\u201cSimply put, Mr. Kirk, how do you wish to apply your credit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kal could recall no reason for a credit to his account at the Organ Bank, but was wily enough not to admit that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow much was my credit again?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The app hummed to itself and murmured, \u201cLet\u2019s see\u2026\u201d Kal was convinced the chatbot had an attitude, and this unnecessary dawdling was part of it. \u201c\u2026thirteen point five healthyears.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kal fist-pumped. His rickety VR rig in the gaming den swayed, drawing curious glances from those nearby gamers not deeply embedded in the unreality. \u201cCan we review my wish list?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI suppose. At the tip-top, you have the Facial and Personality Refresh. That would leave a balance sufficient for a couple of nights of Pheromone Enhancement\u2014a popular combo for that big night.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was that a sneer?<\/em> The gamer hadn\u2019t dated outside of VR in\u2026a long time. \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBased on your last government-mandated Wellness Visit, I\u2019d recommend Central Organ Maintenance. We have a special going now, BOGO Free, so you could get five organs done for the price of three.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy not five for two-and-a-half?\u201d asked Kal, always alert for someone out to screw him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry, it doesn\u2019t work that way,\u201d said the app, in a voice tinged with sarcastic regret. \u201cHalf an organ? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kal suspected these service packages were scams anyway; if he was asymptomatic, why would his organs need maintenance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow about the Cerebral Upgrade?\u201d Kal had heard it made for rad gaming, with full sensory support, not just AV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s see\u2026\u201d The app hummed tunelessly; whether the delay was deep learning on the hunt or just a programmatic performative ploy, Kal could only guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell?\u201d This bank error could be reversed any millisecond, and Kal lived by the motto, Better to beg forgiveness than ask<\/em>\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re in luck!\u201d intoned the app. Shamrocks and rainbows appeared around Kal, to commemorate the moment. \u201cYou can easily boost your organ credit to the necessary level with a suitable swap-out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSwap out?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt means you get<\/em> something after giving<\/em> something in return,\u201d the app explained, in sing-song sarcasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know that\u2014but what? Would I swap, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s see\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kal cut off the non-tune with, \u201cJust tell me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA kidney, a lobe of your liver, or your penis\u2014all more or less the same value on the open market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA kidney, a\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I mean, I\u2019m giving up an organ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe swap is reversible; when you have made up the deficit\u2014with a modest handling charge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, I\u2019ll get my organ back as soon as I have the cash.\u201d Kal was sure he could really<\/em> clean up in the high-stakes VR gaming world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot your<\/em> organ. A substitute of equal or greater market value, of the Bank\u2019s choosing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kidneys and livers seemed pretty interchangeable, but the other\u2026Kal had grown quite used to that<\/em> organ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKidney or liver lobe you can have; not my joystick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The app made a rumbling noise that might have been suppressed laughter. \u201cVery well. Liver lobe. Please review the Terms of the contract and consent with your biometrics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kal squinted at the dense text scrolling above his wrist. \u201cStop!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPage two of thirty-two,\u201d said the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo slower?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well. I was scrolling for the average<\/em> reader.\u201d The text began creeping along. Unwilling to complain again, Kal fidgeted through the opaque legalese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d he blurted, \u201clet\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRetinal scan, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kal lined up the image of his eye with the target zone, which swarm into focus. The flash caught him by surprise, but the app pinged, and the contract folded itself up into a virtual envelope and disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour neighborhood Bank branch is only a short lift ride away, on Level Eighty-Seven,\u201d said the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A route appeared above Kal\u2019s wrist. He drained the last of his energy drink and climbed out of his rig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #<\/p>\n\n\n\n The alien horde stood their ground, between Kal and the abandoned FTL craft of an ancient civilization. Hel crammed another nougat into his mouth, washing it down with a swig of RealBrew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome on, you ugly frackers\u2026\u201d Overclocked and fully sensed, he tore through the burly warriors with ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ship had crashed into the frigid surface millennia earlier. Half-melting the ice sheet, it had settled at a crazy angle and refrozen. Kal shook gore from his hands and wiped the greenish blood from his face, then trudged towards the wreck. He was nearly there when his avatar froze in mid-step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have a matter to discuss.