Rewired: The City, #2

By Kfir Luzzatto

The much-anticipated sequel to CHIPLESS!

 

Now that Kal has become chipless, and The City's tyrants have turned against their own people, the time for action has come. Amber receives news of her father's faltering health and can no longer put off her plans to rescue him from the High Professor's captivity.

 

Together with two New City survivors, Kal and Amber embark on a long and dangerous journey. But their plan to penetrate The City and expose how the High Professor manipulates the citizens he had sworn to protect runs into a string of obstacles that threaten to end their mission before it starts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: PINE TEN
• Release date: Nov 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953864109

Kfir Luzzatto

Kfir Luzzatto is the author of twelve novels, several short stories and seven non-fiction books. Kfir was born and raised in Italy, and moved to Israel as a teenager. He acquired the love for the English language from his father, a former U.S. soldier, a voracious reader, and a prolific writer. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering and works as a patent attorney. In pursuit of his interest in the mind-body connection, Kfir was certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist by the Anglo European College of Therapeutic Hypnosis. Kfir is an HWA (Horror Writers Association) and ITW (International Thriller Writers) member. You can visit Kfir’s web site and read his blog at https://www.kfirluzzatto.com. Follow him on Twitter (@KfirLuzzatto) and friend him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KfirLuzzattoAuthor/).

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Amber gazed at the young people assembled in the auditorium. They were all cadets, eager to learn from the mouth of someone who had been in The City. The lectures that she had agreed to give under the know your enemy doctrine always took her back to her days with Kal. They reminded her of the dangers they faced together but also of the excitement of self-discovery.

So let’s recap what we have learned today. The story taught in The City is that since the Pulse, the biology of humans and animals has diverged so much that one could be dangerous to the other. Therefore, The City had erected an invisible barrier to prevent birds and other flying creatures from coming into it and contaminate the environment. It is also completely sealed by a physical barrier that keeps animals out and humans inside. Still, it is some consolation for the citizens that they can watch nature, even if only from afar. This narrative, false as it is, is what keeps the citizens of The City enslaved, although they don’t realize it.

I don’t get it, a boy in the front row murmured. Are they stupid or what?

The citizens see pastoral scenes, with animals grazing in green pastures and birds fluttering all around. Unfortunately, they don’t really exist; they see augmented reality broadcast to their brains by the chip. If the augmented reality signal is taken away, and their chips stop creating the illusion, all they see around The City is dry, scorched ground, and not a live creature in sight.

But they don’t see it ... I get it now, the boy said.

The citizens are told that they owe their happiness to Alvin, the High Professor. He is the genius who perfected the chip implanted in every citizen’s brain on the occasion of their first birthday. He had taken the initial prototype, developed by the first High Professor in the decades following The Pulse, and turned it into the technological marvel it is today. Thanks to the chip, everything in The City runs smoothly and in an orderly fashion. Crime has disappeared, and nobody is helpless anymore. If anything bad happens to you or your body, help is immediately available, right there in your head. What’s more, thanks to the chip, you always know the right thing to do and the correct way to go.

Is that for real? a girl in the second row wondered.

Of course not. There is always a little truth in all lies, but fundamentally, it’s a lie. That’s what Kal discovered one day when his chip malfunctioned. For a moment, the nice images that the chip projected to his brain, what we call ‘augmented reality,’ disappeared, and all he saw was desolation. He then realized that the sheep, the grass, and the birds were all the fruit of imagination.

But why would the rulers do that? the girl insisted.

Because The City is dying. Before The Pulse, more than nineteen million people lived there. Now it’s less than three million. The ruling cast headed by the so-called High Professor is recycling the dwindling resources of The City. They keep The City going with the help of goods they get from outside and keep all contacts with the outside world secret. I was lucky to meet Kal on the same day he discovered all that; otherwise, I would probably not be here to tell you about it.

The Kal she had met was different from the man he was today, she reminded herself. But she had to push thoughts of Kal away; it was too distracting.

So, to wrap this up, my original mission to The City was a failure. I had gone there to try to rescue my father, who was and still is a prisoner of the High Professor. That changed when Kal revolted after he discovered how the chip implanted in every citizen one year after birth makes him a slave and keeps him from seeing reality as it is. I had friends in The City who had agreed to help me with my mission. After Kal turned up, they convinced me to abandon my personal mission and instead guide him here. Getting here wasn’t easy, and we almost got killed on the way, more than once. Kal was in the direst danger. The chip is set up so it will melt, killing its owner, if it doesn’t receive the signal broadcast in The City for two full weeks, and that’s how Kal almost died here. It was just luck that we got him to Freeland in time.

