The New World

1. The Entity

The overwhelming sound waves make the water ripple. Then it’s gone, and it’s silent at the shore again. I look up at the night stars and see the cargo shuttle head for the sky. There goes another one, off to the New World. It’s a dream come true, isn’t it? We’ve finally climbed the highest mountain. But what do we do with when we are on top? I get off my rock from were I was staring at the city. Back on the platform I’m feeling cold, lifeless and numb. Just like the buildings I pass. Industrial buildings - with no life - just machines. It’s dark and silent, but I can hear the ongoing whispering of traffic in the distance and the grinding of the machines in the buildings. When was the last time I felt joy? I can’t even remember, they took it all away from me. From the moment I was born, born in the machine. As I walk trough these streets of industrial prowess, I see what I have become, a machine. But not of circuits and steel, but of flesh and blood. Stripped from all that made me human. A slave... Jeez, what the hell am I thinking? I pass trough the security perimeter. A computerized voice says its standard line: “Logging out, Matthew Fowles, AI/Cyborg Supervisor 8:00 AM – 22:00 PM. All progress has been logged, endorphin production enabled ,Genesis Incorporated wishes you an pleasant day.”

Well, that was another long day, and now that my brain is fully functional again, I should be able to feel better now. I walk up to my car in the parking lot, two suits pass me on the way. I could not help overhearing there discussion:
“I don’t think that will happen, the workforces on the colonies are efficient enough.”
“But that’s not what I’m trying to tell, there have been more and more cases of depression amongst outer colony personnel and their have even been reports of suicides. It does something to people, living and working their entire lives underground.”
“Well, then we need to condition them more! You must understand, sacrifices need to be made, if we are to continue this endeavor. Earth’s resources are dwindling, and within a few years, we have to expand, exponentially. Also there is enormous pressure from The Order, they need more ships.”

Like oxygen the cars passed by on the huge traffic artery. I keep my eye on the road, so that I don’t lose track of where I am going. It’s easy to end up in the wrong lane on a six lane highway. I don’t have to worry about accidents, knowing that The Entity is tracking the exact movement of my car and regulating traffic. Tall buildings paint the scenery, reaching for the stars. There is a fire on one of them, and several police craft are hovering around it. The highway goes straight trough downtown, and the first holographic advertisements present there selves; New cars, musical performances, beauty products, sex-enhancing neuro-implants, you name it. It seems like everybody is replacing there intelligence-implants with sex-implants. My car stops at a crossing, waiting to be cleared. A screen that is mounted next to the crossing plays one of its looped videos; fighter craft flying in formation, smiling technicians on a flight deck, a carrier ship that eclipses the sun. A warm but strong voice-over: “Join The Order Fleet, and be part of The New World. There are opportunities for everyone, to serve and protect all that we have accomplished throughout the years…” My car has been cleared, heading left, straight to the suburbs. A friend of mine lost two friends who where in the fleet fighting for The Order, they came home in a body bag. But worst of it all, they didn’t know what they where fighting, but they did know what they were fighting for, or they think they did… None of that seems to matter in these peaceful suburbs, my car had left the highway and was now moving trough streets of nice houses. I pull my car over where I live, right up a hill. The automated garage-doors grant me inside. A short walk takes me to my living room, feeling tired. Splashes of water on my face, cleansing me from the sweat.

Back to my couch potato life, from my living room I can see the entire city. It’s Saturday night, everybody’s going out on the town. Maybe I’ll head downtown to, it’s better than sitting here all the time with no one around. I picked up the phone, selected a name on the touch-screen and it dialed. “Hey Kimberly, how are you doing? I heard you were a bit down lately.”
“Hey, Matt, nice of you to call. Yes I am, but there is not really much you can do about it.”
“Why not? What’s going on?”
“I’ve been doing an awful lot of thinking lately, it’s just… ” she hesitated “I can’t really talk about it. With everything that’s happened, feels like my life is changing. I really don’t know how to describe it.”
“Sounds serious enough.”
“It is, but I’ll figure it out.”
“You do that, if you wanna talk, you know where to find me.”
“That’s sweet.”
“So, are you doing anything tonight?”
“Yes, I’m going to John, I really love him, he is the most loving, caring person I ever met. He is always there for me.”
Those words did something to me, I don’t what, but it felt like I’m being left out of the loop. And I don’t know why, but a tear rolled over my cheek. I really love Kimberly, she is one of my best friends. I’m beginning to think of her as a sister. Maybe I want to love her just as John does. And care for her, but now it seems I am second place. Just another friend, and definitely no brother. Maybe I need to find someone where for I am first place, above everything else.
“You still there Matt?”
“Yes I am, well, have fun.”
“So what are your plans?”
“Think I’ll go downtown or something.”
“Well, I gotta go now. Pick up is here. See you.”
“Ok, I’ll see ya.”

A click, and she was gone. It seemed like layered and soulless non-emotional communication. Like she is so close, but so far away. That’s because of the giant information network, where mine and her words pass trough as nothing more than strings of zero’s and ones. The chaotic travel of data seems to put a wall between me and her. The words loose meaning, her voice is scrambled. I can’t look in her eyes, I can’t touch her. And we talk, about life’s most serious issues, it helps talking about that, that’s why I consider her my sister. But when I talk to her trough this giant entity, it feels I am being calloused. It is so unreal, what is to say that I am not really talking to her? That maybe she is dead? Maybe it went like this: I came home, and a friend called me that Kimberly died in a plane crash, and I was so in shock that my neurotag-chip sent out a signal of an immense emotional trauma, and that The Entity, programmed to maintain all life, made me forget that she died and simulated that I was talking to her, so that I wouldn’t commit suicide.

It’s a strange sensation, having my life run by a quantumcomputer. It’s called The Entity, it’s an AI that maintains every aspect of our society. This “Entity” ties into everything and everyone, because when someone is born, they get a neurotag-chip. That contains someone’s profile, bank accounts and also processes the person’s thoughts. The neurotag-chip connects everyone to The Entity. The neurotag-chip can aid in later stages in the learning process of a child. The Entity “uploads” relevant information to the child’s brain for the child’s development. Everyone’s unique neuro-tag signature is picked up by the satellites in orbit, so everyone can be tracked and traced. The Entity core computers are deep underground on the Antarctica continent. No one goes there, except for The Order’s troops. But no one really seems to know how deep it has assimilated in our society. Or have we been assimilated into The Entity? There have been no reports of cases that The Entity decided to alter someone’s thought patterns, but how can we be sure? When everyone is controlled by it, is it not possible that everyone believes what The Entity tells them to? But it is for the good of humanity, The Entity is programmed by The Order to maintain all life. Treatments for depressions, illnesses, mental disorders are all very easy by the means of neuroscience. Neurosciences, cybernetics and digimortality are booming new sciences. There is no more crime, as potential violent and aggressive people are simply being treated when they are still children. A lack of learning ability, or a low IQ, can simply be enhanced by cyber implants that replace parts of the brains. I have no implants, I was born with an excellent set of brains. Of course I have a neurotag-chip. The connection to The Entity is lost when you leave Earth. People found it a strange sensation. They said it’s like they are suddenly alone, and that the comfort of the security of The Entity is gone. Like there is no one anymore watching over them. People feel safe, being on Earth, and be connected to The Entity…



To be continued...