“I now have the honor of inviting up here one of the world's most memorable aviators. The first man to land on planet Jupiter, ladies and gentlemen… let’s have a round of applause for astronaut David Stone!”
The crowd cheered.
“I would also like to invite a person who, all his life, wanted to become an astronaut like David Stone. He sent out countless forms and applications, but was denied for health issues. He’s here today to fulfill that dream. Minds is going to fly him to Jupiter. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Kevin Douglas, who came a long way to be here from a small town out on the prairie. Kevin, come on! Come and land on Jupiter with the legendary David Stone!”
The two climbed together to the stage, smiling, the senior David and young Kevin. The one who had lived the dream, and the other who had only dreamed. On the giant screen, the ‘Replay Jupiter Landing’ option was selected, in Memory Sharing mode. In seconds, the two, who were sitting across from each other, were on the screen, floating in space and wearing full-pressure suits.
They were moving their hands and legs in a way that got laughs from the audience, and stars played in the gaps between them. It was obvious that Kevin felt like he was really out there in space. In their minds they were flying to that planet, and they never stopped smiling and exclaiming their wonder. David was overjoyed and kept saying, “I don't believe it, this is how it was, exactly like that!” he described his impressions and was moved to tears. “There, I'm walking on Jupiter, dear friends, incredible, incredible... I'm even feeling the air pressure drop... I'm flying...” he said, and actually cried.
The audience was clapping like crazy. Some people cried themselves, moved by the occasion, while others were just speechless. The world held its breath, refusing to believe the fullness of experience could be transported into the mind, that you did not have to be there - to be there. Reality was in the mind. They appeared to be floating in space, feeling fluctuations in the oxygen flow, seeing stars, touching Jupiter. David wrote a piece of history, again.
For the first time ever, Man could go anywhere he wanted. The mind was the limit. Nothing could compare to that moment.
Only in his most private conversations did Solly dare to admit that, on that day, he had actually synthesized the greatest addiction known to mankind - self-love and an infatuation with achievement.
In the next act, he called two blind people to the stage. Max and Leonard, both born blind, were led by Solly to sit facing each other on the stage. The lights came down, the only remaining light focusing on the two. They, too, were fitted with the Ghost chip and lenses. Despite being blind, they were about to see whatever their thoughts gave rise to. They were added to the ‘Picnic’ reality template - a warm, sunny day, birds, trees, and the two blind men dressed like flower children and dancing among many others in a huge city park. Their thoughts were grabbed and transmitted at once into the selected reality. They felt warmth all over their bodies, saw the sunlight, felt the brush of breeze on their faces. They were suddenly seeing a world they had never known, and started dancing in their chairs and waving their hands in the air. For the first time in their lives, they felt free from the limitations of vision.
The audience wept with them.
Shortly after they left the stage, as if some lacrimal glands were left still untapped, Solly called two invalids to the stage – a woman named Cindy and a man named Bill – both of whom had their lives drastically altered by dreadful accidents.
They were now about to take part in a brain-Olympic running competition, lined up and in every way equal to the other runners in the heat.
In the end, the crowd was left in no doubt. The demonstration of Minds was declared a spectacular success. An announcement specified the locations where component implant stations would soon open, and promised joining users a thorough tutorial session on all Minds functions. Many such stations were being prepared for the residents of every city, and personal invitations to come and have the implant carried out by an expert were to be sent on every media. You could either show up, or bow out.
A mere physical existence did not count for much in the new world.
***
Don tried hard to steady his breathing. He was thrilled by the possibility of reliving memories. He couldn't believe he'd be able to have the same sensations he had in the days when his manhood was still operable. He would no longer have to feel cut off from the world. He could now reconnect to his cock through his brain, and feel conquest, victory, gushing lust and release. He could go back to every girl he ever had and revisit every act to his heart's content.
***
After the launch, there were two kinds of reactions: praise and bashing. One way or another, everyone had a strong opinion. Most people celebrated the obvious advantages: the many opportunities, and the countless possible enriching experiences; the bridging of thought and reality; the promise of maximum efficiency and pleasure.
Stream designers and idea promoters posted a mountain of commentary and dissected Minds from every conceivable angle. They said it would alter the structure of human thought, that we were witnessing the rise of an empire, and that we would be able to live any way we wanted to, living our whole lives and seeing the world without ever having to leave home.
There were also some who opposed Minds, and their words echoed far and wide. Among them were Solly's parents. The adoptive parents of Solly Grey speak against their son, one headline read, with the sub headline: Solly Grey: a white on black success story.
“A force of mind corruption,” his parents publicly called the network. “A permanent loss of privacy and surrendering of liberties to a financial corporation.” They became recognized as prophets of rage for the slogans they spread: Be warned, thoughts will kill you… The Devil's Network, and argued that a virtual disaster was fast coming. They said that when you give too much power to one organization, it is bound to work in its own self-interest, and they were not alone. They recognized the danger that came with giving commercial entities control over minds. You could see how it begins, they said, but not how it will end – allowing a foreign element to invade so many minds will lead to a catastrophe. The opponents took their opposition to every media outlet, and spoke of the future harm the network would bring.
