*March 7, 2125*

Elion sat at his pristine desk, staring at the empty wall that mimicked how he felt, empty, void.

He felt there was nothing more he could do. Kira was gone, maybe for good. Did his father have a point? Were emotions the weakness of society? Look at what his father and father's father built. The leading tech company in the entire country. Something that he'd be running one say. Elion was barely interested in anything technology related. But what else was there to do? People either designed the robots or...He wasn't sure what people did outside of that.

He tapped the top right-hand corner of the smart desk. The screen lit up with cyan around the desk's perimeter. He scanned the neurolink implanted behind his ear, and his home screen appeared on the desk. He looked at the personal files he had saved on the desk. Though it wasn't personal, was it? All smart desks were connected to the same network, whether at school, home or an office. Given the principles on which his father's company was built, they'd have access to everyone.

He tapped on the Academy folder on his home screen, bringing up all the notes and homework he had for the day. GERMAN, a small grey circle at the bottom left corner, perked up.

"Would you like assistance with your assignments, Elion?" Its humdrum voice asked.

Elion swallowed a sigh.

"Yes, bring up today's assignments," he instructed.

The screen switched to a list of the day's assignments.

"What assignment would you like to do first?" It asked with fake interpersonality.

There were only two this time, History and Biology. His eyes flickered to the white polyvinyl box at his bedroom door. He wasn't interested in tampering with a heart right now. He could barely control his own.

"History."

"In the past 75 years, technology has drastically changed society. Write a 2000-word essay discussing the key technological advancements of this period and how they have improved modern life, particularly in areas like communication, healthcare, and education. Additionally, explore how opposing views that argue these advancements may contribute to social and cultural decline, focusing on issues such as over-reliance, privacy concerns, and social isolation."

GERMAN read the assignment question aloud for Elion as if he couldn't read it himself. It might take him a while, but he would get through it.

"Would you like me to bring up articles about the Artificial Intelligence Revolution from the last 75 years?"

"Yes, wait...no."

"Bringing up articles." GERMAN ignored his request as if it had a mind of its own.

"Show me the article about the Artisans painting the Mayor's building."

Several articles appeared as icons on the desk screen. They were arranged by date. The first one was the latest, dated today. The rest were on the same date but from different years.

Elion tapped through each article, noting that one had been written every year for the last 50 years. He opened the most recent one.

"Would you like me to summarize the article?" GERMAN chimed.

Elion held up his hand as if to physically stop GERMAN.

"No. I'll read it."

He took his time to read through the article. He stumbled over several words, and GERMAN corrected him without asking. It fuelled his burning frustration.

When he got to the end of the paragraph, he still did not know much about who the Artisans were and what colour they painted the wall. They only mentioned that the wall was painted during the night. The mayor was outraged, and RPs raided some residences and arrested the perpetrators.

His curiosity reared its head yet again. Where did the Artisans come from? Where do they live? Why were they painting walls?

"GERMAN, show me articles about the Artisans' history," Elion instructed.

More articles popped up, but they were brief articles about them painting the Mayor's wall. Elion also realized that every story was from the Observer. The Observer was the city's sole digital newspaper, published by the government.

"GERMAN, who are the Artisans?" Elion asked. A more specific question might give better results.

"The Artisans are a terrorist organization whose agenda is to destroy the advancement of society."

"Tell me more about them. Where are they from? Why did they paint the wall?"

GERMAN simply repeated his previous answer.

GERMAN, the AI assistant that wrote the program for a self-navigating space mission to Saturn, couldn't find more information about a terrorist group.

"GERMAN, why are you lying?" Elion asked.

"Artificial Intelligence is incapable of falsifying information."

"Sure," Elion answered simply.

He drummed on the desk with his stylus. What could he ask that would get GERMAN talking?

His thoughts were interrupted when Arion's delicate voice came through his thoughts.

"Are you awake?"

Elion sat up straight. He didn't realize he was slouching. "Yes, I am." Elion sent the response through their neurolink.

"Do you want to play imagination?" Arion whispered.

Elion's lips twitched, but he caught it before it transformed into a smile. When they were younger, they would sneak into the attic long after lockdown and play tell each other stories. Arion always told stories about creatures lurking outside, while Elion's stories were about some challenge or escape. That was before he entered the academy.

The lockdown had already been completed.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Arion. I have a lot of work to do." Elion answered. He felt sneaking around after the events of the evening wasn't a good idea. It was too risky.

"Oh. Ok." She answered. Any spark that was there before disappeared.

He clenched his fists. Disappointing Arion was the last thing he wanted to do.

"We can share stories next weekend."

