Greenhaus Part 1: A Storm Brews

Greenhaus

Part 1: A Storm Brews

Bryan Reckelhoff

This book is dedicated to my wife, Michelle. She has given me the opportunity to turn a fun hobby, writing, into potentially something more. She is my first and biggest fan, my first beta reader, and has shown nothing but support for my love of writing since I returned to the craft.

Also, a huge shout out goes to my best friend, a four legged, 20lb for
ce of fluff named Sportscenter. He has sacrificed so much, mainly time with his daddy, so that I could spend time writing instead of snuggling, playing, or going on walks.

Lastly, I
’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a couple people that I wish could be here to see this finally come to fruition. RIP Martin Lampe Jr, and Daunte Simmons. Marty was such an awesome young man, who would have just completed his first tour of duty with the United States Army. Daunte loved to read and especially loved the concept of this story when I first started bouncing the ideas off of him back in 2010.

© 2014 Bryan Reckelhoff, all rights reserved, worldwide. No part of this eBook may be reproduced, copied, emailed, or uploaded to a file sharing site without author permission. If you did not purchase this eBook or download it from Amazon during an author-authorized free promotions, please support artistic expression and help promote copyright protections and anti-piracy efforts by buying a copy of this eBook at
www.amazon.com
.

Prologue

The new recruits sat quietly. Each wore an identical white outfit, fitted tight to the skin, but light and unrestrictive. They stared forward at a blank wall, waiting patiently. A barely detectable buzz filled the silence in the white walled room as the projector was powered on by an unseen operator.

‘
History Module 072305 v.22.0’, was projected onto the white before them in black lettering. A calm, soothing voice came over the intercom, subtitles scrolled across the bottom of the projection.

“
New St Louis: The Beginning of New Earth,” the voice paused as the screen changed.

“
The New St. Louis Greenhaus colony, the first permanent settlement of New Earth, was founded by unnamed nomads who went to great lengths to ensure anonymity, refusing to include their names in manuals or on founder plaques, even choosing to sign their collective names to the Green Constitution they penned as: The Founding Fathers.” Not a word was uttered by the recruits, who listened intently to their first lesson.

“
The Founding Fathers happened upon the abandoned corporate research facility centuries after the Final War ended. This building, made of glass and steel, was covered in thick grime,” the talking continued as an artist’s rendering of events was projected before the new recruits.

“
It was full of life in a dying world. From this original safe haven our Founding Fathers, using other abandoned factories they discovered to supply the materials, expanded the original multistory structure into the nearly two square miles of glass and steel that houses all of us today. New St. Louis is nicknamed ‘the Gateway to the Rest’, and is the only Greenhaus colony connected to all twelve other colonies. New St. Louis is comprised of a rectangular central hub that is fifteen stories high, set on a slab of concrete and covered by a massive dome, which you will see in your upcoming tour. The central portion of the city is surrounded by twenty-two hexagonal annexes, positioned in a honeycomb pattern that stands a total of nine stories tall. A twenty-third annex is under construction and will be completed later this year.

Animals roamed all four levels of the dwelling discovered by the Founding Fathers and the plant life thrived in the many small rooms on each level. Trees took over the large atrium complet
ing the ecosystem. Certain it was a gift from Mother Earth, the Founding Fathers began living there using the mantra of simple, clean living to guide them and the renewable energy sources to sustain their small population. Surpluses allowed them to bring more nomads into the dwelling, but population was kept under control based on the resources at their disposal, criteria we still use today. The facility, once used for research by a long forgotten global corporate food conglomerate, now served as the beginning of a new civilization. All signs of the company’s existence were removed and new signs displaying messages promoting green living were placed in their stead.

The facility that outlived her creators inspired the Founding Fathers to write the Green Const
itution. From the laws contained in the Green Constitution, all future generations were able develop a permanently sustainable and ever expanding ecosystem. Maximum consumption is set for each citizen, regulating how much they eat, drink, or otherwise consume. Population growth is based on resource level, expanded only when the Sustainability Charts, created to balance supply, demand, consumption, and prevent over population, allowed it to expand.

