Caldwellcontortedhisachingbodyinthecapsule’sconfinedspaceandswitchedonthelouveredhalogenlight.HereachedoutandpickeduptheSlav’smysteriousvial.Foramoment,hewatchedtheviscousmassofthetransparentliquidswirlwithin.TheSlavhadpromisedthatitwoulddothejobinlessthanaminute,stoppingtheactivityofallthevitalorganswiththespeedandprecisionofabullettothehead.
“Theproblemwiththehumanbody,”theSlavhadsaidashefumbledaroundinhismakeshiftworkshopinadisusedviaductintheinnercityghettoofOval,“isthatitisnotdesignedtocoexistwithmachines.Therelationshipisnotsymbioticandsoonerorlaterthey,themachines,willfuckyouup.It’sjustaquestionoftime.”TherewasenoughtobaccosmokeinthestaleairoftheSlav’smakeshiftworkshoptostopabullinitstracks.
TheSlav’steethwereanobsceneassortmentoftobacco-stainedenameljuttinglikestalactitesandstalagmitesoutofhisgraygums.Therewasathinborderofpinkgumborderingtheyellowedteeth,strugglingtoholditsownagainsttheencroachingmassofgrayflesh.Caldwellcouldseeraggedclumpsofsomemysterymeatlodgedbetweentherottingenamel.
“Thetroublewithfleshisthatithasaweirdhabitoftryingtostickaround.Itsagoodthingmaninventedthetoothpick,”Caldwellhadventured.
TheSlavssnake-liketonguehadflickedinstinctivelyathiscaninesandhisgoodeyehadnarrowedtoaslit.Hehadthenbeguntochewonsomethingthathehaddislodged.Themomentofdangercameandwentinaflashbutwithinitsbriefexistence,inthatsmallwindowoftime,CaldwellhadseensomethingevenuglierthantheSlavhimself.
“Fucktoothpicks,”thebigmanhadsaiddismissively.“Indeed,whenGodmademan,inhisownimagenoless,hedidntcountonhimbeingsmartenoughtomaketools.Toolsforcrushingberries,crackingnutsandsoonweretheprecursorsoftheindustrialrevolution,whichinturnwhereprecursorstotheageofthethinkingmachine,theputer.Thelatterhappenstobethetoolthatwillultimatelyusherinourdemise.”
CaldwellhadwonderedwhetherwhenGodcreatedmanhehadanyideathatgenerationslaterspecimensliketheSlavwouldwalktheearth.HewasusedtotheSlavsmachinations.Despitetheman’sobviousdentalhygieneproblemsandtheconcurrenttobaccobreath,hewasaloveableoldfellowwholovedtoreflectonlifewhileperformingtheillegalactofremovingidentificationchipsfromthebodiesofthosewhohadhadenoughofbeinghardwiredtothesystem.CaldwellcouldtoleratetheSlav’sdiatribesbecausethemanneveraskedpersonalquestions.Hejustwentoffonthoseseeminglypointlessrantsofhis.WhentheSlavgothisteethintoadiatribetherewasnostoppinghim.Caldwellwouldkeephimgoingwithpointlessstatements.TheSlavswasthekindofworkthatwasbestdonewithoutanembarrassingsilence.
“Butapesusedtoolslongbeforehumans.”Caldwellhadprotested.
“Indeedifyouwishtoeschewreligionforthescientificapproach.Thatwaswhereitallstarted.Butapeswereneverreallyvictimsoftheirowntools.Humansare.Oursuperiorintellectisexactlywhatisgoingtotriggerourextinction.Imagineaworldwithouttools.Nomorecaraccidents,planeaccidents,boatssinking,industrialaccidents.Nomoreputers.Nohackers.”TheSlav’sbloodshotgoodeyehadstaredquestioninglyatCaldwellasheforagedamonghiseclecticassortmentofstuff.
“Nohackers?”
“Indeed.Hackers,phreakers,crackers,intrudersandnewagehijackers,allgone.Theonlytoolsthatmanwouldneedtobeafraidofwouldbethoseofanotherfleshbasedthing,theteethofaSiberiantigerorsomepoisonousserpent.”
“Gotsomethingagainsthackers,Slav?”
“Indeed.Hackersarethescumoftheearth,thefactthattheymakeupasizeablechunkofmyclientelenotwithstanding.Presentpanyexceptedofcourse.”
“Gladtohearit.”
TheSlavhadturnedaroundandfixedCaldwellwithhisgoodeye,thefakeeyeballwetandglassyontheothersideofhislongface.
“Areyousureyouarereadyforthis?I’llmissyourbusinesssuchthatitwas,”theSlavhadsaidproducingtheblackvialcrustedwithdustandsomeadhocinterfusionoforganicslime.
