He glanced at the pocketwatch in his hand. It read 6:20 AM.At that moment, the sound of the rooftop door opening reached his ears. Right on time as expected. Without even looking back, he knew who it was. No one came to the roof at this time of the day given they were "busy" with other things. But his instances were never late. "On time, every time," they would say. Being late---even once---harmed productivity. That couldn't be allowed.
"You're early?" Will asked.
Walter nodded. "I got up early to see the sunrise."
"You shouldn't have done that. Getting the optimal amount of sleep---"
"Save the speech. We have it memorized. I know full well the 'optimal' amount of sleep is required for maximum productivity and reduces dependency on energy supplements." He indicated the rising orb of light in the distance. "But it's funny how no one actually needs sleep around here."
"Following the routines ingrained in us from our lives phys-side keeps us sane."
He chose to change the subject. They'd be there for hours talking in circles otherwise. "Well, you can't tell me that shaving off a few minutes of sleep isn't worth that view."
"It is beautiful, but we should get to the point. We have to be going about our tasks by seven or else---"
"Or else we'll be late and that will harm productivity. I know," Walter finished, nettled. "But don't you just get tired of it all?"
"Tired of what?"
"Never having any free time."
"Why would we need free time? With the current schedule, we've maximized reputation acquisition and---"
"You sound like a robot."
"The Big O" by Evan Drake will appear in Clade — A Post-Self Anthology, out August 1!