1 Chapter 1: Utopia derailed.
Two hundred and seventy six steps..
That is the amount of steps we are permitted to take a day. Once our doors are unlocked, our masters grace us with the privilege to roam the city.
Emerald city, our home. Created by the wonderful genius of our masters.
Buildings comprised of flawless glass and polished steel that reached the skyline.
A digital net surrounding the city like a massive dome, protecting us from the sun's dangerous rays. It also absorbs it and converts it into power for the city and it's endless inhabitants.
A glowing green tower that spirals up, reaching up to the clouds along with many other buildings. The glowing tower endlessly fired a green light into the sky like a beacon of hope.
A place for the ingenious minds of the masters. Their home, where they watch over us and protect us.
Down on the street level, together we walk, following the flashing arrows on the concrete plates that littered at the foot of the massive corporate buildings.
All citizens wear the exact same clothes from eachother. Bright green and black overalls is the attire we are designated to wear in this specific city.
Along with the mark of the citizen, a mouthpiece that protected us from eachother.
See, us citizens are dangerous to eachother, therefore we are instructed to restrain from all forms of physical contact.
The mask created by our masters protect us from exchanging bodily fluids through our disgusting mouths.
Wrapping around our lower face and jaw, was indeed a sophisticated device.
A handy tool for discerning who is a defect and who is a safe citizen.
If the mouthpiece light is green, you're a safe and loyal citizen.
If the mouthpiece light turns yellow, you're a possible threat that needs to be carefully tested and surveyed.
If the light turns red, your a registered defect that needs to be reconditioned immediately.
This place is nothing short of a paradise.
We don't need to work.
We don't need to think.
We don't even need to worry about the future.
We just.. exist..
We simply continue down the path lit up for us and continue to do so in perpetuity.
We are a sea of flawless polished heads walk two meters apart from eachother.
The city had no roads for vehicles, only sidewalks.
Vehicles became too dangerous for us to operate. Thus were banned, to protect us.
Only our masters disciples are allowed to use personal transport.
Overhead as I speak, are hovering cars whisking through the clouds.
These are ofcourse the disciples of the masters, who are superior than us useless citizens.
Us citizens can never become a disciple of the masters..
But that's okay..
Years pass like days through our eyes.
Which is fantastic. The sooner we die, the sooner we get reconditioned.
Interestingly enough, something happened at this very moment as we walked our cycle.
A citizen was walking AGAINST the arrows!
Citizens are supposed to remain within the designated lanes appropriate to their direction given to them.
He appeared to be in a trance, we assumed him to be defective.
Thankfully the masters detected his defect and began to recondition it on the spot.
Reconditioning is where the mask communicates with the nanomachines in our bodies. Which then siphons the nutrients from the body of the wearer as they still drew breath. These nutrients, along with genetic material are used in the creation of a new citizen that will eventually take it's place.
Reconditioning is a magnificent sight to behold.. In fact, citizens see it as beautiful as a newborn entering the world.
*Shhhuuuck*
As the man shriveled like a dried up prune before us, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless. We all felt overwhelming jubilation as the defect was swiftly dealt with by our glorious masters.
It was understandable, citizens who disobey the rules set by our masters, are obviously defective.
We envisioned the vast sea of newborns being monitored by cutting edge technology. Manipulating the genetic structure to adjust and refine these defects into the perfect citizen.
A warehouse filled from wall-to-wall with transparent shells containing fresh newborns. Many warehouses with thousands of fetuses being processed on high tech assembly lines.
Beautiful..
This citizen finds it to be an exceptionally wonderful creation built by our masters.
We all continued our route, stepping over the shriveled up defect who fell lifeless soon after the red light finished blinking on his mouthpiece.
Who cares about it anyway?
It's defective after all..
We continued our way back to our assigned building complex's, ending our designated walk cycles with precise accuracy.
Upon returning to my assigned dwelling, a 4×4 foot room with a lone chair filling the space awaited me.
The only amount of space I need.
Here I face a featureless wall, waiting for a visual display to appear before my very eyes.
When a citizen enters their quarters, we wait for our masters to filter information into our citizen chip.
An update to the hardware embedded into our skulls.
Advanced organic hardware which is implanted into us since birth.
The masters send us notifications of what events take place on a daily basis. They also share future aspirations with us on how they intend on advancing our majestic society.
The words that enter our thoughts are soothing and calming as they always lull me to sleep everyday.
I spend the rest of the day in this room, along with the rest of my fellow citizens.
We can't exactly leave anyway.
Why would we want to leave anyway? We have everything we need.