“Asreadyasanyonecanbe.Wheredidyougetthisstuff?Andperhapsmoreimportantly,willitwork?”Caldwellhadasked,eyeingthevialsuspiciously.
“Abitofinsurancemyfriend.Figured,whenallofthismerce,”theSlavhadsaid,wavinghisarmtheatricallyaroundtheuntidymessofthedisusedviaductthathehadmanagedtoconfiscatefromtheUnionRailwayinfrastructureforhisownpersonaluse,“gottoomuchformyself,I’lljustgoaheadandoffmyself.Domyselfandthesystemafavor,youknow.”
Caldwellhadnoddedemphatically.
“Happytodoyouthefavor,letyoudothehonors.Ifitdoesn’tworkoutforyou,letmeknowandI’llhavetherascalwhosoldittomeobliterated.”TheSlavhadflashedthattobacco-stainedsmileagainbuthehadlookedlikehewasdeadserious.
“Sowhatisit?”Caldwellhadasked,shakingthevial.Hecouldswearhecouldseeminuteglintsofsilverintheliquidbuttheydisappearedjustasquicklyastheyhadappeared.
“It’ssomekindofnanopoisonoutofTbilisi.Very,veryillegal.Gottheselittlemicroscopicnano-machinesintherethatcausesynchronizeddamagewithmind-numbingprecision.Theytriggerandyousimplystopliving.Youwon’tevenknowyouaredying.GoesbacktowhatIwassayingearlier.Thesemachines,nomatterwhatsizetheyare,they’llbethedeathofallofus,”theSlavhadsaid,flashingthoseteeth.
CaldwelldissolvedtheimageoftheSlavoutofhismindandrolledovertoonesideofthefuton,themouldimprintedbyhisbodydiminishingasthememoryfoambegantoforget.Hisheartwasthumpingviolentlyandhisthroatfeltlikeitwouldseizeupatanymoment.Whythefear?Thisisthebestwayout.Youhavelostthewilltolive.Hewouldmakesurethatthefacelesscapsuleemployeeswhocameacrosshislifelessbodywouldbeabletoidentifyhim.Hefishedforhistrousersamongtheimpossibletangleofstalebeddingandfumbledinoneofthepocketsforhisidentificationchip.
Scanorslot?Howdoyouwishyourdatatobereadsir?ThechoicehadbeenmadetwoyearsagowhenhehadwokenupcoldandbrokeninthedankundergroundwalkwaysbelowWaterlooBridge,theputridThamesRiverlappingathisface,tofindnothingbutadullacheandascarmarkingtheplacewherehisimplantedchipusedtobe.Achoicemadenotbyhimbutbysomeunknownentitythatwithoneneatincisionhadplacedhiminthewrongbracketofsociety.ThescarwasevidencethatCaldwell,atonetimeliketherestofthevastmajorityofTheUnion’spopulation,hadcarriedhisidentitybeneathhisskin.Notthatanyofthatmatterednow.
Themarkofthebeastortheimprintofasocietythathadbeetootechnologicallyadvancedforitsowngood,thisishowithadbeenfordecades.Therulesonthiswereclearandincontestable.Non-government-approvedremovalofidentificationchipsintheUnionriskedyouspendingtherestofyourlifeimbibingliquidlunchesoratworstembalmedinmoredryicethanyoucaredfor.Thesamefateawaitedthosecarryingfakechipimplants.SoforCaldwell,thechoicehadalreadybeenmade.Itwasslotornothing.Hewasamanoutsidethesystem,oblivioustohowhegotthere,invisibletotheever-ubiquitousscannersoftheUnion.Andnowhewouldbebeyonditall,impervious,amerespectatorifanyofthehocus-pocusaboutwhathappenedtothesoulsofsuicidevictimswastobebelieved.
Caldwellsatup,bendinghisheadalittletoavoidhittingthecapsule’sceiling.Hecouldn’tevensitupstraightintheconfinedspace.Hewassixfeetandtwoinchestall,giveortakeamillimeterortwo,dependingonhowhekepthishair.Nowhehaditstraight,asstraightashecouldgetit,andshoulderlength.Thesyntheticbrownofhisfolliclejobfadingslightlybutstillgoodforanotherfewyears.Notthatanyofthatstuffhadanysignificancenow.
Caldwellcontemplatedhisreflectioninthegrimysquareofplasticcoatedwithacheapreflectivesubstancethatservedasamirror.Athousanddifferentdisillusionedfaceshadstudiedtheirreflectionsinitsshinysurface,hethought.Howmanyhadseenamessageofhope?Hefiguredhewasnotgoingtobethefirst.Thecrackedceilinganddirtyageingsyntheticmaterialofthemirrorwereperfectallegoriesofhislife.Theywerereflectionsofhispatheticexistence,relicsofbettertimes.
