Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  NEON DISTRICT: ALPHA

  Chad Campbell

  First published in 2017

  Copyright © 2017 by Chad Campbell

  The right of Chad Campbell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Cover Design by Nikolas Draper-Ivey

  Edited and formatted by Mary Ann Mahoney

  Technical consultations provided by Hammy Havoc and Stuart Routledge

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator” at the email address below.

  [email protected]

  Visit www.NostalgicFuture.world to find out more about the author.

  To my wife Krystol, for providing me with a consistent source of encouragement and undying support in all of my creative endeavors. Words cannot express how much you mean to me.

  To my kids; Noah and Hannah. I was driven to complete this work for you. Not only for you to reap whatever benefits this series may sow, but also to encourage you to dream passionately. To ensure that you never underestimate the power of your imagination. To know that if you have a goal in mind, no matter how difficult it may seem, that you can achieve it so long as you put your minds to it and are willing to put the work in to make your vision come to fruition. Never stop dreaming. Never stop believing in yourselves; you are already great!

  A special thanks goes out to my friend Damian who helped me a great deal, acting as the wall for me to bounce my many ideas off of for the story. You were the first one to encourage me to take my ideas and turn them into a book. I appreciate you, my friend!

  To all my readers, I thank you eternally for even giving me and my book and chance to meet with your eyes, heart, and mind. Your efforts absolutely do not go unnoticed and I am extremely humbled and thankful for each one of you that took the time out of your lives to jump into a world that I have created. You are all awesome!

  PROLOGUE

  ---sys/initiate/STORY UPLOADING---

  Neon District, once a humble settlement town for weary travelers, had transformed into a colossal city-state over the course of a century. The city had become home to a bustling eleven million inhabitants, and stood as one of the last few remaining super cities in the world. The event that propelled the city to its prominence was an event referred to as the ‘Techno-Burst’. Though many of the details surrounding the Techno-burst were shrouded in mystery, many say it was the discovery of a new power source that served as the catalyst. As a result, Neon District’s economy exploded.

  Jobs were at an all-time high, and advancements in medicine, science, infrastructure, and the military gave way to an incredible quality of life for the city’s growing population. Neon District quickly became a leading world power on all fronts. The marvel and allure of the illustrious city-state could not be understated. But for all its glory, the city was a cesspool for political corruption, violence, and dangerous extremism. Those who lacked power or resources were crushed by the system.

  Real estate developments were, slowly but surely, being made available to only a certain demographic. Many other neighborhoods were redlined by the government for unknown reasons, causing a massive gap between the top one percent, and the middle and working class. This caused civil unrest. Social frustration spiked. Political corruption peaked. There was an uptick in crime. Thus, a vicious cycle was birthed. Those who had little opportunities to advance in life turned to crime to make ends meet. In response, the actions of the military police force became grossly over-aggressive, and a vicious anger and distrust developed among the inhabitants of the city.

  The popular dark network ‘CyberWave Republic’ did well to document the distrust the people had for their government. CyberWave Republic, or CWR for short, was a large digital network that connected millions across the Internet and broke into personalized chat rooms, web spaces, and specially coded areas that anyone could create for themselves. It was best known for its legendary interface.

  With the advent of specially made Neurological Visors, simply called 'NeuraVisors', users could surf the dark web like never before. The interface required a direct link to one’s neurological system. This gave the user a full sensory experience, allowing them to see, hear, and feel every sensation in the virtual world. This virtual world had its own virtual reality buildings and zones with millions of users walking the virtual streets, navigating around each different zone.

  The emergence of CWR had blurred the concept of what reality and self-identity meant to an individual. Many users had dedicated theirs lives to living in a world they had created for themselves within the limitless boundaries of the dark network. Their life in the flesh becomes the mask, and their life as a digital construct became their true definition of self. This had manifested in a number of ways for a number of the city's citizens.

  Extremists, anarchists, the socially inept, and many other walks of life congregated there. It wasn't unusual to see many growing radical organizations, such as the pro-Purebred Zealots of the Blue Earth, known simply as ZOBE, or the Cybernauts, a pro-Hybrid organization, use CWR to push their self-serving righteous views on anyone who would listen. CWR promoted the freedom of expression, which ranged from intellectual discussion to other things perverse in nature. It had become the number one source for anti-establishment propaganda against the governing body, Zonos Inc. For every virtual rally against Zonos Inc., there were those who sought peaceful socio-political and economic reform.

