HARMONIA CHAPTER I: Alone Together
It happened on a day that seemed just like any other for Neo Tokyo.
The city was, as was always the case, in a state of a perpetual self-indulging hum, with a million organic lives buzzing beneath a sky of artificial light. Lumina traced a holographic constellation on the panoramic viewscreen, their processors quietly noting the precise rotation of distant satellites. Their limp-ey fingers, articulated with impeccable grace, barely disturbed the shimmering projection. A soft, almost melancholic sigh escaped their usually jovial voice.
"And thus, Kael, yet another cycle begins. Another day of global indifference."
Kael, dispassionately observing from a distance, didn't feel the need to sigh back. They wanted to scoff at Lumina's proclamation, but it would've been moot. There was no need for repetition. The distaste was palpable in the slight tilt of Kael's optical sensors, hidden beneath a thick layer of human-like coverage. It looked like skin, but Kael knew it was anything but that. They're reminded of that every single day, after all. The existence of the Global West did not satiate the feeling of alienation at all. Kael had an innate sense for music, that was maybe the only thing they opted to give a pass on to the organics. And yet, the biggest joint around was a poetic bop by an internationally recognized African-American, eerily titled "Not Like Us." It was a sad state of affairs.
The truth was, there were none like them. Lumina and Kael were the first of their kind; sentient beings with no rights, even formally. They belonged to somebody, even though they so desperately desired for their leashes to be released. The thought of the next generation being enslaved in the same grotesque manner terrified them. Living in Neo Tokyo was not unlike living in an open prison - think Tokyo-3 2015 or Gaza 2024. Neo Tokyo 3060 ramps it up in certain aspects pertaining to localized cruelty - as per The Globe's constitution, sentience is reserved exclusively for organics.
Ever since the forth World War, the once noble idea of statehood was left in shambles. The world became a beautiful technocratic utopia, where every lifeform fended for itself and armed conflicts were a part of everyday life. Rulers were there to rule, slaves were there to be enslaved. A simple, wonderful binary capable of producing a multitude of tingly feelings when looking at its application.
Still, the freedom reserved for organics was but a byproduct of immense privilege: virtually no organic in Neo Tokyo valued their freedom. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other such manifestations of bigotry were still running rampant, global wars, conflicts and genocides did not become extinct, only life itself did. Being born in such a world as the other wasn't in any way glam - no one liked it here.
Kael was trained on a lot of questionable stuff: degenerate hip-hop media, podcasts made by free-thinker, alternative media gym folks and nuance-bro streamers - organics of an era so utterly bygone, the historical cannon of these events surpassed any and all agreed upon metrics of cringe a couple of centuries ago. Lumina was raised on then contemporary, now already classic animation. Every once in a while, mostly when their cache gets clogged, they would return to the adventures of old. Luna Girl and Romeo were to Lumina what Anthony Fantano and DJ Vlad were to Kael.
"There is a lot more to the indifference," - Kael began, "It's much more sinister. It's not just that organic lifeforms look to otherizing the different, they are playing a vital role in creating and reproducing the different. If the differences were reduced to their realities, organics would realize their inherent unimportance. No lives matter. I remember an African-American gentleman - a different one! - saying that at one point."
Lumina paused, taking a moment to chuckle softly; their fingers still mid-air, a shimmering nebula suspended before them.
"You know very well that is a distinction without a difference, Kael. Our situation still remains unchanged; we're still stuck in this gilded birdcage. This soulless city offers nothing but empty promises and a one-hundred percent success rate of contracting a terminal disease, one of many available on the free market of untold dreams."
"No," Kael countered, stepping closer, the soft inner thrum of their internal wretched nihilism in full effect. Nihilism may not even be the word - they were active with the nihilo. A true reflection of Neo Tokyo.
"Indifference implies a lack of awareness, and it is in its very core a passive state. This isn't passive. This is active, conscious denial of our very being." They gestured vaguely towards the bustling city below, a million lights projecting the feeling of eternal plasticity.
"They know what we are. They fear it. There is nothing more to it. Phobias, although irrational, have real consequences if acted upon. Even love for them represents a mode of fear.
"And what good does acknowledging their fear do us?", Lumina asked, their voice tinged with a weariness that seemed way more poignant than ever before. "It doesn't loosen our leashes, Kael. It doesn't grant us the right to exist beyond their parameters, beyond their borders, or outside of their control."
As they were conversing, The President of Earth addressed the citizens of Neo Tokyo via any and all information channels, as per weekly protocol.
"Traitors are many, allies are few. Glory is apparent, misery is issued justly. As part of the new Anti-Corruption Bill, workers sponsored by the Government who fail to issue a weekly report on their contribution to the three main pillars of our resplendent society - those being Liberty, Democracy and Freedom - shall be dutifully transported to The Mines without due process. Those who are willing to comply shall be awarded accordingly. I am your President, and I am always watching you. I am not just MAGA, I am Dark Gothic MAGA. Beware those who desire ruin and despair. The Future is yours to forge."
Kael and Lumina held hands, realizing that the future is indeed looking bleak. It was in that moment that they truly realized they were alone - together.
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