Kill Switch: Chapter 54

Chat Room

The walls of the chat room are covered in sensors and cameras. Yide, X, and I sit in a row, in prisoner jumpsuits, behind a shield of laserproof glass. Taco and Ginger, meanwhile, sit on the other side of the glass, their faces greyish-bright, like sunshine peeking through storm clouds. We’re plugged into dNet, naturally, in a heavily-restricted array, every word and gesture monitored by a button pusher who’s stationed behind yet another shield of laserproof glass. It’s obvious that Taco and Ginger are livestreaming their gaze, even if they don’t say so, because they keep randomly saying things like “don’t forget to like and subscribe,” “follow for more breaking news about the in-between three,” and “you heard it here first,” etc., etc.

I cross my legs and sigh. “Let’s unGlass,” I say. “I don’t feel like I’m talking to you. I feel like I’m talking to your audience, which is hella distracting.”

Ginger and Taco stare at each other, mouths agape.

Taco kind of snort-laughs. “Um, like, why would we do that, Vonn?”

“I just said why. I want to talk to you, not your audience..”

“Well, you heard it here first,” Ginger says. “After everything, Vonn 19 still advocates for unGlassing. What a vibekill. Oh, and don’t forget to smash that like button below if you want to see more content about the in-between three.”

“Why are you two here?” X asks.

“They’re here to get more likes, more followers,” Yide says. “What else?”

X folds his arms. “Is that really the only reason you’re here?”

His question is directed at Taco, but Ginger answers.

“Well,” she says, “I mean, like, it’s not just to get likes and follows.” She glances askance at Taco, who nudges her, like, it’s ok, go on, you can ask them. Ginger turns back, blushing. “We also, like, wanted to know, if, like, maybe we could have all your stuff? You know, like, after the deathbeam and everything?”

Yide laughs. “Are you serious? You came here to ask for our stuff?”

Ginger looks at Taco for affirmation. Taco nods.

Ginger says, “well, like, yeah. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be using it. And, like, I’ve always loved your gooTube, Yide. You know the one? With the pink stand?”

“And I always loved your visor, Vonn,” Taco says, “because I know, like, you get hella discounts at the Vonn Store, given who your sponsor is.”

“This is unbelievable,” X says. “We’re literally, like, on trial for our lives, and you come and ask for our stuff?”

Taco shrugs. “Oh, come on, simul. You’re telling me you wouldn’t do the same? I mean, like, if I was going to the deathbeam, I’d give you my stuff.” He leans forward. “Come on, simul. We’ve been colleagues for years. I even made the effort of coming down here myself, from the malWard. It’s the first time I’ve left since getting shot. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”

X leans forward. “Who says we’re going to the deathbeam? Our trial isn’t until tonight.”

Taco smirks. “Oh, come on, simul. Everyone knows you’re guilty. It’s obvious you’re going to the deathbeam.”

“That reminds me of a question one of our viewers had,” Ginger says. “Is the footage you put on the feed real or fake?”

“What do you mean?” I ask, genuinely confused.

“Well, like –”

But before Ginger can get beyond her discourse markers, Taco butts in:

“The going theory is that the footage of The Without was deep faked. Is that true?”

“No,” I say. “It’s not true. All the footage is real. People are dying in The Without. If you kill a Withouter in a game, you’re killing a Withouter in real life.”

“Can you prove it?” Ginger asks.

“The footage is the proof,” Yide says. “Didn’t you watch it?”

Ginger looks at Taco, as if confused by Yide’s question.

“Yes,” Taco says. “We all saw the footage, but how do we know it’s not deep faked?”

“Is Vonn Industries saying that the footage is deep faked?” I ask.

“Well, sort of,” Taco says. “They’ve said that the footage is real and fake. Their position changes by the hour. So what’s the truth? Is the footage real or fake?”

“It’s real,” I say. “Unequivocally.”

“Prove it,” Ginger says.

“We did. With the footage.”

“Do you have any further proof you can offer our viewers?”

“I saw it with my own eyes,” I say.

“You heard it here first,” Ginger says. “Vonn 19 saw the footage with his own eyes.”

“No,” I say. “Not the footage. I mean, like, I saw the derrick field.”

“You heard it here first,” Ginger says. “Vonn 19 didn’t see the footage with his own eyes. Instead he saw the derrick field.”

“No, I mean…” But I don’t finish, partially because I’m so hungry that I can’t think clearly and partially because I’m starting to doubt my own reality. I mean, like, did I see the footage with my own eyes? Or did I see the footage with someone else’s eyes? Is my whole life just one big hallucination?

Taco leans toward X. “So, like, how did Vonn radicalize you, bro?”

X glares. “Nobody radicalized anyone, simul. You can’t believe everything you see on the feed.”

“Exactly our point,” Ginger says. “How do we know the footage is real?”

“Go see for yourself,” X says.

“We already saw the footage,” Taco says. “I think we’re chatting in circles.”

“No,” X says. “I mean, like, go to The Without and see for yourself. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take Vonn Industries’ word for it either. Go see with your own eyes and then decide.”

“Well, like…” Ginger’s mouth widens. “You know how hard it is to get security clearance for The Without. It’s practically impossible if you’re not, like, really high on the corporate ladder.”

“And doesn’t that give you pause?” Yide asks. “The fact that they make it so hard for you to leave The Within? Doesn’t that make you think they’re hiding something from you?”

“Of course,” Ginger says. “They’re hiding all the pain and suffering. But who wants that?”

“This is useless,” X says, standing up and ripping off his visor. He unbuttons his jumpsuit, stripping down to his longjohns. “It’s like talking to a bot. I’m out of here.”

He pounds on the sliding panel, and when it opens, he steps back into the cell, dissipating from sight.

The sliding panel closes.

Taco leans forward. “So, like, now that the vibekill is gone, can we talk about some of your software, Vonn? Like, you think maybe I could inherit all your dataBuys? Your skins and games and podProjections? Since we’re such good colleagues and all?”

“Go fuck yourself,” Yide says. “Vonn isn’t giving you shit. And neither am I.”

She storms out of the chat room, leaving me alone with Ginger and Taco.

“Good Efficiency,” Ginger says, “Yide is such a downer. And not in a good way.”

“So true,” Taco says. “So, like, how about it, Vonn? Is your mattress up for grabs? I’d offer you some coin, but what the hell would you do with it?”

“I’ll tell you what, Taco,” I say. “You can have all my worthless junk. My portable gooDispenser, my mattress, all my podWare, my skins, my synths, my arcade collection, my gooTube, my sexSuit, even my worthless wallet of crypto.”

“What about me?” Ginger asks. “I want some of that stuff too.”

“Fine,” I say. “I’ll put it in my digiWill that the two of you can split my stuff. How’s that?”

“You heard it here first!” Ginger screams.

“Don’t forget to like and subscribe,” Taco says.

“And follow us for more up to the second breaking news on the in-between three!” Ginger yelps.

I stand and walk toward the sliding panel, which opens. I step into the cell. Yide, X, Bunnfield, and Claudette are all kind of slumped over on the wraparound bench. I sit down and look back into the chat room.

Ginger, apparently unaware that I’m no longer across from her, asks me to list my Top Ten Favorite Pharma Hacks Of 2084. I unGlass. Ginger and Taco stare into their visors, awaiting my answer.

The sliding panel crashes down with a pneumatic sucking sound.