He had a strong urge to climb into his Ferrari Kid 1 like he used to. But instead, he ran a simulation that lit the walls of his room. There, in the world of the game which surrounded him, he played a racing car driver who passed every other car on the road. He barreled in record speeds down the track his room turned into, fearless and without constraint. A sudden nausea came on.
Christoph stepped out into the snow. A Pallas's seal pup leisurely crawled across the plain, occasionally lifting its great big green eyes to look in Christoph's direction. Watching the gray and white fluff of soft fur ambling across the snow, Christoph's thoughts ventured far off, to a day when he would know he had finally arrived and his mark in history was made; when his goals were widely acknowledged and no one stood in his way. He trembled excited at the thought. It might have been the fierce cold penetrating his bones. Feet planted in the snow, he drew a deep frozen breath and thought of the long, slow and arduous road ahead of him. The chubby pup might get there before he did. He stared back at the snow creature, bowed his head and turned back inside.
***
Even if Fabian secretly hoped differently, the relationship between himself and Christoph remained difficult, complex and undefined. And they weren't the only ones. Nearly all the boys at the school found a release for pent up desires in each other, or by themselves.
Every once in a while, when the boys mixed with the girls of the adjacent school – as a scholastic exercise in bypassing the advanced security system which was deployed throughout the campus and activated at night – Fabian and Christoph chose to stay in their rooms. But every time they lay together, Christoph held back and did not show intimacy or tenderness.
“I know you want me,” Fabian challenged him once.
Christoph glanced at him sideways and answered, “I have you, don't I?”
Fabian smiled. “Yes, you do.”
Christoph was unpredictable, and fickle, and Fabian had to tip toe around him. His enigmatic behavior only made Fabian want him more. Every carnal conquest was a battle won, but the larger campaign over his heart was undecided. Somehow, it always ended with Fabian crying, but he still felt like he shouldn't be asking for more, or that there was nothing more to be had. Certainly not having Christoph open up to him.
***
The room was quiet and dark. But Fabian, who just came in the door, did not seem worried. He removed his jacket, his gloves and hat, folded them on a chair and stretched out on his large bed. He looked Christoph up and down, glimmering in all his naked glory. He lay next to him and they just watched each other.
“I never tell you this,” Christoph said in a low voice, trembling with excitement. “But I'm very proud of you, and I'm happy to have you with me. Even if I don't show it, you're the only one for me. The only person I'm dedicated to. Sometimes I want you so badly that I have to leave the room, or ask you to go so I can calm down. I'm not used to these feelings and it makes me uneasy, being so exposed.”
Fabian closed his eyes and let Christoph's voice draw him in before answering, “I'm proud to be with you. You know how I feel about you. You're the only man I think about. There's no one but you. You don't need to be afraid. I want you.”
“I feel the same. I love you,” Christoph said, smiling.
Fabian was thrilled to hear it, and wanted to hear it again. And again, and again. “I love you,” Christoph repeated several times while Fabian simply looked at Christoph's radiant face. He briefly tried putting his hand into Christoph's shimmering hair, and pulled back.
He grabbed his cock, rubbed fast and hard and came in seconds, just as Christoph's avatar was fading out. Fabian closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Netopia
The age of ultra-political correctness had prevailed for some time. Restrictions on all forms of expression which could be construed as malicious or controversial were written into law, for the purpose of suppressing all toxic elements. Society believed it was time to raise defenses. Total democracy proved inefficient, and a new age sought to denounce anything that could threaten the integrity of the social fabric. Every negative notion awarded its proprietor a negative mark. Life training systems were thus built to nip human evil in its bud, believing that society had the power to determine who among it should grow to blossom.
At nineteen years of age Christoph began to formulate his manifesto. During his last year at school, he moved back into his grandmother's mansion, and his schoolwork continued with a personal app designed to test the boys and train them on the last stretch before real life.
In his final paper, titled Netopia, and written as an assignment for the course ‘The Philosophy of a New Ethics: Particular Cloning in a Molecular Age,’ Christoph outlined his algorithmic race theory. The course dealt with scientific breakthroughs, discoveries that paved the road to cloning and strengthening of certain personality traits by manipulating their genes. He drew a Darwinist scenario for humanity in this new age, and established a rating system to measure new criteria of efficiency.
Christoph was not content with simply submitting the paper; he broadcast his revelation on school walls. Students were bewildered by the document flickering in their eyes and the words which echoed in their ears:
^^^
We, people of the new Cloud age, kneel before the God of Technology. We see all and know all. We are capable of everything. Only the benign algorithm is free to chart the competent and exceptional and put the rest away. Technology is a tool in our service, but because it is free from the limitations of personality, it is superior to us. It is futile to feign innocence or resist. Dear friends, sons of a despaired society, we must chart! The process is painful, it requires that we delete an essential part of ourselves, that we separate from it and grieve, but after washing away the mental filth, a new society will grow, one that is wiser, better, more efficient, and more advanced. We owe it to ourselves. It is time to let the truth out.
