Party like it’s 2099 - Arrival

Wow, a Lifeboat 7. I'm impressed. Most of these parties don't use anything higher than a Lifeboat 5 or occasionally a 6. Thank goodness it's not a Safety-Gate 95. I knew Clara wouldn't come here unless it was secure.

The Lifeboat 7 is Save-A-Life's latest model and state-of-the-art when it comes to transportable screening equipment. They are also quite expensive (probably another reason for the high entrance fee) but a great choice for this type of situation.

Relatively lightweight, it packs up compactly so it's easy to move and set up. It decontaminates and can run a variety of viral test kits which gives it flexibility, plus it has an overall accuracy rating of 9.975 with a turnaround time of under three minutes.

A male monotone voice speaks to me through the pods' audio system, "Step in and follow my instructions." It's hard to imagine anyone sounding more bored than this guy. He must be stationed just behind the next set of doors for safety.

I guess I'd be bored too with such a repetitive, mundane job. I'm sure he's had to repeat the same instructions ad nauseum tonight, plus everyone that comes through here already knows exactly what to do. His job is to make sure no one cheats the test and to admit only to those who pass.

I slip through the unit's smallish hatch and the soft glow intensifies, fully illuminating the interior as a plexiglass door seals me in. There is an almost imperceptible hum that you feel more than hear indicating the Lifeboat 7 is active.

Mr. Excitement's monotone voice fills the compartment, "Disrobe completely and place your coverall, mask, clothes, and any personal items into the separate decontamination unit. Then lift your hands above your head and spread your legs."

I open the decontamination compartment and shove my replica vintage Dunner Mifflin backpack in it.

As I unzip my coverall and remove it, the familiar tingle of arousal awakens deep inside of me with the knowledge that there is a camera in the pod so the technician can monitor the test and he will be observing my naked body.

Glancing at the pod's camera I giggle nervously and softly say, "Yes sir," as I disrobe, pulling my Covid Undercover tee shirt up over my head, freeing my naked torso. A second later I tug my flowy mini skirt down off my pantyless butt and I place both items in the appropriate chamber.

I'm not wearing any underwear because, well, what's the point when attending a sex club. Standing there naked I slip off my sandals and stow them in the decontamination unit and seal its door.

Having stripped, I raise my hands above my head and stand with my legs apart. Fresh oxygen mixed with a non toxic cleansing agent tickles as it rushes across and around my naked flesh chilling my skin. As goose pimples rise along my arms and my nipples harden, a line of light passes down my body scanning it for any artificial limbs, body augmentations and implants while simultaneously killing any random viruses or bacteria that may have hitched a ride in my hair or on my unsuspecting epidermis.

"Ok, locate the viral test kit in front of you and pull the safety seal. A tube should drop down. Place it in your mouth and exhale forcefully."

I'm not sure if it's because I'm horny or because I'm feeling the effects of the DaterAide but as I release the seven inch long and one inch in diameter rubber tube from the test kit, I imagine my lips wrapping around a penis and I feel a rush of excitement. I fight back giggles as I bring the tube to my mouth and blow.

"Next, stick your finger in the opening next to the tube and wait until you feel a prick before removing it," Captain Happy instructs me.

Feeling giddy, I stick my finger in the hole smiling at his use of the word "prick". A needle pokes my finger taking a blood sample.

Ouch! That's not the kind of "prick" I was hoping to get my hands on tonight, I laugh to myself.

One of the best features of the Lifeboat 7 is the speed and range of viral infections and contagious diseases it can test for. In less than 60 seconds it screens my bio samples and runs them against 1,400 possible pathogens and 30 different STD's. It also scans the biomarkers that were injected into my body by the State moments after my birth that are used to verify my identity and age.

It's three times faster than the Lifeboat 6 and more accurate, plus it can run a broader spectrum of tests than a Lifeboat 5. I wouldn't even risk going to the party if they were using a piece of shit Safety-Gate 95. They are notoriously inaccurate and can easily be hacked to show all green indicators despite actual test results.

