Chapter 2: Power Always Seeks Balance
Four years had elapsed since Rahish and Serge stumbled upon a discovery with the potential to alter the course of history. In the wake of this revelation, the landscape of power shifted dramatically. The Digital Time Security Agency (DTS) emerged, swiftly monopolizing control over the newfound technology. Within a year of the invention going public, the DTS had cemented its dominance.
Rahish had vanished without a trace. Serge, once a pioneer in the discovery, now found himself a cog in the DTS machine. James, once their leader, was left with nothing but memories of a bygone era.
Enter Lee—a nobody in the eyes of the world. With no ties, no possessions, and no roof consistently over his head, he represented the forgotten face of this brave new world. Lee’s fortunes seemed poised for a change when he acquired an unregistered Digital Time Device (DTD), a beacon of hope in his bleak existence. But his aspirations of escape were cut short in the dingy backroom of a shabby internet café. The moment he activated the DTD, a silent alarm summoned the DTS agents—a formidable force backed by private investors and the military-industrial complex.
In just four years, life on Earth had undergone a radical transformation. Innovations, seemingly conjured from thin air, had solved 90% of humanity's challenges, be they environmental or health-related. Yet, this era of advancement cast a dark shadow—a rigid, militarized global state that snuffed out dissent and freedom. Oddly, no overt objections arose. While some expressed unease, the majority remained indifferent or unaware.
Lee's tale was but one of many, a narrative of the disenfranchised millions. Despite an abundance of resources and sustainable food supplies, countless souls perished from starvation. The DTS's quest for power was relentless, and their exclusion of dissenters was merciless and arbitrary. Whole families were banished in weekly purges, yet the anticipated civil uprising never materialized.
Now 19, Lee had narrowly evaded the DTS's clutches in a bizarre twist of fate, only to find himself ensnared once more, a mere day after his fleeting taste of freedom. In this new reality, even destiny seemed to have lost its grip.
Once a celebrated sports star and a top-ten student, Lee now found himself a shadow of his former self. His once admired lean, muscular physique and the sharp clarity in his deep brown eyes and short brown hair had faded under the weight of his recent hardships. Alone and bound to a chair, he was forcibly connected to the digital interface he had received for his 18th birthday, now a symbol of his lost freedom.
Uncertainty gnawed at him as he considered his fate, piecing together the grim possibilities from his DTD log and aborted plans.
The room's silence was shattered as a group entered: a scientist, flanked by two heavily armed soldiers, and a sickly-looking man in a suit. Trailing behind was a tall, blonde woman clad in a sleek, grey business dress. The air around them crackled with tension.
The woman, exuding authority, stepped forward. “So, you are the one who sought to reshape our world to your liking,” she stated, fixing her gaze on Lee.
Lee remained silent, defiant. These people had torn his family from their suburban life, plunging them into despair with no explanation. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a response.
“Stubborn and unpredictable,” she remarked with a cold smile. “But we'll grant your wish in our way, not yours.” She whispered something to the scientist, whose expression morphed into one of shock and disgust.
A soldier, after running a scan with a connected DTD, tensed up and aimed his weapon at the scientist. “Ma'am, it’s a trigger!” he announced.
Without missing a beat, the woman ordered, “Do what you must if he clings to his morals,” before leaving the room.
The scientist, his eyes brimming with tears, stepped closer to the restrained boy. “What are you going to do?” Lee asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I am so sorry,” was all the scientist could muster, his voice laden with regret.
“You jack-ass, don’t you dare touch me!” Lee’s voice was laced with panic and defiance. He thrashed against his restraints, his face turning pale, a sheen of cold sweat forming on his forehead. His hands were clammy, his heart pounding against his chest as if trying to break free from the terrifying reality that enveloped him.
The scientist hesitated for a moment, then resolutely approached a monitor, pressing a sequence of digital buttons. A tense silence fell over the room, broken only by the soft clicks of the interface.
Suddenly, Lee’s loud curses and swears were cut short. His body convulsed violently in the chair, his movements shifting rapidly to uncontrollable seizures. Foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth. His eyes, once filled with defiance, rolled back, leaving only the whites visible.
In his mind, a tumultuous journey unfolded. His consciousness was ripped away, cast into a digital void. His subconscious took the helm, echoing the chilling directive the businesswoman had whispered: “Send him to the digital backland and erase all traces. No backups, no safeguards, nothing.”
As Lee’s essence strained against the digital maelstrom, a surge of energy coursed through his being. The world around him faded to black. Then, instantly, he found himself standing in a stark, white expanse—an empty, endless void devoid of sensation or presence.
Lee was neither dead nor alive but lost in a digital nirvana, a state beyond comprehension. To the DTS, he was no longer a concern—or so they believed.
Stefan:
In a world dominated by those who can alter any reality, any possibility, and make anyone who might even think about a different world disappear, how would you protect yourself and family?