In story number 5, FaynixxAD on twitter is a little too curious testing some new technology, that ends up giving him a far more thorough demonstration than he was prepared for.

5. Visor

Every year the technology expo came into town it managed to outdo itself, stepping further into the future with awe-inspiring arrays of impressive gadgets. Fay was a regular attendee, always fascinated by how far the latest innovations had come in the space of a year and made a point of scouring every booth at the event. One such booth that drew the leopard’s eye was a relatively humble looking set up for a company called Inducta A.R. The cubicle looked like a small, open fronted shop with a blind to be pulled down across the entrance; for closing, one could assume. A single wooden table sat in the middle of the booth with a pair of white, metallic looking glasses out on display that Fay eyed curiously.

“Interested in augmented reality, are ya?” boomed the deep voiced representative. A polar bear stepped forward in a dress shirt and tie, looking like a run of the mill salesman with the same sleazy smile to boot, and a nametag reading ‘Connor’ in his own handwriting.
“I am!” beamed Fay in response. “But what makes yours stand out from the rest these days?” The polar bear’s initial response was a chuckle as he beckoned Fay over to the table. “A mind blowing experience of simplicity and efficiency,” Connor began. “We’re all about streamlining your life; you won’t believe how much quicker you can get your tasks done with this thing on.” Fay pondered, looking over the glasses more closely now. The single lens was attached to a thin headband that would wrap around someone’s forehead quite securely without being by certain species’ ears.
“Interesting; but how do you achieve that?”
“It makes you see the world how you need to see it; it’d be impossible for you to ignore something that’s crucially important.” As the bear kept prattling, Fay scratched his head in uncertainty.

“How about a demo?” Connor offered. The leopard’s ears perked up, now he was interested. Connor was already picking up the glasses and pressing a few buttons on the side. “Try it on and tell me what you think,” he offered. Fay slipped the contraption onto his head carefully, and after an initial calibration was captivated by the user interface flashing to life before his very eyes. The world was covered in the faintest blue tint that wasn’t horribly distracting; moreover he was amazed how the glasses managed to recognise and highlight each object that his eyes focussed on.

He noticed Connor reaching up to pull the blinds down over the stall, turning to see the feline staring at him inquisitively. “They work better in the dark, trust me,” he said. Before Fay could question him, he noticed everything becoming more clearly illuminated by that subtle blue tint to the visor. But there was a faint rippling effect in the background that was barely noticeable now. “Uhh, I think there’s something up with the display,” said Fay. Connor cocked his head, looking unsurprised. “Really? Tell me what you see.” The pulsing of translucent blue was becoming more apparent by the second, rhythmic oscillations of blue and white rising and shrinking back into the centre of the screen. Fay squinted to focus on the pattern; it almost seemed intentional as opposed to a technical glitch. “It’s uhh… pulsing circles?” the leopard struggled. His thoughts were a little slow; unsure what he was looking at or how to describe it. Words were failing him. Maybe if he just focussed on the pattern...

The waves of rippling blue began to make him sway off balance, like dizziness but without the nausea; Fay felt like he was becoming more weightless with each pulse on the display. “Wh-what’s happening?” he stammered. There was a deep chuckle from…somewhere. Oh yeah, Connor was here. “It sounds like it’s working as intended to me.” Fay turned to see the polar bear inches from him now; the glasses had illuminated him in a soft white glow behind the pulsing. The clerk seemed more imposing now, more…important. With unsteady hands Fay reached up to try and remove the headgear, finding weak purchase on the metallic band as he tried to push it off. “Override,” spoke Connor. Suddenly the pulsing quickened with a brief flash of brilliant white. It was overwhelming; Fay had no time to react as the harsh light smothered his senses and turned his thoughts into pure white static. His hands felt limp by his sides and Fay’s already shaky balance crumbled as he collapsed to his knees, staring blankly into the pulsing visor. Somewhere in the back of Fay’s mind, his subconscious was trying to thrash and scream its way back into consciousness; but it was no use. His body wouldn’t respond, and each vivid ripple on the screen washed the defenceless leopard’s thoughts further away.

“See? I told you it was working as intended,” Connor said, patting his client’s head. Fay could do little but drool into his own lap, still completely enthralled by the screen’s rippling blue pattern. His previous sense of self had become so quiet; it was hard to remember what was there anymore. There was just a blank slate of a person kneeling in that booth, needing to be told what to do, what he was. Connor reached down to grab Fay’s hand and drag the leopard back to his feet without a shred of resistance. “Let’s get you into uniform shall we? I think the Boss will be happy with my new recruit.”
“Yes, sir,” uttered Fay, void of emotion.
“Simplicity and efficiency,” Connor chuckled, before showing his new colleague to the backroom. A few minutes later the polar bear returned with a box labelled ‘Inducta A.R. Visor – use with caution’. Reaching in, Connor pulled out a shiny new pair of the glasses and set them on the table before opening the blinds to the booth once more. A few minutes passed before an inquisitive blue wolf approached, looking over the displayed headwear.
“Interested in augmented reality, are ya?” asked Connor.