Even though I know I'm clean, I still breathe a sigh of relief when the "all clear" green light illuminates on the test screen.

"You're good to go, get dressed and move to the exit."

I open the decontamination compartment and quickly fold my coverall and shove it into my bag along with my mask and pull my skirt back up into its proper place then slip my sandals back on. No need to stay in the pod to put my tee shirt back on so I punch the "open door" button and head to the next set of doors as I pull my tee shirt down over my head and push my arms through its short sleeves.

I love this tee shirt. I guess you could say it's my "get lucky" charm. I've been to four parties before this one and I've worn it every time. Those were also the only times in my life that I've ever had real sex. Covid Undercover was the first musical group I ever truly fell in love with, and "Dead and Bloated", their first collection of songs, holds a special place in my heart.

The front of the tee shirt features artwork that would be the equivalent of an album cover in the old days, and on its back is the collection's playlist. The artwork depicts a dead body lying supine on an autopsy table in a darkened room with an American flag almost completely covering it. The body is viewed so that the foreground is filled with the corpse's lifeless, discolored bare right foot. Hang off it's large toe is tag with the words:

Name: "Uncle" Sam

Hospital: Washington Memorial Medical Center

Cause of death: APDS-1/Heart failure

Mortician: Covid Undercover

Date:7/04/2075

A mosquito has just landed on the tag and lurking in the shadows, peeking out over the top of the flagged draped left foot at the bottom right of the image, is a fat, dangerous looking rat. To the left of the body, half out of frame, sits a tray of dissecting tools soiled with blood and barely visible in the shadows of the upper right corner is a blackboard with the words "Dead and Bloated" scrawled in chalk on it.

The mosquito and rat are not just carriers of the many of the diseases that have plagued humanity throughout history, but are also references to two key politicians that were instrumental in the collapse of America.

The date of course refers to the day the United States of America was officially dissolved. A country that was arguably the most powerful in the world just a few decades before didn't live to see its three hundredth birthday, and was eventually brought down not by a mighty army but by something microscopic. Just one of the endless casualties of APDS-1.

"Dead and Bloated", was Covid Undercover's homage to the country they were born into but only knew for the first couple of years of their lives, and every song from that collection seemed to tell the story of my own young life.

I reach the door and a "technician", dressed in a white lab coat (as if that would somehow convince people he is some kind of doctor) unlocks it and pulls it open. Seeing him face to face I'm surprised by how cute he is.

"Thanks," I say as I enter. "Cheer up! Things can't suck that bad, can they?"

"What?" cute-bored-guy says, looking a bit puzzled.

"You sound miserable," I chuckle.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just tired. I've been doing this since nine and it's just soooo fucking tedious. I usually switch off with another guy but he got called away to help out at one of the bars. That means I'm stuck here for another hour and half."

His eyes move down to my chest. Another reason I love this tee shirt is it fits perfectly and really accentuates the fullness of my boobs.

""Dead and Bloated". Mint, I love that collection," he says with a knowing grin. "Stand Together or Die Apart", "Give Me Your Disease", "Rats in the Night"..." he says, listing some of his favorite tracks.

""Sex Fever", "Lay Them Low and Pile Them High", "Endless Days"..." I take over.

"Steel Nights"," we say in unison.

"Jinx!" I quickly add with a laugh. "You owe me a drink!"

The sound of the front entrance door opening and closing makes us both turn in that direction.

"Looks like your next customer is here. Wait until you see her! She might even make you feel grateful you are working the door," I laugh.

"Ok, I'll ah, leave you to it then," I chuckle as I get ready to turn to walk away. Then, after a slight pause, I add, "Maybe I'll run into you later...after you're done. If you buy me that drink I'll see if I can't cheer you up," I say with a seductive grin.

He smiles broadly, and if I'm not mistaken, with a bit of a blush, "Minty. Sounds like a deal."

Then pointing towards the dark heart of the building adds, "Oh, follow the strip of lights to the stairs. The party is on the second floor."

I walk away listening to him go through the same set of instructions for the lady in gold, but with a lot more pep in his voice.

