I looked out the metro window at the towering skyline of downtown. Adorning postcards, movie openings, and bumper stickers; the skyline of New Harisberg was unique. Largely because the bumper stickers, postcards, and movie openings had to keep getting updated. Case in point the massive floating octopus looking robot crashing through the Spencer building and into the harbor.

There was a reason all skyscrapers in the city were designed to collapse into their own foundations.

The neutral and slightly dead inside voice of The Train Conductor rang out from the speakers.

“attention all passagers, The Spencer Building has collapsed. All occupants are expected to work from home for the remainder of the week or otherwise follow applicable policies. All other passengers please have a safe and pleasant day”

The car rumbled to a stop in the nondescript stop having since entered a tunnel and gone between the towering building on its elevated monorail track.

For those wondering why it’s elevated, it makes repairs easier. A huge consideration in this city in particular.

With the largest per capita population of superabled humans (and a few non humans) as well as the overall largest population as well, New Harisberg was a study on resilience focused infrastructure.

No one seemed to focus that our little morning commute never was interrupted between the residential districts across the river and to this part of downtown. What were the Odds after all. As I left the lightly populated car with the other early birds, the first rays of the sun were just coming up over the harbor. The outline of a large well muscled man floated over the fallen robot, cape fluttering in the wind.

The BBB in all his heroic glory. There was much speculation as to what the letters ment, most settled into two camps on the matter. The Big Blue Boyscout or the the Big Blue Berry. To both sides credit his 7 plus frame and bulging muscles certainly made him large and his skin was cobalt blue.

Very few know that he was a card carrying member of the boy scouts in his youth or how it related to getting his powers. Bartholomew Beauregard Benson gained his powers over strong and weak nuclear forces after an ill fated attempt to create a breeder reactor in his room for his eagle project. Instead of dying a painful and prolonged death as he should have he instead gained his miraculous powers and went on to be the city's premiere hero.

I walked into the Walsh building briefcase in hand. I went to my office and settled in for the day.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Some hours later there a knock at my door.

“ Mr.Wells, I have your coffee and the days schedule if you are ready.” I waved a hand and created a charge imbalance to open the door for my secretary who doubtlessly had her hands full.

“ Thank you Irene” I said as I set the silicon wafer down on my desk.

She sat at her customary spot across the messy desk covered in reject prototypes and imaging devices for CAD recreation of those few that past muster.

“ Your normal first of the month touchup with the production team is at 8am and the budgetary review meeting is after lunch at 2:30pm. The special interest group from Japan has requested a meeting to discuss a partnership to be fit in as possible.” Ah the Japanese, unfailingly polite and consequently nice to work with.

“ Did they indicate a time that they would prefer?”

“ They did, but it was 9pm our time” she replied.

“ Okay, schedule it.”

The super heavy industry program to address the Kaiju concern is something i’m willing support if only because I think it’s cool as hell.

“ Very well sir, should I then order dinner into the office?”

“ If you would be so kind, you of course are under no obligation to stay. In fact I insist you go home at five today, you’ve been staying late too often for your health.”

“ Bit of the pot calling the kettle black there sir.” she replied wittily.

“ Yes but I don’t have little ones and a spouse to miss me.”

“touchẽ, would it make you feel better to know i’m taking leave after the summit next week?”

“ It makes me both dread how I will function without you and joyous that you will actually burn your PTO this year. The union tried to ream me over it last year.”

She stifled a giggle, breaking from her near flawless professional facdẽ. She was doubtless imagining the overweight union rep and I in a compromising position.

“ Lastly” she continued after regaining her composure “ CouncilWoman Smith has requested to meet at 1:00pm tomorrow for a lunch meeting and strategy session”

“ Sounds fine by me, thank you as always.” She nodded her head and headed back to her desk, strategically positioned to gatekeep access to my office.

I looked at the clock and saw I had half an hour before I had to sit through a meeting that should be an email with an attached powerpoint. But it’s important to allow employees to preen in front of the boss so I can give them the thumbs up and recognition deserved for jobs well done. Alternatively to make them sweat if the job was not so well done.

I turned on the TV to my favorite news channel, one that focused primarily on what was happening and not what I should think about it.

“ We return to you with the breaking story of the probability manipulator caught in a Las Vegas casino.”

Dumbass, he’ll be dead by the end of the month. Not because we have a weird dystopian government or even that he was ripping off the Mob stealing from the house like that. The simple truth is that he’d be out of jail and employed gainfully in a few hours, the dead part would be said multinational conglomerate employer’s rivals assassinating him before they gain too much of an edge. There were a number of other ways for him to die in the interim but that was the most likely outcome.

Such was the world we lived in.

Well, that’s what happened to most probability manipulators.