This is a work of fiction, if anyone likes it I may turn it into a series. I have a few ideas but not sure how it will go.
As David stepped into his Tesla, he looked around the surrounding houses. All very neat, well maintained and new. He shut the door, and looked as the camera to start the fully autonomous vehicle. Once his retina scan checked out, the car asked him where he was going. He simply replied "work" and immediately added in "financial news please".
Image Source: Pixabay
The car silently started to move, and the windscreen in front of him faded out the outside world and started to show finance news channels. After the last few days, he knew what to expect, dire predictions and doom and gloom. Still, watching the talking heads telling him all about the financial system collapse that was unfolding helped to sharpen his mind. A coffee cup appeared next to his seat, the car knowing that he would want a double shot cappuccino had sent a drone out to his favourite coffee shop to pick one up.
Even though he helped design the AI systems controlling the vehicle, David still found it a little unnerving to be moving around town without being able to see outside. The vehicle slowed to a halt, and David's window slid down of its own accord. It was the security post. A small camera telescoped its way in front of David, and quickly scanned the car. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, it quickly retracted, the window slid back up and the journey continued. A security scan on the way out of the private enclave that David's house was in always amused him. If the security preventing anyone getting into the estate was as good as they claimed it to be, why did they need to check everyone going out?
The ride in to the office was uneventful, the auto-lanes on the motorways made for a brisk trip in, past the rows of old fashioned self drive cars stuck in traffic jams. The security scan at the gate to the office was even more thorough, the high tech facility offered prison grade checks on entry. David told the car to come back at 11:00 as the site visit was on today. He stepped out of the vehicle and into the lift to floor 52.
The office was buzzing, you could feel an uneasy vibe around the place. David's team would be meeting in 10 minutes, and he knew they were looking to him for calm amidst the economic storm that was raging around the world. He quickly reviewed his note, this mornings news of 3 more bank collapses in the US, and the riot's on Wall St didn't change anything, David was expecting this collapse for a while and had the company well set up for these events.
Starting by thanking his team for their work on the top-secret "Auto-market" concept, he then moved on.
As we see economies and countries around the world collapsing, we can thank our lucky stars we are here in Australia. The move in 2022 by the government to adopt blockchain and launch a crypto AUD, backed by reserved of Bitcoin and other major currencies has saved us from the turmoil going on at the moment. We are seeing empires crumble, new ones born, and an economic shift unprecedented in human-kinds history. The UBI here in Australia is fully funded, and actually working. The banking system has been largely dismantled in an orderly fashion, and the economy has largely remained intact.
The tipping point for Australia of 50% unemployment has been passed, and society has survived almost completely unscathed. Of course the fringes of society have struggled to adapt, but generally this transition has gone smoothly and Australia has emerged as one of the new economic superpowers. Here at Automate Industries, we are proud to have played a leadership role in helping society to adapt. That's what makes our "Auto-market" launch today so important. People still like to go shopping, despite all the delivery services available. Our new fully automated supermarkets will be at the forefront of this, and will help to keep the cost-of-living pressures on the unemployed majority in control. By having a store with no employee's, and high tech anti-theft measures, we will be able to offer by far the lowest prices for groceries in many years.
Wrapping up the meeting with a message of calm, and a reminder to be ready by 11.00 to head out for the grand opening, David moved on and headed to his next appointment, a conference call with the Prime Minister and leaders of the other "Crypto Nations". This group of countries formed a united bloc a couple of years ago, and regularly discussed how to assist the "Non-Crypto" world to adapt and restore their populations standard of living. The world had fractured, and the old powers that kept their economies tied to the US were all collapsing along with the collapse of the US dollar.
Before he knew it, it was time to head off to the opening. Hopeful that the protest groups wouldn't be at the site, his team all climbed in to the fleet of autonomous vehicles and the convoy headed out of the city centre. The trip was uneventful, until they reached the Western Sydney site of the launch. They were about to head in to the facility, the press had all arrived and the grand opening was about to get underway. There was a few protesters, but nothing the police couldn't keep under control.
David stepped out of his car. It was time to unveil his baby, the project he hoped would improve the lives of the many people in society that were just surviving, and give them a chance to really live again. The way he saw it, this was more than just a supermarket, the tokenised model he had developed would turn this into financial freedom for those that needed it most. He could help millions with this concept, and supplement the UBI while putting low cost food on people's tables.
As he stepped up to the ribbon for the ceremonial cutting, all hell broke loose. An explosion nearby rocked the building, and startled the gathered crowd. The second one was much closer, and panic started. "Get inside the building" David screamed over the PA. Thinking quickly, he knew the safest place around would be inside the store, the defensive countermeasured, and security bots would secure the building. As people scrambled to get inside, the third explosion happened. Directly across the road from their location, the blast knocked many in the crowd over. At that point, the gunshots started...
Let me know if you enjoyed this, and want me to continue the story.
Thanks for reading
John.
(This is an original work of fiction by @jk6276)