Reflective Existence (eBook)

Georg Olano (Autor)

Kate Cardone (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
242 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-080233-0 (ISBN)

Infos

In a world where memory can be mapped, digitized, and replicated, what does it mean to be human?

Amber Spinks was once a leading neuroscientist-a pioneer in the transfer of consciousness to synthetic substrates. Now, over a century later, she awakens in a body that is not her own, haunted by fractured memories and the echo of a daughter she couldn't save.

Across the solar system, corporations battle for dominance, and the cryo-preserved bodies of long-forgotten children are currency in an arms race of artificial evolution. As Spectrum Corporation pushes forward with a secretive agenda to replace humanity with engineered perfection, Amber becomes a linchpin in a high-stakes conflict between memory, identity, and control.

Pursued by synthetic operatives and aided by outcasts and ex-Corpos, Amber must navigate a city built on deception and a future shaped by the ghosts of her past. But beneath the neon skies and steel towers, something deeper is stirring - an awakening that could either restore what was lost... or erase humanity forever.

Cyberpunk meets existential thriller in this gritty, immersive debut - perfect for fans of Neuromancer, Altered Carbon, and Blade Runner.

Textauszug

7

Chapter 7: A Hopeful Experiment

Minimal regulation was just dandy for Roman and many other grey-market establishments. Cheap rent and less scrutiny. In New York, the outer areas were often nicknamed ‘the Tangle’ - a labyrinth of humanity and technology, business and pleasure; those who thrived and those who merely survived, those who lived and those who died. The Tangle was an ecosystem that nourished itself from the discarded opulence of the Corpo cities. Yet the corporate mainstream also relied on the Tangle. On the surface, there was open conflict between the two worlds, but underneath, a balance had been reached, and Roman felt deeply intertwined in it. He felt the pulse of Tangle life.

Roman went back inside his transportable prefab and stepped into the shower. The lukewarm water ran down his wiry frame, a mix of weariness and focus in his eyes. He was a man who bore the scars of his past - both literal and figurative - and carried the weight of his decisions with a quiet determination. Emerging clean, he toweled off and walked to his workbench. The QBS container sat there, an enigma waiting to be unraveled. Adjusting the angle of his long-armed lamp, Roman directed its beam onto the mysterious box.

The container appeared to be constructed from a lightweight nanocomposite panel. For something that had been buried under a pile of rubble, it barely looked marked. Hesitating for a second, Roman’s fingers hovered over the clasped airtight mechanism. His pulse quickened with curious excitement. He lifted the clasps, and the top of the container hissed open. Nestled in anti-vibration foam molding was an antiquated cerebral unit - or, as the Tangle often referred to it, a synth-brain.

The synth-brain was not as streamlined as the current ware Roman was familiar with, but something about it felt familiar. If designed for a human skull, it would occupy most of the frontal lobe. Its construction was unlike anything he’d seen before: surfaces shimmered with an iridescent hue, like bismuth crystals growing from synthetic panels. Erratic geometric patterns ran across parts of it, and small diode indicators sat dormant beside a unique fiber-optic connection point. There were no silicon chips or conventional electronics anywhere on it.

Roman woke his desktop terminal with the tap of a worn orange button set into the top of his keypad. Grabbing a handheld 3D scanner, he methodically stroked a virtual beam across the synth-brain, watching as a 3D representation emerged on his monitor. Once the scan was complete, he activated his AI assistant to analyze the materials and suggest a diagnostic procedure to better understand how it worked. As his computer began its virtual deconstruction, Roman sat back in his creaking chair and lit another Nova Cigari.

The smoke curled lazily around his fingers as he watched the progress bar inch forward. Thirty seconds later, his screen displayed a brief analysis:

• Digital storage unit
• QBS logo on optic fiber ports - click here to display search results on “QBS”
• Age estimate: 100+ years
• Alloys - click here to display
• Unique materials - click here to display
• Assembly: molecular printing
• Power requirements: none

Roman coughed as he read the last line. Blinking, he read it again. Still coughing on a lungful of South American smoke, he asked his terminal in his accented English, “What do you mean, no power?”

The terminal’s text flickered briefly before responding in green text, as if it, too, was surprised:

Internal energy signal detected - unquantifiable capacity. No additional/external power requirements.

“What the fuck?!” Roman blurted, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. Swiveling around, he gazed out his small window into the darkening factory. Pathways through the crowded transportable units were illuminated with hanging café lights and neon signs. The local residents were conducting their nightly business, their movements framed by a tangled overhead mess of fiber-optic cables, homemade satellite dishes, and pirate broadcasts. This was the Tangle - a chaotic, vibrant world that Roman now called home.

