The Unintended Renegade

By Steven Krells

It's the end of the 21st century, and technology rules the day under the caring authority of the Network. Robert Vance decides to take a relaxing vacation from his tedious office job. On a visit to nature he witnesses a horrific crime that leads him to uncover a dangerous mystery. No longer an innocent bystander, he is forced to take radical action.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven Krells
• Release date: Jan 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9780994043306

Book preview

978-0-9940433-0-6

The future arrives when our greatest hopes

and our worst nightmares

come true in the present.

Chapter 1

The 21st century was at its end. A new order emerged out of the upheavals, conflicts, and disasters that ravaged the planet. Propelled by technical progress and ruthless practicality, it steamrolled over entire nations and cultures. It was called the Network, and it was an amalgamation of technology, infrastructure, law, and government as a single entity. At its heart it was a ubiquitous communication system that evolved from the original global Internet. The Network connected a multitude of services and infrastructure, with an upper-level administration governing the operations. The territory controlled by the Network consisted of Cities, Country areas, and the Wilderness. There were no more countries, states, or provinces. Such concepts were now obsolete. Land out of reach of its authority was called the Outlands. It was considered to be lesser developed and inhabited by less advanced society. Every aspect of modern life in the Cities and the Country was governed by the Network. Every citizen worked and lived while surrounded by its guidance and oversight. The Network kept everyone safe and maintained essential services, such as food, water, electricity, transportation, and, of course, connectivity. The permanent, universal connectivity is what multiplied the Network's power. For its subjects, it was an irreplaceable part of their life.

Robert Vance also lived and worked under the watchful care of the Network. He was employed at Logistical Optimization Systems Incorporated, also known as LOSI. A large enterprise of the time, its core business was in developing and optimizing logistical models. Rob's workplace was a marvel of sterile tranquillity. Soft white light radiated from the ceiling and self-dimming electrochromatic windows permitted just the right amount of sunlight. Smooth clean walls were decorated by sliding automatic doors of the managers' offices. Chest-high cubicles occupied the main areas where busy workers sat in ergonomic chairs and spent most of their life behind computer screens. It was a temple of steadfast dedication. What was different at LOSI compared to the other workplaces was the secure communications environment. Most of the logistics planning work was done for large corporate customers, a lot of whom demanded utmost secrecy to protect their strategic advantages. Some of the work was for the Network itself. As a result, every employee worked in an isolated zone with no contact to the rest of the world. It was a digital fortress, designed to keep prying eyes out and private information in. Though harsh, temporary isolation was a small inconvenience for LOSI's employees. The salary and benefits coupled with steady employment easily compensated for the trouble. For Rob, going to work every day was a daily ritual bordering on habit. Every day was safe and predictable, which suited him quite nicely.

Eventually, Rob decided to enjoy a few non-ordinary days: he decided to take an entire week as time off. He decided to take a vacation after beginning to feel a strange sense of lingering indifference. Somehow he was not able to shake it off, which somewhat frightened him. His birthday was coming up as well, and taking a vacation to mark the occasion did not seem like a bad idea. It was his 60th, in fact, and, thanks to life-extending modern medicine, it meant that he was merely middle-aged. It was close to five o'clock on a Friday. The work week was almost over and Rob was hurrying to finish up and get home as soon as possible. He was planning to begin his vacation the following day well-rested and full of energy. It was his present to himself: a well-deserved break from the daily routine. On his birthday, Rob felt glad that he could take some time to forget his duties, projects and schedules. He finally had time to spend on himself. His only regret was that his wife Alice, having died in an accident 10 years prior, was not there to share it with him. He thought about her for a moment and the life they had together. The fleeting memories circled in his mind. He remembered the ups and downs, the vacations and the renovations. He remembered her face, and her smile, her favourite things and how they made her happy. Now all that was left were old photos and videos. Rob thought about her a little bit more, then tried to distract himself to avoid painful sorrow. He sat down at his workstation to close it up for the week. After doing a final check of his documents, he submitted the remaining calculations into the computing grid. Satisfied with the state of his work, Rob secured his workstation and locked up the loose memory cards inside his desk. Everything was in order, so he headed towards the elevator. On the way there he messaged his friend Marky to expect his return after one week.

All of LOSI's offices and cubicles were located on the 11th floor. The 10th floor was occupied by the computing grid. A small team of technical staff tended the electronic machinery. The rest of the skyscraper was home to random companies, with a spacious lobby decorating the ground floor. Eager to go home, Rob directed the elevator straight down as soon as he got in. The elevator car closed its doors and began the silent descent. After passing the 10th floor, Rob's smartvisor emitted a clear yet quiet buzz. He was clear of the secure network zone and once again connected to the outside world. Wasting no time, he quickly tapped out a pattern of touches on the side of the smartvisor. He sent a request for a transporter and indicated that it would be ready for him at ground level. The smartvisor is still an amazing device, thought Rob. He remembered twenty years ago when the first ones appeared. They were more than just gadgets. Their seemingly trivial abilities completely upended society in the years that followed. His current smartvisor was more powerful and more durable than the first models, but the basic principle was still the same: a head-mounted unit with two transparent displays in front of the eyes and a touch-sensitive frame that went over the ears and around the head. The smartvisor looked like very discreet eyeglasses, but it was much more than that. It was an always-on, Network connected device. A multitude of sensors constantly monitored the wearer and their environment. The majority of wearers considered the smartvisor to be their sixth sense, and it rewarded their admiration with limitless convenience and power. Robert Vance was not quite so faithful. His age permitted him to feel a slight skepticism, a kind of socially acceptable distrust, but no more. Anything stronger would leave him branded as a neo-Luddite, with significant consequences. Despite his distrust, Rob took full advantage of the powers of the smartvisor. It was, after all, an amazing device.

The elevator arrived at the ground level and opened its doors to the lobby of the building. Tall walls surrounded a large concourse. Marble floors and patterned wallpaper gave it an atmosphere of class and quality, completely unlike Rob's sterile cubicle. Leather chairs stood around wooden tables and provided a comfortable rest area. The air was filled with the hectic buzz of tired faces departing for their homes, stern business travellers conversing with distant offices, and happy-faced arrivals eager to start their workday. None of them mattered to Rob. He was focused on only one thing: getting home as soon as possible. He quickly weaved through the lobby and made his way to the street. The smartvisor pointed out the requested transporter that was parked at the entrance. When he sat down and closed the door, the four-wheeled vehicle took him home with a quiet hum. The intelligent machine flawlessly avoided traffic congestion and emergency road repairs, delivering Rob without a hitch. Rob entered his building and took the elevator to his apartment on the fifth floor. Once inside, he