You’re awesome! one of the girls sitting in the last row said. Freeland owes you and Kal a lot.

Well, this hasn’t turned out as well as we had hoped. As you know, New City was The City’s outpost close to here, and we hoped to make them see the truth and join us in the fight against The City’s tyrants. Kal managed to neutralize the virtual reality signal that kept New City’s citizen’s slaves and ready to fight us but didn’t realize that this would provoke a carnage. The City sent its fleet to destroy New City and kill its rogue settlers.

Still, New City was a threat to us before, wasn’t it? asked a boy sitting in the front row.

Yes, it was, and perhaps our fight with The City will be easier without them, but it may happen sooner than we expected, and that’s why we are here. Time’s up, she added. These lectures drained her of all her emotional energy, and she was eager to end this one.

The cadets, almost 200 of them, were older than she–perhaps only one or two years older, but somehow, after everything she had gone through, they looked like children to her. They were teenagers whose lives were about to be thrown into the horrors of war without really knowing what war was about. She hated the eagerness with which they prepared for it, but she couldn’t help admiring it, coming from boys and girls who had grown up in a free and open society. She had let her mind wander, and a question took her back from her musings to the present.

Understanding the difference between us and City people is not easy, she said, answering the question. The society they live in is not based on free will but on a distorted conception of what is good for the individual. All choices are made for them, even the smallest ones like what to eat, when to eat, and what to read. Human intercourse is also minimal and regulated. The chip does all the work for them. If you have one implanted in your head, it tells you what and who is right for you.

So, if I want to ask you out, I need to ask permission of the chip? one of the boys asked, followed by giggles from the crowd.

You don’t ask anybody out, Amber said, speaking somberly. When the time comes to procreate, The City’s management will let you know who your selected partner is.

But, the boy insisted, how can they stop two people who like each other from getting together? It’s only natural ...

There is nothing natural about it. The chip suppresses everybody’s natural instincts until it is time to procreate. Then and only then the chip gives them the stimuli needed to do it, said Amber.

We should put a chip in your head, a girl said, laughing, to the boy who had spoken.

But then you would look for the button that turns on the stimuli twice a day, the boy retorted, and the whole auditorium burst into a loud laugh.

Amber couldn’t conceal a smile, but then she forced herself to turn serious again. It is actually not that funny, she said. People who grow up like that are like machines, lacking a will to live life as we know it. And in the rare cases in which they managed to free themselves from the tyranny of the chip, they have a tough time when they need to make decisions for themselves.

Can you tell us how it was for you and Kal once he was no longer under the influence of the chip?

A girl sitting in the first row had asked the question and was looking at Amber expectantly.

We need not discuss Kal. We want to respect his privacy. He deserves it also, but not only because of the great debt that Freeland owes him.

Do you love him? the girl insisted.

We have run out of time, so this is it until next week, said Amber, speaking tonelessly. The cadets got up quickly, and in less than a minute, the auditorium was empty. Amber stood there, facing the empty seats, lost in thought.

Did she love him? she asked herself perhaps for the thousandth time. Hell, yes! she answered herself again. But life was too complicated, and balances were too delicate to allow her to translate those feelings into words.

Amber walked the long corridors of Headquarters with a level of confidence that was always apparent in her gait. She felt strong and belonging in her uniform with the double chevron that identified her as an officer. The Chief of Staff, who had pinned them on her shoulders, had assured her that she had earned them. She needed that reassurance because of her uncle’s position as Chairman of Freeland’s Council and her fear that people around her would think that nepotism was behind her promotion. However, as time passed, she realized that she had earned the people’s respect because of her actions and nothing else.

Being Afex’s niece still had its advantages that Amber sometimes accepted with remorse. After all, it had opened the door for her to Earl, the Chief Psychology Officer, whose help she really needed. His office was at the end of the corridor. She knocked lightly on the door, pushing it open when the words come in were shouted from within.

Ah, Amber, good to see you; I was waiting for you, said Earl, with a welcoming smile.