The virtual space that's provided to us is like entering a dream.
A dream where our masters speak to us as we fall into unconsciousness..
They truly do love us..
It doesn't last long, but it fills our minds with an intense sensation of euphoria. After what seems like a few brief moments, the next day emerges and we continue the cycle.
All us citizens continue this routine until we the day we are reconditioned.
That is our purpose as citizens who serve our masters.
Day in and day out.
Everyday is the same.
Paradise..
I'm such a good and loyal citizen who diligently follows her masters orders.
I wear this incredibly thin and fragile body, as a badge of honor.
The less I consume, the more pleased my masters become.
Food is administered daily through a nutrient puck within the ironclad mouthpiece.
It dispenses small doses on a daily basis and is replaced weeky.
A set amount is distributed depending on individual physique and body types.
Our masters are so gracious and thoughtful!
To think they go through so much trouble for us!
I am happy.. I am.. so happy..
<BLEEEP BLEEEP>
The unspeakable just occurred to this citizen as I did my daily walk.
My mark of the citizen light just flickered yellow.. It was visible to me since the nose piece lights up between my very eyes along with a soft bleep sound.
Immediate anxiety overwhelmed me my heart..
Which then followed up with fear..
Green citizens shot wide and fearful eyes in my direction.
I was at the center of their gazes.. I could feel their eyes like razor blades running up and down my spine..
No..
Our protectors approached this one and used their vocals to order me to go with them to be inspected.
Protectors: loyal warriors who served masters, clad in thick armor with assault rifles held in their hands.
They often stood in the streets like statues, waiting to act when the moment arrives.
Obviously they are doing so to protect us from unexpected defects that lurk within us citizens..
They also had microchips in their brains which enhanced their tactical faculties, along with keeping them under complete control by the masters.
I'm envious of them.. What an honor it must be to serve the masters.
As they got close, I lowered my head in submission.
Laying eye contact with our protectors is strictly against the rules.
We never even learned how to embrace anothers guise since birth, along with the ability of speech..
Us citizens are not permitted to speak.. ever..
We are permitted only to listen and obey the masters and their obedient protectors.
It's not like we could talk through the steel mask anyways..
Finding myself in a featureless white room, a protector sat across from me.
A cold and polished steel table sat between us with a plastic sheet betwixt.
He graced me with his vibrating stern words.
"Citizen number, A38462HDF-R007."
That's my name. A38 for short. R007 is my reconditioned stratus. That means I'm a 7th generation reconditioned citizen.
"In the light of your recent error, you have been reassigned to a separate sector."
"!!"
It felt like my heart was about to explode. I never thought that I would ever be an alert citizen. After such loyalty, I thought I was born to stay a perfect green citizen..
Emerald city is as the name suggests, the city of perfect green citizens.
Meaning; citizens who have been perfected with zero flaws in thier tainted human DNA.
Since I'm no longer perfect, our masters are reassigning me to a lesser sector..
What did I do wrong? I did exactly what the masters wanted.. Does that mean I'm.. flawed?
NO!-NO!-NO! That can't be true!
I was practically trembling in fear. I couldn't accept being a flawed citizen with corrupt DNA.
But.. I must accept it.. It is the masters will after all..
Hours later..
I was then guided along with a few other citizens to a smooth and glossy train that's tracks spanned across the expanse of a vast forest.
Follow the arrows..
Two meter distance away from eachother.
22, 23, 24 steps..
Avoid eye contact with everyone..
Most importantly, don't touch anything..
This is what our minds are like as we slowly entered the windowless train.
Remembering what we were conditioned to do since childhood..
The train was completely automated with a voice giving us directions and reassurance of our situation.
Eyes down, never raise your head.. Wait for the display on the floor to tell me what to do..
The ride was smooth and silent as it swiftly traveled the rails for many hours.
"Within four more hours, we will reach our destination. Have a fantastic day and may the masters praise you all!"
The voice was soft and gentle, filling our sullen hearts with glee.
Even after what happened to me, I was still looking forward to serving the masters.
It may've been a hiccup in this one's existence, but I am still faithful that my masters who have my best interests in mind.
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Beyond the rails stood a small band of men. Clad in rough and tattered clothes, One of which readied himself and took aim at the fast moving train heading towards them.
A long neck rifle with a fat end, so big it almost resembled a cannon.
Pointing at the bullet train with this weapon, a rough voice spoke as it peered through the scope.
"Hehe! Eyes on the prize!"
"What kind of transport is it?" The tall man in a long tattered coat remarked.
"Who cares, let's derail the motherfucker!"
