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The apartment stank of something fierce, maybe it was the beer and cigar stains, but those had been in there since before he moved in. Jack leaned back into his creaky comfort chair. It was ripped, covered in stains, and also had an unpleasant stench. To be fair, he did pick it out of a junkyard three years ago, and the most recent cleaning it got was a spray of air freshener a month ago. At the very least, Jack still enjoyed the view out his window; life on the 72nd floor had its advantages. It’s just too bad this part of the city was on such a sheer decline.
Jack glanced around his apartment again. Despite the awful state, he had a lot of space for such a low rent. Although that’s only because it used to be a luxury apartment when the building first opened about 50 years ago. The man was certain that whoever first stepped into this home must have been awestruck by the futuristic amenities. Food synthesizers, holographic displays, and “nano-furniture” that could be shrunk and stored with the press of a button. Too bad such things were completely mundane now, and the older models were quite finicky after decades of wear and tear.
The man sighed as he picked up the closed bottle of beer on the end table. Jack held up his right arm, which was purely cybernetic, and unveiled a bottle opener from inside his wrist. After he cracked open the beer, he tried to retract the opener, but the device jammed, and his whole hand was locked up. After a full two minutes, the device finished its clunky reboot and returned to normal.
“If only I had the money to get this piece of shit fixed,” Jack sighed as he flicked on the TV before he took a sip of his beverage. ‘If only anyone had the money.’ The man looked down at his body, he had gained quite a bit of weight over the years, and his pale yellow shirt that was probably white at some point said it all.
The Television mostly spat out the usual mindless drivel of daytime TV. Jack briefly dozed off more than a couple times over a couple hours. The man was ready to just sleep away the day, that was until something caught his attention.
“Feeling as though you’ve made some poor choices?” A commercial came on, the usual calming music underlined the narration.
“Who hasn’t?” Jack muttered back at the TV.
“Wish you could have a fresh start?” The commercial continued as it displayed a bright sunny day.
“The hell are they selling now?” Jack braced himself for whatever self-help book or prescription drug was about to be advertised.
“Then volunteer for the New U program,” the advertisement announced. “Leave behind your old life and join a brand new one.” It began to display some kind of medical facility. The volunteers stepped into pods and apparently had their minds transferred to new synthetic bodies.
“At the New U facility, you will be gifted one of our patented ‘syntho-organic’ bodies,” the commercial explained. “Part cyborg, part organic and 100% grown from the ground up to match your desires.”
“Syntho-organic, the hell? You can’t be both,” Jack noticed the obvious contradiction.
“Concerned about your old life? Do not be. New U will settle all your past debts and lingering problems,” the commercial promised. “A completely new identity and life will be made for you based on your own specifications.”
“What’s the catch?” Jack wondered as the ad came to an end. He spotted some fine print blitzing past as text on the bottom of the screen. He could only catch something about selling all your possessions and something else to New U Inc. “Oh, that’s it, you literally give up everything you own, good and bad. Then get handed a new life with them holding your leash, I bet. This ain’t a service. You’re volunteering to be a product.”
As the commercial ended, Jack shook his head and shut off the TV. After he took the last sip of his bottle of beer, he chucked the container into a pile on the floor next to him. The man leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes for some more sleep.
‘Course they also take your debts, and if you really screwed yourself...’ Jack pondered. ‘I mean, it’s probably a scam, but the people they’re targeting don’t have much to lose…’ He drifted off to sleep while those thoughts lingered in his mind.
~--~
The next day, Jack found himself at one of the New U facilities, a very complex “New Life” request form in his hands. He had just successfully signed off his entire life and all his possessions, and they wanted everything. Even the trash in his apartment was included. Jack didn’t care; he was about to get a whole new life. Sure, he might regret this one day, but it’s not like the alternative was any better. He had his whole new life planned out now, and soon he’d be living it.
The man took one last look at the world behind him, the last time he’d ever seen it with his old eyes. After that, he shook his head and marched forward to whatever this new life might be. Hopefully, he’d have a chance to make the right choices this time…
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A second chance at crucial life choices is a valuable thing...
I will admit, this one should have been a little longer and could use some expansion into a full length short story. Alas, I kind of lost the desire to work on this one any further. Maybe I'll come back to it...
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
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