Reading: "Arktalus" from EVENFALL OF THE HELICAL (A.Glass 2022)

 

“Palladium at one ounce is steady at...” He looks at his monitor, tapping a button on his keyboard. “... Check it Safra,” he says with a smile, as Safra Delante looks at the screen viewing the string of numbers 4,090,657,323.21 as they flicker in a pulse like way. Although algorithmic computer systems maintain buy and sell orders for internal and inter-space trade markets, by smoothing out the volatile prices, humans are still required to place all buy and sell orders through analog systems. It was mandated when the great Computer Reset of Two Thousand Twenty Five occurred, it was sand, the second most valuable commodity after water, which makes up silicon chips that became a scarcity after climate change, which caused ecosystems to collapse. In turn micro-processing power costs hyper-inflated due to demand in later part of the 21^st and early 22^nd Century. Analog systems merged with the digital networks, thus inadvertently, humans retained control in programming these retrofitted computer systems.

Delante stares at the numbers that are being relayed within its melded digital and analog feedback, as Trillions of credits are being passed back and forth between buyers and sellers, slightly hypnotized by its pulsating feed.

“So do we have sale?” She hears a voice on the other line.

“We do. Locked in,” Delante replies, as she taps a button on her keyboard as the string on numbers return to the algorithmic rounded amount of Four Million Credits for one ounce of Palladium, she sets the order. Delante feels her data-sync wrist watch vibrate. “Dammit time for my shot,” she whispers to herself, looking across at her colleague again. “Gotta go to the restroom, you cover.”

Her male colleague nods. “All good,” he replies, whilst watching the screen in front of him, as he buys and sells trades for the asteroid mined diamond market. Delante stands, making her way to the female toilet, walking through the trading floor as various traders are making bids and offers, yelling in the direction of other trading desks, akin to the way markets used to be over Three hundred years ago, she enters the toilet area, walking towards the sink. Checking her right wrist, seeing that the viral level count has increased on the visual interface of her data-sync, with her right hand she takes from the pocket of gray pinstripe blazer a metallic pen like instrument. Delante clenches and unclenches her left palm so that a vein is protruding, maintaining her hand in a clenched fist eyeing the visible vein, she aims the tip of the device at the venule, as a self guiding spike pieces the skin not only will it administer anti-virals but also a nano-depressor which will assist in leveling out Delante's serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine levels while regulating her neural pathways in her brain. The virus which she contracted three years ago, has reworked her hormone levels, causing a hypersexuality, to which she manages with the required dose, that Delante has injected into her arm.

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Reading:  "Arktalus" from EVENFALL OF THE HELICAL (A.Glass 2022)