Hetookwhathewassurewouldbehislastlookinthemirror.Thefacethatstaredbackathimwasbarelyrecognizableashisown,atime-ravagedorganicshowcaseofhisrapiddescentintoinsignificance.Howcouldhehavedegeneratedtothis?AvalidquestionandyetCaldwellknewallalongthatdeepwithinhimhadbeenatickingtimebomb.Hehadnoideahowhehadbeeahacker.Therewasahugepartofhispastthatheknewnothingabout,exceptfortheoccasionalflashesfromdeepwithinhissynapses,strangephantomsofthemindrisingoutofgrid-lockedneurons.
Therewerethementalimagesthatmadenosenseinthecurrentcontext,vaguememoriesofdreamsofdistantlandssubmergedinacloudofconfusion.Sporadicdreamssetinlocalesvastlydifferentfromthefoggyandrain-drenchedurbansprawlthatwasLondonandhugeswathesoftheUnion.Hismindconstantlybombardedbymomentaryflashesofcolor,lotsofredsandthealiensoundsofsomeothercivilization.Somethingreminiscentofthingshehadsomehowforgottenorwasnevermeanttoremember.Pupilsnarrowingashestudiedtheepicanthicslantofhisowneyes,temperedbytheamberglowofhisirises.TherewasdefinitelysomethingOrientalthereasthebackalleyanalysisofhisDNAhadrevealed.Caucasian,Chinese,NorthAfrican,Japaneseallmixedupinthere.Acocktailasthequackhaddescribedhim.
Hiswasnotanunremarkableface,thekindoforganicconfigurationthatcouldonlyhavebeentheresultofsomeplexinter-racialingtogether.Itwasn’tonethathehadcaredtoodeeplyabout,hisonlinepersonabroughtverymuchtothefore.Hisbodywasjustaconvenientpackageforhacking,hisfingersthekeytoolsforthejob.Hewasamanwhohadgottensolostinthedepthsofthecyberspacethatheconstantlyhadtoremindhimselfwhohewas,soulandmeatgrowingdistantdaily.Meattiredandswollen,soulnon-mittingandremote,takingwhatwasdefinitelyabird’seyeview.Hewasanxiousforthetwotopartpany.
Minuteredveinssnakedlikefissuresbelowthesurfaceofthemochaskinpunctuatedbythehaplesssagoftheeyebagsthathadrecentlybeepermanentfixtures.Threeweeksofstubbleinterspersedwithblotchyskin.Thestubblealsoadarkbrownafterhehadhadhismelanocytesmodified,oneofhisfewattemptsatsomethingakintovanity.
Heheldthevialinhishandandtookonelastminutetoreminisceonhislife.Theentiretyofitconsistedofwindowlesscapsules,sleeplessnights,thesteadypilferingawayofhishard-earnedcreditbyunsympatheticcapsuleoperatorsandtheconstantblinkingofmand-linecursors.Theyowedhimnofavors,thesefacelessconglomeratesthatoperatedchainsofidentikitcapsulesallovertheUniontoserveitsdisadvantagedanddisenfranchisedpseudo-citizens.Theclientele,posedpredominantlyofsociety’sbottomfeeders,wasjustoneprecociousrunguponthesocialladderfromthestreetsleepers.LikeCaldwell,thevastmajorityofthecapsulejockeyshadclawedtheirwayoffthestreets.
Inthemirror,ambereyes,renderedslightlyopaquenow,staredbackathim.Wasthatfearhesawinthosetiredeyes?Definitelyfearsplicedwithsomethingelse,somethingunintelligible.
AsCaldwellrolledhisbodybacktothecenterofthefutonhedecidedthatthelastmemoryinhismindwhenhedrankthecontentsoftheSlav’svialwouldbethecranialresidueofhismostrecentnightmares.Heflickedopenthecapofthevialandsniffedthecontents.Hisnostrilsflaredattheunnaturalsmellofsomethingacridandmetallic,somethingthatsmelledlikedeath.Helaydownonthefoammattress,straightlikeacorpsestiffwithrigormortisandwilledhimselftorecall.
Withinthedarkexpanseofhismind’seye,Caldwellsawpristinewhitepaddedwalls,apairofblood-splatteredlatexglovesandthespectralimageofayounguniformednurse.Asearingheadachebegantocrescendofromdeepwithinhisskull,dissolvingtheimagesawayandmovingrapidlyforwardwiththespeedanddeterminationofatidalwave.Caldwellputthevialtohislipsandclosedhiseyes.
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