\u201d The Bank app avatar stepped around Kal, a slender figure of vague gender in a modern business suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did you get in here?\u201d demanded Kal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s in the Terms; you agreed to make yourself available should any irregularity arise regarding your contractual obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIrregularity? What irregularity?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have a negative Bank balance that requires immediate satisfaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kal\u2019s exploits as an interstellar adventurer and \u2018purveyor of exotic artifacts\u2019 had generated a healthy revenue stream, certainly enough to pay for his upgraded rig and lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGot to be an error,\u201d he replied. Another error.<\/em> \u201cAnd you\u2019re cramping my style, I\u2019m on the clock, they\u2019re real money riding\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe clock is paused; let\u2019s review your account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kal casually pointed his disruptor in the direction of the avatar\u2014not that it would have any effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s see\u2026\u201d said the app, producing a financial statement between them. The prior weeks showed a steady accumulation of healthyears until the final line, a large deduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReversal<\/em>? What\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReversal of a prior deposit. You do<\/em> understand, all deposits are conditional pending validation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut that deposit was months ago!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s see\u2026\u201d The Bank avatar tapped its chin, staring casually at one of the moons floating in the sky and humming its insouciant melody. \u201cFive point seven months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought it had cleared by default.\u201d Kal had heard it on a podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSix<\/em> months and clear. But, as I said, only five point seven. An audit found this deposit had been misapplied.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not my<\/em> fault,\u201d Kal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no; but you did profit from it.\u201d The avatar walked back and forth, gesturing at Kal\u2019s elegantly styled pressure suit and top-tier weaponry. Their smile was as thin as their lipstick. \u201cI\u2019m sure we can work something out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLike?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLiquidate your holdings in the game, plus a kidney\u2014looks to still be in fair shape\u2014that should do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kal waved wildly around. \u201cBut that means starting over!\u201d He pointed at the derelict. \u201cThat FTL drive is priceless! Can\u2019t you extend credit based on my, my future income?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot while you\u2019re at a deficit, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s got to be a way out of this!\u201d Kal could feel his breathing becoming ragged. \u201cFrack! You paused gameplay but left my oxygen consumption running!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo sorry.\u201d The avatar snapped its fingers and Kal felt the blessed relief of fresh air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat else can I offer?\u201d asked the gamer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s see\u2026\u201d The avatar cocked his head, considering Kal. \u201cThe kidney, another liver lobe, fifty percent of your earnings from this quest\u2026and your penis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe kidney, another\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFine!\u201d said Kal, eager to return to the quest. \u201cWhy do you want it so badly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The avatar shrugged. \u201cYou hardly use it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n J. L. Royce is an author of science fiction, the macabre, and whatever else strikes him. He lives in the northern reaches of the American Midwest, exploring the wilderness without and within. His work appears in Alien Dimensions, Allegory, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Fifth Di, Fireside, Ghostlight, Love Letters to Poe<\/a> (Visiter Award winner), Lovecraftiana, Mysterion, parABnormal<\/a>, Penumbric, Sci Phi<\/a>, Strange Aeon, Utopia<\/a>, Wyldblood, etc. He is a member of WWA, HWA, and GLAHW. Some of his anthologized stories may be found at: www.jlroyce.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cSimply put, Mr. Kirk, how do you wish to apply your credit?\u201d Kal could recall…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":100043098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3292],"tags":[6,227,3349,3348,3296],"class_list":["post-100043097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-fiction","tag-cyberpunk","tag-fiction","tag-j-l-royce","tag-organ-bank","tag-prose"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100043097"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100043105,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043097\/revisions\/100043105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100043098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100043097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100043097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100043097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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