Adaptation

Hello, And welcome to Sunday Reads!

Enjoy this glimpse into social media for a new time, if not a new, albeit unrecognizable, place.

Dusk is coming, but I gotta get holographs to the Social-Stream so I can get out of here. It’s like I’m swimming through a vat of Glaguts stew, and about as fragrant. Damn that ed-bot that sent me here. Damn it to whatever hell it came from.

After The Great Melt, increasing temperatures and rising ocean levels forced all earth-bound creatures to adapt or perish.

The earpiece has been non-stop since I got here. There were no warm-blood guides willing to take what my boss would pay, but the local AI guide feeds me tracking info and trivia to “help produce content.” I’m tempted to just let it file everything to the ‘Stream and go home. I call her Audry. It doesn’t help.

On your left, the remnants of what was once known as “Mount Rush…”

I mute Audry. It’s all nothing but jungle. Wouldn’t know to look at it now, but supposedly this was all temperate grassland. Crazy. I try to adjust the photobot while I duck the slimy moss hanging off the trees.

Warning. Unknown Tillandsia subspecies. Refer for testing. Possible dermal toxin.

Why would anyone willingly come here? Adventure travel is supposed to be a thing, but this. This is stupid. Why come here when you can head out to the New Terra resort one planet over? They did such a nice job with it. You can do all the stuff they used to. What is that, wrestle livestock or tie them up or whatever, and be back at your luxpod in time for roasted Cetacea from Proxima Jupitus. Seriously, just why?

That buzz in my ear. Again.

Warning. Unknown Ixodes subspecies. Refer for testing. Zoonotic disease likely.

Something’s digging through my suit. The boss told me that this gear is supposed to thermoregulate and keep me from ecoinsults, which I thought included whatever this six-headed wonder is, but’s about the size of my gloved thumb, so I guess not. I pull the bug off me, and an even bigger flying thing grabs it in midair. I try to ignore the crunching noise, loud above the shrill chorus of whatever else is out here.

I pull my gogs on and head back to camp.

Why couldn’t I cover the Io sulfur spas? Just why? It’s not like I didn’t pitch it. “’Didn’t fit algo requirements’ my a….”

Unknown terraform inbound. Return to basecamp.

I punch coordinates into the dataslate. The load screen spins. This is not good. I unmute the guide.

Audry! Get me out of here!

No signal.. Return to basecamp.

How, Audry? Where the hell am I? Fix this!

Command unknown. Unknown terraform inbound. Return to basecamp.

Daylight’s about gone. I could barely find the path before. The locals warned me I didn’t want to use my headlamp. I really don’t.

Come to think of it, the locals were armed.

Unknown terraform on intercept. Advise relocation. Repeat Advise relocation.

I try to find the trail. Brush tears through my suit.

Unknown terraform incoming. Advise to seek shelter. Repeat…

I grab a thorn branch and my repelspray.

Unknown terraform intercept in 5…

I grip the branch tighter. It’s too dark to see. I fumble for the headlamp switch.

4…

Audry. Are you there?

3…

Audry!

2…

No! No. Oh no

1…

…

Unknown terraform out of area. Evac inbound. Biosensor malfunction detected. Response required … Response required … Response required … Response required … Response …

Art by Byron Rempel.

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