The thoughtmissions that went back and forth between Solly Grey and his parents, Alice and Marley, would eventually be leaked to the network, after many users swelled the membership.
“How can you speak against me like that? I don't get it,” Solly thoughtmitted to his parents.
“But this is what we always believed in,” his father thoughtmitted back.
“I'm coming out with the most important thing I ever did in my life, and you're already trashing it? You're unbelievable!”
“You know us. Believe it. This diabolical network will be the end of us! And that includes you,” his mother thoughtmitted.
“Why can't you see anything positive about this?” Solly thoughtmitted, hurt.
“Solly, we love you, but we're not going to change the way we see things. The way we see it, you crossed a line.”
“There are no lines on Minds!” he concluded and went back to petting Pandy. The cat seemed excited, and for Solly that was enough.
The supporters of the network, who didn't want to see their fantasy ruined, called opponents insane, paranoid, and conservatives who were lost in the past. Most of them believed that Solly's parents were on a personal vendetta against their son, and paid no heed to their prophecies. As far as they were concerned, the world was progressing toward enlightenment. The advanced media shone a light on everything, and there was no place to hide or conspire. The world had known too much suffering from past wars.
One Minds supporter who sang the network's praises far and wide was the successful author Robin Nice, who took advantage of the situation for another dose of self-promotion. He put his efforts into a careful phrasing of his position. For the network, it was the best possible outcome: such an opinion leader, t
he most celebrated author of his time, was endorsing the new technology.
“Imagine all the love that will flow through us,” he composed a statement to all his admirers while an attendant owl scratched his back with tiny claws. “In a world where everything comes to life with a thought, we will be as close to each other as possible. We will be able to love without boundaries, to share our innermost thoughts. We'll be as one.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Be patient, show compassion to this progress, give the flow a chance… give this world that was dreamed up for you a chance. I see here a great opportunity to think with you and about you.”
He read the enthusiastic comments written by his fans, turning his head from side to side, taking pleasure in the buzz of echoes around him and feeling more important, existent, and present than ever before.
***
On the official day of the Minds launch, people of all ages lined up at the entrances to service stations. The long lines stretched all the way to the black and white, orca-shaped shrubbery. All along the lines, stewards handed out new scents that were also launched by the network, as well as health bars, and special cocktails in fin-shaped glasses that were a great crowd pleaser. Orca butterflies that were developed especially for the event fluttered in the air.
People came alone, in groups, couples, families – all with a spark of passion in their eyes. Those who completed the process returned straight home or to their offices, each knowing that something in their lives had changed. They needed to belong, and were proud to be part of something. Distribution and training were carried out throughout the day in several locations in every city and every state. All the stations were M shaped. Minds employees showed up in uniform: white company suits, black gloves, and a wide-collared trench coat embroidered with the Minds logo – the two facing orcas. They all wore tall, black boots.
“We have to board this vogue train,” senior fashion editor Grace Frances thoughtmitted to all her team while trying on white trench coats. “This powerful look has become a must for all ages. I've never seen such a thing. I'm seeing this style on all the runways. We have to come up with a Minds influenced production. This trend is here to stay.”
Like her, many other fashion leaders also adopted the new statement. A high fin inspired hairstyle became the all-important touch to every woman's ensemble. The style for men was brushed to the side, also in the shape of a fin. Skin had taken on extremely pale tones in a look that emphasized eyebrows and smoky eyes with eyeliner stretching upwards from their angles. Station queues became fashion happenings in their own right. Fashionistas rushed to declare the trend an instant classic and posted musings about black and white being ‘the new black and white.’
Don looked at his own black gloves with satisfaction. He was in high spirits today. He woke up early, wore the nice, white suit his father bought him, and his gloves. He was so thrilled that gloves had become fashion statements; they hid the mark of Cain on his finger, and also symbolized something more that went beyond aesthetics – belonging to the network. Anyone who looked at him saw another person in the pleased crowd.
Walking in a white suit beside his father made Don happier than he imagined he would be. He felt clean, fresh… pure. As they walked toward the service center closest to their home, a parliament of small owls with big black eyes and soft belly plumages flew by. The neopets were part of a cosmetics campaign.
“Look how many people came for this!” Kenny was impressed.
“I don't know about you, but I'm really excited,” Don said and looked to the horizon where the line began. When he reached the other end of this line, his life would finally begin again. He couldn't wait for the moment when he would be able to visit his women in their ‘life events’ memories, if they only let him. It was a nice function for tracking his victims: to be their mind reader without them knowing it was him, if he was to go by a different name.
