01 Chapter 1
Wendall & Larissa
Year: 499 SC (~2843 CE)
Wendall (Dall) was pulled out of his sleep to the alarm’s gradual crescendo. He struggled to peel himself from the mattress, which had molded its comforting shape to his body. “I’m up, I’m up,” he mumbled, and the chiming stopped. His vision cleared to the rectangular room, barely twice the size of his bed. The lighting slowly brightened in sync with his torpid emergence from slumber. The walls’ gradients changed from black to a light gray.
A notification appeared, floating in the air before his eyes. He signaled it over to the wall in front of him. It was from his friend, Fai:
Last night was fun, hope you got some sleep. Good luck today!
Smiling, Dall rose to his feet and walked over to the wall on the left. Tapping the small circle etched on the wall made a section slide aside to reveal his wardrobe. He took out his uniform and quickly got dressed as his mind replayed the previous night.
They had an incredible time. Drinking and dancing to the ImmerSound of their favorite band. They were his childhood clique: Toby, Otho, and Fai. Fai… He could still feel her teeth digging into his earlobe teasingly as they danced. The outing was to celebrate Dall’s twenty-first birthday. As it happened, it was also the night before they each started their respective school year.
Shaking off the reverie, Dall checked his physical status. Despite the copious amounts of alcohol consumed last night, the stats in front of his eyes showed his body was recovering well. The wardrobe slid shut, its surface transforming into a mirror. Despite the fatigue showing through the shadows circling his blue-gray eyes, Dall felt satisfied by his appearance and exited the room.
His mom was already awake, watching the news on the large wall in the living room. “Oh, good, you’re up. I was just about to signal your room to wake you,” she said over her shoulder and continued watching the cast. Dall went to the kitchen, grabbed a cup, placing it inside the cavity in the wall. He signaled the unit for a strong coffee.
Cup in hand, Dall returned to his mom sitting on the light-colored sofa, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze with his free hand. She palmed his hand in return. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Yeah, it was great. we saw the Capsaicins. They were brilliant, as always.”
“Excellent.”
At the pause in their conversation, the news broadcast audio became louder and the anchor, a pretty, young woman with short blond hair, began recapping the latest events:
“…This is Capital Morning News. Thank you for joining us. First, the top story: our CSF correspondent is reporting that the body of renowned scientist Funn Shexian had been found at his home on Keshi. Circumstances of his death are still being investigated and therefore have yet to be shared with the Media. So far, the only detail released is that time of death was determined to be late last night, local time. As far as we know, foul play hasn’t been confirmed, but it hasn’t been ruled out. Shexian was one of the leading SI scientists in the past several decades. His books and research are often regarded as seminal in his field.
This tragedy follows last week’s upsetting report of a man found dead right here on Akoya, at a crime scene located very close to CSF headquarters. Egregious Crimes division captain Jian Hammond posted on his public feed a post confirming that the victim, Anders Vance, a junior comms technician, was murdered. A rare act of violence these days. Captain Hammond added that no suspects have been identified as of yet.
In other stories, the construction of the newest Cloud: Cassis, is falling behind schedule. The most optimistic projections for completion are set for a year from now. A BASE Company spokesperson has announced expected delays of at least twelve more weeks, citing low raw materials mining yields in recent quarters as the main cause.
Next, BASE Officials reported that the gas leak near the commercial port of the Capital has been quickly fixed, and traffic has returned to normal.
In sports news, the local Hardball team, The Divers, suffered a surprising loss last night on an away game, playing Keshi’s Swarmers. The season’s rematch will take place at home in two weeks’ time, and I for one expect a strong comeback. The weather forecast, as always, pleasant the whole day through. That’s all for now. Follow these stories and more on the Fabric feeds. From all of us at CMN, have a wonderful day.”
“Light! That was depressing,” his mom said, switching off the wall panel. “Did you know this scientist?”
“Not personally no, but I certainly knew of him, and his work was very important for what I do,” she answered and got up to refill her coffee cup. Taking a good look at her son. “Don’t you look dashing. Your father would have been so proud. Perhaps those curls could use a little trimming, though. Excited for your first day?” Dall shrugged, “I guess. It’s my fourth-year, mom. The last of basic training. I’ll be more excited when I start Specialized next year.”
