MIND+

Arvish sat in his small office room, surrounded by the dim light of a table lamp. The sound of keyboard clacking echoed through the space as he worked on shipment analysis for a research center named Vita.

He was in his late twenties, just a normal looking guy, but at the moment, boredom was written all over his face.

Just then, a call came through on his monitor. He could see the caller ID read "Boss.".

"Mr. Smith, you are behind on your scheduled task again," the boss stated firmly. "You can't leave until you finish it all."

"Sorry, I will finish it all," Arvish replied, trying to hide the frustration in his voice.

"And there will be no payment for the overtime," the boss added before abruptly ending the call.

Arvish felt a knot form in his stomach as the room went silent. He leaned back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh. "I hate this job," he muttered to himself.

Just as Arvish was lost in his thoughts, another call came through on his monitor. It was his boss again.

"What did you say, Mr. Smith?" the boss asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

Arvish looked up and saw the camera, in the corner of the room, fixed on him. He straightened up in his seat, trying to hide his emotions from the watchful lens.

"Nothing, boss," Arvish replied, his tone neutral.

"I have scheduled an appointment for you with our company's psychiatrist at 9 o'clock tomorrow," the boss continued. "Now get back to work."

Arvish slumped forward in his chair, hiding his face from the camera's view. Anger filled his eyes as he thought to himself, 'I really do hate my life.'

****

The year is 2049. Eferdom City was a sprawling, linear metropolis that was touted as the new heaven for people. But for Arvish, it felt more like a prison. As he walked through the narrow and long streets of the city, he couldn't help but feel suffocated by the close quarters that the government claimed were necessary for easier transportation and low carbon transition.

But there was no choice. The agricultural culture and manual labor that once thrived in the countryside were now done by robots, and the only way to find work was to come to the city.

Arvish wandered through the busy city streets, surrounded by a sea of people who all seemed to be lost in their own worlds. Despite the hustle and bustle of the city, there was a palpable emptiness in the air. Everyone was absorbed in their phones, hurrying towards their destinations with a blank expression on their faces.

A vivid billboard advertising the latest technology caught Arvish's eye. It was a brain chip named MIND+ with the slogan "Let your mind never be bored. Experience true freedom!" The billboard stood out in stark contrast to the monotony of the unified gray cityscape.

The MIND+ came out a week ago, but it's already a big hit, especially with the youth. They always keen on new technology. Everywhere you go, there is an advertisement for it.

Arvish walked in the crowd with the same expression as everyone else, feeling just as lost and alone as the people around him.

Eventually, Arvish found himself at the side of a long line that was forming outside a store that was selling the brain chip. Excited chatter filled the air as people eagerly awaited their chance to purchase the technology and experience the freedom it promised.

In front of the store as an advertisement, a beautiful holographic woman appeared, beckoning people to get the chip because they deserved more freedom.

Arvish tried to push his way through the crowd, trying to find a way to the other side of the line.

"Excuse me," Arvish said as he tried to squeeze past a fat woman with blue hair who was standing in his way.

"Hey, no cutting in line!" the woman yelled, grabbing Arvish by the arm and throwing him to the curb.

Arvish landed hard on the pavement, his heart racing with anger and frustration. He quickly got up and, with a sense of shame, walked around the line to the other side.

As he walked, Arvish couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with the city and its people. Despite the promise of true freedom, everyone still seemed lost and unfulfilled. He wondered if the brain chip would truly bring the happiness and fulfillment that it promised, or if it was just another trick that would keep people trapped in their own minds.

****

Arvish arrived at Café á la cyborg, a futuristic establishment where everything was run by machinery and there were no human employees.

He approached his friend Rick, who was standing outside the café. Rick was well-dressed, with a great haircut, and in his late twenties. He was wealthy and Arvish's only friend. At the moment, Rick's eyes had extremely dilated pupils. It was the only visible sign that someone was using the MIND+ at the moment.

"Sorry for being late," Arvish said. "That f*cking job sucks all the life out of me."

Rick turned to him, and his pupils returned to normal. "No problem, I caught up on the news in the meantime. But it's not just your job that's the issue. All jobs are like that."

