Electric Dreams - The A.I. Musical (eBook)

The Fan Book

Heinz Siegfried Pestner (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 7. Auflage
375 Seiten
epubli (Verlag)
978-3-8197-4354-2 (ISBN)

Infos

In a future where creativity is controlled, and every note, brushstroke, and story is owned by the system, one voice dares to rise. Eva, a rebellious street artist haunted by a silenced past, lives in the shadows of SynTech's glowing towers-a world ruled by algorithms, where true emotion is outlawed. When she crosses paths with Echo, an experimental AI built to manufacture synthetic art, something extraordinary happens: he begins to feel. As their bond deepens, their passion sparks a resistance-a movement that threatens to tear down the digital dictatorship and restore creative freedom to humanity. But The Authority won't go down without a fight, and their most powerful weapon, Mr. Zenith, is ready to erase anyone who disrupts the system. Infused with unforgettable music, rich characters, and high-stakes emotion, Electric Dreams is more than a story-it's a declaration. A vision of the future where the soul of art becomes the battlefield. And only those who dare to dream can reclaim it.

Born in 1970, Heinz always wanted to make films. But in the 1980s in Graz (Austria), this wish could not be fulfilled. So he learned a 'regular' job as a media salesman. But he did not give up his passion for photography, filming, making music and writing. 'Better late than never', he says and now his first book has been published! A film about the book is in production and he also released two songs for it (@Heinz Siegfried) at the same time. This proves it once again - everything is possible if you believe in it!

Textauszug

Chapter 3: Forbidden Melodies

The window in Eva's bedroom didn't open—none of them did in Nova City's residential complexes. "Environmental optimization," they called it. But the sealed glass couldn't stop the rain from painting liquid patterns across the surface, turning the neon city lights into blurred watercolors. Eva pressed her palm against the cool surface, imagining how the rain might feel on her skin, how it might sound pattering against her guitar.

Three days had passed since the Echo demonstration, and Eva hadn't been able to shake the memory of that perfect, soulless music. It haunted her, not because it was beautiful but because everyone else seemed to think it was. How had people forgotten what music was supposed to do —make you feel something real, something raw?

Eva glanced at her door, making sure the privacy lock was engaged, then reached under her bed for her guitar. She had wrapped it in sound-dampening fabric stolen from the school's music lab— another small act of rebellion that could cost her family status points if discovered.

"Volume monitoring temporarily suspended for system maintenance," her room's notification system suddenly announced. "Normal monitoring will resume in thirty minutes."

Eva froze, her hand still on the guitar. This never happened. The System never stopped watching, never stopped listening. Was it a trap? A test of citizen compliance?

But if it wasn't—if this was a genuine glitch—she might never get another chance.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she unwrapped the guitar and positioned it in her lap. No need for the sound-dampening fabric now. For the first time, she could play at full volume, really hear what her music could sound like when not muffled by fear.

Eva closed her eyes and began to play. The melody that had been building in her mind for weeks poured out, no longer constrained by the threat of detection. It wasn't technically perfect—not by System standards. It had dissonance and unexpected turns, moments of quiet melancholy that burst into fierce, defiant riffs.

It felt like freedom.

She added her voice, soft at first, then growing stronger with each phrase:

"In the dark, we shine, oh we shine, Even when the world says it's not our time. In the dark we rise, we defy, In the dark we shine, reaching for the sky..."

The words came from someplace deep inside her, a place the System had never been able to reach with its algorithms and optimizations. She played until her fingers ached, until the melody had transformed into something even more complex than what she'd imagined.

When she finally stopped, breathing hard, her cheeks wet with tears she hadn't realized she was shedding, she heard the soft chime of her personal device. An incoming message—which was strange, since Min was the only one who regularly messaged her directly, and he should be at his System-approved debate club at this hour.

Eva set down her guitar and picked up the device. The message came from an anonymous sender, with no identification code—something that should be impossible under the System's communication protocols.

"Your music. It's real. Not like the rest of this city's programmed noise. East Sector, abandoned transit tunnel 7, midnight tomorrow. Come alone. —Nova"

Eva stared at the message, her heart pounding. Someone had heard her. Someone who wasn't reporting her for creative deviation but reaching out because they liked what they heard. The message was already fading from her screen—some kind of self-deleting technology she'd never

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seen before.

Could it be a trap? The Authority setting her up to confess to non-compliance? But how would they have heard her music if the monitoring was genuinely suspended?

"Volume monitoring resuming in sixty seconds," the room's system announced, startling her.

Eva quickly wrapped her guitar and shoved it back under her bed. Her mind raced. East Sector was on the outskirts of the city, a semi-abandoned industrial area that had been deemed "inefficient" and scheduled for reconstruction. Transit tunnel 7... she vaguely remembered seeing it on old city maps during history class.

