3 GravPod Ride

Arthur let out a sigh of relief as he finally took a seat inside a Gravpod. His walk outdoors had failed at making him feel even slightly better, and now he would have access to something he knew for a fact would help… at least a little. He used his Eye to communicate his order with the pod, and a moment later, he heard a loud beep. A glass, the size of his palm, and filled a quarter of the way with brown liquid appeared in his cup holder, seemingly shooting out from below.

He took a long swing of his whiskey, and as he felt the sweet heartburn, his leather seat began to massage his tense back muscles using successive electric shocks. He ran a hand through his hair as his body relaxed, soothing electronic music playing in the background.

Thank you for choosing Titanus' luxury Gravpods! A feminine robotic voice said in his head. We know that for our elite customers the days can be hard, and the nights are most definitely long. That is why you choose luxury. Let us take care of you. Would you like to explore our spa treatments before launch? Perhaps a shower? Or a bodily fluid purge?

No. Just another drink would be fine, he thought. He heard another beep, and his empty glass was replaced with a full one.

Launch will begin after a word from our sponsors. T-minus three minutes, the voice said as a timer began counting down on his EyeView in the top right corner of his vision. His vision wavered and then went to black, with only the timer remaining visible.

Ever wanted to experience what it's like to be a hero? A different voice said, as he began to see thousands of marching, glimmering, silvery figures. Nina units heading to war. Have you ever wanted to know what it would feel like to save the world? For just thirteen credits you can become the war hero turned lawman Arthur Jefferson.

He grimaced at the mention of his own name, and then again as a point of view montage began showing him fighting in the war. One moment he was killing rebels, the next he was running through a burning building, and then he was saving some children. In our latest serial you can walk a day in the legend's shoes, make decisions of high import, and face the consequence. Will they sing your name for generations? Or will you fail and die? The voice said, an image of a knife buried deep into Arthur's own heart flashing before his eyes.

When the ad was over, his hands were shaking. He gripped his glass of whiskey tightly, and downed it in one go, sweat pouring in bunches from his forehead.

"That was very distasteful," Nina, who was sitting across from him said monotonously

Arthur nodded and wiped some of the sweat with his pocket square. "Extremely so. It's one thing to create movies about my life. But a livable serial? With the most traumatic moments of my life sensationalized and captured so the masses can enjoy them? That's not only distasteful but outright criminal! Why would anyone ever do that?"

"I have already begun the process of pursuing legal action. The district attorney's office has been notified, and so has our legal team," she said, eyes glowing an angry red. "This serial should have never been released."

Arthur nodded at Nina in thanks as the timer on his EyeView finally hit zero.

Launch is commencing. Starting point: Los Angeles, station four thousand eighty-two. Destination: San Francisco, station twelve thousand and eight. Estimated trip length: forty-three seconds, the Gravpod's voice said in his head.

He heard a loud rumbling noise as the anti-gravity boosters began to power on. Activating Frissen-He field, please remain seated for the remainder of the trip. A projector began projecting a blue light that encompassed the bulk of the interior of the Gravpod. Thank you for choosing Titanus' luxury Gravpods!