Under the dark straight hair tied in a high ponytail, and amidst the slender face and high cheekbones, his mother’s light-brown eyes revealed tiredness and worry, despite being sharp as ever. “You look tired, mom. Everything alright?” he asked. “Yes, yes. Just busy at work, as usual.” She replied. “You should take some time off and rest,” he suggested. “And do what? I’d be bored after a few hours,” she said smiling. “Thank you for suggesting. I’m fine, really. Oh! We need to find a day soon to do something for your birthday. Maybe catch a movie? I saw the new Settlers sequel is already playing.”
“Sure mom, we can go this Restday.”
“That’s a date!” she said, the smile reaching her eyes this time.
“Right. I have to go now, you’re all set for today?” his mother asked. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Good luck, and I’ll see you in a few days.” She came over and stood on her toes to reach his cheek for a kiss goodbye. “Thanks, mom. See you soon.”
Not entirely convinced by his mom’s reassurance, but unsure why, Dall turned to go himself. His luggage case was packed and waiting by the door. In the kitchen, he signaled the dispenser for his usual morning savory bar. It popped out warm after a couple of seconds.
Chewing on the tasty bar, Dall brooded over his mother’s mention of his father. The “great captain” whose ship was lost in deep space with its entire crew – fifteen years ago. Pushing aside those unsettling thoughts, he mentally shook himself and headed for the door, signaled the luggage to lead, and stepped out. The door locked behind him with a lock confirmation flashing before his eyes.
Larissa walked out, a mix of pride and worry regarding her son swirling in her mind. She followed her usual route, heading toward the closest Circuit Tram line station. In the mornings it was light on commuters, which was one of the reasons Larissa preferred it to the much faster sub-level hyper-flume train.
The apartment Larissa shared with her son was on the southwest section on Akoya’s top level. She exited the smaller, quiet street and onto a broader one, bustling with people either walking hurriedly or entering and exiting the stores and cafés on each side of the street. The day’s lighting was at full strength and bathed everything around her in a warm yellowish light.
Upon reaching Messier Ave., lined with harbored Amurs and Paperbark maples, Larissa’s thoughts drifted back to the morning newscast. The news of Funn Shexian’s untimely death, and the police's vague statement, had sparked a suspicion she couldn't shake.
Arriving to the square at the end of the avenue and almost the edge of the level, Larissa smiled up at the big statue of a feminine figure standing in the middle of a large fountain at the center of the square. The entrance to the tram station was on the far side of the square. Behind it, the Western Boardwalk stretched to either side, nearly reaching the dome itself. The inner force field in front of the dome shimmered translucently.
At the station’s entrance, Larissa presented her left hand to the reader, and the screen flashed green as she passed. She joined a few others already waiting inside one of the two elevators. Mostly tourists. The elevator ascended in a smooth, barely noticeable, motion. However, there was no mistaking the changing scenery, a sight Larissa looked forward to despite having seen it thousands of times before.
The platform hung a hundred meters above Akoya’s upper level. As the elevator rose, the majestic view of Grandpa below unfolded. It outshone the little dots of the distant stars, rendering them invisible. The vibrant greens, blues, and whites covering the large planet dominated the lower third of the panorama in front of her, in stark contrast to the darkness above it.
Minutes later, the northward tram arrived, gliding onto the platform, levitating above the tracks. The sleek oval-shaped vehicle was a large single car with transparent sides, offering passengers unobstructed views. On one side was the planet, but the side facing the top level offered an impressive view in its own right. From the height of the elevated track, the broad boulevards, towering buildings, and expansive parks of the Capital were clearly visible.
Larissa boarded the tram behind a family of three: two parents and a young boy, about five years old. Clearly tourists, the adults held their panels, recording the views and narrating their experience while the boy stared wide-eyed without blinking. Larissa smiled to herself, recalling the first time she took Dall up here, his eyes drinking in the outside view.
The journey was brief, and Larissa disembarked at the third stop, in the Central quarter and only a few minutes’ walk from her office. The streets were busier in this area, so many people, in every type of attire and every shade of color, hurriedly going about their business. The buildings were much taller, many towering hundreds of stories. Central boasted the most dome-scrapers concentration than any other quarter, on any of the Clouds.
The BRAIN building was the tallest of them all, a structure kilometer and a half high, shaped like an upside-down needle. Larissa crossed the small park surrounding the building, following trails intertwined with narrow brooks and skirted by verdant lawns, before entering through one of the building's wide, open entrances.
