Unfiltered

That’s the thing about life: Sometimes you set the pace, sometimes it sets your pace. Sometimes you’re waiting for 50 years. And then, sometimes it happens in an instant.

No matter what his motivations were, Fisher was essentially correct. The Sect were starting to make louder noises in the media, regardless of what was going on behind the scenes. It was clear that engaging with the world media and populace of New City wasn’t going to change their minds – or some of their minds, at least. I was thinking about what Steph had said about them, with the more radical elements taking a much harsher stance towards me.

Just how far would the radicals in the Sect go? Could they really threaten the new world order? And why couldn’t they embrace the perfection, like I was starting to.

I said all this to Robbie.

“I don’t know man, they just seem like…odd to me.”

“Would some people see me and you as odd?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“So, you’re going to write them off too? Without even knowing them?”

“Oh, come on, you’ve heard their spiel, all hate this and fake that. You’ve seen the protests in Makime City. They talk about the "good old times" that probably never happened. You’re in a better position to rebut their silly arguments than anyone else.”

Maybe that’s what Fisher had wanted me to do all along.

“I must see where they are coming from. And remember Steph said, they aren’t all singing from the same hymn sheet.”

Robbie sucked in air, then blew his lips out. “There's a lot we don’t know, true. But all I know is they seem to really hate you.”

“I think Dr Fisher is right. They’re not going to sit idly by while I do my thing. Actually, I think I've annoyed them even more.”

“That makes sense – hatred of you is what unites them. And you are the symbol of what they are against. But not in every way. Man, it’s so messed up! Ahhh!” Robbie rubbed his forehead.

“Still want to be me, Robbie?”

“I want to pick and choose. I guess we all want the upsides. Not the –”

“– Responsibility!” He nodded back at me, with a smile. “Ding ding, point for New Barnsley Gophers.”

“When in history have people been entirely free? Even now, and probably always, it’s about making the best of what you have.” Putting flowers in the mud.

“You are preaching to the converted, brother.”

“And that’s why: we are wasting our time in New City! Jesus wouldn’t make that mistake, would he.”

“Admirable role-model, but is this the Adem ego talking right now?”

“No. When we talk music, that can be my ego boost. That’s playtime. This is serious.”

A serious game.

“Almost time for a trip to Zone 1?”

“I think that’s on the cards.”

Robbie suddenly realised the time. “Speaking of music!” It was time for his band practice, the first one without gauntlets. He left. And came back, straight away.

“I forgot to tell you something. I borrowed…ehem, without permission borrowed something from my mom. Have a looksee.”

He shoved me a shimmering, metallic octahedron, which looked in one moment deep purple and in another jade green. It felt cold and powerful in my hands.

“Is this what goes on top of the Christmas tree these days?”

“Ha. Actually, no, we don’t do Christmas trees. We do Adam shrines.”

“What??”

“Hahaha. Just yanking your tibia. No. This,” he took the Octahedron back, “is called a Sensoback.”

“Ummm…”

“My mom is high up in the police. They sometimes use this when they need to get a witness report. It recreates the actual, unfiltered sensory experiences that a bystander would have seen, heard and so on, unfiltered by the subconscious mind.”

I thought about the implications of all that. “Does that mean all our memories are stored in us?”

“Hell yeah. All of them. But it can only recreate memories from the past five or six months, or really powerful memories from the distant past, just in less detail. I reckon that your facility friends didn’t know of it, as the Military Police tech department developed this on their own.”

I held it again. “How does it work?”

“You just say: activate” he whispered the word. “And it will. I suggest you talk to it firmly. It can shrink to the size of a button if required, just tell it. And the memories – don’t go to places inside where you’re not ready to go. I’m warning you, Adem. Are you okay with this?”

I nodded. “I don’t think I need to scramble myself yet.” Not until the Sect had been dealt with.

He went on. “So, it’s very easy to hide, and practically undetectable. But abuse it or use certain functions and a police homing device is activated, and all the combined might of the fuzz will come raining down on your parade. Guaranteed. So, enjoy your time with it. I have to get it back to my Mom very soon. If she knows it’s missing…But promise. Don’t push it too far. I don’t want to see you more messed up than you already are.”

“You took this…for me –”

“– Yeah. You’re my friend and stuff. Bye for now, bud.” He shot off.

I shook my head in disbelief. Then, I took deep breaths, the Sensoback glowing in my hand.

Wow.

With this thing, you could – well.

Was I ready for this?

I’d try to start small. I wanted to see: just faces. I said the words.

And I did. Da and Ma. Sis. Schoolfriends, dating back to when I was small. Teachers. People who had stood out for me in some way, some I had maybe passed in the street, people on the television, famous musicians, politicians, history figures who had impacted on me. I saw them in seconds, on fast forward, in my mind and also projected onto the wall from the Sensoback in vivid detail.

Eventually I pictured an angry man in a dark balaclava. My sister’s face…terrified, scarlet, screaming. Another masked face, bearing down on me, snarling.

Then a long nothingness.

My anxiety was accelerating, overloading me.

“Stop! Stop!”

I saw…blurs. Then Blue.

“STOPPP!”

I was reeling. I felt shaking, violent shaking overcoming me. I was starting to feel in real trouble.

“Play – play the last face.”

“Don’t talk. It’s okay.”

Her familiar soft voice came from her lips. I saw our first meeting happen again, clear of my own initial perceptions. And saw her move in to hug me. I started to feel calmer.

Did the device allow for full sensations? “Just play the vision, voice, smells, and the sense of touch given to me then”. I had no firm idea how to command this thing, but reasoned the AI powering it would be top notch and would suss it all out for me.

It did. I felt her hug, her vanilla smell, the sensation of her hair brushing against my face. It was like she was there with me again.

This wasn’t virtual reality. This is re-reality.

I felt myself settling down inside as I paused the scene, letting the feelings really take hold. I then side-stepped and saw an AI 3D representation of me take my old spot. Amazing! I could walk around Blue and see her interaction with me from all angles. The device perfectly filled in any gaps in my perception.

I put my hand on her: It felt exactly like her. How could this be? Well, I did end up touching her in the future, so maybe the AI had taken that into account.

Wow.

I slowly replayed a few of my encounters with Blue – the ones where I was most unsure of her motives. But this time, I could stand outside my own past perceptions. In a way, the recall was clearer, and being able to pause meant I could notice her body language and voice tone in ways I had missed.

I started to fathom just how much of life outside my own head I had been oblivious to.

If the Sect got hold of this – no. Unthinkable.

I dismissed those thoughts, and focused on Blue instead, and the moments I had just revisited. How clueless I had been! How stupid to let my doubt and insecurity get in the way of the only precious thing left that could be taken from me.

But that ship had sailed. I had let it sail away.

I began feeling very unwell. Leaving the Sensoback on the table, I went to lie down on the couch. I was still taking deep breaths when my holophone buzzed: Unknown source.

Out of the phone came four inches of a face shielded by a white hockey mask, under a matching hood, with perforations for a mouth. A blood red vertical line lead down from the left eye socket. I saw a dark pupil stare angrily at me.

Then it cut off.