Season One - Episode Three: Thoughts

“These thought bubbles are still a little uncomfortable. Radical honesty and radical transparency has its benefits, but I’m not sure how much I like this.” 

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The words flashed above her head.

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She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, glancing up at her thought bubble. 

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A few people on the subway gave her dirty looks and looked away. The people who sat next to her scooted away as far as they could go.

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“Oh no, people are noticing. Think of something else, anything else.”

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I watched as she turned her thoughts to a popular show that was on the networks. She avoided eye contact with anyone on the subway.

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I tried to keep my mind empty and neutral as I exited the subway on the next stop. I walked to the skyscraper that housed my office at The Order’s most elite accounting firm: Cleardom, Lucida & Candiva Accountants LLP. I boarded the elevator to the 44th floor. 

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“Good morning, Jenny!” I said to the secretary as I walked in.

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“Good morning, Ethan!” she replied. A small flicker of a fantasy scene flashed above her head with us locked in an embrace, kissing. “It’s a big day for you, isn’t it?”

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“It sure is!” I said. I’m pretty sure my thought bubble registered that I was excited about the afternoon’s meeting. I pretended not to notice the scene playing above her head.

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“Good luck,” she said, the fantasy still playing in brief spurts.

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I nodded and continued on my way. 

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She resumed typing on her computer.

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I smiled at my other co-workers as I made my way to my office. I sat down at my computer and logged in and checked messages and notes. It was going to be hard to focus when this afternoon, I would know if all I had worked for had finally come to fruition.

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At noon, it was time for my meeting. I went to the boardroom, greeted my managers and shut the door behind me.

“Ethan! It’s good to see you. Working hard or hardly working, huh?” My manager, Adam, joked. 

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“It’s been a bit hard to concentrate today, I admit,” I said.

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“Well, luckily for you, we are all excited to tell you that your promotion to Senior Vice President of Taxation has been approved. Congratulations!”

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Adam and the other executives gave a short round of applause. The thought bubble above Adam’s head said, “I think he’s going to do a great job.”

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I brightened even more when I read it. 

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Once the applause concluded, Adam continued. “As you know, with the SVP title there are some privileges. You will be assigned your own assistant, and since you have access to the most privileged and sensitive information, you now will have the ability to mute your thoughts. Speaking of, I didn’t mute mine before the meeting. My apologies.” Adam tapped his forehead and the beam above his head powered down. “Only the truly powerful and promising are granted such a privilege, under The Order, of course. Again, congratulations.” 

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He shook my hand, and I shook the hands of the other executives I knew I would be working with far more closely from now on.

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I exited the meeting and sat down at my desk.

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I looked at the thought bubble in the reflection of my computer screen. I touched my forehead and watched the bubble power down.

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I breathed and let my shoulders drop. All that work - it had finally paid off.

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I waited to enjoy my first unobserved thought since the end of the war, the rise of The Program, and the beginning of the thought bubbles. 

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I wasn’t even sure what to think.

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I stood at the window of my office and studied all the bustling activity below me. 

Finally, the first unscripted thought came to me.

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Can you even imagine all the manner of things that I could do with these private thoughts? All the things I can do, that no one will ever have to know?

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