“What do you think of Josef Crowne?” Betty asked as she smoothed her jet-black hair down over her left eyebrow. Betty Bokowski was a Beta working in the Hatchery in the Inoculations Department. She was responsible for ensuring that all embryos were vaccinated against the old diseases that plagued humans since the beginning of time—smallpox, polio, measles. She was 5’6”, an average height for a Beta. Her curvaceous figure snuggly fit into her mulberry outfit. Beta women were mandated to wear dark mulberry skirts with lighter blouses. They were also required to wear dark mulberry kerchiefs and black patent leather shoes. She reapplied her dark red lipstick and gave herself a smile to ensure no lipstick was on her perfectly straight teeth.

“Josef Crowne…” Fran said examining the line of her gray skirt and blouse. Francis Lenin was an Alpha in charge of creating vaccinations for the newer diseases that sprung up since the founding of the World State. She was currently working on a vaccine for a new coronavirus that has surfaced over the past couple of years. She was small for an Alpha woman standing at the same height as Betty. Fran’s blonde hair was tightly fashioned into a bun. Her pink skin glowed under the glaring fluorescent lights. Even though Fran was an attractive woman and took pride in her looks, her vaccine development took precedence over her looks. “Josef Crowne,” Fran repeated. “The same Josef Crowne that works with your boyfriend?”

Betty looked over at Fran. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Betty said with a hint of annoyance.

“Watch your tone,” Fran replied. Betas were not supposed to speak in such a way. They were not allow to offend an Alpha.

“We are just having fun,” Betty said with a softer tone.

“Of course you are. But you should have fun with more than one man,” Fran said giving Betty a smirk.

“There’s nothing serious between us. It’s just nice to have something familiar for a little while,” Betty responded giving herself a final look.

“I know,” Fran said fixing the stray hairs that had escaped the tight bun. “Josef Crowne is a guy I’ve never really thought about.”

“He hasn’t been with anyone in quite some time,” Betty said. “I’m sure he would appreciate the attention.”

“Hmm,” Fran thought. “I suppose I can see the draw with him. He’s average for an Alpha aside from those eyes.”

“I know,” Betty said. “They are just so piercing.”

“He’s not devastatingly handsome, but now that you mention him, I could see myself exploring that option,” Fran replied.

“I wanted to mention him to you first before I pursued him,” Betty said. “It wouldn’t be proper for me to take all the spoils.”

“You are so considerate,” Fran said sarcastically. An Alpha could get away with such a tone.

“So, you will get him to ask you out?” Betty asked giving Fran a look of anticipation.

Fran thought for a moment and then checked her outfit for any wrinkles. “Yeah, I will ask him out.” She gave Betty a wink and a smile and exited the bathroom. Betty finished applying an extra layer of lipstick, smacked her lips together, and made her way out of the bathroom.

Josef could not wait to get home. His workday was like any other except there was a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. He did not know what was bothering him. All he knew was that he could not keep his mind on his data tabulations.

He had observed that subjects in his groups who experienced the highest levels of yearning also were more likely to experience what was called “infatuation”. This was a strictly forbidden word to utter in public. There was a long list of forbidden words—words that, if spoken in public, would subject an individual to reconditioning. Many of the words on the list were so antiquated that the meaning of many of the words were lost to time. However, it was feared by the World State that removing any words would lead to a downward spiral of individuality and instability.

Josef had been working closely with the Bureau of Reconditioning. His research had become the foundation for many of the reconditioning protocols. When an individual was ordered for reconditioning, that person would be quarantined to a room in the Reconditioning Center. The individual would be exposed to electroshock therapies followed by a regimen of positive and negative reinforcements to clean the brain of unwanted thoughts and behaviors. The Reconditioning Center discovered a physiological set of predictors that could alert the staff to when a subject was about to have an unwanted thought. Initially, the subject would then be administered a set of painful shocks to quell the thoughts. Over time, once the subject associated the thought to a negative experience, the subject would be tested. The testing would involve a continuous shock to elicit desired thoughts. When desired thoughts were detected, the shock would end momentarily. The testing would last for hours at a time over several weeks. The final phase of reconditioning involved a system of rewards for desired behaviors. Reconditioning could last up to three months. If reconditioning was unsuccessful, the next option was termination in which the subject would be heavily sedated, and their life would be extinguished.

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Since Josef’s job required studying the use of forbidden words, he, along with other researchers like Bernard, were allowed to utter words only in the context of their research. Josef had recently discovered that individuals who became infatuated with other members of society were almost always likely to experience yearning. Yearning came in many forms, but Josef found that, under these circumstances, individuals yearned to live their lives outside of society preferably alongside the subject of their infatuation. Josef noted that the word “love” was spoken often with infatuated individuals. The problem was that infatuation was experienced among all classes—Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. In his interviews with subjects, he found that Alphas, Betas, and a few Gammas, became infatuated with people. Most Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons became infatuated with objects. His research so far allowed the World State to understand the symptoms of infatuations:

1. Becoming obsessed with someone or something to the point of daily psychological consumption often bringing up the object of infatuation into conversation.

