevator and leaned against one wall with her arms crossed. She idly read the messages people before her had carved in the wall of the elevator.

“Sally loves Jimmy,” she muttered.

She reached the floor she had wanted to go to, and stepped out of the elevator. She walked to a speed tube station, and stepped into the high-speed train. Wrapping one hand around a grabstrap bolted to the ceiling, she watched as other people got on the train. It hummed, and started to move, slowly at first, then its speed increased. Jan smiled.

The train stopped a few minutes later, and Jan stepped out. She walked up the stairs, and blinked as sunlight hit her eyes. She jumped down from the platform above the fields, landing in a crouch in the wheat. She spotted the trail of red flags thrust into the ground, and jogged along them. She found the underground garage and pressed her hand to the panel to open it.

“Hey,” she said as she entered the bunker.

Tam turned around in his swivel chair to face her.

“You’re back,” he said.

“Good observation,” she answered.

“I don’t have anything on the Beardogs near win just yet, but our people in there are looking into it.”

“Great,” Jan said. “Mind if I take it for a spin?”

“Not at all, but be careful. We’ve put a lot of money into that thing.”

Jan rolled her eyes and nodded. She put the headset in her ear, and climbed over the shiny skin of the autoflyer into the cockpit. Tam opened the door to the outside world, and Jan flicked on the lift engines, keeping their whine subdued. Tam released the clamps holding the craft, and Jan jauntily saluted him. She slammed down the thrust engines, and the craft shot out of the bunker like a bullet.

Jan kept the speed down, following the flow of commuters away from the tower.

“Let me know where the cops are, Tam, Over.” She said into the headset.

“You got it, Jan.” his voice crackled back. “None close enough to spot right now.”