The rules provide us with many freedoms and comforts. All ci
tizens of the ‘Haus are barred from leaving, not just by laws, but by the thick double panes of glass that seal out all toxins from the Outside. The trade-off in benefits is plentiful for us on the Inside, who simply have to contribute our fair share to society in the form of productive employ. In return, we receive all we need to live a wonderful clean existence. No war or oppression, no worrying where your next meal will come from. All necessities supplied by the system started by the Founding Fathers, the problems of Old Earth abolished. A true utopia we all can enjoy and continue to improve for the generations to come.”

The voice cut out and the images vanished after a final blip scrolled across the wall, “
Instructor to continue to module 072306 v.12.2 New St. Louis: The Expansion after the recruits’ inquisition period is complete.”

Hands stretched upward in a calm and orderly fashion, waiting for the chance to be heard.

Instead of sharing the wealth Mother Earth provided,

Those that preceded us fought wars to claim it.

Outside the Greenhaus walls is what remains of their Earth.

Inside is the beginning of ours.

Live simply.

Share freely in the bounty of Mother Earth
.

So that
WE
will not repeat their mistakes.

An overwhelming sense of déjà vu overcame Jacob Niles as he read the placard, most likely the result of their constant presence. Above each of the many circular doors throughout the New St. Louis Greenhaus colony, hung a metal placard or, in some of the newer annexes, messages scrolled across flat screen LCD panels. Jacob hopped aboard the black, padded walking tread to give his legs a spell. It pulled him along toward the end of glass hallway where another door waited for him. As the walking tread drew close, the ring around the door lit up green and the door opened automatically. “
Whoosh
,” it said as the nine black crescent panels withdrew from the center of the door, allowing Jacob to pass the threshold into the next section of the tubular corridor.

Jacob
approached a Sustainability Chart kiosk and eyed the info that popped up on the four feet tall, two feet wide screen. Like the placard and flat panel reminders, Jacob and many other citizens, felt these were placed extraneously throughout the ‘Haus. Once he was within fifteen feet, the generic info disappeared and was replaced by his face. He read his profile, which among many other stats, listed the daily demand of his job, his expected consumption, and a comparison of his energy usage compared with the ‘Haus averages. As usual, he was far better than the averages. Jacob patted his light brown hair and wondered if it was as neat as his picture. He looked at his face and his eyes stood out, their bizarre nature hard to miss. Even he was struck by their oddity, one brown eye, one blue eye, a striking feature and rare combination he had never seen on another citizen.

Next to his personal profile were the stats for the entire colony, which included the numbers and goals regarding population, production, and co
nsumption. He ignored these numbers, as usual, because reminders of the mistakes from Old Earth only served to irritate him.

Jacob never understood why the horrific world existing outside the glass walls of the
‘Haus, one completely void of color and life, needed such constant reinforcement.
A quick trip to the Perimeter, if one truly needed a reminder, is all it would ever take,
he thought to himself.

Jacob stepped off the tread, opting to walk the span covering the last three annexes to loosen up for his
day of labor. He stopped to take a peek out into the wasteland. The Outside was desolate and drab, as it always was, colorless with the exception of dirty browns and grays, a sharp contrast to the colors on the Inside. Though the majority of the ‘Haus was fabricated of glass and steel, bright and vibrant colors popped throughout. He imagined a view from the sky would show an oasis of color in an otherwise dreary world. Unfortunately, leaving the ‘Haus and viewing it from the Outside was not possible, unless you were one of the lucky few selected to become a Ranger, but even they had no apparatus to give them the bird’s eye view Jacob craved.

Jacob walked to the exterior wall and stared out into the wasteland. Looking up, the dusty sky stretched as far as he
could see. A thick brown haze blanketed the atmosphere; the sun appeared as nothing more than a lighted disk surrounded by a thick halo on the best of days. Today, dark gray and blackish clouds swirled in anger, an indication that a storm was brewing. A fierce wind pushed along debris, some of which slammed harmlessly into the thick panes of glass that separated him from the Outside.