^^^
The world can evolve, as long as we succeed in cutting loose those who weigh it down - in other words, let go of the inferior algorithmic man who does not contribute to society. It is right and fitting that only the superior algorithmic man should remain. Discrimination based on race, religion, nationality or sexual preference has no relevance here.
The world desires equality, but a hierarchy will always exist. We shouldn't be asking if it's good or bad, but rather if it is efficient or not. We want the modern world to be operated by a standard of widely accepted codes, if we wish to keep moving forward toward a vision of utopia.
A healthy society should despise those who have pulled together to drag everyday life into an abyss, those same decrepit entities who have stunted the development of our society, pushed it down the slope and oppressed its enlightened members.
^^^
For good measure, a clear line must be drawn to keep at bay those who would stand in the way of technology and progress: the incompetent, social parasites, selfish individualists; people who don't pull their financial weight, who are unfriendly, who don't share; purists, moralists, hypocrites, misers, preachers; people without honor, manners or culture, to name but a few.
Suffering exists in those who cannot spark an efficient thought, and they should therefore be removed from positions of influence over the social discourse, and reassigned to other uses. We must relieve them of their suffering. We must evolve and grow out of the kind of compassion that can bring no prosperity. Unwarranted compassion is a human mechanism that strains our social backbone.
The superior person is the equitable person, the profitable person, the intelligent, the sharing, the conducive, the well-mannered and the cultured. The days of national-religious struggles are gone. Our day is the time for a social-economic struggle.
^^^
The web is public space, and society must adapt to a rule of algorithcracy – a regime based on algorithms – to replace democracy, dictatorship, or any other failed form of government. So far, broadly speaking, all ideologies have proved to be noncons
tructive to the individual. The new system will evaluate members of society by extrapolating absolute values from their empirical outcomes by using algorithms, and thus guide humanity toward virtue.
The higher ranked will receive gratitude and recognition in its deepest sense; they deserve absolute commemoration. Their souls will persevere and endure. They will make their mark in this world, and in the next, and so forth until the end of time. Thus, a new era of eternity will commence, bringing an end to the ephemeral state of humanity. The ‘self’ of such wise, superior souls will be preserved for the benefit of a worthy, clean and pure future. The superior algorithmic race that guided human evolution will be engraved into history. Perpetuity via online continuity. These immortals will be given eternal life.
^^^
The response to the manifesto was mixed. Some commented that it “sounds diabolical,” that it was “evil incarnate,” or wondered, “How can one conceive of disappearing people?” while others empathized and were swept up by the young man's charisma. The school swarmed in two camps: supporters of the manifesto, and its enemies. Spirits were heated in the chilly and peaceful place.
Christoph, who followed the proceedings from his grandmother's house, had full faith in the manifesto and passionately explained to all who would listen that at the meeting point between genetics and algorithmics, every person's contribution to society could be measured by an adjusted scale. After all, if a person is selfish enough to not make use of his time to bring his talents to fruition, how could society justify his existence?
“There will also be no place for excessive savings,” he said excitedly. “There’s no reason to accumulate personal wealth. These resources belong to society, and must be reinvested on a daily basis. Everything will be registered day by day on the brain log
[6] , which will record a person's mental, verbal, communal, economic and other capacities. Every person's activity will be recorded, and an autonomous system will evaluate his or her performance. The process will be indifferent to sentiment, which is good. Emotion leaves room for error and inertness. What matters is not what I feel, but what I think. What I know is more important than what I sense. Knowledge is power, and it is knowledge that will keep us moving forward.”
Christoph even designed a visual representation for his vision: an imprint of two female orca whales, face to face, at the head of the manifesto, symbolizing the need for continuity.
“We are the new blue blood,” he persuaded his friends. “Progress is the fin of our existence. We shall sink those who oppose us.”
His support was drawn mostly from the leading residents of the school, boys who were exceedingly wealthy, who came from cultured families, were well mannered, and had similar aspirations to Christoph. If the world could encompass more people like this, he thought, the possibilities are endless.
"And then what?" Fabian asked after Christoph finished laying out his program. "I mean, where will they go? The algorithmic race makes up a substantial part of this world."
"Something will have to be found for them," Christoph replied, sat back and crossed his legs.
"It's refreshing, no doubt, but how do you plan to go about proving stupidity?"
"I don't need to prove anything. The algorithm will signal out the repressive people and shine a light on them. Then they will slowly phase out of our lives. I mean, they will still exist, but not on any public sphere. Some kind of system will have to be worked out."
"But where will they be, physically?"
"It doesn't matter where they'll be. Working out the algorithm theory comes first."
***
Netopia, Christoph's final paper, awarded him a perfect score from the school's learning algorithms. But when the paper made waves outside the school, on the global web, it aroused controversy. In the end, the principal of the school had to intervene. In a rare move, fearing the reputation of the school would suffer, he exercised his authority to overrule the decision made by the school application and changed Christoph's score to a 'fail.'
