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Year 2507

Neuro Encapsulated

By Megan Baker (Left Vocal in 2023)Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 9 min read
3
Year 2507
Photo by Christina Victoria Craft on Unsplash

Neuro awakens, disoriented. Darkness smothers her. Despite her desire to stretch from her position in the cramped pod, she remains motionless, listening intently. A noise woke her. She scarcely draws breath as she waits in the silent dark; she hides in her Bunker-pod for a reason.

THUNK!

Startled, Neuro recoils slightly, heart beginning to pound. The metal shells of Bunker-pods are designed to shield inhabitants from many forms of harm, but she questions if hers can truly spare her from the threats outside. She kept the capsule a secret until she was safe within it -even from her partner, the “illusionist” Hypno. She suspects it is he who now hits the pod repeatedly, though she wonders how he found her.

THUNK! THUNK, THUNK, THUNK!

Vital-monitoring systems within her clothing begin beeping and flashing over the outfit, signaling its registration of her distress. This used to mean the Global Vital Response System would reach out to ask why there was such a change, and would offer aid in the forms of readily available therapy, medications, or even a physical representative if a threat were present. Catastrophic, systematic failure of the medication database and distribution nearly a year ago left 95% of the global population without anything to temper aggressive behaviors, and society quickly devolved into violence as the remaining supplies dwindled. No one is coming to make Hypno cease, and all Neuro can do is wait and hope the shell is enough to stop him.

By HalGatewood.com on Unsplash

SCREEEEE! SCREEEEE!

Metal scraping metal piercingly meets her ear, the sound so sudden and jarring that her sensors respond with more intensity. Heart hammering with the spike in fear, she wonders if it may burst from her chest with the strength of its beat.

‘Calm down,’ she tells herself. Reminding herself that frantic actions will worsen this situation, she allows herself only a few long, steadying breaths. Bunker-pods are generally small and only capable of holding so much oxygen. Glancing at the glowing meter, she is dismayed to see the color indicating the oxygen level nearing the red; she is running out. Since she must remain in the capsule for an undetermined amount of time, she must conserve it. Selective Genetic Modifications have been successful in designing humans that need little or no oxygen, but she is not one of them.

As the banging and scraping on the outside of her Bunker-pod continues ceaselessly, Neuro decides to take a gamble. She will use her own genetic modifications to induce a prolonged form of semi-consciousness. This will slow her respiration, stretching out how much longer she can remain in the pod on the meager amount of oxygen left -if she does it right. Done wrong, she will either fall into an unresponsive coma and suffocate, or be left vulnerable should Hypno break through the shell. Ideally, she enters a state similar to lucid dreaming and remains relatively calm. This will keep her responsive enough to react if Hypno appears, but relaxed enough not to exhaust resources rapidly.

By Wade Lambert on Unsplash

Neuro takes one more long, deep breath while reclining against the cushy back of the Bunker-pod, then closes her eyes and focuses. The sharp sounds of the assault on her capsule slowly fade as she actively begins firing some neurons and stopping others at will. She is no stranger to this self-manipulation, as the ability stems from her genetically engineered genes. A popular choice of her potential future employers, this alteration was heavily encouraged in the year during the critical early stages of her cell formation. From this particular manipulation of her D.N.A., she was named Neuro. Slowly, she slips into the desired state -a world of dampened sluggishness. She relishes the unique sensation for a brief moment.

‘May as well write. Might be my last,’ Neuro thinks. She wills her mental journal into existence. A safer place for her truest self does not exist, and her ability to selectively influence neurons keeps the entries current and in greatly accurate detail. Even in outdated English, which no one uses. ‘How should I begin?’

By Conikal on Unsplash

Entry #723 (158 Days Since Prior Entry)

Day: 12,775 After Birth Via Common Lab Birth with S.G.M. (C.L.B. Artificial Womb #86-100)

Expected Expiration if by Natural Causes: 32,850 Days After Birth

Estimated Remainder of Life: 20,075 Days *Or today (see entry)

Neuro pauses. It has been a while since she last made an entry.

Recap. There was an incident with the global supply of medical inhibitors and regulators -tranquilizers. Cause for destruction of the main distribution center and subsequent supply chain is uncertain, but 95% of the products are circulated no more. For generations, there had been no such disturbance in the distributions of either, and without them, society rapidly devolved. We were too dependent on this means of keeping aggression in check.

Usually, aggressive behaviors were suppressed by the mandated dose of whatever was needed per case. But with medications no longer in the majority of systems, the artificial tranquility of our society is unravelling. The tempered responses of individuals have given way to bestial, primal, violent reactions. It is no longer considered safe for the public to venture out.

It is not safe for anyone to venture out … .

I even noticed my own partner becoming more aggressive towards me; several times he has grabbed me forcefully and tried to disrobe me. Mating was deemed an obsolete form of human reproduction generations ago, and I am relieved that he did not get the chance. Not yet, at least. I have sought refuge in my Bunker-pod since the last assault, wherein he encouraged his “statistically best” coworkers to help him in his mistreatments of me, and I am attempting to wait him out. I fear what happens if he gets through the shell. With his abilities, would I even know if he had me in an extended illusion? Am I under his influence now -subject to tortures of his planning?

