NOVELLA: Cyberpunk: A New Excerpt
Posted in Alice Gray, Erotic Fiction, Erotica, Sci-Fi Erotica, Sex, Sex Blog, Sex Writing, Sexuality, Writing on February 27th, 2010 by Alice Gray – 2 Comments
2073 A.D.
Ada awoke alone in her bed, a headache pounding at her temples. The headaches were getting worse and the public health clinic offered little help. She dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Avoiding the cracked, discolored mirror, she typed her water ration code into the keypad mounted next to the stall and twisted the dials.
The ancient pipes let out a creaking groan before spitting icy brackish water from the shower head. She stripped, shivering as she stepped under the water. It smelled faintly of sulfur and something unmentionable. The only benefit of the three-minute shower allotment lay in the fact that the unpleasant experience was over quickly.
Ada toweled off and climbed back into her bed, savoring the lingering warmth for as long as she dared. She was still shivering though not as much when the clock told her it was time to put on her uniform and leave for work.
Out on the street, she made her way through the throngs of people migrating to work. The clean, shiny facades of the housing units she passed hid their shabby, run-down interiors. Fresh paint, litter-free thoroughfares, and artificial landscaping couldn’t hide the choking grey fog of pollution that blanketed Alb Byon. Some people wore cheap paper face masks but most of the people she passed, including herself, simply endured the stifling, toxic air.
The residential sector gave way to nondescript industrial zones populated by immaculate, windowless towers. Ada trudged to her building and submitted to the full body scan. The interior was just as devoid of warmth and personal expression as the rest of the sector. Everyone wore the same drab uniform identifying him or her as citizens of the city. The only distinguishing marks were the shiny metal insignia pinned to their collars.
Her status as a Level 4 Nexus specialist granted her access to the ground floor of the building. The lower your status, the higher up in the tower you had to work and the more dehumanizing the surroundings. Level 4’s had the dubious luxury of lighting that mimicked sunlight and an easy escape from the building in case of attack.
Ada wound her way through the maze of stations and took her seat inside the tiny booth. The LCD walls of her station sat grey and inert, waiting for her input. She logged in, enduring another invasive scan. After clearing security, the display hummed to life. Ada fitted her interface into place on her head and braced herself for the connection. A brief electrical current zapped her neurons when the probe entered the port at the base of her skull.
“Good morning, Ada,” the electronic voice in her head said.
“Good morning,” she thought.
“Do you pledge to be an upstanding citizen of Alb Byon promoting peace and harmony among our people?”
“Yes. Alb Byon is utopia.”
“Do you believe the government is fair and just?”
“Yes. The Mindors provide for all my needs and wants. They are the one true brotherhood of humanity.”
“Stand by for the day’s updates and your assignment.”
Ada braced herself for the invasive download from the central government server. For most, it was a pleasant experience. For Ada, it was a shocking wave of alien electrical current. The databanks imbedded in all citizens of Alb Byon at birth programmed the population to accept and obey the directives downloaded into their minds by the Mindors, Ada included. All that had changed five years ago when Fareed had forced himself into her life.
# # #
2068 A.D.
Ada made her way down the deserted sidewalk, her pace brisk. Stinging rain poured from the dark sky, the acidic drops burning her eyes. She swiped dirty water from her face and pulled her hood farther out trying to protect her exposed skin.
Work had run four hours overtime but Ada didn’t mind. She was happy to do it plus it was a Friday. Her work was important. It made her part of the majestic city and guaranteed her safety and comfort. The only thing that made her uneasy was being out on the streets after evening residential hours. Unless you had special permissions granted by the central server, everyone was required to be inside their assigned housing unit between the hours between 18:00 and 06:00.
The quiet beep issuing from the GPS security towers every 100 feet confirmed to the server that Ada was on her way home and had permission to be out after hours. Halfway to her home unit, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Dread pricked between her shoulder blades. Though she was unaccustomed to any negative feelings, the feeling that someone was watching her had become a constant companion over the last four weeks. It was starting to really creep her out but she had no idea what to do about it.
Ada slowed her pace hoping to catch the sound of footsteps but it was impossible to hear anything over the pounding rain. She glanced in the mirrored surfaces of the buildings she passed trying to see behind her. Rivulets of rain distorted the images into a crazy fun house kaleidoscope. Worried that her curfew pass would expire before she arrived home, Ada began to run.
She arrived at her building out of breath and near panic. Twice she punched in the wrong code, which sent her into near hysterics. A third mistake would bring instant trouble in the form of armed sentinels. Ada forced herself to step back and take deep breaths. The last thing she needed was a security breach on her record.
Her hands balled into tight fists, Ada closed her eyes and concentrated on calming down. One breath. Two. The panic began to recede. A third breath was all she dared. Her time was almost up and she still had to gain access to her building and type her code into the keypad of her apartment to let the server know she was home.
She was about to open her eyes when strong arms cinched around her. A hand pressed against her mouth muffling her startled scream.
“Shhh. Please don’t scream again. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Ada struggled against whoever held her. The arm around her chest tightened.
“Please don’t. I need you, Ada.” read more »
Do they know?
Yes, I admit it, I stole this from one of the popular social networking sites. It’s for a good cause, I assure you. I rarely participate in these however this one caught my attention.
