I tried to watch my shows and enjoy the advertisements. I was thinking that a little retail therapy might help. It was not to be, there was something caught in my head, but I could not see it. I was feeling happy for the most part, but I would get a flash of nothing but numbness. Was my EC working?

It was time to sleep and start over in the morning. One last advertisement.

“SleepMax, let us help you have the best night sleep you ever had. A new aid from the makers of Calmatin.”

“Order and Use now!” I jumped at the idea of the best sleep ever. My EC Clicked a few times and then a soft hissing sound as a new drug pumped into my system. It was new and it was very calming. My eyes grew heavy and I was off into the darkness.

I was in the park and I was sitting there on a bench, as a purist, naked. Both feet were resting in the grass. I could not feel it, I could not feel a breeze, and I could not feel anything. I was there like I had an EC but it was not around me. It’s human to feel. Is it? I felt nothing and I seem to be alright. I seem to be calm and happy. Am I happy? The System said that I am. I am, I am what?

I woke up with a bit of a jerk, I shook it off. My screen was already lit and the icon of the Medic was already displayed on my screen.

“Med Check,” It said.

“I’m alright,” I replied groggily.

“We registered high brain activity.”

“I’m OK.”

“I am recommending a new series of medications. It seems the medication you used last night did an unsatisfactory job in allowing you to rest,”

“OK,”

“Do you have anything to add to the report?”

“No, do whatever is needed, thank you,”

“Due to these unusual circumstances, your work has been canceled and a schedule of relaxing activities have been created for you,”

“Sure,” I complied while still trying to wake up.

The screen flickered on and an advertisement came up, in fact, a series of them. They were all very subdued and low in tone. They were relaxing. My activity list opened and I scanned the list of available activities. The door opened.

“Maintenance,” Jon said as he walked in.

“Maintenance? I did not request Maintenance,”

“The System did,” he said as he knelt down by my EC and opened a panel in the back.

“Why?”

“Says here on the work order that you have been having problems with a drug management glitch,” He said as he started to poke around the EC innards.

“Seems like a lot of glitches.”

“I agree, seems like I’m busy all the time nowadays, this seems to be going around," he said as he started to pack up his bag.

“Did you find anything?”

“As with the others, nothing,”

“Others?”

“Yes, like I said, I’m busy,” He stood up, “Well there is nothing I can see. The System will continue to monitor you and will let me know if there is anything I can do,”

Jon started to walk out the door but paused when he saw the tangible book by the replicator.

“That’s a good book,” He said with a wink and then he was gone.

I returned my attention to the list of activities. I was feeling pretty emotionally even. I then saw at the bottom of the list “Read Real Life”. I thought about Jon and wondered why he called it a good book? It looked awkward and confusing to use. My helper hand reached out and picked up the book and brought it close to me. I looked it over, tilted it back and forth, Then my other helper reached out and opened the cover of the book. It still seemed so silly.

“Real Life,” I read out loud, “Chapter one, as simple as feeling grass.”

“Would you like to commence reading or would you like the System to read it for you?”

“Yes,”

“Your reading program is brought to you by Reader 8, the place to find every eBook.”

The story revolved around a young man in his early twenties who had an EC accident. It left him on the ground with a failed EC. It was quite frightening. He managed to free his hand from the neuro-tube to try to assist the EC to repair. His hand was immobilized. He willed it to reach out. All that was there was grass. His hand was tingling and in pain, his EC was in a complete failed state. His hand made contact with the grass and he felt it. The tingle started to subside, at first, he thought his EC was repairing itself, but then realized it was his own body. His own system was tempering the pain.

Could that be true, can the body control such things? Of all the purists I have seen, they never looked in pain. The book described pinching the blade of grass between two fingers, feeling the mass of it. If he squeezed hard enough a liquid came out and wet his fingers. It was cool and constant until it evaporated into the air. His fingers returned to a normal dry state. The feeling was superior to any synthesized or simulated synthetic physical feeling. I guess I never thought that the physical sensations that I was being exposed to were synthetic. I never thought that I never had touched anything without my EC or at least not to my memory.

“Reader 8, the place to find every eBook,” The voice interrupted my thoughts and for a flash of a moment. I was annoyed. I liked my thought.

I wanted to read the second story and it had an intriguing title, “Sex”. It has been a long time since I went to a pleasure room, but what would it be like in real life. I willed my Helper Hand to turn the page. It did not respond.

“Another glitch?” I said out loud.

“According to ordinance 1172.1 this chapter contains information or content that has been banned by the Higher Morals committee of your government,” The System said.

“What? I have never been denied anything before,”

"According to ordinance 1172.1, this chapter contains information or content that has been banned by the Higher Morals committee of your government," The System repeated, “Would you like more information on this Ordinance or the Higher Morals committee?”

“Ordinance?” I puzzled.

“Ordinance 1172.1 the Secure Censorship Ordinance. The Ordinance was enacted in 2114. Since then, a three-tier secure classification system has been adopted. The Ordinance was amended in 2119 to provide, among other things, a finer classification by dividing Category II into two sub-categories, Category IIA and Category IIB. This is to protect citizens, from submissive materials that could harm national security,” The System droned.

“Stop,” I interrupted.

“Would you like to watch a show about how your government helps you?”

“No,”

I am frustrated that I was being denied. I thought this was the time to play Slaver. I needed to burn off this mood, the drugs, and this denial

My Helper Hand placed the book down and the screen flickered. The ads started and I whisked away from my violent refuge.