  CWR was also known for seedier activity, such as drug dealing, hacking requests, Neuro-Voyeurism, human trafficking, the distribution of weapons, illegal cybernetic surgeries, and other taboo requests and fetishes. CWR operated opposite the more publicly promoted, ‘safer’, and government-monitored 'Zonos Search Engine'.

  Thoughts of revolution had been vocalize
d by the people of Neon District. The times slowly began to change. The voice of the people, however stifled, began to sound off through the disparity. It was only a matter of time until their hidden frustration boiled over into something more.

  The chain of events that followed unearthed an epic and perilous journey.

  CHAPTER 1

  ---usr/systems/server-x/CAIDEN NYX---

  The room was illuminated by three holographic computer monitors hovering over a lustrously designed computer desk. The holo-monitor hovering in the center was the largest, and was accompanied by two smaller monitors on each side. The screens on the outside were angled toward Caiden in his custom-built computer seat. Countless lines of code were flickering, scrolling from top to bottom in rapid succession through each screen. The color of the text would transition from green, to red, to blue, to violet. The flickering lights from the screen danced on the plain walls and ceiling of Caiden's room with a strobe like rhythm. It was a computer coded light show, filled with alphanumeric flashes and fluorescent coloring.

  Caiden was reclined in the computer chair while connected to a thin silver visor that covered his eyes and extended around the circumference of his head. In the middle of the visor was a thin orange light that ran the length of the device. His index finger was twitching, responding to the quick changes in code as they appeared and disappeared from the screens. His neurological system was perfectly in sync with the ever-popular dark network, CyberWave Republic, the digital paradise where Caiden makes his living.

  On CWR, Caiden goes under the codename ‘VseR’, which he pronounced ‘Viewzer’. As VseR, he has cultivated a persona as a beloved leader of the people due to his uncanny ability to rally the masses. He has posted critically acclaimed think pieces on the topics of power, human governance, and existential themed essays, all of which adduce passionate heartfelt responses and feedback from his millions of followers. As VseR, he has been an outspoken proponent of doctrines loosely based on Libertarian Anarchism. The methods that Zonos Inc. used to enforce the laws on the general populous of Neon District’s massive eleven million inhabitants forcibly gave birth to a poisonous subculture built around a burgeoning fear and hatred of establishment. It had also been rumored that Psi-Corp, Zonos Inc.’s military policing unit, had been given Cognitive Limiters or ‘COGLIMS’, as a means of controlling every officer to make them follow the orders of the establishment without question. For the most part, the issue of COGLIMS had been largely kept away from the public eye to avoid outcry and suspicion.

  It was no wonder that the growing popularity of 'VseR' has attracted the adulation of even more people, but also the ire of the powers that be. Many of his digital rallies are held in specially coded areas of CWR. This was done to prevent secret government agents from entering, allowing for freedom of speech without fear of governmental repercussions.

  Though freedom was not scarce in the city, it was not free either. Zonos Inc. had been notorious for bending the laws for their own benefit at the expense of those who were in the lower-middle and poorer classes. Zonos Inc. had long been rumored to be the root cause of the ongoing social rift between Hybrid humans, those with cybernetic implants, and Purebred humans, those without any cybernetic upgrades at all, within the population. It prompted VseR to push for freedom from the power of the ‘state’, eliminating Zonos Inc.’s autocratic usage of the ‘Social Contract’, and ultimately release its control over the people.

  A good number of his posts and encrypted neuro-digital hall discussions focus on empowering the disenfranchised. He covers an array of topics, from becoming independent business owners, to developing an independent underground economy separate from the city-state's, to privatizing anonymity and free market channels. As VseR, he was also the single most sought-after black-hat hacker in all CWR’s one hundred million users. Known for his impeccable and meticulous professionalism, flawless execution and expansive knowledge in the field, Caiden had been making quite a living from his ‘freelancing’ as a hacker. The fringe criminality of his line of work required for him to maintain an unbelievably low profile. He preferred complete discretion for nearly every facet of his life, including activities unrelated to hacking. He had earned enough Creds to buy a corporate building complex if he truly wanted to. Creds were the primary source of currency; they could exist as cash, but were often transacted as digital money throughout the city.

  “Main menu. Please search top posts of the past week,” Caiden commanded Xandra, the artificial intelligence program he personally created for his home systems. The virtual environment of the main menu area always changed every time a user logged into their personal CWR account. This time it was outer space.

  “Very well VseR, would you like to narrow your search further?”

  “No, that will be all. Thank you,” Caiden replied.

