Post-Traumatic Tech Disorder

“2020 Visions” was a story idea I came up with while doing a bunch of psychic and paranormal research for another story. Like its title hints, it deals with hindsight…

In the future, police investigations benefit from the use of a new technology that allows them to download the sensory information from a person’s short term memory. Detectives can then experience everything a witness hears, sees, feels, smells, or tastes throughout the length of that individual’s short term memory. But one detective finds himself addicted to this sensory immersion. The rest of his life unravels, so he throws himself into his work. But one day while on the trail of a murderer, his world gets turned inside-out when his sole witness is an insane woman that can only see the future.

Research required: dynamics between sensory and short term memory; psychological disorder an “always on” precog could be misdiagnosed as having; other science and tech advances for the year 2020; legal ramifications of downloading a willing witness’ sensory memories

Every now and then, I like to read through the section of my journal I call my “thought bucket.” The thought bucket is where I write up story ideas I come up with. I usually start out the day jotting down a story idea or two… as kind of a cleansing ritual to clear those thoughts out of my mind and allow me to focus on the projects I’m currently working on. I’ve been doing this for nearly three years now, and I realized I had over 200 story ideas in there (that I’m not currently working on). Even if I crank out four novels/screenplays/graphic novels a year, it would take me over 50 years to get through the current list (and if I keep jotting down ideas, I’d have another 3000 story ideas collected in that time).

So, I thought I’d share some of my crazy ideas every now-and-then… kind of a look into my brain (it’s a scary place… I know ’cause I peeked one time). So, let’s look at an idea I had a couple years ago (actually came up with the idea on my way home from work and wrote it down the next morning). I tentatively titled this concept, “Taco Assassins.”

Various costumed food mascots, waving the crowds into restaurants around the world, turn out to be a secret society of trained killers.

Taco by day, one man deals with the onslaught of the fast food experience–impatient customers, bratty children, and steaming inside his costume as the sun beats down on him all day long. It’s almost enough to make a man feel like killing someone. And now, he gets his chance. While filling in at another store, our hero gets pulled into this secret society of fast food garbed assassins when they mistake him for the regular employee of this store. He could just walk away now, but there are two important things making him take a shot at this whole assassin thing… he’s afraid of pissing off a group of assassins, and the money is good. Now, he must kill or be killed… and get back to work before the lunchtime rush ends.