NA Dystopian Science Fiction

The face of the data miner flashed across my screen. If he’d been smart, the man would have retreated from the system when my digital predators began snapping at his heels an hour ago. However, the low-class Digger was desperate for coppers, and there was no other way to obtain quality coins without delving deep into Technohaven’s system.

The man’s name was James. He didn’t have a surname, since he’d been born a Tosser. It was rare to find Tossers who’d managed to climb their way into the Diggers' world—he should have been satisfied where he was.

On the screen, a policeman unlocked James’s door with ease. The nanobots were under strict orders to obey any who held an Authority Badge. The design was a dull-colored key with the silhouette of the city engraved on its surface. Despite its lack of appeal, no one could question its power.

The data miner’s hovel transformed into a prison cell upon the key’s command. Nanobots formed briefly, allowing me to examine them at a safe distance. Their spindly chrome bodies skittered along the walls and floors until James had no other choice but to surrender. The man raised his hands and begged for forgiveness. His slim body was proof of the low-class life he’d led—he was slowly starving.

I gripped my stomach. It had been many years since I’d felt hunger pains, but the memory constantly taunted the back of my mind.

The policeman turned the key again and the nanobots swarmed James, relieving him of any tech that he’d managed to steal.

I turned off the screen, knowing that he was bound for the Tossers District.

“Erica, your jacket finally came in.” My coworker handed me a thin crimson coat. It would provide me with access to any police station in the Singers District. It was warm with thrumming electricity, but I was slow to put it on due to the strange sensors that would inspect my body. No matter how many times a camera scanned my face, or a sensor pricked my blood, I would never enjoy the feeling of being watched.

“Thanks, Casey.” I forced a smile, so I didn’t disappoint my enthusiastic acquaintance.

She was a firm believer in Technohaven’s regime. However, she lived in the most prestigious district the city had to offer. She didn’t know what it was like to struggle to obtain food or simply find a job. The Flyers District was a place that every citizen dreamed of, and she was living that fantasy. The only reason she was working in the Singers District was to add “work experience” to her resume.

Casey frowned. “You don’t like it.” She crossed her arms. “But I designed it specifically for you! It even had nanobots sown into the thermal layer. You’ll never be cold, and…” Casey flattened the waistline. “You look so hot! The entire Quantum Data department will be after you.”

I forced the lump down my throat before saying, “This is far too expensive. I can’t accept it.” Nanobot clothing was reserved for the Flyers, and if they found out that a middle-class Singer was wearing the unauthorized tech, then I would be penalized.

Casey waved away my worries and eyed a particularly attractive automaton. “I might have to pay that fine piece of machinery a visit later.”

The jacket scratched against my skin, and the monitors flickered. James was being escorted to the Tossers District without coins or clothing. He was at the whim of the city’s simulated weather, so he wouldn’t last long.

The name Erica Silver popped up, regaling the entire city of my victory in stopping yet another data miner. The screen flipped through my academy photographs until it landed on my current face in the police station. I was wearing the new crimson jacket with an onyx leather jumpsuit beneath. My long dark hair curled away from my worried face.

I quickly twisted my expression into a smirk, as if I was proud of sending a man to his death.

The entire station clapped, congratulating me on my success.

Holding the same smile, I said, “Since I’ve met my quota for the day, I’m going to take off early.” I reached for my bag and quickly wrapped the strap around my shoulder.

Casey pouted. “We were supposed to go out for drinks tonight.”

I laughed, amused by her childlike attitude. “Another time. Sleuthing takes its toll, you know?”

An artificial officer passed by, and I couldn’t help but hear the lenses in his eyes refocusing.

Casey pinched her lips, disappointed, but quickly perked up when she saw her surveillance team bringing in a new piece of machinery.

I took the opportunity to sneak away. The hallways were long and winding, as there was only one exit in the entire police station. It was difficult to avoid chatty coworkers and nosy artificials, but I reached the large doorway in record time. I could taste the freedom as I reached for the handle.

“Erica, where do you think you’re going?”

I withheld a curse, knowing that the cameras would detect even the quietest whisper.

“Captain Enders, how are you faring today?” I asked.

The captain led the 399th precinct. He was an overwhelming presence with a booming voice that could disrupt nanoglass when he reprimanded his underlings.

He reached for my arm, but I deftly shifted, pretending that I was stepping aside for a passing officer.

He frowned. “Well done today. You caught five data miners in only a few short hours.” He peered at the digital clock on the wall. “Imagine how many more you would nab if you stayed for a full shift.”

The captain knew as well as I did that I wasn’t going to be paid beyond five catches per day. There was no point in sticking around when I had coins to earn elsewhere. “Are you increasing the quota, captain? I’d be glad for the additional pay.”

He grinded his teeth. “We don’t have the funding, Silver. Though, your chances of promotion would increase if you displayed any inkling of dedication to this precinct.”