"Wait!" Exclaimed the tall man as he noticed something about the smooth featureless train. "That's a citizen transport! Recks, hold your fire!"
The rough voice sneered, disregarding his words as he pulled the trigger.
*BOOOOM!*
The shot was like a lightning bolt striking earth as a shockwave rippled from his firing position. The blast completely ruptured the rails where the train was making it's way towards.
"Warning! Warning! Malfunction with rails ahead, impact imminent!"
The calm voice resounded as the citizens remained in a dormant state as the lights within the confined space flashed red.
The thoughts through their heads must've been exuberance instead of fear.
Death in their minds, is glorious and fantastic. After all, that means they get to be reconditioned and perfected even further.
Thank you, Masters!
*SNAP!*
The train popped off the rails and launched onto it's side.
Some of the passengers were violently thrashed within the train, like insects in a can that tumbled down a hillside.
It's slide eventually halted to a stop.
Cigarette smoke veiled around the tall man who gripped a metal framed longbow.
He made his way towards his subordinate who fired the shot at the rails earlier.
*WHACK!*
He delivered a punch to the back of the rough man's head.
"You moron! That wasn't a cargo train! You could tell by the lack of defenses along with the overall size, so why did you needlessly fire!?"
"Thinning the heard." He replied with a smug expression as he rubbed the punch mark on the back of his head.
The man with a metal longbow sighed with annoyance. "Now we're gonna have to cut our losses and leave this area before the Orwell's arrive."
"Hold on!" The voice of a rather young adult said as he approached the train.
"There may be some engine parts we can scavenge from this train. We might as well make the most of it, right?"
"Optimistic as always, Bandit." The bowman replied. "Fine, but don't take too long and only gather what we can carry."
The young adult rushed towards the front of the train and popped the hatch. He quickly removed parts that he saw a use of and stuffed it in his backpack. His hands were quick and thorough as he did what he does best.
A voice crackled out of a radio that was strapped to his side.
"What happened? We heard a shot fire, are we good to approach, Hunter?"
The bowman raised the small radio to his face and grumbled unpleasantly.
"Negative, Recks just got trigger-happy again.."
"Ah, okay.. Maybe it's high-time we exclude him from our raiding parties, huh?.."
"Exactly what I was thinking.." The bowman said as he peered in Recks' direction. He could sense his eyes burning a hole through the back of his head as turned away, hearing the conversation about him.
He then glanced within the wrecked metal train cars at the citizens who died from the crash. Their bodies shriveled up upon their deaths as the masks worked their unholy magic.
Disgust entered Recks' voice as he openly exclaimed. "I'll never get used to seeing that shit.."
Hunter overheard his remark and responded aptly as he thrashed him against the tipped railcar.
*THUD!*
"You caused this! if you don't like it so much, then don't do shit like this!" He angrily snarled.
Recks spun around with his long and disheveled brown hair wiping back. He glared back with vivid amber eyes at the bowman who returned a scathing expression in kind.
With blonde long hair, slight streaks of grey littering his sideburns, he peered back with sapphire eyes.
His relatively aged and scarred face scrunched up in disgruntlement as he opened his mouth to speak at the acrid individual.
"This is your last raid, Recks. You can't keep doing this shit! Everytime you do this, you put our lives in jeopardy!"
"There they go again~.." exclaimed the young man as a heated argument took place between them in the background. He continued to pull the parts free with deft hands scattering about like a rodent.
"Hm!?" The young man suddenly fell backwards with his eyes filled with panic.
"Gah!?"
The two bickering men quickly reacted to Bandit's wailing by aiming their weapons in the young man's direction.
A frail and thin girl with a smooth bald head crawled on the ground before Bandit.
Hanging from her mouth was a shattered metal plate with sparks sizzling within.
Empty eyes observed the odd beings that watched with shock as she crawled out from under the wreckage.
Cuts and bruises littered her small and feeble body as she struggled to her feet, slowly analyzing her surroundings with a stale expression.
"What are they?" She thought. "Their faces.. strange.."
Recks sneered in disgust and disbelief. "So, One managed to survive, huh? Welp, time to add to the body count!"
Quickly raising his rifle, he trained his sights on the woman who continued to vacantly stare off into space.
The bowman forcibly shoved Recks aside, preventing him from firing a shot.
"The fuck!? Hunter, why are you stopping me!?"
"You've done enough!" Shouted the bowman.
He looked back at the woman who held zero expression on her face. It was as if a robot was analyzing their actions as she slowly tilted her head left and right.
Hunter approached her as she immediately jumped back, clumsily falling on to her rear whilst looking away from his overwhelmingly expressive face.
