The group of now former student arrive at one of the newest buildings in the city, it was constructed out of cut stones fitted together so closely that the force from each stone is all that held them together. It was a four story structure roughly four hundred feet long, it was covered in carvings of local sea life all made by younger children from the combined city schools. The carvings were done during the younger (about 10 years old) children's tour of the stone mason's work study. One of the things that was instituted at the school system after a few years was a work study that rotated the children to different careers around the city in a three year cycle. Now it did not cover every job that was in the city, but it did give enough basics to see what a child might excel at. People like Morgane and Triton tended to sneak into the field they were best suited at, well Morgane had to sneak as the general public couldn't just wander onto the Dig Site.

The front door opened and one of the Childless (the title was awarded to a person that selectively chooses sterilization, most of these were people who had a specific crime on the surface and would only be allowed in Oceania with that allowance) jumps out and says. “Oh, welcome all to the beginning of the rest of your life! I am called Jesse, I will be your resident assistant while you live here; please come to me if you have any questions. As you are the first group everyone has a room on the first floor you will find your name tacked onto your door, if you have to ride a Tram to your work you should hurry it will arrive in about twenty minutes. My room is this one closest to the door, you have to walk up a short stairwell to reach the official first floor, the dinning hall, bathing room and laundry are in the bottom floor. Enjoy your stay here and remember if you need anything feel free to ask me.” Jesse then held the door open smiling, I have to be honest all of the Childless were a little creepy to me. From what I knew of them besides being sterilized by choice they had to take some kind of hormonal suppressor that the city's scientists had developed. What that did was make their voices all have the same monotone quality, but they tended to be very happy; all the time. Most of them tended to work in the city center as they are required to have a supervisor, the Morgane spotted one of the janitors(they are also maintenance) for the building give Jesse a sharp look to which Jesse reduced it's smile to normal levels. That janitor must be Jesse's supervisor, I guess it is a good thing to have them in another position in the facilities they work in. One where they can be supervised at random times.

The janitor noticing Morgane's attention nods his head toward the left of the building, “eh Morgane. You and the reader there are down there, your mum asked me to light a fire under your backside in case you missed your tram. Though we both know you can walk to the Site as you've done it tons of time, best to not annoy her though yes?” Morgane chuckled and nodded in agreement and recognized Samuel one of the regular's at her parent's restaurant, mom must have been asking around for days to find someone who worked here. The Samuel walked over and leaned in so only Morgane and Triton could hear, “Jesse here has managerial experience so we're testing to see if it can work here safely. We don't like to put the Childless near you young'uns, but it's experience might be beneficial here; if you're uncomfortable just come to the maintenance office it's on the bottom floor with the rest of the group rooms.”

I nodded in agreement to Samuel and then gently tugged at Triton (who was still staring at the Childless) indicating we needed to head to our rooms. We walked halfway down the hallway before we found our rooms next to each other, obviously my mother's hand again; I thought as I opened my door. One of the career councilor's was a regular at my parent's restaurant so she probably asked to have us next to each other.

The room was slightly bigger than her bedroom back at her parent's house with what appeared to be a shared toilet and a shared kitchenette, which not surprisingly was shared by Triton's room. “I see your mother's hand in that Morgane,” Triton said as he poked his head into first the toilet then the kitchenette. “Well,” he continued; “at least we know each other's bad habit's. I suggest we leave the toilet door open when not in use so we know when we can't go in it, it will let us avoid embarrassing moments.”

Morgane knew the kitchenette was there in case you had odd hours and needed to eat when a set meal wasn't planned, with that you were expected to pick up food yourself to fill it; however being this is the first day it was already stocked with basics. The section that was officially her room had a bed, a closet, a large desk, a worktable (probably knowing she might be bringing work home), a bookshelf, and a computer terminal. Morgane ignored the computer, there was also a phone next to the computer; which would get more use than the computer. Most of the children who were born in the city didn't care for communicating over distances, they preferred talking one on one. Which is why there was a computer and a phone, some of the careers would require use of the computer so it would be easier to just have them in all the rooms, but that didn't mean you needed to use it.

Morgane unpacked the most important things she was going to need right away, which was anything in her backpack as she'll need it for going to the Site. She removed the clothes she had put in it as well as two of the notebooks out of the three she had in it, she kept two pens and three pencils as well as one quill and ink. She liked writing with a Quill and ink, and sometimes she wrote faster that way. she kept one sketch pad in the back pack as well placing her other four on the worktable for now. She dug into her duffle and pulled her sword hook out and strapped it onto her belt, she knew she was allowed to wear a weapon publicly as she is now an adult. Once she entered the dorm she was considered an adult by the standards of the city, adults were permitted to wear weapons openly as long as they were in what was generally considered “friendly mode”. However the blade itself she wasn’t allowed as it was considered to dangerous around children.

She placed her lunch, with the promised fruit into the backpack as well as three filled water bottles. She placed the Tome into the backpack as well, then after a thought put another notebook into the pack as well in case she needed to make notes on the language. Morgane then pokes around the kitchen for a minute to see if she thought there was anything she needed to add to the kitchen for the two of them. If she wasn't eating well her parents would be furious, OK if they weren't eating well. They already considered Triton a member of the family, and she needs to make sure he's eating right; Morgane mentally rolled her eyes at that thought.

