Max Speed

Today, I woke up.

Lingering dreams washed and fading as shy eyes open.

I held my breath not wanting it but I saw the star above…from my bed to the sky. The walls crawled and their images touched my eyes. It was 127 degrees outside.

Breakfast, news, coffee. It felt my skin; I was drier than usual. Stem cells, vitamins, minerals. Now exercise.

I am 67 years old. The mirror lies to me.

I swipe left, left. Grey jacket. Standard fire retardant and some damage-proof scale tech. Why not? I’ll take the bike out for a ride. 700 credits? I have the money; BitCoin is up again. The Earth has tilted one more degree off its axis.

Nice.

I don’t get days off anymore, so I quit. Well, you know not showing up, same?

Outside, the road was that kind of early purple, a gimmick of a dying sun. Looking up, the bubble shimmers and pulses like upside down water. I live; You live in a glass city.

I am citizen and my number is 65768910 and my name is AudioRun.

Nice to meet you.

AudioRun prompts me at my wrist, I swipe it away for now.

The bike speaks in that chipper voice, genderless but overly positive, “Welcome! Citizen 65768919. I am AI, but familiarity demands identity. You can call me Max. Are you ready? Safety first, place your hands firmly on the handlebars. They are now illuminated for you.”

“Good, just like that!”

“When you feel the grip, I feel the grip! It’s haptic!”

“Let’s go for a ride! And relax, I’ll do the driving.”

My hands tightly wrapped the glowing prompts while my body sagged forward under the weight of too many sentences I wished that I never finished.

“Destination? Speak.” The machine prompted and I wish I knew. Unconsciously, the sigh slipped from my lips.

“Not available, speak.” It barely registered. I just kept trying to breathe.

“Not available, speak.”

“Not available, speak.”

“Can I suggest a route? Speak.”

I just want to go for a ride.

“Great! Let me suggest a route!”

“Summer City? Speak.”

Summer City, it is.

“Great!”

The bike took off with the nearly silent hum of an electric motor.

“How fast would you like to go?”

Max speed.

“Max Speed! That’s my name!”

“Gearing up for max speed!”

“Estimated time of arrival is 17 minutes.”

Music please.

“How do you feel?”

I feel like killing myself.

“Good! I will play Killing Myself by Mystery Nurse, enjoy.”

I let go of the handlebars which controlled nothing. Leaning back into the wind as it slipped around our silly machines, I raised my arms, and I let my head lose track of the horizon. I pretended I was choosing this moment. Arms raised out trying to catch all that empty around me. The rushing tried so hard but the small smile of me grew and guilty I enjoyed what was left of my 17 minutes.