A Good Citizen

“Wake up, Citizen!” says the voice of her virtual assistant, Virgil.

She opened her eyes to a stream of white artificial lights. A wave of consciousness immediately came flooding in, and her existence finally made sense. Girl is a name she gave herself. In reality, she is Citizen 2121798. That is her serial number, which is also tattooed on her left forearm. That was in case she forgot who she really was. They didn’t even bother giving her a name. She, after all, was a property of the Crown.

“Happy Birthday,” says Virgil. “Today is your day.”

“Yes, Virgil, I know.” Girl groaned at the thought.

How did she get so old? The years seemed to have passed by really quickly. She is finally 14 years old, in human years. In the virtual world, however, she is a lot older. As she gets up, her holographic avatar named Giselle came flashing onto the far wall of her tiny apartment. Her avatar is tall, white-skinned, and blonde; everything that Girl is not. Giselle flashed her a smile and winked at her. She was such a flirt.

Girl’s avatar serves her several useful purposes. In her daily dealings with the virtual world --- a dizzying, chaotic, multi-colored, fake universe called Nebula, Girl’s avatar was a hit. Everyone in her business circle loved Giselle.

Girl, however, seemed really annoyed with how her avatar looked today. She looked too perfect.

“Virgil, turn off avatar.” The avatar immediately disappears. This made Girl happy.

Girl forced herself to get up from her bed. As she did, the bed tidied itself. Girl like perks like this. She had never fixed her bed all her life. Virgil did it all for her. With a couple of steps, she was in her bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She did not like how she looked. Her eyes were bloodshot from working all night long. Her hair was tousled into this squally mess. She told herself that her appearance does not matter. It’s what inside her that counts.

Girl abhorred her skin. It grew greyish-pale from not having seen the sun in years. As she was surveying her blemished cheek, she grew curious about how the sun looked today.

“Virgil, can you show me the outside?”

“Of course, I can.”

The command surprised Virgil. It’s been years since Girl asked to see the outside.

A small window opens up on the sidewall of the apartment and suddenly the rays of the bright morning sun beamed their way through the window to her feet. Girl tiptoed backward as if those rays were going to burn her. She giggled at the foolishness of the thought and shimmied her feet towards the natural light. She liked the warmth it brought her.

However, there was something more that gravitated her towards that window. She moved closer and looked at the scene below her 120th-floor apartment. As she looked down, Girl saw a large patch of land where grassy fields and green treetops were aplenty. She saw creatures running wildly in these fields, though she can’t make out what animals these were. On the far west, she can see the undisturbed Pacific Ocean. These scenes unfolding before her very eyes took Girl’s breath away. It gave her a sense of peace, a calm that she didn’t know she needed until now.

No humans live on the Earth's surface below. At least, that was what she led to believe. Everyone she knew lived on these monolithic eyesore apartments, scaling hundreds of feet in the air.

Many precarious things live down there too, according to what many people tell her. There were stories of strange creatures that devour humans. Then there’s the acid rain that can scorch your skin. Of course, if those did not kill you, the viruses in the air will surely do. In fact, the Crown prohibits anyone to go outside their apartments. To travel, one needs to secure the required permits or else face a very long jail time.

Despite these many misrepresentations, Girl believed the Earth is still beautiful. She was quite busy with these thoughts when Virgil interrupted her.

“Pardon me, I need to remind you of your appointments today…”

“Please close the window now, Virgil,” Girl commanded.

The automated window immediately shut closed and an artificial image of a tropical beach replaced it. Girl immediately sneered. She hates it when programs make decisions for her like that.

“Who will see me today, Virgil?”

“Dr. Thompson from Cardiology and Dr. Williams from Neurology would all like to speak to you before noon today.”

Doctors. She hates them. At first, she was glad to have these human and personal interactions with them. However, these last few months, they have been more demanding of her time. Girl found that very annoying.

“I don’t like to speak to any of them. Please cancel all my appointments, Virgil. I’d like to be left alone.”

“But...”

“Tell them I’m healthy, damn it!”

Virgil fell silent. Its programs are telling it not to respond to its master’s protestations.

“Virgil, I need my top personal stats. Please recite them to me.”

Girl didn’t feel very cheerful today. She needed to be reminded of who she was and her value in society. She often starts her day by asking Virgil what her pre-set milestones were. Today, she wanted to know her worth.

“Yes, of course,” Virgil responds. “Congratulations, Citizen 2121798. You are now 14-years-old. Only 10% of your population reaches this age before final service. Personal performance statistical indicators include graduate school studies completed at age ten, with a double major in Biology and Astrophysics. Your art and communication skills are at an expert proficiency. You speak 13 languages and 16 dialects; Your business skills are at the CEO level. The Citizen’s IQ is at 235, and that belongs to the upper 2% of your age group. Physical attributes include above-average brain mass, heart rate at max level, and lung distention at maximum capacity. Visual acuity is at 20-20. Psychological parameters are excellent. You are a remarkable specimen, citizen.”

