SuRGE

The Parastatal City is plagued by a cold, dreary fog as a hooded figure cautiously makes his way through the bustling marketplace, keeping his head down so as not to draw any unwanted attention.

There are video advertisements of all shapes and sizes streaming on every flat surface in the area.

Most are promoting a program called “SuRGE: Subliminal Re-purposing for Generating Evolution.”

The closest Vid-Vert restarts its loop as Tyler Evans passes.

“The ideas of tomorrow, today. Do your part to contribute towards a better world and make a dream donation at your closest SuRGE Center now.”

Sentinel patrol ships fly overhead in droves, watching for any signs of disturbances in the sectors below.

Green lasers scan the ground as they pass, running facial recognition through the main servers.

Anonymity was a thing of the past. Unless, of course, you knew how to work the system…

“Sentinel scanner on your six, Ty,” comes an urgent male voice over his earpiece.

Tyler deftly steps to his left, taking refuge under a large tent where a gathering of gamblers obnoxiously cheer and exchange electronic currency as they watch two human-sized “Helping Hands” bots battle it out to the death.

Sparks and shrapnel fly everywhere as the bots savagely attempt to tear each other apart.

Another Vid-Vert plays on the far wall.

“Helping Hands bots ensure you never have to lift a finger around the house again. They will cook, they will clean, wash your laundry, entertain your children...”

Dex, the voice on the other end of Ty’s comms, snorts.

“Hold it for you while you take a piss… All this advanced technology, and this is what we do with it? Seriously?”

Tyler watches the crowd surreptitiously, the thin, golden band of tech outlining the Smart Contact Lens in his right eye glinting as it reflects the sparks.

The duplicate lens is being worn by Dex who is at their makeshift base of operations; a large, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

But thanks to their connection via the interactive real-life first-person co-op, or “I2I Interface”, he can see everything Tyler sees.

“Can’t escape human nature, buddy. How much further to the Mod Shop?”

A silent alarm starts flashing within the tent, followed by a repeating robotic security alert.

“Warning. Sentinels approaching. Disburse.”

Tyler glances out at the street and sees the pair of robotic Sentinels coming directly towards the tent. He quickly drops the flap and backs away.

“Shit.”

The gamblers disappear behind him. They were nothing more than holograms being recast from safe locations all over the world by the overhead projector.

The bots instantly enter sleep mode, leaving Tyler alone to fend for himself.

He hides behind a discard pile of broken bot parts as the Sentinels enter the tent, then he holds his breath as they scan the area. Satisfied, they depart.

Tyler lets out a breath of relief, then disentangles himself from the mechanical gore with disgust.

“Little late on the warning there, Dex,” he grumbles.

“Hold up, I don’t even see any-”

There’s a loud thud as Dex smacks the side of the display he is using to track the movements of the Sentinels in the city.

“Oh. There they are. My bad, homie. 2042 and we still can’t dream up a reliable Wi-Fi connection.”

“Not when the Citadel is using up all the bandwidth. But once we take it down, you can get back to surfing porn to your heart’s content.”

“I love it when you talk dirty, man. Okay, it looks like you’re in the clear. Go out the other side and proceed to Abrams and Miranda Street. The Mod Squad should be right on the corner.”

Tyler follows his directions and grimaces as he catches sight of his first destination.

He hates the human chop-shops. They smell of blood and motor oil, and are as far from sanitary as the New York sewage systems.

These days, people tended to be more machine than organic, standing in line for hours to get the latest technological implants and electronic upgrades to replace failing body parts.

Whatever it took to stay alive without having to give up their vices.

But it was also the only place where you could find a hack talented enough to alter your subdermal I.D. chip and give you a fake identity that was realistic enough to fool the scanners.

Another Vid-Vert plays above the flashing neon “open” sign.

“Why the long face? Unhappy with your unappealing traits? Frustrated by fading eyesight? Body aches and pains keeping you awake at night? Then you’ve come to the right place. Step into ‘Upgrade Mod’ to discover your best self and begin rebuilding today.”

Ty lets out a steadying breath and shrugs deeper into his jacket as he crosses the street and walks up to a woman with 11th Gen. upgrades on ninety percent of her body.

She looks him up and down predatorily as he approaches.

“What can I do for you today, handsome?”

“I uh… I have an appointment with Tweaks.”

She steps into his personal space while licking her lips, then smooths her hands over his chest before tugging on the lapels of his jacket.

“Right this way…” she practically purrs in his ear.

She leads him inside where there are a bunch of cubicles, each with a tattoo-parlor-styled chair.

The sounds of drills and power saws send shivers up Tyler’s spine and he grits his teeth, then jumps when the woman circles around behind him and starts tugging his hood and jacket off.

“First time?” she asks, sensing the tension in him like a shark homing in on fresh blood in the water.

“That obvious?” he croaks, then clears his throat, eliciting a smirk from her.

“Have a seat, kiddo. Tweaks will be in soon.”

She hangs his jacket on a hook in the wall, then winks at him as she departs.

“Damn, Ty… One whiff of your Mod virginity and she was ready to have your babies.”

“Are you sure this guy is legit, Dex?”

“Best in the business, according to the Dark Web.”

