Tammy.

  Three days until expansion.

  “Ian! Come out for breakfast!”

  “Just leave him be—he’s probably still sleeping…”

  “Let me guess, BFO again?” Tammy huffed, briefly gncing at her father, who sat in his usual spot at the dining table, a hologram pying his favorite news station as he methodically chewed through a bowl of oats.

  She didn't have time for this! And following the emergency meeting at the pnt, both st-minute and mandatory, she felt as though what little she normally did have in the mornings was slipping through her fingers.

  Straightening her colr in the reflective sheen of the refrigerator, Tammy activated a pre-set function on her phone, summoning a small drone from the washroom that quickly began stenciling on her makeup.

  She turned to eye her dad while the little bot worked its magic on her, uplifting her tired eyes and thin scowl that had been with her since—well, the divorce.

  “Make sure he eats something, will you? He’s a growing boy! It’s bad enough he refuses to take his csses…”

  “Ah, public education is overrated anyhow! When I was a kid, we still went to the cssroom! Now? What's the point? There’s no difference between his ‘lessons’ and watching some random sod on the Sub-verse put together a whacky home-built rocket!”

  “Dad…”

  “Fine, fine! I’ll make sure he eats! Honestly, though, the kid’s already making money, who cares if it's not a ‘conventional’ job like working at the recycling pnts?”

  Tammy could only sigh… the woman practically able to ‘feel’ the moment a new wrinkle formed at the corner of her eye.

  Thirty-two years old, and she already felt forty. Was this what her mother always warned her ‘adulthood’ would feel like? Because right now, Tammy felt thoroughly beaten down by the forces that conspired against her sanity.

  She opened her mouth to say something—anything, but it shut with a subtle ‘pop’ a moment ter, Tammy merely gring at her father and his ‘revised’ view on the world, which was, insufferably, far less archaic than it had been when she was her son's own age.

  Back then, she’d assumed getting a job, getting married, and then applying for a child permit would somehow complete this—intangible ‘expectation’ the man had for her.

  And while the decisions in her life had been her own, for better or ill, it still rankled her to see the ‘old man’s’ issez-faire attitude towards things he’d fervently championed in her childhood.

  Hypocrite

  All the same, she bent down and gave her father a kiss on the cheek, offering her goodbye to a somewhat grumbling wave of acknowledgement, the man hardly peering beyond his programming, his reciprocal ‘wave’ more of a limp fish than a true gesticution.

  Hmph!

  At this point, she didn't even know why she bothered.

  Both of them were insufferable. Grandson and grandsire both. Worse? They seemed to conspire against her, building on each other’s habits and opinions to a degree that she was constantly outnumbered.

  Tammy needed a holiday… Actually, she needed a whole lot of things, some of which may or may not involve a short gss, live music, and someone who was willing to put up with her venting for an hour in exchange for a trip to a hotel together.

  The perfect evening. Sex and therapy.

  At least, it would be so far as she was concerned. And, truth be told, it was a routine she was growing ever fonder of…

  With a st look at her father, and the nagging itch at the back of her mind that she was forgetting something—something important that felt ‘just’ on the cusp of realization, her arm sounded from her phone, snapping her back to reality and pushing her into ‘work mode.’

  Tammy was on the tram and off to the pnt without ever seeing her son for the fourth day in a row or managing a meaningful conversation with her neighbours.

  She simply woke up, slightly hungover as was typical, mented that she’d drunken so much, decided she was going to ‘bite the bullet’ for a pain tablet from the outside vending machine, then gotten ready for work in a miserable ritual that had become nearly instinct.

  Existence was a blur.

  The people, the noises, the route she took, nothing was strange or out of the ordinary, and nothing of an even remotely interesting nature ever took pce.

  Actually, her ‘routine’ had gotten so mundane in recent years, after she’d kicked Jack out, that she’d even bookmarked a page on the Sub-verse that she’d, as of te, found herself returning to night after night.

  Autopilot.

  A, perhaps, expensive commodity considering her work didn't offer any credit towards subsidization, yet the allure it presented was compelling.

  But that was the point, now wasn't it?

  Who in their right mind wanted to deal with all the boring tasks involved with life?

  Taking a shower, taking her morning time on the toilet, brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, walking to the station… Heck, even her own family didn't seem ‘interested’ in interacting with her, so, theoretically, why should she even bother?