Well this night is off to a fun start. I actually do hope I run into him tonight. He seems adorable.

I follow a strip of LED lights along the floor that shoot off through the center of the cavernous and pitch black remnants of the ancient store. It's noticeably cooler here than out on the street, probably due to the thick blocks of stone that make up the building's facade and given the fact that it's been boarded up for over 30 years.

I'm sure it must be an optical illusion caused by the darkness, but the tiny path of lights seems to stretch into infinity. I stare around into the darkness as I stroll along, but it's impossible to judge the space I'm walking through due to the low visibility. Gradually, as my eyes adjust to my surroundings, I'm able to just make out the ceiling and I'm amazed that it has to be 30 feet or more above me.

Wow! This place must have been like a cathedral to merchandising back in its day.

Naturally the display cases and shelves sit empty now, filled with nothing but shadows, dust and the occasional cobweb, but they seemed to have been left in their original positions making it easy to visualize myself as a customer wading through a sea of items for sale back in its heyday.

Is it my imagination or do I catch the faint smell of something sweet and flowery still suspended in the stagnant air?

As I push through the darkness the distant pounding of synth drums gradually greets me, echoing through this vast interior like a ghostly heartbeat. It grows steadily louder and more distinct with each step forward, as if the building is some sort of huge mythical beast slowly awakening after being in suspended animation for years.

Eventually, the rhythm is pronounced enough that I recognize the beginning of a huge hit song from five or six years ago; "Everybody up; all Fall Down" by Bloodbath. It loosely describes the early spread of the "sex fever", when the first cases of people getting caught having uncontrollably sex in public first came to light and how it quickly became obvious that there was something more sinister going on as it quickly spread.

Just as the song's lyrics start up the trail of lights ends at the base of a powerless escalator. I take to the motionless stairs, and as I climb Bloodbath's wailing guitar chords and pounding base line pull me up the blackened steps. It doesn't take long before I break the surface of the second level and spill out of the escalator near the party's dance area.

After such a long walk through the dark dead halls of the past, I'm nearly blinded as an explosion of bright lights being projected by the party's holo-emitters brutality slap my retinas. I scan the scene with squinted eyes trying to absorb and fully comprehend the huge undulating mass of humanity moving to the rhythm of the bellowing music. It takes a few seconds to get my bearings and take in my surroundings but when I do I'm shocked by the size of the crowd.

Oh fuck! There must be over three hundred people here! Shit, and I thought the last party I went to was large and intimidating! It only had about a hundred guests.

This is by far the largest crowd of unprotected people I've ever seen outside of vintage video footage. The realization that I'm standing among this many people without any protection hits me hard and I suddenly feel very anxious, and very, very vulnerable.

I struggle to push down the urge to panic.

Relax, deep breath in...now exhale. Everything is fine. They're clean; you're safe.

Glancing nervously around I notice that not far from where I'm standing there is a makeshift bar setup at one of the old glass cased selling areas.

Calm down, everything is going to be fine. Just get a drink and wait for Clara.

I walk to the bar and find a place to stand while I wait for the bartender to be free. Instinctively, it seems, people have spaced themselves as far apart as possible. It's not easy to overcome years of ingrained safety protocols even when you know the reason you are here is to interact and get closer to others.

The bartender finishes serving a cocktail to a pretty girl about six feet or so to my left then points to me with her index finger extended and thumb up like she has an imaginary gun trained on me. It's probably easier for her to use sign language whenever possible than shout over the loud music.

"Rum and Coke Plus, please," I yell, leaning over the counter hoping she can hear my order. Coke Plus has a lesser amount of the synthetic cocaine derivative than DaterAide does, but it still has a nice little kick. "Oh wait, make that two, please!" I shout holding up two fingers in the old peace sign formation. I might as well get one for Clara.

The bartender nods and turns without a word. I watch her punch my order into the portable automated drink dispenser set up by the party's promoters. Hopefully she was able to make out what I said over Bloodbath's frantic chants. A moment later she places two strawed pouches on the bar in front of me. Scanning the drinks' QR codes I see that they are indeed what I ordered and authorize their cost of 30 Ecoin then add an extra 5 for her tip.

