《Humanity’s Next Steps》A Cold and Empty Place
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A Cold and Empty Place
It was Tuesday morning, or so I thought.
I couldn't sense my Macro's internal chronometer.
Developed centuries ago, they coined it the Macro.
Shorthand for the 'Macro Chip Device.' It executes instructions and controls our worldly interactions. Embedded in all of us, universal, virtual, and shareable. With our minds free of physical labor, we can think and create at will.
Yet, I woke up, disconnected from my Macro world.
I ran diagnostics, which showed me plugged into the virtual plane, while at the same time, I occupied the physical world. A definite glitch, it made no sense. After many painful tests, I also concluded that I was the real me in the real world.
Strangely enough—it felt cold and empty.
————
I sought out Linda, my girlfriend.
We met for the first time, face to face, during the most recent Reset.
Every five years, the Reset takes us offline for a while. It allows us to repair what's broken and modify our mundane routines.
It keeps us sane by wiping our Macro memories, therefore, eliminating existential angst. It also clears our minds of undesirable worldly interactions.
Thankfully, the Reset encouraged us to continue our Macro relationship.
————
I entered Linda's home, and there her body was.
They once claimed: "Humans make the most agile robots." So we turned our bodies into machines. Her body performed the regular pre-programmed movements controlled by the Macro. It took care of her daily tasks, and learned to adapt.
Meanwhile, a lucid dream encompassed her mind. She thought, created, and did whatever her imagination wanted—without limits.
————
Outside became dark, so I slept at her place.
Till a bunch of noises woke me up …
Linda's body behaved awkwardly—picking things up, manipulating some, while dropping others—as if it were performing a dexterity test.
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Her body then stood up, opened the front door, and exited.
I wasn't sure why she was leaving her house at night. It wasn't typical for a Macro routine. In fact, it violated curfew and safety protocols.
So I followed her …
————
She entered a strange building. Then, she went upstairs to a laboratory full of equipment, where she opened a safe by using a gadget I'd never seen before.
"No, Linda. Stop!" I tried yelling at her, but she couldn't hear me.
"Linda, I can't believe you're a thief!"—Of course, she didn't react.
I simply gave up and left for home …
————
I observed a bright light in the distance.
As I walked closer to it, I heard mutterings, then I saw them ...
Two men under a spotlight dragged a large duffel bag. Each grabbed an end, swung it upward, and tossed it into a dumpster. They lit up cigarettes, and one of them mentioned something about a long night. After some time, they flicked their cigarettes, shut the light, and went into a building.
I hid around a corner till I heard no more—
Then, I came up, turned on the lamp, and looked inside the dumpster. I saw a pile of duffel bags, and they smelled putrid, like rotten meat. So I panicked and turned the light off. I wanted to escape, but I couldn't without knowing more.
So I snuck around the building toward the street. And I peeked around the corner.
Rows of people lined the sidewalk—motionless and without facial expressions, like mannequins.
A siren blared, and their legs moved. One by one, their stiff bodies entered the building. Like an assembly line …
Then, I thought about the duffel bags.
And that's when it dawned on me—the unspeakable.
————
I promptly arrived home and hid inside my bedroom closet, where I fell asleep and dreamed of reawakening in my Macro bliss.
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————
The next morning, I returned to Linda's home.
I blocked every doorway. Then, I hacked Linda's Macro login and issued a series of commands. It sat her down and disconnected her.
"Linda, are you okay?"
Her lips trembled. "Wait, what, what's happening? Why am I here? I'm cold, and it's so empty here."
"Cold? What do you mean? It's warm, Linda, and there's furniture all around us."
She rocked back and forth. "No. No. There's cold and darkness. I'm so alone."
Her eyes stared upward. "It was like riding a rainbow. Oh, it was so beautiful, and the light, so gentle, and warm, with a cozy embrace. It loved me. It truly did."
I snapped my fingers. "Linda! Wake up! That was just a Macro trance, you're here now with me, in the real world."
She covered her face with her hands. "No, take me back! This is awful! This is a cold and empty place."
I gently pulled her hands back. "Linda, look at me. Your Macro has been hacked. It made you do weird things. I caught your body stealing.
"And I saw something horrific—people assembled in lines to be processed. They were in a Macro trance, but not of their own programming."
She patted me on the cheek. "Oh, dear, your Macro's broken, making you see things."
I said, "Linda, I'm here, you're here, we're both here in the flesh."
She frowned. "No! This isn't real. This is cold and empty. We're in limbo. We're not awake! What did you do to me?"
"No, Linda, this is the real world, don't you see? I'm offline, and so are you. I can't rejoin the Macro. I experienced that same cold and emptiness too. Before I realized what happened."
She cried and sobbed. "No, this is a lie! This is a nightmare. It can't be real!"
Fearing she'd have a mental breakdown, I reconnected her Macro.
————
Years later—anticipating the next Reset.
I haven't gone outside except to fetch for resources. I've seen bodies behaving in horrific and unmentionable ways. And, today, I wonder if Linda was right about our real-world—
If it's now become a cold and empty place.
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Ceron Devourer Of Souls: Book One
Rewrite will soon be reposted. The greatest necromancer the world had known, commanding armies of undead not only feared but revered by his power and intellect that caused other lords to falter. Yet in a single night vanished.Story of Ceron and his harrowing journey after becoming sealed, meeting a torn world teeming with danger and mystifying landsIn quest to reclaim what was lost, understanding the folly of what became will Ceron have enough to survive? Stricken in a newfound body everything and all he was had been swept away. “It wasn't long his eradication hadn't satisfied, the world stood scorched, enveloped in darkness, shadows fell obscuring the lands, those who resided within them. Quaking, the earth bellowed shuttering as if agony had engulfed it, spiraling into chaos dread filled eyes peered to the skies a blood moon reigned above its beaming rays drenched those in despair. Seething rage, men of many creeds had come tearing the continent, frantic searching, scouring devouring any who stood in their path. Greed laid on their hearts determined to find his source, power. Manipulated by ideals of those they worshiped, the world was consumed, a savage war splitting the world innocence disposed of. Forever to dwell in mass pits, filled with death, thee soon to be dead rotting. The betrayer, whom stole a fragment of this power forsaking those he owned allegiance for his own gain, the power he had obtained, basking in its potency wrought swirling vortexes opening worlds of differing dimensions creating even more turmoil. This source he had obtained, one of the six lords they called him Ceron Devourer Of Souls. Over the passage of time, the wheel turned slowly the world forgot, the sands of time shrouded his existence. All forgot who he was, the greatest necromancer the world had ever known something that was common knowledge to be feared, tales scaring children at night became legend and eventually myth. However, this would all change…” ---
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