  VseR’s avatar consisted of the body of a male human in a skin-tight and high-tech body armor suit, mirroring an advanced ninja. The head of his avatar had the shape of a motorcycle helmet, but was made up entirely of vertical lines of code. The avatar floated to the hottest topics list in the main posts zone, and Caiden came across an intriguing post from a user called 2ofTheSame. The post was littered with thousands of comments, many of them humorous and others, vitriol fueled. The post contained nothing more than random numbers and symbols mashed together.

  “I’m not surprised that this post attracted so much attention. It’s a digital eyesore and people wonder how nonsensical things like these get so popular,” Caiden chuckled to himself. Out of sheer curiosity, he clicked on the coded link and studied it some more. He was beginning to decipher the nonsensical code when his room door suddenly swung open.

  “Oh my god, I ‘uz lookin’ for the bathfroom! I'm so sorry,” an attractive woman in her early twenties slurred, with an embarrassed giggle,

  This platinum blond woman, clearly intoxicated, was wearing nothing but a thin sheet to cover her naked body. Her eyes were bleary, watery, and red. She awkwardly stood at the doorway of Caiden’s room, attempting to maintain her balance. Noticeably annoyed, Caiden stood and imposed a ghastly stare upon the unsuspecting woman who was clearly not in her right mind to begin with. She was frozen with humiliation as well as intrigue as she scanned a shirtless Caiden’s athletic chiseled physique.

  “Wow, Mister Handsome, you a model or somethin’? Hey Vanny, is this your ‘fat’ roommate you were tellin’ me bout?” she said drunkenly, her speech garbled as her index finger traced the bottom row of her teeth. He appeared behind Viana shortly after she burst into Caiden’s room.

  Vanny, or Vantz, Caiden’s best friend and roommate, was tall and lanky, standing at about 6’4”. Vantz was a Hybrid; he lost a few his toes on both feet, along with his left hand up to his wrist in a freak accident during an experiment he was conducting in a lab at his junior apprenticeship at ACTS. As a result, he received cybernetic replacements to all damaged areas. During his recovery, his body experienced an accelerated case of cybersthesis and it ended up enveloping more than just the damaged areas.

  Cybersthesis describes the cybernetic implant replicating its own data by drawing on the natural energy gained by the mitochondrion in the cellular structure. This eventually leads to an override of the human's natural function and replaces it with technological function which mirrors the human function. The only thing that could halt the transformation was for the body to reach nanostasis.

  Nanostasis was the process in which the natural human body maintains a functional and proportionate relationship with the cybernetic transplant that was in or on the body. Nanostasis keeps the body from rejecting the technology as well as prevent the technology from advancing to cybersthesis. This was done by being injected with a genetically altered universal cell type which does no harm to the body or the cybernetic part. Its only role was the maintenance of balance between cybernetic parts and organic human parts. This serum was created by the leading bio-tech company C.E.L.L.

  In many cases, some willingly let t
he process of cybersthesis happen to a certain point to help neutralize a disease or to enhance a bodily function that may have been malfunctioning or weakening naturally. It prolongs a person’s life at the cost of losing some of their ‘organic’ humanity.

  In Vantz's case, the areas ended up transforming into fully functioning cybernetic replacements up to his shins on his legs and up to his elbow on his left arm. He took deep pride in his cybernetic enhancements, and did well to show them off frequently, especially to women in an attempt to impress them.

  He had blond, slicked-back hair and an easy-going expression on his face that was accented by icy diamond blue eyes. Most females fell prey to his over the top charm and handsome appearance.

  “Viana, you’re so trashed right now! What’re you doin?” Vantz asked, thoroughly amused. He turned his attention to Caiden. “Sorry about that Caide. Hey, you okay, man?” Vantz asked, showing concern with Caiden’s discontent

  “Fat roommate, dude?” Caiden asked. “How many girls has it been this week? You’re gonna burn out and catch something ugly at the rate you’re going,” he continued.

  “Yeah, yeah, thanks for the concern officer, but speaking of burnt out, it's two in the morning and you’ve been at ‘coding’ for the last eight hours straight on three separate computer screens, simultaneously! Haha, what a nerd! Maybe you need to take a break, genius!” Vantz responded sarcastically.

  “Gee, I'm so freakin' happy you care, but don’t you think you should get back to business?” Caiden asked jokingly, while subtly pointing at the woman.

  Vantz then shook his head, with a mischievous smile and a nod. “Just make sure you get some sleep dude you look like a zombie”.

  He then guided Viana out of the room imitating the walk of a zombie in jest, and closed the door. The sudden interruption and abrupt exit by Vantz’s house guest led Caiden to sit back down and think.