An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead

Ch 19 - Breach of Contract

It took barely a few hours, and the transcript of his recorded rant wound up on the table of QiE-Novel’s lawyers. With what he only imagined to be smug grins, they closed his contract in an instant.

After Murphy finally fell asleep, one of his closest friends immediately re-uploaded the entire thing for the platform staff to see. 

This sudden betrayal completely blind-sided him. Though, in retrospect, he should have expected nothing less from a competitor. The scarcity mentality on the site had long since pitted everyone against each other. 

It was for this reason that writers never stuck together in a band or even try to protest their draconian contracts. As soon as someone made the first step, the others would take snippets and ensure they get banned into oblivion.

One less top novelist on the site meant a higher piece of the audience pie for themselves. With LACIE taking the largest chunk, they had to scramble with even greater intensity for the leftover scraps. 

« Murphy, I am afraid I have some very bad news… »

‘Busy puking, in case you hadn’t noticed.’

Retching over the toilet, Murphy couldn’t be bothered with the text on his retina. It only made him dizzier and worsened his headache. 

After he palmed his way to the sink and washed his face, he sobered up just enough to read the prompts clearly.

“What did you type?”

« Bad news. »

“Well, I was planning on getting breakfast first…” he hesitated, unsure if he wanted to ruin his day so early, “but fire away if it’s important.”

« After your tirade last night, QiE-Novel officially terminated their contract with you, for all novels. I’m afraid your revenue stream has been cut off. »

“What? Come again?”

Blinking a few times to refresh the retinal display, he nonetheless found the same message.

“It can’t be… Why would they pull the plug?”

« The official reason is slander and breaking your non disclosure agreement. Last night, you said, and I quote: “fucking greedy pigs drove me like a slave for years, pocketed most of the revenue, and now want to replace me with a hooker b—” »

“Ok, ok. You can stop there.”

« The message goes on for another 372 words, in which you accused them of malpractice. In very explicit terms, you said they are not a trustworthy company, and encouraged readers to switch platforms immediately. »

Clutching his nose, Murphy groaned at the prospects, “I said I got it. Can you think of a solution?”

“Wait, send an apology. Explain that I was medicated and not in the best state of mind.”

« I don’t believe they will accept a settlement, Murphy. They filed for an arbitration already. »

“This is bullshit. It’s barely been a few hours!”

« I am unable to access their internal communications, and thus cannot provide an explanation. »

“Fucking hell…” 

Turning on the shower, he went in to cool off his head, but it didn’t help much. Without even bothering to undress, he just sat there and brooded in silence.

« You will catch a cold at this rate, Murphy. »

“Piss off,” he snapped, “What are you? A doctor too now?”

« I am simply concerned for the user’s well-being. »

“Concerned?” he paused and turned the water off. Just when you’d think he calmed down, he burst into laughter instead.

“Hahahaha. Fucking hilarious. The whole world stopped giving a shit, and the only thing having ‘concerns’ for me is a broken fucking chip I mortgaged my life for.”

The absurd irony hurt him even more than cruel reality of it all. 

« Please, get some help. »

“Are my synapses fried or is your chip just that broken?” 

Grimacing and noticing that biting his gums didn’t help, he pummeled a fist into the tile wall. The sudden pain made him recoil, but also restored a modicum of sanity.

“Nobody cares, Blinkie… No one has, and no one ever will…

“This world is entirely spun by money. Financial interests dictate everything.

“Couples get together for it, and it’s not uncommon for families to splinter from it.

“It’s a curse. A lie we wove around ourselves for convenience.”

Amidst his spiteful rant, he didn’t even notice his bleeding knuckles. Blinkie registered the damage, but wisely chose to abstain from comments that might rile him further.

“We’ve gone too far, and it has since become the source of our ruin.”

“You get it, don’t you? This is the end for me, Blinkie.”

« I disagree. You can still start over. »

“Nah,” he shook his head with surprising lucidity, “Even if I can restore my sight, it’s far too late to change anything.”

“I’ve chosen this road, and I can only walk it to its end. It’s far too late to acknowledge my regrets.”

Turning the water back on, he was calm enough to stifle his cries by now. His manic episode subsided, but he was just as bitter inside.

“I forsook my dreams for this life, and now I pay my dues in nightmares.”

« That’s a nice quote, Murphy. You should consider writing a book or something. »

“Pfft,” he snorted, not entirely unamused, “Not bad, Blinkie. Three stars.”

« You’re hard to satisfy for a man. »

“Whoever said I was a man? It’s 2028. Get an update, bigot.”

With a successful distraction from is AI, Murphy eventually found himself out of the shower and into fresh clothes. 

Just as he was grappling with a zipper and trying to stumble around in the dark, someone knocked at his door.

“They’re not here to kick me out already, are they?”

« Relax, Murphy. It’s just the package I ordered. The glasses with the camera should have arrived. »

“Oh,” he loosened up, then felt his way to the door. 

“Hello?” 

“Anyone out here?”

He probed around and even swiped his hand, but didn’t feel anyone within reach. Just as he took a step forward, however, he heard a crunch under his foot.

“You have got to be kidding me!”

Bending over, he felt his way around the thing he’d stepped on. As misfortune would have it, he crushed the one thing that could’ve turned his life around.

“Please tell me the warranty covers this…”

« Afraid not. Purposeful damage to their products is hardly a legitimate claim for replacement. »

“Fuck! Just order another pair, then.”

Cursing the delivery driver’s 18th generations of ancestors, he nonetheless steeled himself to spend another few hundred. Alas…

« Error. Your bank account has been temporarily frozen as a result of the pending litigation. »

His heart froze in that instant. If previously he was discouraged, now he was outright ready to give up on everything and end it.

« User registering self-harm thoughts. Please contact a hotli— »

“Forget about the fucking hotline, Blinkie.”

His voice was cold and monotone, soothing almost. But that was merely the mark of him bottling up his hatred. Like a caged animal, he was ready to lash out in one singular burst.

“Just tell me what to do.”

It took every bit of effort to invoke its help. After all, he despised it as much as anything in the world. If it weren’t for that stupid beta program, perhaps he would still have preserved his eyes, and everything would have been fine.

« I am well aware of your hatred for me. You needn’t repeat it. »

“Blah, blah, blah. Just perform a logical analysis and tell me the options.”

« You can’t pin everything on me, Murphy. It was your drunken stupor that got you here. I am your assistant, and not a baby sitter. Get over the self-pity, squash your ego and think for yourself. »

« This conversation has ended. »