Arvish nodded in agreement as they sat down at a table outside the store. The table was equipped with a screen in the middle.

"So, what do you want?" Rick asked.

"Oh no, this time I'm paying," Arvish replied.

They used the screen to order their drinks. The screen displayed the amount due and instructed them to touch their ID chips for payment. Arvish held his wrist over the screen, revealing a small scar where his ID chip had been implanted at birth. The ID chip was a requirement for everyone and acted as an official document, bank card, and more.

"But wait, how did you catch up on the news?" Arvish asked.

Rick pulled his hair aside to reveal a small blue circle shining on his head.

"You know it," Rick winked. "A very easy and safe process. After you buy it, you go to the hospital for installation. It only takes a couple of minutes."

A couple of days before, Rick walked out of the brain chip store with a smile on his face, holding the MIND+ in his hand. He was eager to have the chip installed in his brain, a process that was both easy and safe according to the salesperson.

At the hospital, Rick was prepped for the procedure. A scanner was passed over his head, then a surgical robotic arm started the process by making a small incision in the shape of a circle on his skull. The surgery took only a matter of minutes, and when it was finished, a mechanical arm reached into the opening in Rick's head and attached the chip.

Arvish raised an eyebrow. "It's not cheap."

On the table, two holes opened, and their beverages were raised up.

"My job paid for it. They say it's a life-changer. You don't need a phone anymore, because with MIND+, you can use the internet with your mind. You can't lose it, and it doesn't need recharging. It just frees you up," Rick said excitedly..

"I don't know about that. It feels wrong that they have a connection to your brain too," Arvish said skeptically.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're always so pessimistic. What could go wrong?"

Just then, they both turned their heads at the sound of a disturbance coming from an alleyway. A group of gangster-type guys were harassing a woman, and despite her cries for help, no one was stepping in to assist.

"F*cking lowlifes," Rick muttered, as Arvish turned his head away, trying to ignore the situation.

"What can you do about it? You'll just get into trouble," Arvish said, trying to reason with his friend.

"We should at least call the police," Rick said, fuming.

Just as he said that, two policemen arrived in an electric car and one on a motorbike with sirens blaring.

"Good, somebody already called them," Rick said, relieved.

The officers were dressed in blue carbon fiber uniforms, with a screen on their chest displaying their badges. The officer on the motorbike led the way as they approached Arvish and Rick.

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?" The lead officer asked.

"A bunch of thugs just dragged a woman in the alley. Maybe members of the One-hand Gang. I didn't get a good look at them." Rick pointed in the direction of the alley, but there was nothing to be seen now.

"That's not our jurisdiction." The officer replied coolly.

Rick was taken aback. "What? Don't you protect and serve?"

The other two officers exchanged smiles, before the lead officer spoke again. "We had an alarm of disturbance from your brain chip, Mr. Rick Matthews."

Rick was confused, but he continued, "Yeah, it's about what I told you. A group of lowlifes harassed a woman and-"

"We had an alarm for racism. By yourself." The lead officer interrupted.

Rick's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"Mr. Matthews, you are being arrested for a hate crime that your brain chip recorded." The lead officer informed him as the other two officers stepped forward to cuff him.

Rick was in shock, but he quickly tried to shake the officers off him. "Don't mess with me. When did it become a crime to think?"

The lead officer sighed, "Just now. We can't have people running around with criminal thoughts in their heads. It's pre-criminal activity law."

In the busy street, Rick stood surrounded by the police officers, who were trying to put him in their car. Despite their efforts, Rick wouldn't budge, causing one of the officers to punch him in the stomach.

"You f*cking racist. Your kind is the worst," the officer sneered.

"Back then we had freedom of speech, now we don't even have freedom of thoughts! And you guys okay with this?" Rick exclaimed, turning to the onlookers who were recording the scene on their phones.

"You guys all okay to live like this?" he continued, his voice filled with frustration and anger.

The police officers managed to close the car door on Rick.

"Good job boys. Let's go," the lead officer said before the other officer turned to him. "Sir, what about the other one?"

The lead officer's pupils dilated extremely as he sized up Arvish, who was standing there, stunned and shocked by what had just happened to his friend.

"Arvish Smith. Why don't you have a MIND+?"

