5:30 AM.
A brand new day.
Harrison Owens lightly tapped the blaring claxon of the alarm next to him. The second he made contact, the sound changed to a heavy beat to words. It was the music that had been popular back when his parents were alive... and it made Harrison happy to hear it. The song had something to do with the "end of the world as we know it". Harry had never really caught the words, but liked the tune just the same.
After a quick shower, the black-haired 20-year-old stepped into his wardrobe, walking out a few seconds later having donned a sportscoat, a pair of khakis, and a black turtleneck. After examining his appearance in the mirror, he smiled contentedly to himself. Then, walking over to his nightstand, he picked up a small platinum ring - the one his father left him - and slid it onto the ring finger of his right hand. Harry felt that he should keep the ring with him, as a way to keep his father's memory alive.
After programming his breakfast menu into his apartments Kitchen-Aid 10,000, Harry flipped a wall switch, bringing a holographic projector out of his dining room table. Immediately, news came streaming through of the victory attained last night by the MBL. Harry couldn't help but smile as the new reports streamed in. His mother had told him that his father was once a member of the MBL. Ever since, Harry had dreamed of taking his father's place in that august organization.
When he was seventeen, the legal registrant age, he was turned down, due to his lack of skills and experience. However, Harry had done all he could to be some part of the team. Last year, his dream finally became a reality when he signed on as a member of the MBL staff, working full-time as an editor for the League, an MBL propaganda paper.
Harry, content at the view he saw from his holo-port, smiled as his breakfast bar slid out of a slot in the wall with a *DING!* Taking a bite, Harry recognized the taste of all his breakfast favorites: eggs, bacon, sausage, hotcakes, oatmeal, toast, milk, coffee, and orange juice - all condensed into one nutritious, vitamin-enriched bar.
Picking up his briefcase, Harry walked to his bay window, hailed a hovercab, and whisked himself to the office. En route, he fingered the platinum ring that his father had left him. He had never known his father, but, if his mother's word was any indication, he was a great man. Harry smiled and thought of his father - the man he only knew as the Chewy Walrus...