“The line doesn't look like it's getting shorter. Maybe we should go and come back another day?” his father said.
“I'm not going anywhere. But I don't mind coming with you again later if you'd like. I have to stay here. Until the end.”
Kenny left. Slowly, the bent shape of the old man faded. Don followed him with his eyes until he disappeared beyond a curve in the road.
Since the day Don first heard about Minds, he had acquired himself a new identity. He wanted a ‘clean’ start, without his past haunting him. From now on, his name would be Jack White. He had to start over again and leave his criminal past behind; it was naive to think that anyone would give him a second chance with the name Don Little. He did not want his victims to connect him with the person who abused them.
He asked his father for help, and the father talked to a friend – who remained unknown to Don – about hacking the network database and deleting any biographical data that might incriminate his son. And so he was to be reborn as Jack White, a wealthy businessman, and not the former rapist who lived off unemployment benefits.
The line continued, and Don suddenly heard a voice from behind. “Do you realize? Our lives are going to change forever!” the lively girl was talking to him.
“Yes, I realize that,” he said, barely smiling, and turned to look ahead. Her presence stressed him.
“Hi, I'm Sunshine. Pleased to meet you!”
“Sunshine? You're not a natural blond. Unfortunately.”
“So what? Can't I shine?” she asked with a huge smile.
Don made an effort to smile back, but that conversation alone made him think about quitting the line and coming back another day. He smiled and looked about uncomfortably.
“I can travel the world with my friends, join them on their trips. It's going to be so much fun!”
“Yes, I'm also looking forward to that,” he answered. “Joining my friends on adventures.”
“Do you have a lot of friends? Sorry for asking, but you look like a man of the world. A successful type. I'm sure all the girls fancy you.”
“Yes, I'm a businessman. I travel all over the place. And about the girls, I can't complain.”
“I knew you were a chick magnet. Me, I can hardly get a date in this fucked up world. You can't find men who believe in relationships these days.”
Don felt satisfied with what he had just said. The lie. He enjoyed the good impression he had made. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was somebody, a man of the world, all powerful.
“Then I'll be having much more fun than you will,” Sunshine said with confidence. “I'm planning to hound my friends day and night, to live through them. I'm sick of my own sorry life. I might sound obsessive, but I'm not really. Maybe a little. You want to be friends on the net?”
“Sure,” he said without looking at her. “I like them obsessive. A little.”
***
When Don Little's turn came to get his Zled lenses and the Ghost implant, he could not be more excited. The air was chilly, but a rush of adrenaline kept him warm. He walked slowly through the sterile white corridor toward the big room, where a hive of Minds workers moved vigorously. He watched them, spellbound.
The walls projected Minds promotion clips. Highlights of Solly Grey's speech were played, and slogans extracted from it followed in quick succession. Every corner of the room had a three-dimensional projection of sculptured orcas. Dynamic info arrows projected in midair directed visitors to their various destinations: chip implant, lens fitting, and training rooms.
Don carefully advanced. To them, he was just another number. One more brain. Another identity. To him, they were saviors, his redemption. Network employees were polite, kind, and efficient. It was a world of transition. The in-between.
“Are you ready to receive your Ghost implant?” said the excited technician.
“Sure, yeah, I'm ready!” said Don. “Is it dangerous? I mean, is it possible to have an unsafe implant, to damage something in the brain? I don't know much about these things and I'm a little bit anxious...”
“A legiti
mate question,” answered the technician. “We’re very careful. We're all skilled, and the implant will not injure you. Of course, you have to sign here first. Routine procedure.”
They gave him a standard electronic form to sign. Don had to confirm that in cases of infection, or brain damage, he would not be able to press charges against Minds. He was also asked to volunteer DNA samples, a routine procedure every user had to go through to boost the network's health application, or so he was told.
Don went through the whole thing on autopilot. He did not even consider being left out - even though he clearly had faith in the process, he would still be grateful even if it all went wrong. In any case, it could not get much worse for him than his current spectral state. He was going to be an active person again, and not the bum he had been since his release. The network even provided exercise, with a Minds-Pod installed in every user's home. With this device, you could run a marathon, or climb imaginary stairs that grew out from a floor tile.
The operation was expedient. Don sat in the padded white chair, raised his head and let the man take a DNA sample from his mouth and inject the tiny component. The target area for the implant was desensitized and he felt no pain. The insertion of his new life took no longer than fifteen minutes from sedation to connection. He felt a tingling sensation, as if an ant colony had erupted in his brain.
“You're as good as new,” the technician said. “How do you feel?”
“I'm okay...” Don said and palpated his head. “Do I get the lenses now, and then I can go online?”
“In three minutes more or less, yes. Let the system boot with your details. You'll receive basic training in the next room. Wait for the next hour, on the hour, and come in with everyone else.”
Netopia: A Thrilling Dystopian Novel (Science Fiction & Action) Page 18