She noticed that for her liking there wasn't enough acorn flour, as except for sandwiches she preferred unleavened acorn bread; and sometimes even then she'd just place the sandwich fixings on top of the unleaven bread. She also wanted to get some meat powder as well as some dried vegetables so she could set up some stews in the mornings they could both eat in the evenings. Onions would be nice as well, as would potatoes; she was finishing up her list when Triton poked his head into the kitchenette again. “Hey shorty give me your shopping list and get a move on or I'll hear about you missing that tram.” Triton said snatching the list out of my hand, I turned to him annoyed; “hey! I was going to get that on the way back.” I said as he came into the kitchenette and he turned me around and nudged me toward my bag saying. “Nope, I will pass market stalls going to the Library and coming back from it. You on the other hand will be picked up and dropped off in front of the building here, get moving.”

Triton pushes me past my pack which he picks up and places on my back then shoves me out of the door, “now off you go and have fun you've been waiting for this all your life.” He then shuts my door in my face and before I can get angry I hear a chuckle and I turn and see a young woman about ten years older than me. “Hello there my name is Carmen, I am from the surface and I am here to learn about your farming uniqueness.;” Carmen says holding out a hand to me. I shake her hand, which someone should have told her by now that Oceania residents don't shake hands; we did tend to hug people a lot. Morgane had heard though that most surfacers have issues with physical contact, which to her was a weird concept.

Morgane adjusts her pack and thinks a minute before answering,” Carmen has anyone told you about what happens if you spend at least a year here?” I had hoped someone had warned her, they were suppose to do that on the surface before someone came down here to prevent a horrible death. I could see Carmen take in a deep breath, “yes after I got on the submarine to come down here I was told. I still want to be here, even if I can't go back; I could help so many people up there if I learn what is done here.”

I start walking toward the front door with Carmen following me, “good I would hate to think you didn't know what could happen and then be trapped here and you not wanting to be here. I however am not sure our practices will translate to what is done on the surface.” I said to her as we passed through the entry way and went to sit on the bench to wait for the tram, which stopped at the farming crossroads before going to the Dig Site.

I had heard about the differences in farming practices between Oceania and the surface, the biggest was no pesticides. There wasn't a need for them, also in this closed system it would detrimental to those living here if toxins were sprayed regularly over the crops. So the founders had to hunt for the best seed from companies who promised heirloom seed varieties, we needed things that have been growing for a very long time that didn't need chemicals to grow. Some of the initial backers for the city pulled out when this was done because they wanted their products used in the city without caring what harm it might cause.

The farms also used a lot of leftovers from the oceanic harvesting that was done, unused kelp from the kelp beds, extra seaweed, and fresh fish emulsion. All was spread over the crops grown and even any of the more urban growing spaces. Not to mention the chickens everywhere, from what Morgane had heard the farming practices on the surface were a bit more sterile with chemicals loaded on top of plants. She couldn't understand that seeing as how food grew wonderfully the way they grew it, granted there was less pest species in their closed environment, maybe that was part of it.

Carmen looked down the small road, roads within the city tended to be single lane as most people walked or rode bikes; there were some larger vehicles and the trams. However it was just easier to walk so roads tended to be smaller than the surfacer city roads were. After staring a minute Carmen answered, “after a couple of days I realized that. I still want to stay here, and; and I want to become a farmer here. It is a happier life than on the surface, I come from a big family where being one of the younger ones I get forgotten a lot; I know they don't mean to treat me that way but. I haven't even heard from my family since I moved here and it's been two months, I am guessing they have written me off as lost to the sea. Do you know that is what they call anyone living down here? 'Lost to the Sea', as if you're all dead and the minerals you trade are being produced by remote controlled machines.”

I was shocked, no wonder the city council preferred that we stay off of the surface internet. My parents just told me that they didn't treat us well when talking to those of us who live here, but now that I think of it I didn't know anyone who communicated with someone on the surface. We all had the freedom to do so, but it was never mentioned that anyone did; I guess I know why now.

At that moment the tram pulled up, it was a six wheeled vehicle with a canopy instead of a roof, that could be put up quickly in case the rain system turned on. The seats were hand stitched leather and you sank into them when you sat down, my stop would be the last; it would be an hour ride in total for me. Even though the tunnel to the Site took only thirty minutes to drive down. I knew that because after the third time the archaeologists found me there they just told the tram drivers to let me ride along. That way they knew where I was.

As I sat down I thought about Carmen and her family, it must be strange to have a family that didn't know you existed. Every family here in Oceania was close and neighbors who lived in the same place for years were as well. When people got moved to smaller homes, like my parents were going to be; they tended to get new neighbors in an attempt to keep the community strong. There was always someone to lend a hand if you needed something, doors were never locked; when Morgane had heard that people on the surface locked their doors against other people she had been shocked.

It must have been quite the change for her to come here, Morgane thought about Carmen. She wondered if she should have her come when her mother set up the meal with the Spinners, it would probably be good for Carmen to get to know more people. That way she could have a real family, also Mr Spinner had a younger brother about Carmen's age who hadn't found someone to get close to as yet. Usually people in Oceania were paired off by the time they hit twenty, it was odd to see someone alone who wasn't a Childless.

That's what I'll do tomorrow morning, I'll call mom and ask about it; they'll be at the restaurant long past when I go to bed tonight I am sure. Morgane thought as they headed down the tunnel toward the Dig Site, she had never noticed everyone else getting off she had been so deep in thought. She paid close attention now and with a thought pulled out the tome on the Sumerian language while her trip to her career completed.