The Grocery of the Future
Sep. 25th, 2012 12:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valarltdEven grocery shopping is a pain in the HARD REBOOT future. Have a taste of Sean and Caitlin as they shop.
The big chain grocery gleamed, its front unpitted by the caustic sludge the city called rain, thanks to a new polymer coating that all the best places were experimenting with. Sean presented his right arm to a scanner for access. He was still officially Martin Laurent, thanks to Leda, and Mr. Laurent’s record was a lot cleaner than Sean O’Neill’s.
He presented Caitlin’s as well. Blanche Laurent, her new identity, was pristine. Their bank accounts and criminal histories adjudged satisfactory, the store’s triple airlock system, protection from thieves and other vermin, cycled him and Caitlin in.
Stores were selective about their clientele, even in this neighborhood. No one without money was allowed in. A single shoplifting, vandalism, or larceny conviction got a person barred from the bigger chain stores, relegating them to open air street bazaars or convenience stores, with higher prices and lack of quality, selection, and pest control. Assault and murder weren’t of any concern, as long as the shopper had money, but theft and willful damage were every store’s bane.
They waited in the sealed first stage of the airlock as the store scanned them again. The security guards in each corner also gave them a cursory once-over. They waited through the red light that signaled the scan was in progress. At this stage, already having authorization to be in the store, the process cleared the chamber of any unwelcome pests that might have slipped in with the shoppers. Should any vermin of the destitute two-legged or hairy four-legged variety linger, the guards would use whatever force needed to expel them.
Caitlin trembled a bit at the sight of the BEAST logo on the security guards’ uniforms, clear-visored helmets and darklight body armor. Broine Enterprises was the single largest rent-a-cop supplier in the world, used by all the best store chains. She would get over it. The guard looked them over, heavy-gauntleted hands flexing on their cattleprods.
The light turned green and the door cycled open for stage two. Sean led Caitlin into the next room, the solid floor giving way to metal grating. A pleasant-smelling decontamination mist fogged the room after the door sealed shut. They waited under a series of low-level radiation emitters designed to kill any insects, viruses, bacteria, or other parasites they had acquired outside the store. No pests made it into the store to damage the stock or bother customers. The next light turned green with a chime. They passed through a wall of buffeting air, designed to blow off any bug carcasses. Sean remembered to hold his breath but he heard Caitlin fight for breath after they were through it.
In the third stage, warm air currents dried them from the misting and the store’s cool, clean air filled the airlock. Sean still held Caitlin by the forearm. She’d calmed down after the security guards and kept still and silent, looking at the floor.
They stepped into the store, the metal grate turning to polished tile, and Sean felt a low, hard beat vibrating through his feet and teeth. He glanced up and saw a large tinted glass window on the second floor, marked as both bullet and soundproof. Inside it, a bunch of teens bounced to the music or worked at computers or sat and chatted. How nice. The local kids had a clean, safe place to go, even if it did charge them for access and refreshments. He and Niall had made do with the local pool hall, which was relatively clean, but not at all safe once they had learned how to hustle pool.
It was, of course, extremely profitable. Not only did the kids pay to get in, and for their snacks and their computer access, it kept them from mischief. Any theft or vandalism, here or outside, would get them booted out, permanently, according to a number of well-placed digital posters that flashed in ever-changing colors. Others announced that any computer hacking would result in permanent banning as well as prosecution. The store got their money, provided a community service and reduced petty crime at the same time.
The big chain grocery gleamed, its front unpitted by the caustic sludge the city called rain, thanks to a new polymer coating that all the best places were experimenting with. Sean presented his right arm to a scanner for access. He was still officially Martin Laurent, thanks to Leda, and Mr. Laurent’s record was a lot cleaner than Sean O’Neill’s.
He presented Caitlin’s as well. Blanche Laurent, her new identity, was pristine. Their bank accounts and criminal histories adjudged satisfactory, the store’s triple airlock system, protection from thieves and other vermin, cycled him and Caitlin in.
Stores were selective about their clientele, even in this neighborhood. No one without money was allowed in. A single shoplifting, vandalism, or larceny conviction got a person barred from the bigger chain stores, relegating them to open air street bazaars or convenience stores, with higher prices and lack of quality, selection, and pest control. Assault and murder weren’t of any concern, as long as the shopper had money, but theft and willful damage were every store’s bane.
They waited in the sealed first stage of the airlock as the store scanned them again. The security guards in each corner also gave them a cursory once-over. They waited through the red light that signaled the scan was in progress. At this stage, already having authorization to be in the store, the process cleared the chamber of any unwelcome pests that might have slipped in with the shoppers. Should any vermin of the destitute two-legged or hairy four-legged variety linger, the guards would use whatever force needed to expel them.
Caitlin trembled a bit at the sight of the BEAST logo on the security guards’ uniforms, clear-visored helmets and darklight body armor. Broine Enterprises was the single largest rent-a-cop supplier in the world, used by all the best store chains. She would get over it. The guard looked them over, heavy-gauntleted hands flexing on their cattleprods.
The light turned green and the door cycled open for stage two. Sean led Caitlin into the next room, the solid floor giving way to metal grating. A pleasant-smelling decontamination mist fogged the room after the door sealed shut. They waited under a series of low-level radiation emitters designed to kill any insects, viruses, bacteria, or other parasites they had acquired outside the store. No pests made it into the store to damage the stock or bother customers. The next light turned green with a chime. They passed through a wall of buffeting air, designed to blow off any bug carcasses. Sean remembered to hold his breath but he heard Caitlin fight for breath after they were through it.
In the third stage, warm air currents dried them from the misting and the store’s cool, clean air filled the airlock. Sean still held Caitlin by the forearm. She’d calmed down after the security guards and kept still and silent, looking at the floor.
They stepped into the store, the metal grate turning to polished tile, and Sean felt a low, hard beat vibrating through his feet and teeth. He glanced up and saw a large tinted glass window on the second floor, marked as both bullet and soundproof. Inside it, a bunch of teens bounced to the music or worked at computers or sat and chatted. How nice. The local kids had a clean, safe place to go, even if it did charge them for access and refreshments. He and Niall had made do with the local pool hall, which was relatively clean, but not at all safe once they had learned how to hustle pool.
It was, of course, extremely profitable. Not only did the kids pay to get in, and for their snacks and their computer access, it kept them from mischief. Any theft or vandalism, here or outside, would get them booted out, permanently, according to a number of well-placed digital posters that flashed in ever-changing colors. Others announced that any computer hacking would result in permanent banning as well as prosecution. The store got their money, provided a community service and reduced petty crime at the same time.
