Connect

Connect

The buzz of the monitors flying overhead was continuous. There was the sense of a great bustle in the air, as if some giant ship or vessel was being constructed. Tests of ConnectFree had been ongoing for decades and the product had been declared 'fit for production' a few years earlier. Preparations were being made for another massive plug in Sector 268.

Fossil fuels had died out a hundred years before when the human race had mastered cold fusion. The acceleration of technology went from logarithmic to triple exponential. AI had been around for years but humans were still firmly in control and the singularity hadn't happened -- yet. A continuous connection that started at the end of the 20th century in our pockets had evolved to sit on our faces and in the last fifty years, inside our brains: neural implants meant that anybody could know anything they wanted to, and almost instantaneously. Information flow was limited only by the propagation speed of light -- they never cracked that egg -- and latency imposed by distance, some of it very great.

Overcrowding was rampant, not just on Earth but on the Moon and Mars, and two of the moons of Uranus. There were simply too many warm bodies. 21st century density of massive cities like Manilla was dwarfed now by even the most sparse of sectors. The world needed a solution years ago and that solution, ConnectFree, was finally coming in to fruition.

Alan did not like the idea of living inside of a computer. The Advocates, liaisons from the Department of Wealth, had uploaded hundreds of brochures into his free memory that documented the wonders of living inside the machine. His parents were even more encouraging and his father's lectures were unrelenting.

"You can finally be anyone you want to be, son. No asthma, your kyphosis -- gone. This is the place that your mom and I want to be and you will want to be there too. You'll understand once we're plugged."

This was the final stage of the 'Six-Sigma' rollout. 90% of the human race was already inside, their bodies vaporized after upload. 7% more had volunteered as caretakers. They would monitor the system from the outside and ensure that their fellow planet-men had a stable virtual environment in which to reside. The final 2.99999% (a few million luddites had retreated to the underground in protest) were given a timeline of five years to gracefully plug before the DoW would take manners into its own hands. Those last billions were just trying to enjoy theirs final breaths of air while they still could -- while it was still real.

Alan's neighbors, the entire family, had been as uncertain as he was and perhaps had planted that initial seed of doubt in his mind. In a rare move by the Department, they had been offered a 30-day non-committal trial. The family was spirited away by monitors for what the Advocate said would be "the experience you never knew you could have". Fortunately for them, they could choose to go at any time in the first 30 days (their bodies would be preserved), or they could stay and the experience forever what would become their new life. Alan hadn't seen them in over six months. They were no doubt snorkeling through binary waves in Fiji by day and dining under the digital Moonlight of Portofino by night. Who would want to walk away from instantaneous travel; instantaneous satisfaction at the flip of a switch.

2.

A knock at the door startled the Skyne family. Alan's father muted the entertainment display before opening the door to two well-dressed men, accompanied by their ominous monitor; a well-behaved flying robot whose purpose was both security and intimidation.

These monitors had infinite utility. They were perhaps the greatest thing to come out of the computation and energy boom of the late 21st century and could be outfitted for basically any industry. They were the workhorses of any large enterprise, including the Department.

"Two Advocates...?", Mrs. Skyne quietly lamented.
She was cut off by her husband, "Come in gentlemen!"

Mr. Skyne was always eager to please, especially when it came to matters that dealt with the state or its representatives. Two advocates was curious indeed, Alan had only ever seen solo Advocates conducting goodwill visits. Perhaps his parents were a bit more prickly than he had originally thought. Maybe they did commiserate with him in his fear of going digital. The advocates took a seat in the living room and one of them spoke.

"Mr. Skyne, we understand that a colleague of ours visited your home last week."
"Yes, Agent Caldwell stopped by and uploaded some brochures for my son Alan to enjoy. Is there some kind of problem?"
"No, sir. Not for you. Agent Jayne Caldwell disappeared shortly after his visit here and we are helping with the investigation. May we see the boy?"

All eyes turned to Alan's direction. He had been conspicuously spying from around the corner and was so startled by the shift of focus that he tripped and inadvertently revealed himself.

The monitor quickly approached him and conducted a cursory scan. The two advocates looked at each other, their eyes were hollow as they took in the new data and they sat silent for a few moments.

Alan's father's hospitality was being tested and he had had just about enough of the visit.

"Gentlemen, I must insist you tell me what this disappearance has to do with my son."

The taller, paler Advocate was the first to speak.
...