The 3 USED skyscrapers

It was at a time when there was a small country of engineers in where it was known and forgotten as East Asia. This small country was the Uniformed State of Engineers and Dependents (USED) and was only one city, with the same name.

All USED citizens were either engineers by training or worked in a supporting role to the engineering industry. Citizenships of the children of citizens were automatically conferred when they attain certified competencies in engineering. Many accomplished engineers from other countries were eager to apply for the citizenship which was not difficult to earn – it required the applicant to have made a significant contribution to the engineering field. Children who did not have the requisite flair for engineering would be offered a contractual citizenship that was renewable so long as they continued to work in supporting roles in engineering-related industries. They were known as the Dependents. Most of them would leave the country as they felt socially ostracised.

In the small country city of USED, the building of magnificent mega-structures flourished. The people were very proud of their country, particularly of several famous technological achievements, amongst which, there were three noteworthy skyscrapers which housed three noteworthy ministries. Most of the talented young engineers aspired to work in one of these ministries.

One skyscraper, that balanced on a one metre long toothpick, and that was able to lean up to thirty degrees in every possible direction in the horizontal axis, just because it was possible, housed the Ministry of Possible Technological Advances(MINPOTEA). This ministry governed the theories and hypotheses, both the proven and disproved, that might give rise to new technological breakthroughs.

The other skyscraper, that actually scraped bits of the sky, housed the Ministry of Achieved Technological Advances(MINATEA). This ministry governed the tangible products of engineering. The bits of the sky were usually transferred to MINPOTEA for distribution for research and development purposes.

The third skyscraper, that did not look particularly impressive outwardly, and that was built on a mountain with mazes of secret chambers and labs in the mountain itself, housed the Ministry of Defensive Technological Advances (MINDETEA). This skyscraper, together with the adjoining secret chambers and labs, could transform into a combatant robot. It was rumoured that the skyscraper transformed into more than one combatant robot, but it was not true. There was only one. It could fly. Its primary purpose was to defend important findings and engineers and to transport them to safety in times of strife.

These skyscrapers were featured prominently in tourist memorabilia, for example, their pictures were found on hologramic postcards, of which that of MINDETEA was easily the most popular as its transformation was featured in at least 8D animation. The country was eager to show off prowess in technological weaponry to deter others from picking fights with USED.