"Idiot." Recks remarked. "Their kind are terrified of physical contact! They don't even know how to speak! they're not at all like us!"
Hunter already knew this, but he regardless took a close look at the mouthpiece on the ground that fell off her face.
"Bandit.. What did Geek say about the mouthpiece these citizens wear?"
"A lot of stuff!" He quickly replied with enthusiasm. "They detect the health status of the citizens with small tubes that travel down their throat. Oh, and apparently it's also used to track the citizen's location with pinpoint accuracy. Apparently the devices exchanged fairly often for unknown reasons."
Hunter quietly watched the husk blankly stare off into space.
"Okay, I say we take her with us." Hunter exclaimed as both of his compatriots resounded with shock.
Recks quickly snapped with arrogance.
"Wait, what!? Are you insane!? What could we possibly gain by taking this useless girl with us!? Scratch that - this THING isn't even a human anymore!"
Hunter calmly huffed as he puffed a cloud of smoke from his cigarette.
"Just hear me out before you go ape-shit. I believe this girl is an ex-green citizen."
"How do you know that?" Recks sneered.
Hunter picked up the broken mouthpiece and twisted it to the backside.
"Because, I also remember what Geek said about these things."
He turned the mouthpiece to the back. "Ex-green citizens don't have locks on their mouthpieces. Furthermore, those railcar tracks came from the direction of Emerald city. And ofcourse the most obvious is her green jumpsuit.
Mild astonishment graced their faces.
"That means.."
"Yup, this is an emerald city citizen, a resident of the central united mainframe. The home of the Vast Conciousness.."
The Vast Conciousness: Nobody truly knows who or what they are. It is said that they are the one's pulling the strings of what is known as the 'great reset'. The vast conciousness is also referred to the secret online network they utilize throughout the planet.
The year is currently 2071..
Fifty years this world and it's inhabitants have lived in this way. What took place before that was a precursor to the events that unfolded into what it is now.
Bandit became enthralled with astonishment glistening in his eyes. The thought of finally learning something about the Vast Conciousness filled his heart with curiosity.
Whereas Recks didn't care in the slightest. "So what? it's not like she'll share any vital details about her masters. She's nothing more than a pawn, nothing more, nothing less."
"It's not just that." Hunter exclaimed. "Maybe we'll learn how their minds work. We never had an opportunity to capture one alive before. Not to mention Ex-green citizens don't have additional tracking devices implanted within their bodies. Unlike the early generation of citizens.."
"What about the nanomachines? Can't they track her with that?" Bandit asked.
"Even if they are, who cares? They already know where we live and they see us as insignificant insects, anyways."
"Goddamnit! Do what you want!" Recks snarled bitterly under his breath as he shouldered his long neck rifle, thudding his back against the downed railcar.
Hunter reached out towards the scrawny girl who retreated with terror entering her eyes.
During this whole experience, she didn't realize up until now that her mouthpiece was missing as she felt the breeze kiss her lips.
Her eyes vibrated as she covered her mouth, screaming in her head. "My mark! It's gone! No!-no!-no!-no!"
Her eyes bulged as if they were gonna pop out of her sockets. It was as if her world was crumbling around her as she entered a catatonic state.
Her mouth quivered endlessly as if she was reciting an incantation.
Hunter huffed a deep breath as he looked down at this pathetic creature who crumbled before him. He recognized the look of fear that entered her face.
A look of fear that reminded him of the past.
Voices called out to him within the confines of his mind, causing him to reel slightly.
The citizen curled up into a fetal position, tucking her head into her lap.
However no tears fell, only terror is what remained.. As intended by her masters..
Hunter gathered himself and shouted at the frail woman in a rather assertive manner.
"Listen, citizen! Your coming with us, whether you like it or not!"
The woman continued trembling in fear as his words fell. She clearly wasn't used to such aggressive behavior directed at her. Hunter huffed bitterly as he grabbed her and rested her skinny body on his shoulder.
He became somewhat saddened to realize that she seemingly weighs roughly 50 pounds..
She feebly struggled to escape with no avail as everyone abandoned the crash site, rushing into the vast sea of tall redwood trees.
The citizen tried to struggle with every ounce of her strength. However she was clearly outclassed in strength and stamina compared to the savage barbarian gripping her.
She didn't understand what was even happening right now. Concepts of resistance and disobedience was something that wasn't a part of her being up until now.
All she knew is that these people aren't registered citizens, therefore they are enemies of the masters!
The group rushed through the woods, gaining as much distance from the crash site as possible.
