Subscription Lapse
What happens when your technology fails in a deeply augmented reality?
Subscription Lapse puts our frenzied protagonist, Brian Larson, in a bind when he tries to save his relationship on a last chance lunch date but can’t reach his girlfriend when his technology is cancelled.
Subscription Lapse
By Blake Armstrong
1800 words/7 minute read
“Billing hours, follow up with Mr. Briones, Titus deposition, call plumber for mom, reschedule lunch with Judge Wagenaar, cancel wallet AGAIN, restore permissions for 3PO, follow up with Mrs. Boris, wet signatures for Mathew’s case, order flowers for Jenny, negotiate with Briones opposing counsel, and drop off cans at food drive. Would you like to hear that again, Mr. Larson?”
Brian rubbed his temples. He’s not even sure he had heard half the list because he was so focused on wrangling documents and cross checking his witnesses’ statements that he felt like his brain couldn’t have been spread more thin if it were scraped over toast. Before he could even say no, an audio call rang and the logo for Chase Bank floated in from his periphery. “God damn it. Answer call.”
The Chase logo floated back to the edges of his vision and the call time ran beneath it.
“Hi Mr. Larson. I’m Andrea from Chase Bank. We’ve noticed suspicious activity in your wallet. Did you authorize a charge for -“
“Whatever it is, no. Just cancel the entire wallet. Send me a new one.”
“Of course, Mr. Larson. Unfortunately because of so many previous cancellations and unauthorized uses, we will not be able to reconnect your new wallet to your current auto pay destinations. When your wallet arrives, you can manually set up the auto pay or you can call us with your new wallet code and we can set them up together.”
“Really? What would it cost for you guys to do it now?”
“I’m sorry Mr. Larson, but it’s not a matter of cost. Your new wallet code has to be generated first. After that, you can call us and we can complete the process. Would you still like to cancel?”
A light blinked beneath the Chase logo - incoming call from ‘Real Girls, Real Sex’. Brian waved the call away.
“What can I do to expedite it?”
“I’m sorry Mr. Larson, but there is no expedition process. Your new wallet code has to be generated first. After that, you can call us and we can complete the process. Would you still like to cancel?”
Another call rang in - Prince Phillipe III of Nigeria. Greeting text beneath - Mr. Lawson, we need moor of yur money to give you estate.
“God damn it. Yes. Cancel. Cancel all suspicious transactions. Real girls, prince Phillipe, whatever looks wrong. Just cancel it and give me the new wallet.”
“Of course, Mr. Larson. Expect your code to arrive tomorrow when we will need your wet signature.”
“Tomorrow? No, that’s unacceptable. I need the wallet sent to me now.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Larson, but your code needs time to generate and will not be completed by the end of business day.”
“Fine, just get it to my Chase account as soon as it’s generated.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Larson, but with the number of cancellations, unauthorized uses, and new wallets you have received, it is Chase policy that a representative hand delivers your wallet and receives your signature.”
“Fine, whatever. Wet signature tomorrow. I’m not happy about this and with all these unauthorized uses I should just switch banks.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Larson, but unfortunately with your activity record, you would be placed on an application hold with other banks for a probationary period of thirty days.”
Brian dropped his head into his hands and forced his fingers through his hair.
Another light blinked beneath the call run time. Silent words scrolled across the center of his vision: lunch with Jenny, 1:30. You must leave in five minutes to arrive at Park’s diner by 1:30.
“Ok.Cancel it, get the new one tomorrow. Gotta go.”
Brian ended the call. “Take me to Park’s Diner.”
A golden arrow pointed behind him. He saved his work and cleared his station.
“Exit the building at the south exit.” Brian rushed out the office door, co-workers flair, badges, and status hovering around them in the firm’s approved layout. The arrow spun in the front of his vision as he twisted and turned through the corridors out to the elevators.
The skyscrapers walled in the street like a canyon of glass and stone, colored with the animated logos of corporate headquarters, retail flagships, and fast food franchises. Small businesses tagged their icons as big as they could afford under the floating patchwork surrounding them.
“Call me a ride.”
“There is a ten minute delay. You will arrive at 1:40 pm.”
“Shit. Express ride.”
There was a moment of silent processing.
“I’m sorry, but you have no active wallet linked to your ride account.”
“Fuck. Public?”
“Public transportation will get you to Park’s diner at 1:25 pm. Start route?” “Yes.”
Brain trained his attention on the golden arrow and the audio that guided him. “In three hundred feet, enter the stairwell on the right and take the Wintrust north line.”
Brian hurried down the stairs. Magnetic buzzing hummed in the walls, the floor. The train slowed into the station.
He tapped his foot and checked his watch as the train hissed.
12:30.
Wall to wall people, huddled in their winter clothes, silently kept to themselves as the train levitated down the rail.
“Exit at the next stop and transfer to the Staples west line.”
The doors woodshed open.