The captain stood in front of the doorway, but no one dared to ask him to move. They skirted around him or abandoned the mission altogether.

I put on the sweetest voice that I could muster. “Are you insinuating that I don’t care about precinct 399? Captain Enders, you wound me. I’ve done nothing but bring data miners and hackers to justice for the last three years. Without me, those criminals would still be on the loose.” I risked a peek at the camera in the corner of the space—it was watching us carefully. “But if you want me to capture criminals over the course of the day rather than as quickly as possible, I can do that. The damage they do might spread across the web, but your wish is my command, captain.”

Captain Enders eyed the camera. “Dismissed.”

It was all I could do to withhold a real smirk as I exited the stifling building. The doorway shifted around my body, frisking my pockets and bag before I could escape into the cool air outside.

The sky was clear and pale blue. There were no clouds in sight, yet the artificial sun didn’t provide the warmth that I craved. The glittering dome around Technohaven could be seen sporadically when there were surges in the city’s system.

I reached up and followed the path of electrical sparks with my fingers, wondering what it would feel like to pass through the barrier. Though, as curious as I was about the outside world, I wasn’t dumb enough to step foot onto the barren lands beyond. The century-long war decimated most of the planet’s surface four hundred years prior, and Technohaven was the last safe place for humans.

Sighing, I began my trek to the market. The sidewalks expanded, allowing more people to pass by. The nanobots skittered across my feet, sending my heart into overdrive.

A small prick from the jacket’s sleeve startled me, and I pushed the fabric up. The new piece of tech had registered my anxiety and prescribed an injection of anti-depressants to calm my nerves.

I scratched at the small wound, feeling the effects of the drug immediately. My eyes grew heavy, and my heart steadied to a regular beat.

“Thanks, Casey,” I muttered, irritated that she hadn’t warned me about the new addition.

I rolled up the sleeves high, wishing to remove the jacket, but I didn’t want to hurt Casey’s feelings in case she spotted me on the surveillance footage.

Rushing water cascaded over statues of the Founders. They stood tall in the middle of the district, their unrecognizable faces staring blankly ahead. The pond that surrounded the statues was full of vitamin-infused liquid, and it fed into the city’s water supply. It began in the Flyers District and trickled into the Tossers’ part of the city. By then, though, the water had cycled through several people, leaving the lower class to fight for clean water.

I cupped a pool of cold water in my hands and drank freely. The citizens passing by thought me odd for doing so, but they didn’t understand what it was like to drink muddied liquid to survive.

“Mealtime is ending in fifteen minutes, Singers.”

The pleasant female voice that sounded from the district’s speakers forced me to leave the waterfall behind and hurry to the market down the street.

Most of the district had already secured their meals, so it was slim pickings once I arrived. However, I found a vendor that dispensed protein blocks and asked for two.

“Hold out your arm, please,” the food artificial said. The AI mimicked humans, so it was difficult to tell them apart. However, the scanner that popped out of its hand was unmistakable. The automaton examined my arm, where the social chip had been planted. “Erica Silver, you have a total of three silvers and five coppers in good quality. Two coppers will be deducted from this total. Do you approve?”

“Yes, now, give me my damn food.” The hunger had only grown since leaving the station, and I was in no mood to deal with an AI.

The automaton paused, its short blond hair shifting in the simulated breeze that passed by. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Do you approve the transaction, Erica?” The automaton stared at me with blank eyes, its retinas zooming in on my face.

Through gritted teeth, I said, “I approve.”

“Transaction complete.” The automaton dispensed the two protein blocks into my hands, and I greedily ripped into the first one. I disposed of the wrapper in a bin where it was immediately incinerated. “Have a wonderful afternoon, Erica.”

I sent a glare in the automaton’s direction, creeped out by its overly friendly programming. I would have rather dealt with a real human and had a real conversation. At least, it wouldn’t have been boring.

The second protein block was stuffed into my bag. My sister often forgot to eat, so she would need to be reminded when I got home. Still, my stomach ached for more. I reached for the second block several times along the pathway to the Diggers' border.

The farther I walked, the darker the sky became. The temperature decreased and the quality of air lessened. I coughed, used to the clean oxygen in the Singers District. A broken automaton limped past, the space tight between me and the building. Its eye and foot had been scavenged, leaving it to wander back to its master alone. However, the creation would soon join the pile of scrap metal in the Tossers District. The high-class citizens didn’t care to repair their broken toys—only replace them.

The tracker in my arm singed my skin, warning its user that they were about to cross onto land that they shouldn’t be on. Still, I trekked forward, knowing that the sting was worth the coin I would collect from my boss.

The chrome shutters were lowered on the old building, its siding covered in rust. I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

Once he did, the man said, “Welcome back, Erica. I was starting to think that the Singers had stolen my best data sleuth away.”

Cringing, I answered the man who’d given me and my sister new Singer social chips—and new lives. “Even if they did, I could never escape you, Adryel.”