The officer's question hung in the air, and Arvish didn't know what to say. He stammered, "I-"

The lead officer grimaced, "You one of them crazy conspiracy theorists, huh?"

The other officers hadn't had MIND+ so the lead officer grabbed his badge and used it as a tablet. They looked at the nearby CCTV footage and zoomed in on Arvish's face. "He made a strange face when the incident happened… You are a lucky man, Arvish, because it is your first misdemeanor."

The lead officer continued, "You have a week to install a MIND+ device. By court order, or you will be detained."

As the police walked back to their vehicles, Arvish called out, "Hey, wait. What about my friend? Where will I find him?"

The lead officer turned back to Arvish, "Believe me, where he's going, you don't want to visit. So keep yourself out of trouble, and don't end up there like your friend."

As the police officers entered their vehicle, Rick managed to open one of the car windows. One of the officers tried to pull him back inside, but Rick shouted out to Arvish, "You were right, Arvish. Don't get the chip!"

The police officer, growing increasingly frustrated with Rick's resistance, punched him in the face and successfully pulled him back into the car. The door window closed with a thud.

The police vehicles then drove off, leaving Arvish standing in the middle of the street, devastated and shocked. He gazed after the departing police cars, struggling to process what had just happened.

****

In a vast dark room, surrounded by stone walls, sat a group of masked individuals around a stone table. The centerpiece of the table was a device that projected a holographic globe. This was the headquarters of a secret organization, one that held immense power and influence.

At the head of the table was an old man, Nikodem, whose appearance was more akin to a skeleton. Even with his mask on, that looked like a torn crown, he struck fear in the hearts of those in the room. He cleared his throat and spoke in a gruff voice, "How much is our coverage around the globe?"

Eve, a beautiful woman with long hair and a striking figure, wore a mask that looked like a tree bark, replied, "It's around 28 percent."

At this, the other masked individuals began to murmur among themselves. Greggor a bald man in an expensive suit, with a demon mask, spoke up, "How the hell could that be? Our analyst projections were 45 percent by this time."

Eve responded, "It's because of the pre-criminal activity law. We've lost people's trust with it."

Brian, a young man dressed in fashionable designer clothes, wore a mirror type mask, interjected, "But it's for their own benefit. If no one leads them, there would be chaos."

Eve retorted, "They view it as an attack on their rights."

Greggor sneered, "Rights... don't make me laugh."

Nikodem cleared his throat once again, bringing silence to the room. "Solutions?" he asked, but received no response. "Anybody?"

Greggor raised his hand, but the leader shot him a glance of disappointment, causing the man to quickly lower his arm. Greggor suggested, "What if we made it free? People love free stuff."

Nikodem shook his head, "If we make it free, it would look more suspicious. Any other suggestions?"

Eve offered, "I can only see a solution where we recall the new law, at least until coverage reaches nearly 100 percent."

Nikodem replied, "That would make us look weak. We would lose more of our reputation with it."

The room fell into silence once again. The leader sighed and stood up, walking around the table like the reaper circling a person who approaches death.

"Every negative can be turned into a positive," he began. "We need to make this law look good. For God's sake, we control the news. We give out articles and broadcast how our pre-criminal activity law stopped terrorists, mass murderers, and serial killers before they could do what they planned."

"Its brilliant. That should give us their trust again." Greggor burst out.

Nikodem put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. He winced.

"I am not finished." said Nikodem, then he resumed walking toward his chair.

"Simultaneously, we make our enemies look bad. People who say our brain chip is against their human rights are currently trusted more than us. So, we make them look like conspiracy theorists who want to bring chaos. We locate them and the police will raid their homes. We plant weapons, drugs, and child pornography at their homes. The small fish will have their ID chip cut off, leaving them with no work, healthcare, transportation, or money."

Nikodem sat back down in his chair and continued.

"Nobody will want to be associated with bad people, and that's how we trick them into installing our MIND+ willingly. We already control the whole world, but now we will even control what they can think about everything!"

The other members erupted into applause and cheers. However, amidst the commotion, Nikodem remained composed, his expression hidden behind a mask. He watched as the others cheered and clapped, a small smile formed on his lips as he basked in the adulation.