05
Full Circle
 

“So, you can stick it on your arm like that?” Luna peeled at Alex’s film.

“Correct.” He peeled the entire device off, the panel dimmed to conserve power. “They cut the film out of a roll, interestingly. The screen scales itself by counting the number of sensors below the clear resin layer your finger will be touching. You can see the sensors themselves very, very lightly.”

Alex tilted the film at the light, the small square microprocessors revealed themselves. Kayla watched on intently.

“The duality extends to the ability that it could recharge itself via converting ions in water into small voltages, or through traditional conductive charges. If I were to pull this menu down from the top—“ He manipulated it with both of his hands, the right index finger clawed at the surface of the filament to invoke a menu that read 77%. He took his mug of water and poured it over the film into the small basin below. The percentage sign floated upwards to give way for an ascending small plus. 77+. “And pouring over it, it refills the charge. Hence if you see someone pouring water over it, don’t be alarmed.”

Kayla’s eyes darted towards the earpiece he had on.

“But why did you need these all the time?” She mixed a complaint into her curiosity.

“Unfortunately, this is where its own ingenuity ends.” He plastered the film back onto his arm, the screen flashing different colors to notify him of the correct orientation. It stilled into a shade of blue as Alex wiped the film into conformity to set it in form. “This device we call a Headset acts as its own central processor. It requires its own computational power and space, so it had to be isolated. But they also works as speakers and microphones, extra functionality. Currently, I’m talking to you, the audio reroutes so I can hear your sentences. If I want to silence everything for a show I will be watching, it can also do that as well.”

Kayla pursed her lips together and nodded to herself, but she was not intent into letting the nodding be detected by anyone.

“What they can do in the future—“ The rich girl declined further comment.

“To my understanding, it’s practically a requirement for people of your time to carry these things called ‘smartphones’, yes?” He noticed Kayla’s face turning slightly sour as if she’s cursing at him internally. Luna nodded after quick glancing at her master. “This is our own variant. To help you fit in, we’ll bring you over to buy one of these.”

“Hold up.” Kayla’s voice created its own authoritative halt. “Can I see the box?”

“Absolutely.” Alex pushed his chair in before he climbed upstairs to look for it.

The sky outside turned a shade of purple. A lone light on the tailed of some faint object drew a line across it. Alex came down the stairs with a small tin in hand.

“That’s my box. They give you different boxes for different sizes.” He placed the tin on the coffee table for them both to see.

The metal had the Circle logo etched on top of it. Luna gave Kayla some attention, but the latter didn’t reciprocate. She took the box in her hands, and her hands, and looked at the logo. Kayla’s sight swept the text. A stylized circle with the company name next to it.

“To my knowledge they have been doing this for decades.” Alex annotated for her. “I believe they have been around in your own era.”

Kayla was fighting the fluids that came up. She took a big gulp, then took a deep breath herself. She carried away any residue that hung near her eyelids with a swipe of her finger. Her hands began to shake.

“Heavy tin.” She smiled as she placed the case down on the table. “I would like to head to a store. They sell a lot of these?”

“Correct.”

“I would like to go see one in person.”

“I can deliver.” Alex turned his head to yell. “Angel! We’re heading out!”

Her girlfriend rushed to the stairs.

“Where to?” Angel leaned on the railing.

“They want to get their own sets.” Alex pointed his thumb backwards. “It’s almost time, so might as well.”

“I’ll let them know. Irene’s bringing dinner.”

“From that Chinese place?”

“No, Mexican.”

“Tell them to fetch food for six.” Alex turned around and gestured the guests for the door. “We’ll be back shortly.”

Angel took off back to their bedroom.

He removed the jacket from the hook near the door, and turned the knob.

The giant glass cylinder was coming closer, and closer. It glowed with light as Kayla’s eyes resolve the fact that it is filled with customers and onlookers looking through the catalogue. Her vision blurred and she had to blink when she thought of her father, but she came up to the store seeing around five hundred people craning at the categories of products at the different wedges of the circle all in different colors.

“Have a nice day.” A female greeter in her twenties said hello as the automatic doors in the shape of an arc swept to the side to let them in. 

Luna looked at Kayla. Kayla looked back. Luna nodded. Kayla went for the embrace, but quickly released her before Alex could catch them. The rich girl had to catch a few breaths as her head recognized the scale of the store to avoid the fluids making herself vulnerable.

“Flagship store.” Alex’s voice barely reached her in her thoughts and the loud ambient noises forged through a chorus of hundreds of people. “Orange, wedge.”

Kayla’s face fell red when it was Alex who was the one guiding her. They walked over to that desk, and around fifty people were in front of them, crowded against one representative separated only by a table. The male in the shirt coordinated to the color of the sector the staff is in struggled to sort through the requests until he noticed Kayla at the back.

He stared at his table and looked at her again.

“Excuse me, but I’ll serve that lady in the back first.” His voice was amplified but the tiny microphone clipped onto the tee. “Yes, you.”

Luna smiled at her, and released her for service.