"You are living in heaven. Embrace it… and be grateful to our heroes for that ."
The voice echoed across the city followed by the beats of a phonk.
A beautiful woman with cat-like ears smiled down from a massive billboard, her image stretched across one of the tallest towers in Shadow Embers.
Her eyes followed everything.
Or at least… it felt like they did.
---
Shadow Embers was one of the many Hive Cities built after the Third World War.
Back then, they said the world ended because of old order's barbaric ways and our heroes saw through it and established the new order by creating these hive cities.
Old concepts of nations meant to divide humanity disappeared.
Corporations rose instead which use their hard earned points for the welfare of the society.
And humans were reorganized by 'class' based on their species variation
Here , Elites lived way beyond normal human reach so let's just continue by what's below them.
Class 1 lives at the top in open —where the air are clean, the lights are softer, and the sky is still visible.
They are not produced like us of lower class but are born naturally, that's why they are of higher classes but they too have variations and we will talk about that later ...
Below them are the working classes.
Class 2 like me ...
Then 3… and everything after that.
No one really talks about what happens below Class 3.
Only that… they're still " organic enough to be called somewhat alive ".
Up above on surface , life is called heaven.
Down here—
It's just life , atleast it's better than those below .
...
In one of the second class apartment complex in eastern part of the hive city .
Neon lights flooded everywhere in corridors.
Here , you couldn't really tell if it was day or night. The sky was hidden behind layers of metal and glass, replaced by artificial glow.
This place was silent but still monitored by Hive net which keeps the whole city safe .
People say it is heaven.
Just not for people like me.
...
I live down here, on the upper level 1 of the apartment complex
Class 2A that was my assigned class citizenship.
And i was fortunate to get a job as a Disposal Maintenance Worker with a annual income of 50 points.
Enough to live. Enough to use Hive Net three times a day, one hour each.
That's… already better than most.
I heard Class 2B citizens don't even get this much.
So yeah—
My life is supposedly good.
At least, that's what everyone says.
We're living in the golden age of humanity.
"Right, Hivebot?"
( "Yes, User 189 Decimus. It truly is a wonderful era."
"According to historical records, humans did not have access to the Hive Network before the establishment of the New Order in year 2088 ."
" let's leave this whole aside and don't you think… it is a perfect time to connect with some interesting anime characters " )
Yes you heard right , my name is '189 Decimus' .
It means I'm the tenth human made from the 189th DNA sequence.
This name sucks but what can I do
it was the name I was given by production facility and can't be changed with my status.
I also forgot to tell you that I am also a ten years old adult .
[DING! You have 3 minutes remaining in this session.]
Yeah… I used most of my time already.
Watching entertainment stuff again.
I sent another thought through my brain chip.
I think I haven't told you already that i can't speak .
Class 2A citizens are not really produced with functions like these in mind .
'Hivebot… how much more points do I need to enter the virtual world?'
("Good question, User 189 Decimus."
"You are doing well."
"Based on your current savings of 70 points, accumulated over 7 years of service, you will require approximately 20 more years to gain access to the Virtual World ."
"But please don't feel discouraged."
"You are already performing above the expected efficiency for a Class 2A citizen."
"And even though your biological lifespan is estimated between 25 and 30 years…"
"That still gives us enough time."
"There are also alternative options available."
"Once you reach the age of 20, you may transfer ownership of your physical body to certified partner companies."
"This is safe and widely accepted, some options like this are :"
1) MYCOMUNICATIONS:
"Estimated return: 50 points, depending on your condition."
2) SSS Alpha:
"Estimated return: 48 points. Higher than most providers."
"More options are available on BIGBUGS.HIVE."
"With proper planning, I am confident we can achieve your goal." )
I stayed quiet for a moment.
At least ten more years of work…
That's a lot if you look at it from different perspective.
' Hivebot , If I take better nutrients… will my value increase?'
You might have seen how serious i am about it because it's my dream to enter virtual reality, it is the peak experience as I have heard from everyone
There in virtual reality , you could do whatever you want without any limits and this is not my dream alone but everyone's dream .
All this labour and work i have done in my life from the age of 3 is just to complete this dream of mine .
' hey , why are you not responding? ' i said as bot hasn't responded to my previous question
[DING! Session limit reached, you may continue your conversation Tommorow]
[WARNING! Third Sleep Cycle is ready to be initiated. Please return to your pod immediately. ]
Ah…
Already?
I guess I didn't notice the time.
But still these cycles of sleep is a necessity for people like me because it keeps us healthy and a healthy body like mine can reach way upto 30 and be sold for high profit .
Then with a sigh i activated my exoskeleton to get up from my couch
The metal frame wrapped around me lifted me up like it always does.
My real body can't really do much on its own.
Only Class 1 people can walk properly.
It carried me across my room using command from my brain sensor chip , i guess it would be correct to say it was just a extension of my body .
I moved across the appartment given to me by authorities.
It was nothing but just a living room and a bedroom.
No kitchen , no bathroom here to waste space like old times as their functions can now be automatically fulfilled by this pod which is the right of every 2nd class citizen of the hive .
...
Once near my huge pod, i stopped my exoskeleton .
Then released myslef form it
For a second, I almost fell but i was used to it .
I had to lean forward… slowly… carefully.
My arms felt weak, like always.
I dragged myself toward the edge of the pod.
It was tiring like always
Even this much.
My sleeve slid a little as I moved.
Plain white.
Same as always.
A full-body suit.
No design, no color—just a faint marking at the center highlighting 2A .
On the side, a small badge stating :
'189 Decimus'
And behind… printed faintly across the back—
" PROUD CITIZEN OF SHADOW EMBERS HIVE"
---
I finally settled in the pod.
Barely.
Using what little strength I had, I pulled myself up and rolled inside.
It wasn't smooth.
My body didn't listen properly.
It took a few seconds just to adjust my position.
Once I was in, I stopped moving.
Just lay there.
Breathing a little heavier than usual.
Then I sent the command.
"—Woosh."
The pod sealed shut.
A soft hiss followed as the sleep gas filled the space.
Purple UV light flickered on above me.
'Goodnight, Hivebot…'
I thought quietly untill I fell asleep and then everything went blank like always .
_________________________________________
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