Migraine

CHAPTER 1

Migraine

I lean back against the wall as I sink into the bench. I grit my teeth and clutch my head with my hand. My brain pounds and throbs within my head. How is it that with all the advancements in technology, they still haven’t figured out how to make the updates any less painful?

The irritating hum of the metallic panels dotted throughout the school halls doesn’t help.

Neither does the noise of the small drone custodians zipping by above us, scanning for rubbish to collect.

“Ugh… This sucks…”

The school halls are flooded with students. A group of three girls pass by me, laughing and giggling as they make their way to their next lesson.

Paying me no mind.

Within that group is a girl named Sakura Shinoda.

What a spoiled brat.

Sakura is popular for two main reasons. One – she’s cute. Two – She is the daughter of a high-ranking government official, Hiroshi Shinoda.

What a little imp.

You’d be hard-pressed to spend a day at our school without seeing her strutting her stuff down the halls, flicking her golden blonde hair here, there, and everywhere. Oh, and she’s almost always accompanied by an entourage of girls. And that smile? That gleaming smile, bright as the sun and just as fake? It makes my skin crawl.

I swear, people only like her cause her daddy’s got money. I guess they hope her dear old dad will buy them the pain free update.

I watch in pure disdain as she glides past, her hollow laugh scraping against my ears.

After that, I sit there for at least 10 long minutes. The halls have mostly cleared. The majority of students have disappeared into their classrooms. Only a few students with free periods remain in the halls, but even those with no lessons have mostly made their way outside by now.

Finally. Some peace and quiet.

“Yo! Hiroto!”

I jerk my head to the side as I’m disturbed by a loud masculine voice calling out to me. The sound of the few girls still left in the halls swooning further disturbs my peace.

Oh. It’s Ryu. Ryu Hayashi. I can tell because his biceps cast shadows the size of buildings. The guy could probably bench press a car. Oh, and no one else in this school is that loud.

It’s almost like he’s trying too hard to be normal.

And doesn’t he have better things to do than talk to me? He is the school heartthrob, after all.

“I’m guessing you got the update, huh? Good for you!”

Ryu exclaims in his booming voice as he strolls over to me and pats me on the back, almost knocking me over with those big muscles of his.

Oh. That’s why he’s talking to me.

For the last forty years, it has been mandatory for all civilians over the age of 12 to have a government issued microchip installed into their brains. I’m one of the lucky few to have gotten the most recent firmware update on its first wave of rollout. Lucky me.

“How’s that post-update migraine treating you?!”

I swear, this guy needs an off switch. Or volume settings at least.

“Not great.”

I manage to mumble that at least. God, my head hurts too much for this. Why can’t I just go home and sleep?

“Here. This always helps me after an update!”

Ryu hands me a small bottle of Nutrient-Infused Jelly. I give him a confused, quizzical look. He’s actually talking to me? Why? He doesn’t seem interested in the new features of the update like I expected. Why else would he be talking to me?

Well, no matter the reason, I’m not turning down jelly.

I take the bottle from his hand and guzzle down some jelly.

“…Thanks.”

I’m able to mumble.

“Anyway, I should be heading to lesson! I’m already fifteen minutes late!”

Ryu takes off down the hall.

“Alright…”

I screw the lid back on the jelly and throw it in my bag.

Whatever reason he had for talking to me, I’ll take it. Besides, I’m not busy. I’m doing what everyone does when they get an update.

Skiving off my lessons but coming to school so I can the attendance mark.

I mean, the teachers get it. You can’t afford a pain-free update on teacher salary.

I slowly make my way outside to the yard. Fresh air is great for update pain. I find a nice corner with a bench and collapse onto it. I let my head flop back. I stare up into the sky. The natural world is amazing, isn’t it. The last thing not corrupted by technology.

Well, who knew how long that would last.

As if on cue, a flock of robot police birds flies over the yard, their cameras glinting in the sun light; scanning the faces and microchip numbers of everyone below. This was their way of monitoring people and catching crime as quickly as possible.

Robot birds.

Before I knew it, the bells for the end of school rung out. I stood up and gathered my things. I make my way out of the school grounds. The roads are flooded by a cascading stream of students, all eager to escape school. I slowly trod towards the station. I’m never usually the overenergetic type, and the migraine doesn’t help. When my hovertrain finally arrives, I pay using my wrist chip and board to find an empty seat to sink into.

I’m so glad they the wrist chips never need updating. I don’t think I could deal with head and wrist pain.

As I sink into my seat, I rummage through my bag and pull out the bottle of jelly Ryu had given me, unscrewing the cap and taking another gulp.

Ryu was right. This stuff really does help with update pain.

I look around at everyone on the train. They’re all staring soullessly into space, projecting entertainment straight into their mind. Their eyes glazed over as flickering holograms reflect in their irises. I would usually be joining them, but projecting irritates the brain slightly. It’s usually barely noticeable, but adding any discomfort to my already screaming head sounds like hell.

I turn to stare out of the window. The city blurs by as the hovertrain shoots through New Sapporo at blazing speeds. Lights flicker across the city, racing by faster than I can process. Looking at the blurred buildings, I’m able to make out a few recognisable hologram adverts, as well as the obligatory ‘updates save lives’ hologram posted nearly everywhere. I think about taking a quick nap, but I know that the aching pain will keep me up. Every time I try, it feels like my mind is being squeezed.

It will probably keep me up tonight as well.

As the hover train pulls up to my stop, I rise from my seat and step out into the station. I continue to make my regular commute home. I trudge my way down the familiar roads. The familiar scent of Kenji’s diner (a favourite among families) wafts through the air. The familiar people walking past. The familiar cleaning drones zipping through the air. The familiar policebots patrolling the streets, their display showing that familiar smiling face.

And then something not so familiar.

“What’s that?”

A microphone crackle turns the heads of everyone near me, myself included.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, you are all being lied to!”

An unfamiliar feminine voice screeches through the air.

Couldn’t they be quieter? Some of us just had updates…

“The government tells you that the updates are for security, or to add new features. But wrong! They’re lying to you! All they do is -”

There’s suddenly a loud crash, followed by yelling.

Eh, I guess I could check it out. It sounds mildly interesting at least.

It’s not like I have anything better to do.

I rush towards where the sound had come from, the first sort of agency that I’d had today. When I arrive, I see a crowd huddled around a middle-aged woman, their faces reflecting a mix of confusion and fear. A mother puts her hand over her young daughter’s eyes, pulling her close.

The woman is collapsed on the floor.

Her sclera turns a bright blue. Then, her iris gradually fades, leaving just a blue light emitting from her eyes. The light begins to pulse, and few sparks fly out from her head, lighting up the street like tiny fireworks. Her body starts twitching unnaturally, and for a moment, I thought I saw something—someone—moving swiftly through the shadows.

“What the hell?” I mutter to myself.

This doesn’t look like a simple update migraine.

Something was wrong.

Seriously wrong.

And I fear that I’ve just been caught up in the middle of it.