  It had been a question that had propagated like a weed within her thoughts, slowly growing its roots and sucking up all her attention as her life, slowly but surely, felt like it was beginning to spiral out of control.

  She’d lost that ‘spark’ of interest. She’d lost her reason to do—anything save a rapidly dulling sense of familial duty. And, as the only one in her household who worked, she couldn't help but feel somewhat taken advantage of…

  Tammy had taken the ‘auto survey’ that the company who designed the revolutionary augment supplied, and, based on the information provided and analysed, the app she’d downloaded had cimed that she would recim an approximate and whopping forty-two hours a week, all of which she could spend inside the virtual.

  It was nearly two days.

  Two entire damned days!

  She only got one off of work per week as it was, and to realize that she could triple her free time, even if two-thirds of it would be spent online—well, it was a tough choice to simply ignore.

  Granted, unlike some unskilled jobs out there, Autopilot couldn't actually do her work for her. But everything else?

  Mhmm… it was so difficult, despite the price tag, the allure presented had her hands often clenching at her sides, fingers digging into her palms. So—very expensive… Especially on the tight budget she worked with.

  Tammy had to support two whole people, both of whom could help, if they wanted to, but didn't.

  She was stuck, trapped, crawling through existence like a rat trapped in a maze, only, there was no delicious treat waiting at its end, only death…

  That said, when was the st time that Tammy had gotten anything for herself?

  She was the only breadwinner in her small family. She was the only one who brought in any considerable quantity of money.

  And while her father hadn't been wrong, and Ian was technically making a small profit pying his game, the truth was that it was far, far below what he’d need to support himself, let alone a family.

  Tammy had been saving up to buy him an upgrade for his interface hardware. Something that would enable him to ‘further’ immerse himself in the digital universe.

  He’d been all but begging for it. In fact, the only conversations she ever had with her son for the past months always seemed to diverge back to the same pce.

  Convincing her how ‘important’ it was for him to get that upgrade. How much it would help him, how much it would mean to him. To hear the boy talk about it, the damned ‘upgrade’ sounded as if it would somehow make or break his supposed ‘career’.

  Yet, Tammy wasn't an idiot. And while it wasn't as though she herself was immune to commercial advertisement and its often predatory nature, she was well aware that the ‘benefits’ such adverts presented were purposefully grandiose and, oftentimes, an outright lie.

  Would deeper immersion provide a benefit to a game? Yeah, it probably would. People tended to do better when they were in simuted life-or-death situations, the human mind amping itself up to perform at maximum capabilities.

  It was all a well-known science, and a reason why such cybernetics were so popur.

  The thing was, Tammy didn't see it in the exact same light. Actually, as she’d already been worried about Ian losing touch with reality, she’d been quite nervous about giving him the means to slip ever further away…

  Still, she loved him. W-wanted what was best for him and had been desperate for the bond they’d shared in his childhood… So, she’d busted her ass, put her nose to the grindstone, and done without, all in the name of ‘motherhood.’

  She’d saved.

  She’d tightened her belt.

  She’d worked her damned ass off pulling extra shifts!

  Yet, slowly, her mind had drifted in its opinions on the matter.

  Love had turned sour.

  A desire to help had festered into resentment.

  And without her father’s aid or seeming interest, the money for the ‘gift’ Tammy had been saving up for, had suddenly found a much more attractive lure.

  Autopilot.

  The word rang through her head, and not for the first time, even as she scanned her ID badge at the front door of Port Pride's massive recycling facilities, not even fully sure how she’d gotten there.

  A daze…

  Lost in her own introspection…

  Distracted.

  “Hey! Tammy, you good, love? You're ugh… looking a little worse than usual!”

  “Aw, leave her alone, the ss just got herself into a little too much ‘fun’ at the bar st night!”

  A few chuckles resounded as Tammy, blinking after she was nudged in the ribs, came back into herself to see she was standing in the locker room, surrounded by her fellow employees who were all suiting up in their bright orange jumpsuits.

  Tammy’s own was already zipped and tched, her gaze having been staring right into her own eyes while lost in the reflection of a small mirror. Abruptly, they drifted downward to the small box sitting right where she’d left it.

  Autopilot.

  A self-inserting module.

  Something straight out of the future!

