Prologue

New San Francisco, year 2039

Dark clouds rumbled above, interspersed with the occasional flash of a discharge against the atmospheric containment dome. Currently, it was set to filter out any hazardous substances from the acid rain and pollutants in the air, letting only a mild, steady rain shower upon the city.

A pleasant female voice with the precise diction and emotionless clarity of an AI rang out over the public announcement system.

*Diiiing*

“All citizens are informed that the weather pattern has been set to [Pastoral Autumn Rain] for the next 240 minutes, from 2200 to 0200 hours. Temperature and humidity levels have been adjusted to nominal standards. The immediate activation of your personal Weather Isolation System (WIS) is highly recommended. New San Francisco thanks you for your patronage. Have a pleasant day citizens.”

“.. Rain again? We just had it three days ago..”

“.. Let’s hurry home, I don’t want to catch a chill..”

“.. Waaa.. it’s rain again. Damn, why won’t my WIS activate..”

“.. Pastoral? Who the hell comes up with these..”

The streets were packed with people. New San Francisco boasted one of the most active nightlife scenes on the West Coast. However, among the milling mass of people jostling one another, there was an island of space around one man.

He stood out because he was the only person who had not activated his WIS. He was soaked to the bone, his wet clothes clinging to his thin frame. His face looked worn and haggard, aged before his time. His shoulders slumped downward as though he bore an enormous weight, and each of his steps dragged listlessly under him.

“.. What’s with that guy..?”

“.. He looks like a freak..”

“.. Better keep my distance..”

It was all lost as background noise to Michael Lee. His steps slowly took him to one of the flashiest buildings in the downtown area. He stepped through the automatic sliding glass double doors into a grandly lit lobby, moving from the slight chill of the evening outside into the fuzzy warmth of the artificially regulated room temperature. As he passed through, he could feel the slight tingling buzz of the invisible nanobot layer which automatically extracted all excess moisture from his skin, hair and clothes. Even the squelching of his shoes was gone, replaced by the quiet rustle as the cheap rubber soles of his shoes brushed against the delicate fibers of the luxurious carpet.

A flash of light in the air before him resolved itself into the hologram of an attractive woman in her early twenties. For a hologram, she was fleshed out in incredible detail. Michael could literally count the individual strands of her shoulder-length hair as they swayed gracefully back and forth to an invisible breeze. Her immaculate uniform of blue-and-white looked freshly pressed and crisp to a fault. One of the petals in the flower she wore pinned to the lapel of her jacket was dangling slightly, about to fall off.

“Welcome, Michael! I’m so pleased to see you again. I hope the weather pattern change didn’t catch you unprepared. Have you come regarding your recent application serial number RE-7443823881-I?”

As she tilted her head to one side, the petal finally detached itself and slowly fluttered to the floor. It remained there, lightly skipping along the floor to the same invisible breeze - yet another exorbitant luxury that showcased the quality of the hologram. One could almost imagine it was a real person, if not for the unnatural calmness and artificial cheerfulness conveyed in her expression. Michael despised AIs, even highly refined ones meant for human interaction like this receptionist.

Wordlessly, Michael pushed his arm forward through the hologram, which started to flicker intermittently as static crackled through its surface. Then he unclenched his white-knuckled fist, letting its contents flutter to the floor. He had long lost all feeling in that hand, and blood steadily trickled down his fingers from the deep furrows his nails had left in the palms of his hands. Three individual sheets of paper bearing his signature spread out along the floor. The water on them had been dried by the nanomite layer at the door, but his grip had left the paper warped and twisted, streaked in blood and grime.

The hologram abruptly blinked out, then instantly reappeared in the air three feet ahead of him, out of his reach. The young woman beamed a delighted smile as she clapped both hands in front of her chest.

“Ah, excellent! I see you have filled out all the required documents. Let’s see..

Rebirth application.. approved.

Citizenship privileges.. revoked.

Purging of vital records.. complete.”

A small flicker of light passed through her irises as her eyes unfocused for a moment, then they focused on Michael again. He no longer thought they looked human. Rather, they looked hungry.

A wild beast about to feast.

“Welcome to the Deus Project.”

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