[ WP ] All 10 billion humans in the world wear wristbands that display their rank in terms of access to global resources in real time . Yours just jumped from the middle of the pack to # 19 in a span of 10 minutes .

I watched the minutes ticking slowly by on my old grandfather clock. Idly I tapped my RankStrap ’ s faintly glowing display, sighing at the rank somewhere in the four billions. “ Another destitute birthday, ” I muttered, tearing my eyes away to look out my apartment window, rain pounding on the glass as I stared into New York ’ s moody streets. 
 
 No one in my family had ever had a rank higher then 3,678,975,109, but mine was positively dreadful in comparison. “ The family joke, ” I chuckled morosely. 
 Sierra had left me of course, when my rank slipped below 4,500,000,000. She said she could do better. It ’ s true, of course. Once she got her medical degree, her rank soared well beyond mine, into the heights of the elites. High ranking men pursued her with a fervor my sullen attitude couldn ’ t match. 
 
 The clock chimed out twelve. 
 
 “ Happy birthday to…me… ” 
 
 I trailed off as I looked at the numbers tearing down on my wrist. They started to blur as they sunk lower and lower, stopping at random intervals. 
 
 Grumbling, I tore the damn thing off my wrist, throwing it aside. “ Malfunctioning piece of trash. Bet the ones they give the elites don ’ t fuck up like this. ” 
 
 I ’ d never have one of those of course. What, being interlinked into a system that could pull up their wealth at any time, made of flashy platinum and gold. Damn elites. 
 
 I sighed and rolled over, going to sleep. 
 ******* 
 Waking up with a stretch, I grabbed the broken piece of junk and put it on my wrist. “ Nineteen…what a joke. That I ’ d be up there with CEO ’ s and politicians. ” 
 I pulled on clean jeans and a musty shirt, grabbing my jacket as I headed out the door. I didn ’ t even bother with my phone; it had been disconnected due to failure to pay the bill. Another joke, I thought, reflecting bitterly on my misfortunes in life. 
 
 I stepped into the hallway only to be blinded by the lights of a thousand cameras flashing in my eyes. 
 ******************* 
 
 I could continue this later I guess. I'm at work and the ten minutes I spent here were already too much > _ >