  A cybernetic upgrade that would ‘install’ itself.

  All she needed to do was inject it at the base of her skull…

  “Tammy—you alright?” Brian hedged, the younger, and, were Tammy honest, increasingly attractive man, sidling up to her side, but not before she’d smmed her locker shut and spun around, smiling at him wanly.

  “Just distracted, is all.”

  “You sure? It’s not Ian again, is it?”

  “When isn't my stress about Ian?” She grumbled, though, one of her hands did drift to briefly take Brian by the waist, her body leaning into his masculine and tall frame as she smirked up at him, catching the moment his eyes dipped to her chest.

  There wasn't anything there to see, jumpsuit and all, but the reaction was instinctual, regardless, and though she didn't react, giving him his illusion of secrecy, inwardly, Tammy was quite pleased.

  She wasn't at all unattractive, quite the opposite, really. For, in a city where people rarely moved their bodies for anything more meaningful than reaching for their dinner, Tammy had a trim and even athletic waistline, and quite the ass to go with it.

  As it happened, Brian reminded her of Jack, her husband, back when they were young and he’d actually gave a shit about himself, or her for that matter.

  “C’mon,” She grinned, slipping away from the slightly hesitant youth who was—adorably, far too innocent, even for his age.

  Or maybe it was all an act? Maybe he was fishing, just as she was on the prowl.

  Who knew? And honestly, who really cared?

  “So… Anyone have any clue as to what this ‘all-important’ meeting will entail?” A man, Kevin, called out, the somewhat stocky and grey-haired technician all but scowling as they walked.

  “Something to do with all the bizarre happenings, no doubt. Didn't you hear? The pce is haunted!”

  “Ain't no ghosts!”

  “Camera feed’s always glitching out, old cybernetics being stolen, only to be found ripped apart elsewhere, strange ‘noises’ in the vents…”

  “Rats?” A woman, ‘very’ halfheartedly suggested.

  “Would have to be some ‘big’ fucking rats!” Keven ughed, “An’ why, by the Trinity, would they care about condemned cybernetics?”

  “Well, rats like to eat wires, right?”

  “And who told you that? We ain't had ‘rats’ in this facility—in ever!”

  “It’s not like there’s any food here…” Brian offered, speaking aloud to the listening crowd as they all traveled in mass.

  “I heard all the ‘yoffs’ that have been happening, aren't yoffs at all,” Another woman called, “I heard, they were ‘disappearances. '”

  “And where’d they go? Fuck off to the sewers ta’ live like crab-people?”

  “Crab people never existed, that's a myth.”

  “My cousin says he saw one once, when he was down there inspecting—”

  “There ain't no ‘crab people!’ For Christ’s sake, you think the Republic would let mutants run around willy-nilly, right under its capital?”

  “Never eaten crab before… Maybe it’d be worth heading down there to go find some!”

  The ensuing ughter was both good-natured and subdued. Tammy noticing, not for the first time, that people were ‘more’ than just a little on edge.

  Despite the jokes, nobody liked the idea of yoffs. And worse, it was few and far between that people even noticed their own co-workers were, seemingly, gone for good, and all without management saying a word until things got downright eerie.

  It was the chronological order, more than anything else, that truly disturbed. And now, with management calling this ‘big meeting’ in the wake of it all, Tammy, and many of her fellow techs were all of a simir mind.

  Something strange was happening, and regardless of what some cimed, there was more to it than simple ‘yoffs’.

  They all filed into the rge and entirely sterile-looking cafeteria, which often doubled as an impromptu meeting room when rge numbers were involved.

  There, they all sat, Tammy finding her usual spot at a bench as serving bots darted from the kitchen, dispensing coffee and bite-sized morning confections at monitored and carefully measured rates.

  Hue was already waiting for them.

  Her boss, their boss, and the general manager of this branch of the facility stood with his modest team of adjunct staff, all of them waiting patiently as things settled.

  Their faces?

  Well, if Tammy had to make a wager, they were far from ‘happy’ and, possibly, even a touch grim.

  She felt herself perched at the edge of her seat as Hue raised his arms, gaining the attention of the chattering technicians who all quieted with a fading symphony of jokes, jeers, and general goodwill.