“Transfer to the staples west line.” The golden arrow pointed the way.
Another train.
“Transfer to the Microsoft north line.”
“Transfer to the DuPont west line.”
“The Ford north line”
“The Boeing west line.”
He checked his watch. 12:50.
He followed the arrow.
Followed the audio.
“Alphabet north line.”
“Dow.”
“Amazon.”
Brian’s leg pumped up and down with anxiety. His watch read 1:17.
“Transfer to the Walmart west line and exit at the Qin avenue station sponsored by Exxon.” His shoes tingled with the buzz of the magnets beneath the train.
“Take the stairs on your right up to Qin avenue.”
It was like a second, newer downtown but technically another city. Curved glass and smooth composite walls hid entrances to the businesses and residences here. The only way in was to find their animations dancing in or abound their doors. Artificial light painted over the doors to welcome you inside.
A handful of people shuffled around the neighborhood, fighting the cold walk from wherever they had been to wherever they were going.
“You have a voice message from Jenny, would you like to hear it?”
“Yes, Brian snapped.”
The audio rolled into Brian’s ears. “I’m here. I’m not waiting past one thirty. I’m at the table in front. Okay. Bye.”
“Shit.”
“Turn left on Qin Avenue.”
The golden arrow spun left and Brian followed.
“ETA?”
“Your estimated time of arrival is 1:28 pm.”
It was 1:20. He was close.
Brian picked up the pace and the logos from the buildings floated in from his peripherals, lunch specials and holiday sales scrawling underneath them. But the big golden arrow kept its command at the top of his vision, pivoting as he walked.
“Turn right on Petersburg avenue.”
Brian wheeled right, following the arrow.
He rounded the corner and was greeted with another swath of clean logos tagged along points of the smooth glass buildings.
Confident, he blew out a nervous breath.
He could do this.
He could make it.
The golden arrow veered left, then blinked out of existence.
All the logos disappeared. Only cold, mirror bright glass remained.
“Take me to Park’s diner.”
“I’m sorry, but you do not have a wallet connected to your account. Assistance services will be restored when a wallet is connected.”
“You helped me cancel my wallet. You know it’s coming tomorrow. Take me to Park’s.”
“I’m sorry, but you do not have a wallet connected to your account. Assistance services will be restored when a wallet is connected.”
“Fuck!” He yelled at the sliver of blue sky.
But the few passing pedestrians kept their heads down.
He reached out to stop a tall man bundled in a heavy parka. “Can you help me get to Park’s diner?”
The man recoiled and took a wide step away from Brian.
A chain reaction spread through the thin stream of walkers and they all kept a wide berth around him.
“Shit. Call Jenny.”
“I’m sorry, but you do not have a wallet connected to your account. Assistance services will be restored when a wallet is connected.”
“God damn it.” Brian fumbled out his phone and navigated to Jenny’s number. It rang. And rang.
“Fucking come on!”
“Excuse me?”
She had picked up.
“Hi. Not you, sorry. Sorry. Hi.”
“How late are you going to be?”
“I’m not! I’m really close! Like, five minutes away. My assistant died and I can’t get it back until tomorrow. Can you please just guide me there?”
Silence held on the other end.
“Please? I am actually on time. You can’t say I’m not.”
“You’re not here.”
“It’s not 1:30. Please. Help me, Jenny.”
A heavy sigh. “Where are you?”
Brian looked all around him. All he saw were glass walls and a sliver of blue sky. “Shit.” “What?” Jenny asked, offended.
“Hold on.” Brian dug through his phone and sent his location to Jenny.
“Hmm,” she mused. “Do you see the Pushkin center?”
Only glass. His desperation reflected back at him as infinitum.
“No.”
“You’re like right next to it. It’s sign is huge. How are you missing it?”
“My assistant is dead. Everything is offline. All I see is glass.”
Another heavy sigh. “Okay, what direction are you facing?”
“I don’t know! I told you, I’ve got nothing!”
Silence. “You’re right, Brian. You’ve got nothing. And you’ve lost me, too. Enjoy work. I’m sure they’ll find you a ride and get you back to the office. Can’t imagine a place you’d rather be.”
“I’d rather be at Park’s diner, with you! I was looking forward to the French onion soup! I wanted a bite of your Ruben!”
“Good bye, Brian.”
“Jenny, no, wait!”
But the call ended and Brian was alone with his reflections in the cold street. He had no way of getting to Park’s diner and had no idea of how to get home.
Even if he could have found the names of the streets or the route back to the subway, he’d have no idea which lines and directions to transfer to.
It was too much.
He hated that she knew him so well.
He dialed the phone and put it to his ear. “Boetto and Boetto law group. How may I direct your call?”
Tips:
ETH:
0xADCb7429EAfD7550d8373C97620ca68B2749A8db
BTC:
bc1qs6y878j660450m9ayzenutr474zwv42jplwqwm