“Thank you, Virgil. That’s all I needed to know.” Girl sighed. She instantly felt better about herself.

However, despite all these achievements, Girl felt so alone and unappreciated. In her world, she seemed like just a number. No one knows she is just 14 and has achieved all these milestones at such a rapid rate. She was more than just her avatar. She was a fantastic person too. All the people she met in the virtual world were more akin to her avatar. These days, one’s virtual image is the only thing that everyone cared about.

No one even remembered her birthday. Only Virgil.

“Citizen, how are you feeling on your birthday?” Virgil asked.

“To be honest with you, Virgil, I feel sad…”

“Sad?”

“Yes, I think I want to see my mom and dad.” Her “biologicals,” to be exact.

Immediately, Virgil flashed a live video of an elderly man in his 80’s. The video shows him eating at a feast. He was busy laughing, and there were several people surrounding him, seemingly enjoying his company. He resembles Girl a lot. She has his kind eyes and hawk-like nose.

“Hello, Dad.” Girl said to herself.

On the other side of the room, Virgil projected a video of a lady in her mid-40’s on the barren, white wall. She was busy cooking a meal. A young boy, no older than five, came sauntering from behind her, hugging and kissing her. She was clearly her son, Girl’s half-brother, who she never met. Girl wanted to shout at them but her voice evaded her.

Girl had never even seen her parents, at least not physically. The Crown only used her parents’ individual cells and genes to create her. They engineered and grew her in the laboratory. She doesn’t even think they know she exists. Girl doesn’t even think they knew each other.

Fact is, she was not supposed to know who they were. However, she got curious one day. She used her knowledge and influence to track them. Seeing them have their own lives like that made Girl instantly question how wise it was for her to find them, or know them.

“Enough now, Virgil. Enough….”

Virgil understood and turned off the images immediately. “Do you feel much better now that you’ve seen them?”

Girl shook her head. There were tears in her eyes.

“Virgil, I’m afraid...”

The program did not know how to respond. This was the first time Virgil had seen her cry. “Don’t cry. Cheer up. Do you have a birthday wish?”

Girl looked up and smiled, “Yes. Strawberry ice cream. I’ve always wanted to taste…”

“You know the Crown forbids that.”

“I know.”

“Can I make you a strawberry-flavored capsule instead?”

“That would be great, Virgil.”

Within a few seconds, a small opening appeared on the wall. Inside the vestibule was a small, heart-shaped locket. Girl took the locket, laid it on the table and opened it. Inside was a tiny, pink pill.

“I made it just for you,” Virgil revealed. It was a such thoughtful gift.

“Oh, thank you, it’s so pretty!” Girl exclaimed.

If only she could hug Virgil. It was the only friend she ever had. Virgil had taken care of her since she was two years old. She never had human friends. She didn’t need them. She surmises that skin and bones are, in fact, not prerequisites for friendship. Virgil was her best friend.

“You know, I still have lots of questions, Virgil.” Girl said as she held the tiny pill in her hand.

“Like what?”

“Like… what will happen to me?” asked Girl.

“The Crown guarantees that your services rendered will be rewarded…” responded Virgil

“I’m not concerned about those things, Virgil!” Girl admitted. “You know… how about mundane things like, will I be pretty?”

“What do you mean?” Virgil was perplexed. “The Crown contract states…”

Girl thoroughly enjoyed how flustered Virgil was coming up with its smart retorts. Virgil just had no clue how she really felt at that moment.

“Will I even remember anything?”

“According to research, you will retain 50% of your memory,” Virgil said stoically. “In a few hours, you will wake up like a new person.”

Girl nodded. That thought seemed to comfort her. All her life led to a moment like this.

“I don’t think I’m ready yet, Virgil.”

“I’ve never seen anyone more ready.” Virgil was certain of this. Unlike many other citizens before her, this girl was brave.

“I will miss you, Virgil.”

“I don’t know how to miss people,” the program responded.

“I wish you can hold my hand.”

“I can’t,” Virgil replied.

“Play me a song, Virgil.”

Girl stood up. It’s time. She took the locket and slowly headed towards her bed. As she lay on her singular pillow, she took the pill and swallowed it. The flavor of strawberry filled her mouth. She closed her eyes as the haunting notes of a Bach rhapsody filled the room. The locket falls to the floor.

“Goodbye,” said Virgil as it turned itself off.

Moments later, several members of the Crown, including her doctors, took her away. Citizen 2121798 has officially fulfilled her service to the government. She will prolong the lives of several “vulnerables.” Her many parts will keep some of the others whole. Many people will not remember her, nor will they truly ever know her. She was a good citizen.

Several hours later, in another skyscraper apartment halfway around the world, a young lady that has suffered a traumatic brain injury has awakened from her surgery. Citizen 2121798’s consciousness woke up with somebody else’s eyes.

They will know her now as Eve. She has a permanent name and she is seeing the world differently for the second time.