The woods became dark from the dense foliage netting the treetops. Hunter's breaths became laboured from hauling the girl for such a long trek.
"Ya gonna drop that dead weight, Hunter?" Asked Recks with amusement in his voice. "That bitch is nothing but a nuisance! I don't know what you're intentions are, but it's a goddamn waste of time!"
Hunter readjusted his grip onto the girl on his shoulder. "You would like that, wouldn't you?"
Recks narrowed his eyebrows. "Are you doing this to get back at me for earlier? If so, fine, you win! Just drop the useless bitch so we can get on with our lives."
There was something else that bothered Hunter, beyond the petty squabbles with his companion. Deep down, something within his heart told him to not abandon what is important to him.
Humanity..
He still saw humanity within the hollow being he rested on his shoulder.
Perhaps he wished to rediscover a peice of himself he lost. The scars of his past were etched deep within his soul, the flames of ambition were diminished long ago.
Hope seemed ancient to him, dreams were distant and unrealistic.
Now he stands, a shell of the man he used to be.
Maybe that's why..
"Hunter!? Do you copy?" Crackled the voice within the walkie talkie on Hunter's waist.
Hunter lifted the walkie talkie to his cheek.
"Copy, Fisher. We're making our way back now, over."
"Okay, our vehicles warmed up and ready to roll, so don't take too long getting here, over."
Hunter pocketed his walkie and placed the thin girl onto her feet. She lowered her head, looking at her feet with a blank expression on her face.
Recks and Bandit looked on as Hunter tried to communicate the frail woman.
"Listen Citizen, follow us or be left to die alone in this forest. Without your mark, you will not be gifted with reconditioning, this is now your one and only life."
As his words fell, the women's eyes widened with terror and realization. What Hunter said resonated within her empty heart.
She couldn't comprehend what exactly will happen to her at this point. To not be under the command of the masters, is like a ant without it's queen. Thus, life is completely meaningless now..
She seared a glare at her feet, waiting for guidance from her masters.
Hunter observed her blank expression as she kept her eyes lowered.
A brief moment passed until Bandit stepped forward. "It's no use.." He said with a downcast voice. "Citizen's cannot even take a step without being guided by arrows at their feet. It's just how they've been taught since birth, Geek says it's practically ingrained in their DNA."
Recks stood nearby, shaking his head the whole way.
"Ha.. we're wasting our time! If she can't walk on her own, then just leave her!"
"Recks, shut up!" Hunter shouted as he followed up with a deep bellow. "You have no right to talk after what you did.."
As the citizen stood like a statue, Hunter grabbed her and continued to carry her up to a clearing.
*Screech!*
Ripping the grass was a monstrous vehicle with camouflage netting draped over the top.
Rolling to a stop nearby, a few men rushed out of the jeep with automatic weapons in hand. They made their way towards Hunter and the others in an almost gracefully coordinated formation.
They wore heavy camo gear with thick helmets atop their heads.
As they approached, Hunter stepped forward with the woman draped on his shoulder.
"We're taking this girl to Geek to be studied, she's an ex-green citizen."
"!!" The soldiers were unanimously stunned upon hearing this.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" One soldier said. "What if her masters come looking for her?"
Hunter shrugged with a confident expression.
"Why would they waste their time, fuel and money going after one citizen? They already know where we are and they see us as no threat at this point."
As they loaded into the cargo jeep, the citizen was looked over for any other tracking devices. Glancing at the barcode on her neck, Hunter spoke with a disheartened sigh.
"Number, A38462HDF-R007.. They're putting barcodes on people now.."
"People?" Recks huffed in annoyance. "That's your problem, Hunter.. You still believe that this thing is a person."
He relaxed in the seat and crossed his leg over his lap.
"The human race died a long time ago. We're only the leftovers of an ancient culture. A soon to be extinct culture, snuffed out by the puppeteers who now own this world."
Recks scowled, gritting his teeth at the vacant girl who continued to look down at her feet.
"And those who killed our culture, is the foolish human race itself.."
The engine fired up and roared into the sunset, eventually cutting into the blanket of night.
Hours of bitter silence took place as the ride continued.
Bleak silence, only their thoughts raced in their minds.
What do to next?
What will the future hold?
Will we survive?
A simple and primitive thought process that existed since the beginning of humanity's journey.
The only one who didn't share these thoughts, was the citizen.
Only fear echoed in her mind.
Nothing rational, just chaos.
The fear of pathogens.
The fear of no masters guiding her feet.
The things that kept her heart beating up until now is lost.
And all that remains.. is fear..