2. Physiological responses that mimicked anxiety and/or anticipation when the object of infatuation was mentioned or thought about.

3. Observed anxiety behaviors such as fidgeting, sweating, increased breathing, and flushing of the skin in the presence of the object of infatuation.

4. Reduced efficiency in work behaviors.

5. Reduced social interaction.

What was bothering Josef all day was like the symptoms of infatuation. However, the key difference was that Josef did not know what was causing him to experience these symptoms. These symptoms did not begin until Bernard started to talk about his dates with Betty and her sexual prowess. Josef experienced these feelings when Bernard talked about Betty. He certainly had no feelings for Betty. He had never even thought about Betty in any kind of way until Bernard began dating her. What was it about Betty that was making him so nervous?

Had it been Bernard’s mention of Susan or his mention of Josef’s stretch of time without dating? Josef wanted nothing more than to be a productive, efficient member of society. Perhaps, the thought of disappointing the World State by being without a lover for so long was causing him anxiety. Perhaps, it was not infatuation at all but just a fear of disappointing society. Everyone belongs to everyone. He was keeping himself from everyone, so his increasing anti-social behavior would eventually be cause for alarm.

When Josef entered his domicile, Gamma 37 emerged from the working quarters. Gamma 37 was perfectly presentable in his crisp clean green outfit. His bright green eyes and gently upturned mouth greeted Josef with a warm obedience.

“Good evening, Sir,” Gamma 37 responded. “How was your day?”

Josef sighed and went to the table. “Fine,” he replied.

“I sense some tension. Shall I prepare a cocktail for you?” Gamma 37 asked.

Of course, a soma cocktail would settle his mind enough so that he could figure out what was bothering him. Soma had long replaced all other intoxicating substances. It had no lingering aftereffects like the hangover of alcohol. Alcohol was only used now to dull the brains of Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon embryos allowing for easy subordination. Depending on the context, soma could either calm the nerves or stimulate the senses. It all depended upon the mood and disposition of the mind when taken. It calmed anxious minds and stimulated lackluster, depressed moods.

“That would be nice,” Josef answered. Gamma 37 entered the working quarters and emerged a few moments later with a tall glass of red liquid. Josef quickly consumed the sweet cherry flavored liquid and sat back. Gamma 37 had administered three doses of soma which was sure to ease Josef’s mind. Josef sat back in his chair and waited for the effects of the soma.

As he waited, he received an incoming call on his hologram-o-phone. A picture of an attractive blonde female appeared in the air with the words “Alpha Francis Lenin” under the picture. Francis Lenin from Inoculations. Josef knew Francis, or Fran as she like to be called, had created a vaccine for the most recent coronavirus that ravaged the efficiency of society a couple of years ago. She was certainly a highly sought woman. Josef answered the call.

“Hello,” Josef said at the projected image of Fran in front of him.

“Hello, Josef,” Fran said. “I was calling you to see if you’d like to go with me to the social event tomorrow night down on the first floor?”

Josef admired the straightforward way she started the conversation—a classic hallmark of Alpha conversation. Alphas were afforded the luxury of being straightforward unlike Betas who subjected society to niceties and innuendos. The First Floor Social Event was a weekly gathering of the building’s Alphas. It was analogous to the cocktail mixer from before the Great Reformation. The biggest difference is that, of course, alcohol was not served. The events always had an equal number of men and women in attendance to ensure that everyone was paired up at the end of the event. To attend meant you were required to leave with another person though not necessarily with the person you came. To further ensure evening pairings, those that did not leave with a partner of their selection were assigned one at the end of the event. For this reason, Josef rarely attended a social event.

The soma started to kick in. Josef felt an incredible sense of well-being and ease run over his body and mind. Without the soma, Josef would have hesitated several moments before answering. However, since his inhibitions were down, he replied promptly.

“Yes,” Josef replied and smiled.

“Perfect. Come to my place at 7,” Fran said cheerfully and hung up which made her projection disappear. The device dinged with an appointment on his calendar: 7 PM; Fran; 189-D—her name and her apartment. Gamma 37 had been in the room the entire time of the interaction.

“I see you will need me to prepare your social outfit for tomorrow,” Gamma 37 replied.

“Yes, looks like I’ll be on a date with Fran,” Josef said. Without hesitation, thanks to the soma, he further added, “although I wish I were going on a date with Bernard.”