Reality Isn’t What It Used To Be |Flash Fiction
I swaggered into the office like a cat who built the perfect mousetrap. After inheriting a position on the Shelley Corp Board of Trustees I get treated like a king every time I step in the building, which is rare but worth the effort from time to time. But today was special. It was the big reveal to the board of their newest product: The Ozman Uplink AR phone, and I wasn’t going to miss this for the world. The Uplink was a revolutionary device in augmented reality creating the most immersive experience between man and machine.
As I walked down the hallway, stopping by to chat with executives worth my time, I bumped into a woman who was in a rush carrying binders and notepads.
“Oh, sorry Mark. I didn’t see you.”
“Oh hey, Rita, glad to see you are busy with the big release.” I laughed.
“Oh, yeah. It’s…ummm… been so crazy lately, but I think it will be worth it in the end.” Rita stammered. Rita was in-charge of product development on the Uplink team and related better to wires and microchips than to people, but she was incredibly smart and got the job done on time and under budget.
“Well perhaps we should celebrate with a drink later on.” I cajoled. I consider myself a ladies man, so a little flirting never hurt anyone, especially someone a little down the ladder.
“Sure, that would be ummm nice.” Rita replied as she straightened her notebooks and headed to the conference room.
After a bit more schmoozing, I walked towards the conference room. My dad taught me to always establish your worth by showing up leisurely late. Early birds were for interns and suck-ups.
As I walked in the conference room, I saw that everyone had already been seated. Perfect, I smiled.
“Ahhh, Mr. Denton, glad you could join us.” Byron Meddles, Shelley Corp’s CEO bellowed.
“Wouldn’t miss this historic occasion, Byron.” I retorted.
“Well, now that we are all here, we can begin.” Byron began. “Since our head of R&D, Jarrod Swars is not available, I have asked Rita Marshall to represent our newest product…Rita, if you please.”
“Umm, thank you Mr. Meddles. Mr. Swars is sorry he cannot attend, but you will be in safe hands with me.” Rita nervously chuckled. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present the upcoming advertisement for the Ozman Uplink AR. The screen turned black and suddenly there was a smartphone spinning in space. A voice boomed throughout the room.
“Imagine a phone that doesn’t just react to your surroundings but improves it.”
The scene changed to a person reading in his home that suddenly reading on a beach at sunset.
“Where anything you want is at the tip of your fingertips.”
The scene changed to a woman shopping in a store. She stops at a dress and after using her phone she sees herself in that dress. The woman smiles, types in the air and a salesperson approaches her with a receipt and a bag. She take the bag with the dress and walks out smiling.
“Introducing the new Ozman Uplink AR. There are no limits.”
The image of the phone is spinning again as ‘Pure Imagination’ from Wille Wonka is playing in the background. Commercial fades to black.
The entire conference was dumbstruck and then there was a roar of applause.
“This is fantastic!” Byron exclaimed. “We will be making history here folks!”
“Well, before we get too excited...” Rita interjected. “I…um have to present some less fun news.”
“Well this is news to me, Rita. What is the problem?”
“Well Jarrod and I didn’t see I to eye on this project, but he wanted to present this to the board, so we want to go into this release with our eyes open. Please watch this.”
The video sprang to life and exploded in a cacophony fore of voices and a mass of writhing bodies. People were punching, screaming; it was complete pandemonium. I was horrified.
“That’s a sampling of the consumer testing for the Ozman Uplink,” Rita said, twisting her hands.
“What happened?” Byron asked.
“We had a hack.” She whispered. “Someone reworked the software to change the user’s perspectives and that was the result.”
“So, you can die in a wintery tundra because you believe you are at a beach resort? Is that what you are saying? Are we in the Matrix?” I gasped. Everyone looked over at me as if they just remembered I was there. “Essentially. But it’s worse than that.”
“This is not just a phone issue anymore. This is affecting people. You’re hacking people’s brains! Byron, we can’t proceed with this product!” I shouted.
“Calm down, Mark. We’ve dealt with hacks before. Rita, let’s fix this,” Byron stated.