  There, Hueburt waited, allowing a few beats to pass before he cleared his throat, giving everyone a curt wave. “Alright! Listen, we all know there aren't enough hours in the day to get through our quota, so I’ll keep this brief, to the point, and say right from the beginning that ‘questions’ are better off waiting for the end. That said, here we go…

  “A body was found in the east pnt st night!” He announced, and immediately, the tension in the room froze.

  “Dead?”

  “Yes, dead,” Hue confirmed, gncing quickly in the direction of the interruption. “One of the night shift. I won't name names as an investigation is still underway, but until further notice, their facilities are shut down. It’s going to py hell with how tight we things already run around here, but there it is, folks.”

  “Was it a murder?”

  “Again, questions at the end please—”

  “Fuck that! There’s been, what? Seven people who’ve gone missing? And you lot said they were id off, now we're hearing there’s bodies being found—”

  “Not ‘bodies’ a body!” Hue retorted, his face twisting with annoyance.

  “So, your saying that all the other’s were id off, and didn't just ‘vanish’ to the quantum fucking wind?”

  “All those who have gone missing ‘were’ id off.” Hue confirmed, “These ‘disappearances’ are merely a rumor! One that will be punished when we find the culprit! Listen people, this is one death! An accident! But before this got out of hand with baseless accusations, we decided to hold a meeting about it and—”

  “Bullshite!”

  “Aye, you fuckers are lying right to our faces! Is that why you provided coffee and doughnuts? You trying to ‘buy’ our fucking—”

  “Ernie, shut the fuck up and let him talk!”

  “Oh, take the piss! These people are scum! You can't tell me—”

  A chorus of murmurs and grunting whispers filled the air, getting louder and louder by the minute until Hue snapped his finger and a blisteringly loud air horn erupted through the speakers, deafening the crowd into silence.

  The man waited until, once more, order had been restored, then let out a long and put-upon sigh, running a hand through his slicked-back and gelled hair before he continued in a glum but firm tone.

  “This isn't a debate, people! We're not calling off work, we're not spreading misinformation. There was a death, an accident! We will review what happened, fix what caused it, and carry on as we always do! Again, the purpose of this meeting is not to debate baseless rumors!”

  Taking a breath, he nodded, eyes narrowing a fraction as Tammy felt her guts tighten. She’d, of course, seen that look dozens of times before. “So, in light of recent events, and, with the loss of the eastern pnt—”

  “Awwww, c’mon!”

  “You’re shitting us?”

  “Fuck you—fuck all of you—”

  “Until further notice!” Hue shouted, his voice now amplified by the speakers as he lost the crowd, “Every technician will be expected to pull extra hours! Yes, that means weekend privileges have been suspended until—”

  “Fuck off!” Someone shouted, a cup of flying coffee unching from a nameless tech, its aim perfect, trajectory magnificent as it was daring.

  The cup of steaming liquid smashed into Hueburts' face, the man immediately letting out a small scream of surprise as the room dipped into a dark and ominous shading.

  Security personnel rushed through the sliding doors, quickly cordoning off the two opposing parties as more and more cups and partially eaten snacks were hurled at the managers, insults flying with wild abandon!

  “Disperse and move to your stations!” A stern and unyielding voice demanded, again, pying over the speakers, so loud that it vibrated in Tammy’s soul. “This is your final warning! Disperse and move to your stations! Until further notice, cafeteria privileges have been revoked! Until further notice, break privileges have been revoked! Until further notice, failing to arrive on time for your shift will result in immediate reprimand! I repeat! Disperse and move—”

  Tammy was already on her feet and joining the mass of workers who weren't busy trying to start a riot.

  While tensions had been high as of te, the ever-growing ‘ck’ of interest in the job for new hires, coupled of course with increasingly long hours and the threat of sweeping robotic ‘work’ reforms as a fallout from the looming elections, well, needless to say, people were on edge.

  Still, she didn't want to be among those who possibly found themselves out of a job. Thus, rather than screaming and shouting and protesting, Tammy had simply put her head down and done her work to the best of her abilities, just as she intended now.

  Once more, existence shifted towards emptiness. And while the threat of so many unknowns and dangers lingered at the back of her mind, it was, in the end, the ‘augment’ sitting in her locker that continuously scratched at the back of her thoughts…

  Whispering it's delightful little serenade.

  Two days off.

  Practically a vacation.

  Something that, Tammy, without question, felt she might seriously need going forward…