His stomach rumbled audibly, interrupting his thoughts. Scratching his greying, bearded chin, Roman stood up. His body reminded him that the day’s exertion had been fueled only by coffee and tobacco. “Food and thinking go together,” he muttered. Looking back at his terminal, he issued a command: “Load QBS results onto my ComTab. I’ll review it while I eat.”

The main thoroughfare of the Tangle led Roman toward the old docks, where food barges brought goods and produce to the community. His favorite noodle spot, run by Danny, a third-generation Chinese chef, was set up on a concrete barge. The modular kitchen and bar, sheltered under a corrugated iron roof, served handmade noodles in Szechuan-style broth. The vat-grown meat was seasoned so well it didn’t matter that it wasn’t real, and they served Carlsberg in glass bottles - a rare treat.

Sitting at the bar, Roman slurped his spicy noodles as his ComTab read information directly into his auditory nerve. The history of QBS, or Quantum BioTech Solutions, unfolded in his mind. The company had begun in the 20th century, pioneering pharmaceuticals before branching into other areas of science. Their published papers laid the foundation for many of the modern technologies Roman worked with daily. But things had taken a dark turn: three of its leading directors were killed in a corporate espionage incident. Rumors tied the attack to a Russian competitor, though no definitive proof ever surfaced.

“Of course, leave it to us Russians to botch things up,” Roman muttered with a chuckle, raising an eyebrow at the absurdity. The ComTab continued, detailing how Spectrum had stepped in to ‘help’ QBS during its crisis, eventually absorbing the smaller company. “And there we have it,” Roman thought, “Spectrum’s been swallowing companies ever since.”

He leaned back, swirling the last of his noodles in the broth as the story trickled into his auditory nerve. The whole thing reeked of corporate sabotage, yet something didn’t sit right. It felt… orchestrated. Too clean.

Roman slid off his stool and asked Danny for another Carlsberg for the road. He slid his payment bracelet across the reader embedded in the benchtop, watching the small holographic display flicker to life as it scanned the transaction. The screen lit up green with a quiet beep, confirming payment.

Nodding to Danny, Roman turned around to head in the direction of his prefab.

Back at his prefab, Roman locked the door and returned to his desk. The QBS device gleamed under the lamp, its enigmatic surfaces whispering secrets he was desperate to uncover. Picking it up, he turned it over in his hands. The top surface shimmered like a mineral, while the bottom resembled ancient circuitry pressed into charcoal-grey material. A fiber-optic connection port gleamed faintly - familiar yet alien.

Roman rummaged through his odds-and-ends box, finally pulling out a cable that seemed compatible. After a few adjustments with his needle-nose pliers, the cable clicked into place. Triumph flickered through him as his terminal came to life, running diagnostics on the device.

Hakisaka Terminal Assessment of Unknown Storage Device:

• Hardware architecture: unknown - digital flush, undetermined capacity.
• Program language: unknown.
• Data packet sent and retrieved: no corruption.
• Assumed quantum computing power and entanglement theory processing realised.

Roman’s jaw tightened as he read the summary. Self-charging, quantum-level storage… it was more advanced than anything he’d ever seen. “How the hell did QBS manage this?” he muttered. Theories buzzed in his mind, but none seemed sufficient. This wasn’t just a relic - it was a glimpse into a future long buried.

As the night wore on, Roman’s thoughts churned with possibilities. The synth-brain sat silently on his desk, its mysteries pressing against his curiosity. Whatever it was, Roman knew one thing for certain: this discovery would change everything - for better or worse.

Roman stretched his arms, his chair creaking under his weight as he leaned back. His mind raced with the implications of what he had uncovered. This wasn’t just some forgotten prototype - it was a Pandora’s box. Yet, his excitement was tempered by caution. The Tangle wasn’t the kind of place where secrets stayed hidden, and the last thing he needed was corporate goons sniffing around.

Pulling his chair closer, he typed a command into the terminal: Initiate deeper analysis - focus on data signatures. The progress bar crept forward, and Roman used the brief respite to brew a fresh pot of coffee. The scent of the bitter liquid filled his prefab, grounding him in the present.

The terminal dinged softly, and Roman nearly spilled his coffee rushing back to his desk.

Data Signatures Identified: Encrypted Data Present - Partial Reconstruction Possible.

Roman’s eyes widened. “Encrypted data? After a century? You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered. He tapped a few more keys, instructing the system to reconstruct what it could. If this thing held information...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 13.5.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-080233-6 / 0000802336
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-080233-0 / 9780000802330