Gone were the days Jacob visited in the yellowing pages of saved texts from Old Earth, days of playful, puffy wh
ite clouds that resembled faces and animals. Gone were the bright blue skies that served as the spectacular backdrop. A part of a history so old, it wasn’t even taught anymore.

Jacob turned and looked over his other shoulder. Above him a pale blue that re
minded him of those skies of yesteryear covered the ‘Haus. He knew it was just a mirage, an illusion created by the faint blue glow of raw energy floating through the domes that covered all twenty-two annexes and Central. During power downs, when the blue glow of the domes ceased, the ugly sky revealed its true colors, a depressing view that he and most other citizens tried to avoid. Every so often, the dirty sky would open and tease those fortunate enough to catch a glimpse with a spot of blue, a dust filled ray of sunshine, or when the conditions were just right, a colorful rainbow. It reminded Jacob of what the Earth once was and what it someday could be again, of the beauty that existed before the forefathers of his forefathers nearly destroyed the planet with the Final War.

***

Fresh off his 26th birthday, Jacob was nearing the end of his mandatory service in the Department of Engineering. Having already served his compulsory five years in the Department of Recycling, his days in the Engineering orange were potentially coming to an end; the time at which he would begin his elective career was fast approaching. It was the single most important decision in the life of a Haus’r, as most other decisions were made by those who ran his world.

The decision was
weighing heavily on him, wracking his brain, causing sleepless nights and a loss of appetite among other maladies. It was all he dreamed of when he could actually sleep and the topic he most often thought about while awake. His days were consumed, his thoughts obsessed with trying to decide what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He had all but made the choice to become a ‘lifer’ in Engineering like his late father, but felt he owed it to himself to weigh all of his options before making this life altering choice, one that couldn’t be changed after it was made official. Until he submitted the paperwork and it was approved, he could still change his mind, so Jacob kept a somewhat open mind.

He thoroughly enjoyed his current job as a
‘topper’, someone who put the domes on the Greenhaus annexes, but he loved all the duties assigned to him in Engineering. Finishing the domes was his favorite duty because it signified the end to a long process and the beginning of something new. Building the massive hexagonal frame took years to complete. Then it took at least six months more to add the dome. He enjoyed working alongside his father’s best friend, Jasper Jordan, and saw no reason to tempt fate. Happiness in life was no guarantee, evident by his quiet and surly co-worker, a man sapped of his zest for life by the death of his best friend and Jacob’s father, Harvard Niles. Jasper was a certified grumpus maximus and rarely uttered a word unless it was absolutely necessary. Unless answering questions specifically asked by Jacob or giving an order, Jasper said nothing. His daily demeanor was silent and sulky and had been ever since Harvard passed away while on a work site in Newer Orleans 18 years ago.

It affected Jacob as well, as it would have any seven year old
boy who lost not just his father, but his hero, the person he idolized more than anyone else. After his father’s death, he felt alone, became withdrawn and reclusive. He started hearing voices in his head. Jacob felt like he was constantly being watched, not an uncommon feeling among the citizens of the all glass city. Though he excelled in his classes, he failed socially, making few friends and never dating. The pain of his loss eased as he aged and with it so did his symptoms. His social skills improved markedly toward the end of adolescence. At the job site, he had become quite the prankster, always cracking wise on Jasper and the other crews that entered Annex 23, though his obsession over his decision gave the rest a break from his antics.

In the tempo
rary all-glass break room, framed by steel I-beams spaced every six feet, several rectangular glass top tables surrounded by folding metal chairs sat in the middle of the room. Jasper sat quietly at one end of a table and Jacob at the other. Both men equally silent but for much different reasons: one man reflected on a life gone by, while the other weighed his future. Both were aware, but unaffected by the storm brewing on the Outside, they had no cause for concern until the first strike of lightning. Jacob tried desperately to concentrate on
anything
aside from his career choice and landed on once again contemplating the issue that irked him earlier: Why are there so many placards and kiosks everywhere?

