S.I.N. Removal

S.I.N. Removal  (pt. I)
By Manuel Vidal Jr.
12/02/09

    After having his usual breakfast at the corner diner, 2 eggs with bacon and toast plus a regular cup of coffee, Mr. Flynn walks to the subway.
    Even after the construction of two new Hyper-Highways, one next to the Hudson River and the other one next to the Harlem River, the city traffic had not improved as much as it was expected.
    Mass transportation is encouraged, even though it seems to be forced upon the millions of inhabitants that cannot afford the steep Driving Tax (the second steepest on the east coast).  Mr. Flynn takes the Red Line all the way to the Financial District.  He spends the 45-minute commute reading The Times on his media reader-equipped glasses.
    The newer models are already out (contact lenses dispense the need of frames), but the ones Mr. Flynn uses still serve their purpose without being too intrusive.  Brain activity powers these glasses, so the more you use your brain, either reading an eBook or browsing the net, the longer the device projects an interface into your retinas (equivalent to a 32-inch screen 8 feet away).
    The Times coverage of the Maximillian Hauser case is thorough and extensive.  Each section is permeated by articles detailing the repercussions the case will have as it develops, from the financial experts weighing on the future of H2 (Hauser Holdings) and all its subsidiaries, to the Society Page chronicling scandalous deaths of famous people and comparing it to this case.
    Mr. Flynn arrives early at his office, as usual, and with a thumbprint scan at the biometrics sensor and a quick 16-digit pass code he's allowed in.  The director of Transcendental Affairs at the Bureau of Health still has time before officially starting the day, so he takes off his jacket and dons a white lab coat, the office uniform.  A couple of clicks to his wristwatch send infrared beams throughout the room instructing the workstation monitor in his desk to wake from its stand-by mode, as well as the Soundscope® speakers to come alive.  The random selection for the day: Harpsichord Sonata in E Flat major by Muzio Clementi, a pretty regular/boring piece to start the day for what would definitely be the opposite for Mr. Flynn.

(To be continued)