My day ended the way most of my workdays end. I found a couple of unusual patterns that the System is analyzing. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on lately. My productivity was on an all-day high and I even managed to get the bonus today. I was feeling pretty good and it seemed like a good day for Slaver.

My screen flickered to life after the allotted ads and my activity list spouted forth. My message icon was blinking in the corner. It was from my Mother. I have not heard from her in a while so it sparked a little concern. My anxiety was calmed as the EC administer the anti-anxiety blend.

“Messages,”

“Rico, It’s Your Mother, please call me back as soon as you finish with work,” my mother said in a hurried tone.

“Fair enough, Call Mother”

“Calling Mother now,” the System replied, “This call is sponsored by Newfound Jewelry, for every occasion.”

The System paused and then the Avatar for my mother appeared.

“It’s about time you called,” She said in a harsh voice.

“I just got done with work,”

“Look your father and I have come to a conclusion, we want to move to Mars to retire.”

“Fine, you don’t need my permission.”

"I'm not asking you permission, we want you to come over for dinner. We want to see you one last time before we leave.”

"What? Why we can just do it over the Com?”

“It’s your Father, He wants to see you one last time, just this once, when we retire we may never be able to see you again, it’s already been almost ten years.”

“I don’t know, seems kind of weird,”

“When we were young people still talked to each other, in person,” She added.

“OK, but only if you have that custard,”

"You bet, be here by seven," She said as her Avatar blinked out of existence. The new task slid down to my task list.

“Plan,” I said.

“Planning,” The system replied.

“Trip to Mothers,” I requested, “Arrive at seven.”

“The System has recorded that you have been very active outside of your home, do you need a Med Check?”

“No.”

“The System is calculating the route now. The System has calculated the route and reserved transportation. You will leave in one hour and the current ETA is 6:30.”

“Well there goes my day,” I said as I looked at hungrily at the Slaver item on my item list.

"Your trip will be sponsored by Douglas Industrial, making your trip easier”. The System promptly went to a very positive ad about the fine things that Douglas Industrial has done to make my life comfortable.

I decided to watch a quick show or two until the task went off. There were plenty of short attention span programs. The ad intervals almost seemed longer than the show themselves.

My notice went off. The EC activated and pivoted to my front door which opened. My EC got up and exited my building. It was still light outside but the sun was in a different position and it was casting strange shadows for me. I can’t remember when I left my home in the evening, ever. I found it calming and at the same time fascinating. The sleek egg-shaped Douglas Industrial transport sat in front of my door. An advertisement was displayed on the side of the vehicle and when it ended the door slid open. My EC folded itself comfortably inside.

The vehicle began to move. The magnetic drive was smooth as it glided over the metal plates on the roadway. I felt cramped in the small space. My favorite show started. Anti-anxiety meds flooded my body. I have been whisked away to an off-world planet show along with a series of sensitive calming ads. The half-hour had drifted by and I did not even notice when we came to a stop. The door open as my EC stepped out of the vehicle yanking me out of my fantasy world. “Thank you for using Douglas Industrial transportation, just one of many things we do to make your trip easier,” The System kindly said.

There I stood in my EC looking at a building I had not seen for ten years. It was an older build, with white walls dotted with black windows and a clean ramp going to a door. It was short, 5 stories not like the 100 stories modern building I live in. I hated this home as a child, it seemed so beneath me, or at least that is what my mother told me. They worked hard to get me my first status EC and made sure I had good implants so I would not end up in a place like this.

The EC took me up to the door and it creaked open. I entered the well-lit dreary hallway and made my way to an elevator. How primitive I thought. My room slid down to the bottom floor, I never had to see a hall. The elevator jerked and the door slid open. The nostalgic smell of damp hallway filled my nostrils.

The EC traveled down the hall and stopped halfway at a plain white door with a small camera. I paused as the System displayed a quick ad about Custard, the only thing I was looking forward to. The white door opened.

I forgot how big my parent's place was. When I was growing up here we shared this place, each of us having our own room and then on occasion meeting in a common room to talk. The kids are lucky these days. They can if they choose to never interact with their parents, the lucky bastards.

The Common room was empty and sterile. A lone shared monitor perched on the wall sprang to life with music and ads. There were two doors on the opposite side. One opened and I saw my mother in her simplistic, bland EC enter the room. It slid in on a rail and did not have traveling legs.

“There is my boy,” She said.

“Hello, mother.”

The second door open and my Father’s simplistic, bland EC railed in.

“Son!”

“Hello, Father.”

We sat in awkward silence for a moment, looking at each other. The room was filled with the sound of an intrusive ad about family and better communication methods. The ad ended in silence.

“It’s been too long,” Father said.

“You could use the com.”

“An Avatar? How is that seeing you?”

“I don’t see what is wrong with that?”

"When I was a kid," He started, I rolled my eyes, "we only had exoskeletons, and we still depended on each other. The System was not even around. Can you even fathom that? The idea that we humans actually had to do things, create things, achieve things? Without this." His Helper Hand pointed to his EC.

“I have plenty, there is nothing I need.”

“Boys,” My mother interrupted, but my dad just looked at her, he had an emotional look on his face.

“What is that?” I asked him.

“What?” he replied.

“That, that look,” I felt almost defensive when I felt the drugs kick in calming me down.

“That, my son is an emotion.”

“Your father stopped his mood enhancements,” Mother interrupted.

“What?” I looked at my father who was becoming agitated.

“That’s right. It’s the real reason I wanted you here,” My mother said, “To talk some sense into your father.”

“Why would you do that?” I asked him directly.

“Because it is human to feel,” he replied calming down, “It’s human.”

“Human, really?”

My father looked at me crossly and then his EC wheeled him back to his room where the door promptly shut.

“To feel what?” I asked my mother, “To feel shitty?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know what to do.”

“Did you call to have a Med check?”

"Yes, but they said, ultimately it was his choice," She smiled as she got a boost of drugs from her EC.

“A choice? This is what he wants?”

“Yes, but the Medic I talked to said this is a phase but it could mean that his neural systems are damaged. They recommended retirement.”

“I think they are right, I think retirement is a good idea,” I said, “Sooner the better.”

“All he asked was to see you, in person,” She replied euphorically, “We leave in a day or two.”

"Well, I'm here," I sighed, "I hope he enjoyed himself. I came all the way here when I could be doing something worthwhile or productive."

“It seemed like the right thing, but you’re right, I could have just asked you to talk to him via the com. I just could not get him to use it.”

“Home,” I said with disappointment.

“Arrangements are being made.” The System replied.

"Bye, enjoy being off-world. Enjoy your feelings," I said as I passed my father's door.

"Oh, stay please," Mother asked.

I just rolled my eyes at my mother

My EC walked to the door. The visit was worse than I thought. I had a ton of drugs in my body fighting something inside. It was making me tired. I left and I did not even look back, I didn’t need to.