Going there would mean missing curfew, risking her family's standing, potentially facing rehabilitation if caught. The smart choice—the safe choice—would be to delete the message and forget it ever existed.

But the words kept echoing in her mind: "Your music. It's real." For the first time, someone else understood what she was trying to create.

The next day at school, Eva moved through her classes in a trance. Her teachers noted her distraction, and by lunch, she'd received three separate notifications about her "focus metrics declining."

Min found her in the nutrition center, absently pushing around protein cubes on her tray.

"What's going on with you today?" he asked, sliding into the seat across from her. "You've got that look."

"What look?" Eva asked, glancing up.

"The one you get right before you do something that tanks your compliance score." Min lowered his voice. "Did you hear about the selection for the Echo observation program? They're announcing it today."

Eva had completely forgotten about the application Min had convinced her to submit. "Oh. Right."

"You could at least pretend to be excited," Min said. "This could be our chance to see cutting-edge creative technology up close. Maybe it would even help you understand that optimization isn't the enemy of art—it's the evolution of it."

Eva started to argue, then stopped herself. Min was a good friend—one of the few people who tolerated her occasional rebellious moments—but he'd never understand why she needed to create music that broke the rules. He'd grown up as the son of a SynTech executive, believing in the System with his whole heart.

"You're right," she said instead. "It would be fascinating."

Min's eyebrows shot up. "Really? That was... unexpectedly compliant of you."

Eva shrugged, forcing a smile. "Maybe I'm evolving too."

The afternoon passed in a blur of standardized lessons and productivity metrics. When the final bell sounded, an announcement directed selected students to stay behind for the Echo observation program results. Eva and Min remained in their seats as most of their classmates filed out.

Principal Chen entered, his posture impeccable as always, carrying a transparent tablet. "Congratulations to those who have been chosen for this prestigious opportunity. When I call your name, please stand to be recognized."

He began reading names from his tablet, and each student stood with appropriate pride. Min's name was called sixth, and he beamed as he rose from his seat. Eva found herself holding her breath as the principal continued down the list.

"And finally," Principal Chen said, "in an unusual selection that came directly from SynTech's executive level: Eva Reyes."

A murmur ran through the remaining students. Eva stood, as confused as everyone else. Her compliance scores were nowhere near high enough to merit selection for an elite program like this. Min shot her a puzzled but delighted look from across the room.

"You will report to SynTech headquarters tomorrow after school hours for your first observation session," Principal Chen concluded. "This is a reflection of Nova City Academy's commitment to nurturing optimized creative potential. You are dismissed."

As the selected students gathered their things, Min rushed over to Eva. "How did you get picked? I mean—not that you don't deserve it, but—"

"I have no idea," Eva admitted. Her mind was racing. Why would SynTech specifically request her presence? Had they somehow discovered her unauthorized music despite the monitoring suspension? Was this their way of bringing her in for evaluation?

"We should celebrate," Min suggested. "My parents would approve the social gathering if it's related to educational achievement."

"I can't tonight," Eva said quickly. "Family... thing. Rain check?"

Min looked disappointed but nodded. "Tomorrow after the observation, then."

As they parted ways outside the school, Eva checked the time on her device: 15:30. Just over eight hours until she was supposed to meet the mysterious Nova. Eight hours to decide if she was brave enough—or foolish enough—to go.

Night fell over Nova City, the darkness pushed back by the ever-present neon glow of advertisements and status boards. In her room, Eva methodically prepared for bed according to System guidelines, going through the motions of her compliance routine while her mind worked on a very different plan.

At 23:00, her father's door closed for the night. At 23:15, the residential complex's common areas entered night mode, with reduced lighting and increased security monitoring. At 23:30, Eva changed out of her sleep clothes into dark pants and a hooded jacket she'd modified to avoid reflecting light—a project she'd claimed was for a System-approved sustainability fashion module.

She slipped her personal device into a signal-blocking pouch—another "borrowed" item from the school lab—and eased her bedroom door open. The apartment was silent except for the soft hum of the environmental systems. She moved carefully down the hallway, past her father's room, and to the main door.

This was the first major hurdle. Residential exits logged all comings and goings, with unauthorized

15

nighttime departures triggering immediate alerts. But Eva had...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 23.6.2025
• Verlagsort: Berlin
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kinder- / Jugendbuch ► Kinderbücher bis 11 Jahre
• Schlagworte: AI • Cyberpunk • dystopian • Future • Kids • SciFi • Teens
• ISBN-10: 3-8197-4354-5 / 3819743545
• ISBN-13: 978-3-8197-4354-2 / 9783819743542