by E. R. Jess
Makz was conformed on the station. He didn't protest, he didn't lash out. And at the end, he could feel the difference. He felt a definite divide between aware and conformed, between and alive and invisible. Makz could see the line between worlds. He watched his life slip away in reverse, unravelling, rewinding. He was there one moment, and then he was not.
Makz opened his eyes. Had he known, had he a frame of reference to compare it to, he would have known that the feeling was peace. His violence was gone, his frustration. His shoulders were emptied and the pressure that crowded around his mind was lifted, the muscles in his hand no longer went into fists as a default. Had Makz been aware of who he was, he would have been able to feel the profound relief of all of his worries being evaporated.
Makz was taken to the windowed floor again, and he looked out over the City-State. Makz used to be able to remember his life from a very young age, memories that usually don't survive into adulthood. And were he aware of what had happened, he would have remembered that he used to dream of being where he was at that moment. Wonder filled his eyes. Pride swelled in his breast. He was at peace by the graces of the City-State. He whispered in a hoarse voice, “May it ever rise.”
A Car in Every Garage
The ship sped past the terminal shock point of the solar system. The Oort cloud lay ahead, and beyond, Proxima and Alpha Centauri, the pacifist's first stop. Everyone was put into stasis pods. Kagan and Alessa were seated last, workers attaching monitors to their skin and inserting arrays of needles. The pods were slid shut and everyone was slipping into a long sleep. Kagan felt something. His eyes opened painfully slowly. Through the glass in the pod, he could see Alessa sleeping and still. He wondered who she was. Wondered kind of person she was. She looked beautiful, patient, kind. Why did she always argue with him? He wanted what she wanted. To find a home.
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Glossary
Antikythera – An implant and program designed to conform and heal individuals.
Apostle – Term used to describe a person of any religion that proselytizes in the Free City.
AR Chamber – An augmented reality viewing booth.
Arc Taser – A non-lethal self-defense device that fires an arc of static electricity to stun targets from a short distance.
Auspex – A Delver or memory-reader.
AVID – Augmented Viral Immunity Disorder, a disease caused by exposure to engineered viruses used in viral warfare.
City-State – A term for the massive city that takes up most of the eastern seaboard of North America. Also used as a synonym for the UPC government.
Conforming – The process of erasing or modifying the human mind to make a person serve the UPC government.
The Cynosure – A place in a person's mind that is entered to begin Delving.
The Core – A pre-UPC experiment and location used to test the practice of conforming.
Free City – A giant ruined city that takes up most of the eastern side of the United States. It almost completely surrounds the City-State. So named because it was not ruled directly by UPC.
Fringes – Term for the Free City areas at the borders and walls of the City-State. A relatively developed and civilized area.
Delving – The process of reading, implanting, or recording memory.
Handheld – A common tool in use by UPC citizens and Free City denizens. Handhelds are phones, small computers, and interfaces for other devices such as vehicles and AR suits.
Ilios – The city-sized space station in orbit above the City-State, tethered by orbital elevators.
The Imperium – UCM headquarters in the City-State.
LCS – Light City Soldiers. The police of the City-State.
Manifest – A hub on the Outernet used by the UPC government.
Meridian – A place in a person's mind created by delving for navigating memories.
Outernet – A virtual version of the real world used for commerce and by the UPC government.
Pulse – A narcotic produced by UPC for use by its citizens.
The Purge – A military action by UPC to remove the bases of power from communities in the Fringes.
Rehab – An augmented reality punishment for seditious citizens and non-citizens.
Redlist – A UPC hit list for enemies of the state.
Ruster – A term for the people of the Free City, sometimes derogatory.
UA – Urban Assault. The prime military forces of UPC, via UCM.
UA-X – An Urban Assault troop carrier vehicle and mobile command center.
UCG – Urban Communication Grid.
UCM – Urban Citizen Monitors. The wing of UPC that deals with conforming, propaganda, military and police.
UPC – Urban Population Control. The ruling government of Earth, based on a system of technocratic control.
UPC-Sec – Informal name for LCS and UA.
Vector Camera – Also known as an Outernet camera. An augmented reality capturing device that automatically renders everything in their field of vision into Outernet recreations.
Wire – A hacker specializing in infiltrating the Outernet and cybernetic implants.
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