It bugged him to no end.
We all memorized the Constitution. We know the verses. If we need a reminder of Old Earth, it would be easy to see.
He thought of all the ways one could get around the ‘Haus to see the decaying world: elevators, stairs, walking treads, escalators, and mini-pods that zipped about in the space between the ceilings and the floors, could get you quickly to the Perimeter from anywhere in the ‘Haus. Visual reminders of Old Earth were just a short trip away, without the written verses of the Green Constitution needing to be shoved down citizens’ throats at every turn. At some point, they probably served a purpose, but no longer. Now they were wasteful and redundant, a stark contrast to what the Green Constitution stands for, simplicity.
There has to be another purpose for their existence.

Befo
re he could list more reasons for the kiosk’s uselessness and impracticality, a buzzer sounded, shaking him from his trance and signaling the ten minute warning to the end of Jacob’s lunch break. His meal and protein shake were almost finished. Jacob needed to ready himself for the second half of his day, but his mind drifted back to his career options. He weighed his choices outside the Department of Engineering, starting with his most attractive option.

The Rangers were the much beloved defenders of the
Greenhaus Colonies. The Green Constitution outlawed the creation of a formal army or police force, but this was the closest thing they had had to either. Jacob pictured himself, nobly dressed in their navy blue skin hugging Nu-Skin uniforms, with the red and white strips down the side, gold star on his left pectoral, his surname name etched below it.

Jacob wanted to be a Ranger more than anything as a kid, as most youngsters did growing up in the
‘Haus, but even as an adult he often dreamed he would be plucked to join their ranks, even though he had passed the prime age for Ranger recruitment. He envisioned himself in the puffy white safe suit and shiny metallic faceguard that sealed his round pearl colored helmet, fully protecting him from the toxins for the days he spent on scrap runs, performing scouting missions, and recruiting new citizens from the camps roaming the wasteland. Inside the ‘Haus, he would help keep the peace, man the exterior defenses, observe a post, or issue judgments on those who run afoul of the rules, sentencing them to their time as a Wiper of the Glass.

The Rangers were the only citizens allowed to exit the glass walls of New St. Louis. Being picked to represent them was the highest honor a citizen could earn and Jacob waited patien
tly, but hopelessly, to be chosen. His prospects were between slim and none, so for the time being he focused on more attainable positions in other departments.

He pondered a return to Recycling, the de facto bankers of the
‘Haus. They operated the money system, even though no actual currency was used, giving this department added allure. Based on an individual’s goods and energy usage, the Department of Recycling determined a person’s Sustainability Score. Bonus green credits, called gredits, were issued on top of the base gredits all citizens receive twice a month. The more sustainable and efficient a citizen became, the more wealth they could theoretically acquire. Gredits were also added for refuse returned back to the department, which Recycling turned into new goods. Jacob had always been fascinated by the formulas and algorithms used to issue base gredits, bonus gredits and how they determined the value of Recycling returns.

The operation of the entire department was based on Article I of the Green C
onstitution also known as the Zero Waste Initiatives, Jacob’s favorite part of the Green Constitution. The punishment for wasteful living was a severe reduction in base gredits which lowered the quality of life the citizen could enjoy. The power Recycling possessed was attractive and made the jobs there tougher to obtain. Many factors pulled him in, but one factor, maybe the most powerful of all, one that overrode his own wants and ambitions, pushed him away from Recycling: his family legacy or more specifically, abandoning that legacy by leaving the Department of Engineering.

In his old job at the recycling production plant, Jacob took the scrap brought back by the Rangers and processed it into new steel beams and glass panes used to construct Greenhaus an
nexes and the domes that covered them.

Other Recycling lines built the, hardware, glass tubes, wiring, and all the other assorted fixtures around the
‘Haus. He thought of returning to work ‘on the lines’ when his time in Engineering was up, the job was more carefree and required less focus, but the position wasn’t guaranteed even though his Sustainability Score was much higher than others his age.

Sustainability Score was a major determining factor on what positions he was eligible for, but he would only
be in the running for jobs that were currently available. He could be placed in any position, where ever they needed him most, which was a huge second strike against transferring outside of Engineering. If he stayed in Engineering, he would keep his seniority and his current position, a job that gave him great satisfaction, another factor that weighed in favor of a stay in Engineering