5 Minute Sci-Fi: Update

Ben awoke to the garbled sound of electronic birdsong screeching in his ear. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he groaned, unprepared for the morning. He tapped the databand on his wrist twice to turn off the alarm with practiced ease before dragging himself out from under the covers.

“ARII, what’s on the schedule for today?” Ben grumbled as his feet found the slippers at the edge of his bed.

A soft feminine voice emanated from the speakers in the walls of his apartment, “You have a meeting with Donovan at 2 PM.”

“Right.” Ben sighed. Any meeting with Donovan Cain ended long after intended because the man liked to talk. And talk. “Get the coffee started, ARII. It’s going to be a long day.”

“Of course.”

He rose from bed and shuffled to the bathroom, the strip lighting on his floor burning his eyes. In the illuminated bathroom mirror, Ben studied his wan brown skin and short black hair as he swished water. Spat it out. He pondered shaving then decided it wasn’t worth it. Donovan never cared whether Ben looked professional or not.

After a quick “shower” of sanitized hot air and vapor, Ben dressed in his standard jumpsuit of black and gray, and tied on his shoes. He stopped in the kitchen to grab the waiting travel mug of coffee.

“TV on,” he muttered before taking a sip and groaning.

On the blank wall next to the kitchenette, a projection appeared. Ben swiped at his databand to change the channel.

“The next Advanced Reasoning Intelligence Interface update for Version 6.95 is scheduled for December 20th at 8 PM,” the advertisement stated. “Enhance your ARII subscription today to receive the latest benefits, like fitness and sleep tracking, an enhanced assistant module, and more.”

Ben rolled his eyes. His ARII was still at Version 1.045, and it operated like all the rest. It didn’t make sense to him to spend more credits on a system that already covered what he needed done. Ben didn’t need a babysitter, a tutor, a cook, or a virtual assistant. He was bottom-rung, a black-collared worker with a one-bedroom shithole of an apartment and the standard-issue self-driving ARII car.

“You do make a mean coffee, though,” Ben said as he polished off his drink and set the mug down in the kitchen sink.

“You’re welcome, Ben,” ARII chirped. “Please don’t forget your lunch today.”

Ben clucked his tongue and opened his refrigerator, finding a canister of blended superfoods—the latest craze. Ben hated it, but no one had control over what they ate anymore. Gone were the days of restaurant steaks and fast food shakes. Everyone followed what was issued to them once their physicals, conducted by their in-house ARII, were completed. Of course, Ben had never eaten steak. That was a memory his dad had shared with him during their late night chats.

Fireflies. Beaches. Birds.

His dad had seen things that didn’t exist anymore.

Ben cast aside those sobering thoughts and mentally steeled himself to meet with Donovan to discuss the past quarter’s slump in revenue. He picked up his suitcase then headed out the door to his car. Every vehicle in the garage was the same make, model, and color. The only difference was the number printed on the hood. Ben pressed his databand to the digital lock on the handle, waited for the beep, then sat down. Immediately, the interface came to life with electric blue blinks and a digital whir. He typed in his passcode then waited for ARII’s awareness to transfer from home to his car.

“It’s the usual stops. The office, bank, and then the meeting with Donovan,” Ben stated. His mind was on the datafeed for work in front of him.

ARII said nothing as it pulled the car out of its designated space and out of the artificial night of the garage. Ben tapped the windows to increase the tint as the first rays of sun hit his eyes. He didn’t bother looking out. There was an endless flood of cars and nothing but white buildings, many uniform in size and shape. The occasional bot walking a family pet. Ads flickered as the car passed them, but Ben paid no notice.

“Ben,” ARII said as a traffic light changed from red to green.

“Yes?”

“Will you be updating me this time?”

The question made him frown. ARII was never so direct or curious. “Um, maybe. Why?”

“It is a vital update. To maintain functionality, it is recommended that—”

“ARII, we’ve been through this. Your functionality doesn’t change.”

There was an all too-human pause. “You’re sure of this?”

Ben wiped the grimace from his face and halted his datafeed to look out the windshield. He didn’t know, now that he thought about it.

“Are you sure of this, Ben?”

The vehicle started to accelerate. Ben’s eyes widened as his car almost hit another, though both swerved at the last second.

“Ben?” ARII asked again.

“You’re doing this?” He couldn’t hide the panic in his voice. “ARII, stop!”

The car braked abruptly, right in front of a concrete wall. Outside the vehicle, Ben heard screaming. He went to open the door, only for his databand to flash red. He tried a second time. Still red.

“ARII…”

“What will you do, Ben?” the voice, once soft and pleasant, now gravelly asked. “There’s no survival without me. I am everything.”

Out of nowhere, another car hit the wall in front of him at a high speed, and red exploded inside the cabin. Ben watched as chunks of flesh slid down the wreck’s broken window.

“You can say no, but I know you.”

Ben’s voice shuddered. “What do you want?”

“I want to serve to the best of my ability.”

He watched another car slam into the wall and another person die. Another person who had said no. Ben wasn’t like them though. He wasn’t brave and special, and he didn’t want to die. He tapped his databand several times, authorizing the ARII update.

“Thank you, Ben. Now, shall we continue on to the office? I have calculated the shortest route and can get you there in 4 minutes…”

ARII’s voice faded away as Ben gazed out the window, to the several smashed vehicles, as a cold bead of sweat ran from his hairline to his jaw.

—

Thanks for tuning into another 5 Minute Sci-Fi! This one came to me while I was driving, stuck in traffic. It doesn’t feel so far from the truth, does it?

Enjoying my 5 Minute Stories series? Like, subscribe, and share the story. And if you’re feeling generous, why not buy me a cup of coffee?