STOP
There was nothing particularly interesting or special about the stop sign but for some reason it captivated him. Olu had seen hundreds of them before. Like all the others, it was simply a relic of the past. Black letters, white background, red framing.
STOP
Olu simply sat and stared. A knock on his car window snapped him out of his reverie.
"Good evening sir," said a man dressed in a black uniform, "could you wind down the window?"
Olu did as he was told. "Good evening, or should I be saying good morning, officer."
"I suppose it is morning," the officer responded without smiling. "What are you doing stopped in the middle of the road at this hour?"
"I was on my way to the Teleport. Honestly, I'm not really sure why I stopped. I suppose I just needed time to think."
"I understand sir but if you want to think why don't you just put the vehicle in auto-drive. Could you please hold out your ID band? I just need to confirm that you have a licence for manual drive."
Olu put his left hand out the window. The officer held out a tablet, which scanned Olu's band, retrieving the driver's credentials.
"Looks like everything's intact. Be safe." The officer said as he stepped away from the vehicle. He paused for a moment before turning back to Olu. "Look, I don't mean to dictate but do me a favour and let the computer drive."
"You know what officer, I will." Olu replied.
The officer relaxed slightly, "I don't know why anyone still insists on driving manually. My pops refused to ever be driven by a computer. In the end that's what got him killed."
Olu frowned, part sympathetic and part annoyed by the officer's need to share.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Olu said, "I'll be safe."
He switched on auto-drive, tilted his head back and fell asleep.
Thirty minutes later, Olu arrived at the Teleport. He had only used a teleportation device four times before, the machines were too expensive and too energy-consuming to be used too often. It always struck him how efficient everything was. One scan for payment, one scan to ensure he wasn't carrying anything dangerous, one scan to ensure that he had a visa for his destination and finally a fingerprint scan which indemnified the transportation ministry of any negative side effects.
A young man then led him to a waiting room.
"Please wait here sir. Once we are ready we will send a notification to your tablet. Just go through that yellow door when you receive it. Thank you and travel safe."
Olu was alone in the waiting room apart from a suited man who was on his phone, pacing the length of the room. Most of their conversation was in hushed tones but Olu could tell that the man was becoming increasingly agitated. Eventually, the businessman burst, yelling down the phone "Look ma'm, that was not part of the agreement. You can't go back on this now!"
Olu's head hurt. He didn't particularly need or want to hear a screaming man's problems. Lately he'd been having a lot of headaches. He'd been daydreaming a lot too, losing his train of thought. Focusing on pointless details. It must be the lack of sleep, he thought.
He popped in his headphones, thinking that music may help. He put his music library on shuffle and smiled at the first song. It was a classic. A Tom Waits song called 'Hold On.' The song wasn't even halfway when he got the notification.
He proceeded towards the yellow door.
For some reason he felt apprehensive. He could feel his pulse at his temples.
He went through the yellow door and into a well-lit white room. In the middle of the room was a heavy set silver chair. An AI responded to his presence.
"Please take a seat sir."
Olu sat in the chair. He could feel the low hum of the machinery as the device powered up.
"Are you ready sir?" the AI asked.
Olu did not respond. He could hear a voice in his head, whispering to him. The voice said "No."
No. No. No. No. No.
The AI asked again, "Are you ready sir?"
Olu answered. "Yes."
"Begin teleportation sequence."
The light brightened and the room collapsed in on itself.
Olu woke up in the same bright white room.
Only it wasn't the same room. The chair was gone. Light emanated from an enigmatic source. There were no walls. There wasn't even a floor.
The room was just white.
Seated opposite were four men with their legs crossed. One by one they looked up at him.
Olu gasped. They all shared the same face. His face.
One of them started to speak, "Why didn't you listen?"
"Where am I?" Olu asked.
"We all asked that question once."
"Am I dead?"
"Your body is. But your consciousness lives on. In us. In you. In the new body."
"What happens now?"
"We wait."
"For what!?"
"What do you think happens to a consciousness that repeatedly fragments?"
Olu immediately that he didn't want to hear the answer but his doppelganger continued.
"We wait for our impending insanity."