"Not through neurolink, right?" Arion asked. She often held his hand when telling her stories.

"No, we'll do it in person in our usual spot."

"Ok, Elly."

Elion softened at the sound of his nickname. It was a name she had given him since she could talk.

"Ok, Arry. You go to sleep alright."

"Goodnight, Elly." Their neurolink call disconnected.

~~~~

At the academy, Elion sat in the first class. Students filed in one by one. They took their assigned seats without a word. His eyes flickered to Kira's empty desk. It had been a week since she was called to the Enforcer's office. She hadn't responded to any of his messages. He was thinking the worst could have happened when she walked in. His heart could have exploded. Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders, blown gently by the air conditioning system. Her chocolate eyes were cold, unfeeling, empty. She didn't make eye contact with him as she sat beside him. Usually, she'd spare him a glance before the class started.

He sent another message. You're back.

It went through this time. But she didn't respond.

Elion was so focused on Kira during the class that he didn't know what topic they had covered. Every breath she took and tap on her desk distracted Elion. He couldn't wait until the lunch period when he could talk to her face-to-face. He needed to know what happened to her.

The precious announcement of the lunch period finally came. All students robotically got up and filed into a single line to leave the classroom, one row at a time. Elion pushed ahead to try to follow Kira out.

"Stay in line," ordered the teacher.

Right. The last thing he needed was to attract attention to himself or her.

The cafeteria queue was longer and moved more slowly than usual. At least that's how Elion felt while waiting his turn. The spiritless students crept along to collect their lunch. Elion restrained himself from cutting the line and joining Kira, who was already seated in a corner, diligently consuming her food.

When he reached the dispenser, he quickly selected an option, not bothering to check what it was. He picked up the tray without checking its contents and marched towards Kira. He sat across from her, gently placing his tray on the table so he didn't make a sound. Her eyes glazed over him. They weren't focused on anything. Eyes once filled with some semblance of life in this drab reality had been drained of it.

"Kira," he whispered.

"Yes?" She answered plainly.

"Are you... ok?"

"Yes," she responded. That was it. She continued eating her chicken and rice.

"Do you know who I am?" Elion asked, trying to mask the earnestness. He spooned the white rice into his mouth.

"Yes."

Elion sat up straight, waiting for her to elaborate. He'd sat with his back to the rest of the cafeteria, but he still had to keep his movements controlled. The RPs were always monitoring.

"Well? What's my name?" He prodded.

"You are Elion Strider, son of Quinn Strider. Quinn Strider is the CEO and founder of X Corps–"

"Ok, I didn't want the GERMAN definition." Elion quipped.

Kira took a bite of her chicken. They did something to her in the Enforcer's office. He didn't even know where that office was. The Academy was several stories of labs and classroom spaces. No offices. No administration. All staff members were Artificially Intelligent Robots that mimicked humans in looks and behaviours.

"Kira. Who am I to you?" He sent a message through their neurolink. The question was risky to ask aloud.

"Classmate." She responded.

Well, she wasn't wrong, but he was hoping for more. Hoping they were more. Jax joined them, sitting beside Elion. He also chose the chicken and rice.

"Are you preparing well for the internship?" Jax was only concerned about work. "My father says that I will work in the IT department at Polaris to develop new technology in the security department."

"Yes, I am," Kira answered. Jax didn't notice anything wrong and stared at Elion, waiting for his response.

"I'm excited."

Jax froze mid-chew. If he tried to swallow, he might have choked. Kira's mind was as empty as before. Thankfully, no RPs were alerted by the use of an unfavourable.

"I mean, I am keen to start working at my father's company and further develop the new order."

Jax, satisfied with the response, resumed eating. The talk about his father's company reminded him about the secret he held in the inner pocket of his uniform. He slid his hand in and felt the cold rim of the G.E.D.

He slowly pulled it out and held it under the table. He looked around; no RPs were nearby, but there were cameras. They were painted white to blend in, but the tiny red dots gave them away. He had no choice. He wanted to see if the glasses could augment and generate emotions or if it was a hoax.

He slowly dipped his head, sliding the glasses over his face.

Jax was the first to notice. His mouth was agape, and his eyes were wide with shock, but his tone was even when he spoke. "You're not supposed to have that."

Wearing any accessories was strictly prohibited.

He looked at Kira. Her eyes darted all over the room, and her lips quivered.

"Take off the glasses." A hint of panic was evident in her voice. An RP was approaching, he quickly snatched the glasses before it started to scan. With satisfaction that there was nothing out of place, the RP kept walking passed them.

But the glasses had revealed the truth. Something was terribly wrong with Kira, and Elion was determined to uncover what it was—no matter the cost.