Before Ty could press for more details, a big biker man strode in looking like the Terminator’s cake-loving older brother.

He gave Ty a once-over too but seemed far less impressed than his assistant.

“Hate to break it to ya, kid, but a new identity ain’t gonna put any more meat on those skinny bones. Got some new arms in the back that can break through concrete though if you’re interested.”

“I’m good, thanks. Just need you to switch out the chip.”

“You runnin’ from the Sentinels, boy?”

“No. Just prefer my privacy.”

The man stared at him calculatingly for another minute, then nodded.

“Alright. Then lay back and we’ll get started.”

Tyler felt the blood drain from his face as he watched Tweaks sort through a tray of gruesome looking tools.

He was just about to change his mind when the man started laughing.

“I’m just playin’ with ya, kid. Couldn’t resist. Candice, could you bring in my equipment, please?”

The woman from out front came in wearing gloves and carrying a tray.

She put it down on a table beside Tweaks and picked up a needle, squirting some of the pre-drawn fluid out as she circled Ty’s chair and approached his right side.

“Wait, what is that?”

“Just a small sedative, handsome. It helps keep the screaming to a minimum.”

Nervous, Ty tried to sit up again, but Tweak’s beefy hand landed on his chest and shoved him back down.

“Hurts less if ya don’t move.”

Ty opened his mouth to object to the sedative but ended up hissing instead as Candice stabbed him in the arm.

She ran her hand soothingly up and down his thigh.

“Lights out, baby boy.”

“Ty? Ty, can you-?”

Then everything faded to black.

When he woke up again, his mouth tasted like cotton and he couldn’t get his eyes to focus.

He blinked hard a few times, then squinted as a bright light was shined in his face.

“There he is! Welcome back, Dr. Ennis.”

“Wha-?”

“That’s your new identity. You asked for one with a medical degree, remember?”

Tyler sat up and winced as his head throbbed. He raised his hand and felt the fresh dermal scar tissue on the back of his neck.

“How long was I out?” he rasped, and Tweaks handed him a small cup of water.

“’bout twenty minutes. You’ll be sore for a day or two, but it’ll fade after that.”

“Ty, you alright, man? Blink twice if you can still hear me.”

Tyler did as Dex asked.

“Hallelujah. Next time, just get a tattoo like a normal rebellious teenager, alright? I already paid the man with crypto-coin, so get out of there as soon as you can.”

While the process had been far from pleasant, Tyler had endured much worse at the hands of Dr. Spencer, the mastermind behind the SuRGE Project.

But if everything else went according to plan, Ty would be getting his revenge shortly by shutting the program down for good.

And his new chip was going to help him get inside.

He struggled to his feet, using the furniture to stay upright.

“Take it slow, kid. The new chip needs time to integrate properly.”

“How much time?”

“Hard to say. Maybe five minutes? Maybe ten.”

“Great…”

He shrugged his jacket back on, then headed out into the streets.

“There’s another pair of mechanical apes about to turn up behind you, bro. Take your next right and lose them in the food market.”

“Copy that.”

The smells on this street assault his senses and make his stomach churn.

VID-Verts are everywhere, selling everything from squirrel sticks to whale blubber burgers.

Tyler stops at a food stand, feigning interest in a purchase. A Helping Hands Bot in an apron approaches from the other side of the counter.

“How may I assist you? Would you like to look at a menu?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

The bot hands Ty a menu which he quickly raises to conceal his face as the Sentinels move past. The bot leans closer, conspiratorially.

“If I may make a suggestion, the broiled rabbit is one of our top sellers.”

Tyler winces in disgust, then lowers the menu as the Sentinels move on.

“Think I’ll pass, but thanks. Maybe next time.”

The bot smiles cheerfully at him.

“We appreciate your patronage. Do not forget to tip the minimum of forty-five percent when purchasing.”

Tyler keeps walking, ignoring the endless supply of distractions designed to draw people in.

“Looks like the Sentinels have stopped. Either that, or the damned computer froze…”

Tyler could hear Dex banging on the monitor again.

“I don’t think the computer is the problem this time,” Tyler responded quietly.

He can hear a woman screaming and crying in the same direction and he picks up his pace.

He reaches the small gathering of onlookers just in time to see one of the metallic cops pulling a young girl away from her mother.

“Citizen, you have not yet contributed to society. You will report to the nearest SuRGE Center immediately for processing.”

The mother is being held back by the second Sentinel, fighting to reach her daughter.

There is a small heart-shaped locket dangling from her fist, torn from the girl’s neck.

“Please! She is only twelve! Have mercy!”

The Sentinel turns to drag the girl away. Tyler tenses.

“Don’t do it, Ty. It hasn’t been long enough yet. You’ll get caught.”

“Only one way to find out, right?”

He pushes his way through the crowd.

“Hey! Take me instead! I haven’t donated yet.”

“Damn it, Ty!”

The Sentinel turns back, then scans Tyler.

“Dr. Ennis, you have not yet contributed to society. You will report to the nearest SuRGE Center immediately for processing.”

The Sentinel releases the girl who runs back into her mother’s arms.

A metallic hand clamps down on Ty's shoulder and steers him towards the Citadel.

Game on…