Chapter Text
I’m not quite sure how to start this but I’ve decided to start writing down my thoughts in this journal. It’s a strange little thing that Helmholtz gave me. I suppose my first order of business should be explaining who Helmholtz is. Helmholtz is a friend I met on a visit to the College of Emotional Engineering. I was pondering my latest qualm with the Wold State and I was hoping to find some like minded individuals or, at the very least, a quiet place away from all the intolerable gazes of those at the HCC. It’s bad enough that the other Alphas question me but must the Epsilons be so stupid as to not follow direct orders from an Alpha despite their stature? I really must look into improving their conditioning. Anyway, back to Helmholtz.
He had just held a lecture on Ford knows what when he came rushing out of the room like a Helicopter on its way to the electro-magnetic golf fields. In his haste he ran into me and his papers spilled everywhere. I was upset, but after his profuse apology I graciously began to help him pick up his work. It was then that I spotted a curious piece of writing. It appeared to be the beginnings of an essay on the plight of the individual. If true, this unfordly writing could be just what I was seeking. He began to thank me for my help when he noticed the paper I was staring at. He quickly became a flustered mess before I quelled his panic. I explained that I, too, had questioned my role in the society and that we were lucky to find each other. He seemed quite excited at the thought of having a comrade to discuss these things with. He quickly scribbled down his name and contact information, instructing me to call him later that evening, before rushing off.
I waited till about 7:30 before contacting Helmholtz. I was very busy, you see. It seemed as soon as I punched in the numbers he picked up, the phone could not have rung more than once. It seemed he was very eager to talk to me but I wisely informed him that any calls we made could be monitored. I then suggested that we meet at one of our apartments. After a bit of discussion I offered up my apartment as the rendezvous for our unfordly activities. We hung up and I waited patiently for his arrival, busying myself with that day's paper. Once he arrived he was bursting at the seams with excitement. If he were any less athletic he probably would have been panting with the extension of his travel. After inviting him in, the memory becomes hard to describe. So much and yet so little happened that night. We must have spent hours talking, each thrilled by the feeling of true understanding between two individuals, not just two cells in the same social organism. It was an incredible start to what I could tell would be a powerful companionship.