The several levels tall lobby was well lit, dominated by the six elevator columns in the middle, rising from the shiny floor. The columns formed a hexagon shape with the elevators keeping a rapid pace, unloading and boarding hundreds of people at a time.
Circling the columns, short metallic shafts protruded from the floor, Larissa swiped her left hand next to one of them, and its screen flashed green. A nav-assist notification popped before her eyes, which she promptly dismissed. Once inside the elevator, another notification confirmed her office floor, number 117. The elevator shot upwards, making several stops along the way before reaching her destination.
Larissa greeted a few colleagues already present on the way to her station by the outer wall. Her workstation consisted of a long recliner chair and a resizable monitor, clear except for the words: ‘Larissa Sying – Lead Technical Investigator – CIP (SI Division)’ floating at its center. Identical stations dotted the area around her.
A glance at the window to her left offered a sweeping view of the upper level, including landmarks such as the Capital Square and The Shanile River. Settling into her recliner, Larissa was immediately presented with a welcome notification hanging semi-opaque in the air. She signaled the system to log her in, adjusted the monitor, and instructed the chair to straighten up so she could sit comfortably.
Next, Larissa pulled up her latest messages and open assignments. She also pinned a news filter related to Shexian’s death above her screen to track any real-time developments. For now, the headlines only repeated what she had heard on the morning cast.
As lunchtime neared, a department-wide notification appeared within her field of vision, stealing attention from her research on a new version of an autonomous food generator set to be released soon. The message requested all employees to convene in the common area, sent by the division head no less.
Larissa joined her colleagues as they walked over to the other side of the floor where sofas, settees, and sleep-pods were available. About a hundred of them had gathered when Dirk Galaxis, their division head, approached. The crowd formed a loose semi-circle, facing him. The spotlight directly above him casted a bright light. Unintentional, surely, she thought.
Galaxis was an impressive man, lean and tall, and in his fifties. With short, golden hair and tanned skin. He wore light-gray, loose trousers and a white v-cut shirt, both had a silky sheen, giving them an expensive tone. His entourage of aides faded into the background as he addressed the room, smiling cordially.
“Thank you for joining me. I won’t keep you long, I’m sure you’re all starving by now. As you probably have heard this morning, Funn Shexian was found dead at home. I had the privilege of collaborating closely with him, learning a great deal. I know several of you had the chance to work with him as well. His contributions to consciousness-deprecation algorithms and intelligence detection form the basis for many of our tools and procedures. Losing such a bright mind is a blow to our field and humanity as a whole. His legacy will surely continue through the important work you do here.”
As Galaxis concluded his short speech, Larissa noticed several colleagues recording the monologue with their panels. A man, whose name Larissa wasn’t sure of, asked loudly, “Mr. Galaxis, do you know the cause of death? The media seems vague about it, but rumors in the feeds are suggesting it was murder.”
“I have no additional information. We all need to wait for the security forces to release a formal statement,” Galaxis answered.
“Galaxis, Sir-” Flint from Larissa’s team stepped forward. “Sir, in some of his later appearances and papers over the last couple of years, Shexian advocated scaling back Conscious Intelligence prevention. That he was, hmm, changing his mind on how aggressive government should be in countering AI emergence. Is this kind of rhetoric reaching government? Will things change for our work here?”
Galaxis’s smile didn’t fade during or after Flint’s questions, but Larissa noticed his eyes hardening. “I haven’t spoken to Mr. Shexian lately, and I’m not familiar with these views of his. I can assure you, the commitment of our government, this corporation, and myself to work being done here remains unchanged. We're here to make sure the mistakes of the past never happen again.” Galaxis answered, his stare challenging anyone else to ask another question.
After a brief silence, Galaxis spoke again, “OK. thank you, everyone, for your time. I won’t keep you from your break any longer. As always, remember your work here is valued and important. Have a wonderful week.” He finished and quickly headed to the elevators with his aides trailing behind.
The crowd quickly dispersed. Larissa, alone in the now-empty common area, was about to return to her station. She didn’t even realize her hands were crossed below her chest until she felt a hand slide between her arm and body. Her head snapped around in alarm, but she relaxed when she saw it was her friend, Wei. Wei smiled and said, “Come on, let’s go grab something to eat. We can sit in the square.” Larissa smiled back, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling she had since morning. “Let’s go.”