Depletion of oxygen levels is the other, more immediate threat. All I can do is try to outlast Hypno, but breathable air is the determining factor.

I always hated Hypno.

Even before all this. I once overheard a conversation regarding our statistically “best” partners in life -that they were only “best” in terms of productivity, efficiency … . Basically, statistically chosen for the purpose of employer’s interests and not individuals’. That thought has stuck with me since I was partnered with him some 5,675 days ago, and I see no indication that it is an incorrect assumption. There is not one interest shared between him and I. No love. No respect. No trust.

No future.

When Hypno woke me -banging on the shell of my Bunker-pod!- my heart began beating so hard … .

I recall only once prior that it beat as strongly, and it was not the doing of deranged Hypno. I have mentioned him in previous entries, but never by name; Synapse. It was much more favorable than today’s panic.

I think of him often. Sometimes I miss him, and sometimes I am happy to be rid of him. I still have his image secreted away in my locket-the governed “gift” when they announce our partner in the form of a heart-shaped locket. I know it is only meant to hold information about my assigned partner and myself -but it is the only way I can keep him. I wonder if I shall ever see him again? Or will today be the last of his memories within me?

By Jenn.jpeg on Unsplash

Neuro reawakens. Line after line, she had poured the entirety of her thoughts into her mental journal and she must have fallen asleep during the long entry. The Bunker-pod is still dark and sealed. Only the ominous, red glow of the oxygen meter indicating nearly complete depletion cuts through the gloom. Neuro fights to stay calm -she strains to hear any hint of Hypno’s presence outside the capsule. She realizes that it is very difficult to breathe. She needs to leave the pod. Soon. But where to go?

‘If Hypno has left, I might be able to get to an actual bunker,’ Neuro reasons. She had only come to her small, previously-owned pod because it had been the nearest, safest place when Hypno’s crew began coming after her. If she reaches the one set aside for her use at her previous workplace, she can hide there for an extended time, as the company-provided ones are well-stocked with supplies and able to pull in and filter more air for long-term use. She still has access to it, as the unit is slightly outdated and she accepted the option to keep it as a personal unit when the company upgraded. It is also the safest and most reliable bunker nearby.

She just needs to leave the Bunker-pod first.

Another glance at the oxygen meter, and she knows she must act fast. But if Hypno is waiting outside the pod, Neuro wants one last look at the one who made her happy. Gingerly, she takes the locket from the hidden pocket on the inside of her upper body harness. She maneuvers it in her hand by feel, noting the slight distortion on one side from her tampering and the several deep scratches on the other near the clasp. Once the small heart lays open, two images appear in colored light on either side in bronze and gold. Neuro pays hers no mind, and skims over Hypno’s with disinterest.

By Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

‘Such a long time since I looked at this,’ Neuro lingers on the thought before she covers the faces with each thumb and presses. The action causes two hidden images behind the originals to project up in a swirling mixture of blue and silver. She and Synapse were younger then, and much happier together than apart. ‘I wonder how he is…’.

As the oxygen sensor reads critical and begins emitting its deafening siren, Neuro takes her last long breath in the capsule and places the locket back in its hidden pocket. The sense of quiet disturbed by the siren, she quickly opens the hatch and tries to rush out. However, after being in the Bunker-pod for some length of time, her muscles do not cooperate; she falls gracelessly onto the floor of the tunnel. She expects to feel hands grip her the entire time she struggles to her feet, but upon standing and looking around, she finds herself alone.

Neuro wastes no time in fleeing. With the systematic fall of one system came the systematic collapse of others, and she must run to the bunker on foot as practically nothing works. Nervously, she darts throughout the city towards safety. Everything is in turmoil. There is not a safe place to rest or a helpful face for the entirety of her journey.

Only minutes from her destination, in the encompassing dark of night, a primal chorus of war-cries goes out. Hypno is nearby, and advancing fast. The sudden vocalization and realization that she is being approached causes her vital sensors to begin beeping and flashing, and Neuro frantically begins removing sensors as she sprints towards her bunker.

By Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

‘How does he know my location?!’ Neuro questions. Realization hits her and she stops outright. She pulls out the locket and opens it to examine Hypno’s image. Beneath it are his coordinates, changing fast -about to match hers. Neuro makes a painful decision; with some hesitation she throws the locket down a nearby hallway, away from her bunker’s entrance. She races towards safety, certain she will be caught. The hatch opens flawlessly. She dives in, prohibits further entry, and waits to breathe easy.

Once satisfied that she is safe inside, Neuro removes from her harness a green pill -her last tranquilizer. She is desperate to forget the life she knew. Eagerly, she swallows the pill. Within minutes, her surroundings fade, giving way to a more pleasant state.

2507 has been a stressful year.

Entry #724 (2 Days Since Prior Entry)

Playlist.

Sci Fi
3

About the Creator

Megan Baker (Left Vocal in 2023)

A fun spin on her last name, Baker enjoyed creating "Baker's Dozen" lists for various topics! She also wrote candidly about her mental health & a LOT of fiction. Discontinued writing on Vocal in 2023 as Vocal is a fruitless venture.

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