Cancelled

Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy was running a live-stream question and answer sesh about his latest vid – a homemade guillotine chopping up veggies with the faces of billionaires glued on -  when the message popped up:-

Anon user:- Dude, your page just got cancelled!

Mikey-Zee considered ignoring it, anon users were always trolling him, but with cancel culture so prevalent and the risk to his streaming revenues on his mind he took the bait.

Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy:- What u mean playa?

Anon user:- The page just has a red background and all your vids are removed. A super-serious voice keeps repeating “The streamer you are viewing has been cancelled.”

Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy:- No way… lemme go check.

He refreshed his second monitor screen and switched views from his Kofee donations to his actual website. Sure enough he couldn’t get past the menu page, all the videos were disabled and the voice filled his headphones:-

“The streamer you are viewing has been cancelled.”

What could it mean? His first thought was some sort of a prank from one of his influencer buddies, hacking each other was a hobby some of them took too far at times. Maybe Zombee-Rob was getting him back for the tee shirt he wore last week with Rob’s face on, with his eyes popping out on springs. But that had been funny – this was interfering with his business. No access meant no clicks and views, and no views meant no mullah.

“The streamer you are viewing has been cancelled.”

Such an ominous phrase, it made Mikey-Zee shudder despite the heat in his condo. He turned back to his livestream cameras and realized that they had cut to black, the comments down the side on the screen all questioning what kind of a sick joke he was playing on his fans.

MZfan69:- Where’d he go? The feed just cut out!

Looney-tune$:- My guy just got his calling card from the grim reaper

Anon user:- Are you ok? You’ve gone dark-mode on us.

Mikey-Zee clicked frantically trying to fix the cameras, but the computer said their drivers were not found, and he was no IT techie, he had no idea what to do.

Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy:- Soz guys, dunno what’s going on, locked out of my system here. Gonna shut the livestream early, guess Bezos and Musk don’t like my latest vids lol. Laterz my dudes.

He turned off the computer and router and sat back in his gamer chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Suddenly his cell phone buzzed – incoming call, unknown number. He didn’t answer it – who answered unknown calls these days? Heck, he didn’t even answer calls with people he liked, except for business. Yet somehow his cellphone unlocked, and the green slide bar moved from left to right, answering the call on speakerphone.

“Streamer Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy, you have been cancelled. Please remain where you are to await processing.”

He leapt to his feet, automatically looking around half expecting to see someone standing behind him. This was way beyond a joke now. He was genuinely getting scared. He grabbed his phone and the keys to his lime green tesla and decided to get the hell out just in case. He hurried to the elevator and rode down to parking level 3. As the car moved downwards he saw a movement in the corner of the ceiling, and the camera turned to focus on his face.

“Do not attempt to flee, Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy. You have been cancelled. Please remain where you are. You are only making this more difficult for yourself.”

That voice again, echoing around the enclosed space. Mikey-Zee felt claustrophobic, afraid he was trapped and the doors would refuse to open at his floor. But with a creak and a slight bump the lift doors swept aside and released him into the glass vestibule of the parking level.

He rushed out, relieved to see his unsubtle car parked in its reserved spot by the emergency stairs. He opened the glass door, peering around it in case anyone was waiting for him, but he was completely alone. He felt like a video game character as he half crouched, half ran to his vehicle, clicking the key fob repeatedly as though afraid it wouldn’t work. But the car doors unlocked and he ducked inside, slamming the door closed and locking it as fast as he could. His hands were shaking on the steering wheel as he backed out of his space and sped towards the exit ramp. If he could just get away from the building, with its spy cameras and creepy voices, he’d be safe.

On the seat beside him his cell phone began vibrating again. Once more it answered automatically, and the familiar voice, menacingly calm and serious, began its message again:-

“Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy, you have been cancelled. It has already happened, you just haven’t accepted it yet. Please remain in your vehicle and await our agents. This is not a joke.”

Now he believed the voice completely. He wound down the window and threw his phone out, wincing as he heard it smash on the concrete ground. Phones could be traced.

 As he headed through the barrier at the exit to the garage and turned right onto his street he regretted buying such an unusual color car – he stood out among the tan and black sedans like a vibrant tree frog in the dessert. Maybe he should ditch the car and run on foot? It would help if he knew who or what he was running from. Every passerby looked suspicious, talking into their earbuds like the CIA. Every car with dark tinted windows could be hiding the mysterious agents.

He made the decision – he would drive to the subway and abandon his car and run down to the station – he could lose whoever was following him there and head – where? His sister’s place in Long Island?

He wove in and out of the slow morning traffic, aware of what an obvious target he must be, tense as though expecting an attack on all sides, but none came. He skidded to a halt at the subway station and unlocked the door… only it didn’t unlock. Tried to turn the engine off, but the key was jammed and wouldn’t turn. The brakes disengaged and the car announced “Auto-drive mode initiated”.

Now the car pulled back out into the traffic, carefully threading through the obstacles as it headed towards the freeway, Mikey-Zee powerless to stop it. Stupid! So stupid of him to think that an enemy who could infiltrate all his electronics couldn’t remotely control his smart car. He’d locked himself in his own prison and could only wait to see where the car was taking him.

The radio turned on and the same voice cut through the heavy silence of Mikey-Zee's panic.

“We could have cancelled you gently in your own apartment without suffering. We gave you ample chances to obey our commands. You have chosen your own destiny. Now all your followers will believe you self-cancelled. You will be forgotten in a week or two when more important influencers make the news. Goodbye, Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy.”

The tesla turned onto the freeway and picked up speed – 60 miles an hour, 70, then 80 with no signs of slowing. Suddenly Mikey-Zee’s seatbelt unclasped and spiraled back up into the holder. The air bags disengaged, warning lights flashed all over the console as it hit 115 miles an hour… He saw the concrete stanchion of the overpass and realized what was going to happen moments before the crumple of plastic and tearing of metal and blazing fireball.

“Mikey-Zee-4-Anarchy, you have been cancelled.”