Upon opening his eyes, Spade saw a dark figure standing at his feet dimly illuminated by the light of med-support tablet.
- I think, I'm getting hold of this modern technology after all - the figure spoke noticing Spade's awakening.
It took a few moment's for for him to realize that his visitor was not a doctor making his evening walkthrough.
- Nurse! Secur...- he began to yell, but in one swift move Jack shuffled to the head of the bad and pushed his hand against Spade's mouth.
- See this? Jack whispered, putting the tablet screen infront of Spade's eyes — I I made some tweeks to your smart mechanical leg gypsum thing. I push the button and first — it'll inject you with a horse dose of tranquilizers, then — it'll twist your leg 180 degrees adding a couple more fractures to your bones. And finally — your leg will be injected with fixing gel, so to the time you wake up — your foot will be facing backwards... permanently.
Spade slowly let go Jack's hand showcasing his cooperation.
- Now, we'll talk for a little while - Jack spoke while making himself comfortable in a chair nearby.
- It doesn't matter what you'll hear from me. You're dead, man. If not us - other undertakers will take care of you.
- Why am I "dead"? What is this all about?
- Your AR... - Spade noticed Jack's look — your Activity Rating dropped so low, now the Web renders you unactive — missing. Practically dead.
- What is Activity Rating?
- Seriously, man! Have you been living under a fucking log? Oh... Of course you have. Right? Other vice you won't get yourself into this situation. Ha ha...
Jack gave Spade an unimpressed look and layd his fingers onto the tablet.
- It's "rock". "live under a rock"...
Jack began tapping the screen with a concerned look.
- Ok! Ok! Stop it! I'll tell you. Don't touch that thing.
Jack put the device aside and turned his eyes at Spade.
- Your online activity: social media, purchases, payments... all contributes to your AR. And these days everything goes through your Unicard biding this info to your ID. You didn't get yourself one, so your rating is low as shit.
- So what?
- So that it's nearly impossible to live having no AR. And if you don't - you're practically one step from being announced dead.
- But legally...
- Who gives a fuck about what's legal... The web says what things are. When a million people consider you dead - you just won't prove anyone they're wrong. Shit! Half of my guys are convinced the Earth is flat.
- Million people... The missing post?
- Yes, when special guys spot someone like you — a lost soul on the outskirts of the Web — they push a missing post to the Missing List.
- But it makes no sense. Why announce this? Why make people aware?
- Don't you get it? Nobody cares about you. All they need is but another sad story about a poor little man who tragically couldn't keep up with the society, to fake the compassion, share the post, get upvotes bust their AR.
- I don't get it...
- The city is overpopulated. No one. No one! want to see one more looser like you occupying their living space. The truth is everyone would be only glad to see people like you missing.
- And what's your deal?
- Undertakers, like us, come to pick up the "deadman."
- For what?
- To sell.
- To sell?
- Sex slavery, organ transplantation, fighting arenas - whatever order comes.
Suddenly Jack felt dizzy as a cloud of thick haze filled his thoughts. That was more then enough for him to process at this point. He silently stood up from the chair, tapped the button on the tablet and flung it onto Spade's bed turning away to leave.
A silent hiss of injection sounded as automated device gave Spade a shot, putting him into a state of terror first, and in a deep sleep shortly after.
It was those few moments in which Jack planned to tell Spade that all story with twisting the leg was merely a bluff. That in order to perform such procedure — he would need to log in as a doctor, and the picture on the display he showed — was merely a safety warning from a tutorial program. He felt so clever upon coming up with this trick, but now he was too tired to take a propper laugh of his victim.
Fortunately though the sedation feature was unlocked for patient user Paul Jenkins due to the high enough AR of the last one.
Jack left the ward and disappeared in a brightly litted corridor.
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