Paycheck to Paycheck

Dystopian future.

“You’re going to be late for work.”

The water in the shower goes cold. Then the pressure drops. I finish rinsing the soap out of my hair under an icy dribble.

“You’re going to be late for work.”

I grab a can of nutri-gel from the cupboard. I prefer mine cold but can’t afford a refrigeration unit. I scrape half of the translucent paste onto my plate, saving the rest for diner.

“You’re going to be late for work.”

“Yeah, so shoot me!” I yell at the little floating metallic orb. Its smooth mirrored surface seems to pause as it calculates my request.

“Insufficient infraction,” it says before blinking red again, “you’re going to be late for work.”

“Yeah, Christ. I’m going okay.” I walk over to the neuro-link headset. I hesitate for a moment staring at the contraption. It has been a year since I’ve worked. But, I need money again, so I signed up last week to work the full day today.

“If late. You will be penalized. And subject to mandatory overtime.”

I take a few sharp breaths and snap the headset on. I am instantly plunged into a deep-dive artificial reality where things don’t only feel real, but experiences can be heightened far beyond anything possible in base reality. I am here to do the only human job left. The only thing AI cannot do. Feel.

“Initiate scenario. Insert, right femur.”

A large metal nail presses down through my bone. My screams are recorded and analyzed for variations.

“Heat the nail to melting point.”

The marrow boils out of my femur before splintering from the heat, held inside by the cooked meat of my thigh.

“Please, focus your thoughts on the pain. Reset scenario. Would you like to earn a raise?”