FlashGo: Breakfast in Paris

In 2050, it was no longer prestige to just live in New York, San Francisco, or London. Most people picked two to three cities as their home base. 

Anne saved most of her salary for years, waiting for this day. Finally, she had enough money to get a FlashGo membership. Anne made an appointment with a Flash life coach. 

“To use our Flash network and schedule Flash hops, you must be 18 or order. Can you confirm that you meet our age requirement?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Great. And you selected France and Japan as your frequent hop countries?”

“Right.”

“No problem. Those two countries are available for US citizens to link to. No additional VISA application is required. Just complete your member profile online. They will need your passport and flashport number.”

“Okay. 

“Will you be claiming residence in Paris and Kyoto? Or just day trip passes?”

“I want to be able to spend some weekends there.”

“Okay, when you plan to stay overnight in those cities, you must submit an address before you hop. We also recommend that you turn on France and Japan for your phone.” 

“Got it.”

“After you complete your profile and pay for the membership, which is $3000 a year, schedule an appointment at any Flash stores near you. You will be trained to operate the electric FlashBot. Once you pass the flash test, you can reserve any electric FlashBot parked near you. Once you are in a FlashBot, you can go to any hop pickup stations. You can look these up online. Google maps have them now. Very easy. You will remain in your bot for the whole duration of each hop. Any questions?

“No. Sounds good.”

“Just a reminder. Book your hops early. The available seats are first-come-first-serve. Once we reach capacity for a particular path between two cities, you will not be able to flash. All booking is made online 24 hours before departure. The charge will be billed for each hop, in addition to your annual fee. If there is a housing charge, that will be billed separately. Any questions?” 

“No. Thank you.”

Even though she still had to get through filling out the profile and passing the test, Anne was already dreaming of starting her Monday by grabbing a croissant and a cup of cappuccino at Café de Flore on Saint-Germain, then seeing patients at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, then meeting friends for drinks and dinner at the hidden gem Okonomiyaki Katsu, then returning to her Back Bay apartment to read a bit, and spend the night cuddling with her cat Daisy.