“Actually, sir. I think Mark is right,” Rita asserted. “The ethical ramifications of this product are too great. Theoretically, someone could rig elections, create assassins, or just control everything that people see and do. Once the phone is linked to a person’s frequency, it stays connected even if the phone is no longer with the person.”
“Thank you, Rita. Byron, this proves the product is fundamentally flawed. A patch is not going to fix the people already affected,” I answered, nodding.
“I hear you, Mark, and I do see the issues you raise. But let me point out the good can come out of this. We can make blind people “see”, handicapped people “walk”. Richard Welks chimed in.
“That’s insane, Rich. We can’t hack our clients. This is an assault on freedom.”
“Relax, Mark. This is no different than those subliminal ads from 70s. To tap into the mind of our clients and deliver what they want, that is all any tech company wants to do,” Rich responded.
“But we are changing minds, we are taking away choice. And who will be making these decisions? Us?”
“Ok, Mark, you made your point,” Byron interrupted. “I say we take a vote. Who votes ‘Aye’ for the Uplink?” All hands in the meeting went up except mine.
“I... I think this is a huge mistake sir,” Rita stammered.
“The ayes have it, so let’s get this thing in production. I want the Uplink in the stores by Christmas. Gentlemen, and woman, we are going to change the industry. Meeting adjourned.”
Everyone got up to leave except Rita and me.
“Rita, what just happened?” I asked.
“I don’t know Mark. I tried to explain to them the impact of the Uplink.” She was almost in tears.
“He’s been out sick all week. I haven’t been able to reach him. This can’t go live, Mark. Jarrod has got to have notes on this. We got to bring them to attention of the board!” She exclaimed.
“Listen, I’ll swing by his place now and see what he’s got,” I answered.
“Thanks, Mark,” She hugged me before I left. Maybe I was going to need that drink after all.
I sped over to Jarrod’s apartment. Jarrod opened the door. He looked disheveled, his bathrobe askew. His face was gaunt and tired.
“Denton! Come on in, I wasn’t expecting you.” Jarrod greeted me cheerfully.
“Jarrod, man, you look rough. Are you alright?” I asked.
“Never better, just taking care of business. Come into my office.” He guided me to his kitchen, where he sat down next to his computer.
“Why weren’t you at the meeting today? They crushed Rita, we needed you there. They voted to proceed with the Uplink!”
“Mark, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just had a meeting with the board and we halted progress. Haven’t you seen my emails about the issues with the phone?”
“Jarrod, you haven’t been in the office in a week. I was just at the meeting, you weren’t there. Wait, where do you think you are?”
“I’m at the office, same as you. Are you feeling ok, Mark?”
“No, no, no.” I turned the computer around and looked at his outbox. He had over fifty emails discussing the Uplink, but they were all sent TO HIMSELF.
My phone in my jacket pocket rang. I quickly grabbed it, “Denton,” I answered.
“Mark, it’s me, Rita, what’s going on?”
“Oh Rita, thank god, Jarrod’s been exposed to the Uplink. We have got to call…”
“I know,” she said with icy assuredness.
“I said, I know, Mark. I exposed him. He was my first successful trial.” She took a deep breath. “And today’s trial went better than expected. The Uplink phones are nearly perfect, with a few issues. That’s what they think they saw and heard, anyway. I didn’t expect you to be in the meeting, so you had a ’different’ experience.” Gone was her timid nature. Perhaps it was never there to begin with.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I needed time for you to settle in with your new phone.”
I looked down at the phone in my hand. It was an Uplink. Shit.
I threw the phone down the hallway and ran to the landline. I called our Chief General Counsel, Steve Harris, because I knew was not at the meeting and told the whole story about today’s events. He was very concerned.
“Ok Mark, remain calm, we’re going to call an emergency meeting with Byron. I am sure I can get the other board members with me on this.”
I hung the up the phone and sighed as I sunk to the floor of Jarrod’s kitchen.
And then it hit me. Was I stopping this madness or was I a part of it? I just didn’t know.
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