Christoph was asked to submit a different paper, but refused and expressed his disdain for the less than pertinent considerations which influenced the school board. He announced his decision to quit.
The boy went out into the world angry and determined to show everyone that Netopia was attainable. He learned his lesson and decided he would no longer speak about it to other people. He believed it was only a matter of time before he was ready to lead humankind forward.
The empire his parents built was thriving, and Christoph gradually started fitting into the family corporation. When he finally took charge, he pumped young blood into the aging company and recruited friends from school who were drawn to the world of intricate toys and gadgets.
As part of their work for the company, employees were asked to study animal behavior, to better understand the characteristics of the neopets they were creating. Acting as scouts, Bubble Game employees traversed the globe to spend time with various creatures. They spent days and nights observing video footage to make sure not a single movement or gesture was being missed. The ensuing success was credited to the company's penchant for perfectionism and attention to fine detail.
In one of the harshest winters recorded in years, Christoph himself flew to the edge of the world to observe female orca whales in their natural habitat. Wearing a self-heating diving suit, he accompanied researchers who were studying a seal pup. A sudden water current pulled them, and in a matter of seconds he found himself next to the seal floating on a detached iceberg like a solitary white island. The two drifted far from the rest, and were soon encircled by three whales. Through senses numbed by the cold, Christoph managed a last sullen thought on his demise - swallowed by an orca or the frigid arctic waters.
"It's all so silly," he said aloud, wondering if he should jump in the water. The orcas acted in unison, and in a blood chilling tactical maneuver created waves that caused the iceberg to sway. That was their method of hunting prey, a method Christoph had never heard of before. He was holding on to the tip of the iceberg when the seal suddenly slipped toward the mouths of the waiting orcas. A patch of blood spread in the water.
His friends were shouting from the distance: "Christoph! Watch out! Help him! What are we doing? We have to get there..." but their shouting faded into background noise, and the spectacle he was witnessing had become a marvelous opera of nature. He did not pause long to look at the frightened black eyes of the seal. Instead, he marveled at the gigantic water creatures. For a moment, the freezing cold disappeared and Christoph felt no threat. On the contrary, he was awed by their clever cooperation. Clinging to the ice, Christoph received a first hand lesson on the ability of a smart and efficient crew to carry out an ingenious and devilish plan. And anyone who saw him in that moment, smiling the way he was, would most likely have thought him a maniac.
When his friends reached him, Christoph seemed calm, peaceful, like someone who had just experienced enlightenment. Even while he was being pulled out of the water, he kept turning to look back, as though loath to part from the aquatic creatures who still swam circles in the seal's blood, biting and tearing at the remains. A warm feeling surged from the tips of his toes all the way up to his brain, the coldest place in his body.
"You were almost torn apart!" Fabian said and hugged him.
Christoph released himself from the hug. "Did you see how cunning they were?"
"I wasn't paying attention. I was busy trying to get to you. That poor seal."
"These orcas are brilliant," Christoph continued, still fired up. He thought about Netopia and smiled.
"How can you smile?" Fabian asked.
"Easy. Look, I'm more alive than ever."
***
In the following weeks Christoph and Fabian gathered their insights and articulated them into an algorithm theory which they coded and perfected, all the while still managing the company. Even with people all around him, Christoph was still alone. Whenever asked anything personal he would wa
rd the questions off and change subject. Many tried getting close to him, but nothing came of their attempts. Christoph remained elusive, and kept his dealings pertinent and correct. He had several digital agents at his disposal, taking care of everything he needed from preparing meals and cleaning to running errands, ordering services, and even massaging.
Fabian's relationship with Christoph did not take off the way Fabian had secretly hoped. He yearned for his touch, but Christoph kept him at bay saying he was too stressed, preoccupied or nervous, and even with all his patience Fabian could not soothe him or get him to relax. He missed what they had, and mostly what they never had… what he imagined they could have had. There were so many scenarios to dream up, out of so many possibilities that never materialized. Vacations not taken, embraces avoided, shelved fucks. The wealth of Fabian's imagination served him well. What went on in his head was plentiful.
"Sometimes I'm reminded of the way we were," he said once when they were stranded in a hotel room together in the middle of a snow storm, after an orca expedition.
"Don't get nostalgic. The past is past, there's no point in looking back," Christoph answered while looking out the window. "Look ahead."
"I'm talking about us here, not the progress of technology. Sometimes I feel like you're not really there and that your head is somewhere else, a world I'm not allowed in. Some place that's only yours."
"You're a romantic. Who has time to miss anything? We have important plans to take care of. Years from now you'll realize the way you're carrying on now is meaningless. What I'm doing, I'm doing for us."
"Sometimes you amaze me," Fabian responded.
"Why is that? Because I'm efficient?"
Netopia: A Thrilling Dystopian Novel (Science Fiction & Action) Page 6