Clara is supposed to get here around one-ish.

I glance at the time on my comms bracelet.

Good, she'll be here soon.

I sip my drink and scope out the dance area as I try to relax. Bobbing my head to the beat of the music I do my best to force my nervous anxiousness to fall away but my eyes move constantly between the dance floor and the stairwell not wanting to miss Clara when she arrives. I'm not surprised when a familiar glint of golden light catches my eye at the top of the steps leading up to the party.

As the woman in gold emerges from the escalator, pure white wings of light instantly sprout from her shoulder blades as the room's holographic emitters read the holo-nodes attached to her body.

Unlike me, she doesn't hesitate to enter. She is undaunted by the huge crowd. Instead she walks straight through the dancing mass of partiers like an angel here on some higher mission, oblivious to her surroundings. Random beams of party lights strike her body now and again, bursting off her dress multiplied a hundred fold like fiery sparks. My eyes follow her until she is swallowed by the sea of dancers.

I feel the narcotic effect of my drink now as it works its way through my blood pumping me full of energy and confidence. Feeling more at ease I let the music seep into my body and I sway to its hypnotic rhythm. It's nearing the end of the song and everyone starts singing along as loudly as possible as they dance.

I've never heard so many voices releasing such emotion all at once, and I have to say the effect is incredibly moving. I add my voice to the crowd and dance harder and freer as I get swept up in the power of the music and the heat of the moment, allowing my body to move without inhibition.

Everybody is up, up, up

Until we fall down, down, down.

Everybody get up, up up,

No time to be down, down, down

When we meet, feel the heat and the beat,

That's the sex fever

Feel the beat, no retreat on the street

That's the sex fever

The banker is up, up, up

The dollar is down, down, down.

The doctor is up, up, up

The outlook is down, down, down.

Feel it grow, down below, don't you know,

Whenever you see her,

That's the sex fever.

Everybody is up, up, up

Until we fall down, down, down.

Everybody get up, up up,

No time to be down, down, down

All around, every town, going down.

Going down, to the ground

That's the sex fever.

Now we believe her.

We got the sex fever.

It's a crime, no more time, no more time.

Everybody is up, up, up

Until we fall down, down, down.

Everybody get up, up up,

No time to be down, down, down

Everybody get up, up, up,

Before we fall down, down, down

Every soul, no control,

On the whole,

We're falling down,

Falling down all around,

Falling down,

falling down, falling down,

Falling down!

I've seen the original holo-vid of this song hundreds of times and I've danced to it alone in my home as part of virtual parties countless times as well, so I know how it ends.

At the end of the last lyric the music suddenly stops and all the multicolored holographic props and enhancements which had been radiating from the deejay area, go dark.

Five seconds later a sea of scarlet red light slowly comes up spilling over the collapsed bodies of the partiers that are now lying in heaps on the floor where they had been dancing. The entire scene is still and silent except for the sound of heavy breathing as people gasp, trying to catch their breath. Then seven seconds later, as the next song finally starts to play, all the "fallen" rise and cheer.

That was fucking awesome!

I've never experienced that much energy by that many people before. It's amazing how different the experience feels in the presence of real people instead of a simulation. It takes me a minute to realize tears are actually streaming down my face from the sheer power of that emotional release.

I check my coms again. It's 12:57 AM, Clara should be here any minute now.

It's too bad she missed that.

I take another sip of my drink as I scan the crowd, taking in all the holo body art illuminating the dance floor. The deejay's portable projector reads each holo-node program in the room then produces the resulting 3D graphic around that person's body. A network of satellite relays set up around the party space allows the projector to track each node's position so that the art moves seamlessly with its host around the dance floor.

I feel disappointed because I own a set myself but was so excited about going out that it never even crossed my mind to wear them. Of course they are programmable allowing you to change the artwork depending on your mood or the occasion. You are limited only by your imagination and an approximate three foot radius around your body which is the acceptable limit of most projections.