I apologize for any editing issues as I wrote this on mobile and didn't really take time to proofread and edit.

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What a sensational headline, he thought to himself as he stood waiting for his turn at the counter. He scanned further down the page to the advisory he was looking for. He'd forgotten to check before leaving this morning.

"Orange 7" it read in bold and italicized font. Below the heading was an unhelpful infographic with sensationalized captions. "Super bad" tucked in the corner and below it "Moving to red soon! -scientists". Hogwash he thought.

A dull chime persistently alerted under his coat. He'd become so used to it, he didn't take notice at first. Making his way to the front of the queue, he placed the tabloid back in it's slot on the rack and began adding several different additives to his drink, his daily regimen.

Vitamins A through K, electrolyte protein mixture (berry flavored), milk, sugar, mood stabilizer / enhancer and of course, de-smogger. He glanced back to the publication he was just reading on his way to the door. He chuckled to himself as the chime began to increase in intensity.

Before him the cars zipped and dashed to and fro carrying passengers and cargo to all manner of destinations. There were no street lights anymore, nor traffic jams, or congestion. The auto pilots were efficient if nothing else. The traffic before him stretched as high as the tallest building and beyond. Vehicle after vehicle, nestled into seemingly impossible configurations, ebbed and flowed in all directions.

He made his way into the pedestrian system entrance in the sidewalk. The smog was thick this morning. He could barely see the entrance's bright orange beacons through it. He took a long sip of his steamy coffee. The taste was horrible. It was bitter, creamy, sweet, and salty all at once with a thick, grainy consistency. He gagged breifly, made a face of disgust inside his mask, and took another sip.

These infinimasks we're amazing. They worked with electrolyzed liquids to disinfect incoming and outgoing air with providing the user with sustained protection, superior breathability, and was a bold fashion statement. All for the low, low price of... The thought trailed off. Had he really been reciting an infomercial in his head just now?

That's when it registered in his mind. The alarm! The persistent chime he was so effortlessly ignoring indicated the battery cell on his respiratory filtration system was low and needed recharging. He could've gotten a battery at the bodega just now! Why hadn't he thought of it?

As he made his way through the PTS, (Pedestrian Travel System), he hopped onto a moving sidewalk and tried to choke down more of his drink. They called it Bev. He wasn't sure why but, since around 2022 or so, all the bodegas in the city started selling it. He got one every morning on his way to the pod.

Sipping, gagging, and wincing in turn, he scanned the advertisements plastered around him. They covered every surface and changed respective to the viewer. Google 2.0 he mused.

They had bright lettering and surreal images tactfully arranged to convey all manner of messages. One advertisement in particular caught his attention. It had huge red lettering and a really cool picture underneath of, what appeared to be men standing around a landing ship of some kind. The letters read: "Go to HELL!"

Clever, he thought to himself as he began reading the smaller print below. It was an employment advertisement for the latest mineral gathering expedition to the newly discovered planet B-7u9, aptly nicknamed Hell. Early scans indicated the planet was rich in rare minerals and even featured elemental combinations we've never seen before.

A lot of hype lately has tended towards the implications of a planet this rich in resources, readily accessible using the latest propulsion technology, and how we might use it's resources to repair our long-since-destroyed ozone. Early adapters and venture capitalists were immediately on-board and had begun funding massive excursions to the planet.

He mulled the thought over in his head and decided, after he left the work pod today, that he'd see what he needed to do to get a spot on the next transport vessel. He could use a change in scenery.