Earl was tall, a full head taller than Amber, with full black hair and pale blue eyes. Amber estimated him to be around 40 years old. His movements made it clear that he was in perfect physical shape. He was cleanly shaven, with a face that inspired confidence and a demeanor that instantly created a relaxed atmosphere. He got up to greet her, gesturing for her to sit in one of the two seats that stood before his desk. Then he came to sit next to her on the other one, immediately creating a relaxed and fatherly atmosphere. That was a well-known knack of his.

You’re here because of Kal, aren’t you? Afex said that you’re worried, he added when she nodded. What can I do for you?

I ... I don’t know what to do. Just before the attack on New City, it seemed that he was getting his memory back, and we were bonding again. Before we left for our flight to New City, he was distant and didn’t remember almost anything we’d been through together. But then, when we were there alone, flying toward our dangerous mission, and then back, something changed. He positively told me that he was remembering, and he no longer avoided touching me. But now, it is like he has ‘switched off’ again. I don’t understand it, and I don’t know what to do or what’s right. Since I joined the Defense Corp, I haven’t seen much of him, and I think he has been avoiding me. Please tell me what to do.

It’s not easy, you know. I don’t have all the answers either. When Kal’s chip went into self-destruction mode, his brain was damaged. The damage was not great but was enough to erase part of his memory and destabilize his behavioral patterns. It’s not surprising that he is vulnerable and prone to mood swings.

But what can be done?

I am treating him, so I shouldn’t be discussing his condition with you or anybody else. However, I will make an exception because I think that you can help him very much. But what I’m going to tell you must remain between us.

Anything you say!

Earl took a quick glance at the door to make sure that it was closed and lowered his voice.

Kal is blaming himself for what happened to New City, for all the deaths and destruction. This, in my opinion, is the reason for his regression. And in all fairness, it was his technology that forced the hand of The City. He was the one who found the way to cancel the augmented reality signal created by The City officials who ran New City. As a result, he forced everybody to see the real world in which they lived. After realizing that they had been lied to and made fools of, it was inevitable that the population of New City would revolt. It was our mistake that we didn’t budget for the swift action that The City was obliged to take as a result.

But Kal couldn’t have known that! He can’t blame himself for it, Amber protested.

But he does, perhaps not so much consciously, but deep down, he feels that he is to blame, and that made him retreat into himself.

So, what can I do to help him?

He needs a new purpose. It must be something with a positive goal, and he must convince himself that it is for a worthy cause. You must lead him to it.

Why me?

It is my professional opinion, after spending many hours with him, that he has strong feelings for you. I don’t know to what extent he realizes it, but those feelings are deep-seated. If someone can help him climb out of the hole into which he has dug himself, you are that person.

I’ll do what I can—anything ... everything, said Amber, almost choking on her words.

I know that. That’s why I agreed to talk to you.  I’ve done all I can for Kal, and I no longer seem to make progress. It’s in your hands now, said Earl. You need to find a way to motivate him, but I am afraid that I can’t help you with it. By the way, this conversation we just had—it never happened.

He got up, circled his desk, and sat behind it, signaling that the discussion was concluded.

Amber stood up in silence, nodded her understanding, and walked out with leaden feet. The weight of the responsibility that Earl had placed on her shoulder was almost unbearable.

—

CHAPTER 2

Three months before ...

The view was one of complete destruction. The City had not sent its fleet to attack Freeland as the council had initially feared. Instead, it had come to destroy its own people, wiping out New City with all it contained, slaughtering men, women, and children alike. Afex, Kal, and Amber stood in the command room, watching aghast as the City flying capsules methodically destroyed one sector of New City after the other and then turned away.

They’re not going to attack us, said Amber. Her voice trembled from the stress.

No, they are not. They will come back for us, but not this time, said Afex. It’s incredible. They killed all those people, their own people that they had sent here ... but then, they have no respect for life and too many mouths to feed as it is.

It’s our fault. It’s all our fault, Kal murmured. We made those poor people see the truth, and once they knew it, The City had no choice but to destroy them. All those dead people ... it’s all our fault. My fault.

Kal kept staring at the screen with a careworn face.

Don’t blame yourself. You had no way to know that this would happen, said Amber.

Afex had gone to the other side of the room to speak into a communicator, and he now rejoined them.

As we speak, Freeland is organizing a rescue operation. We’ll send as many people as needed and will do what we can to help the survivors, he said.

It’s not going to help. If the transmitter has been hit, everybody in New City will die when the chip in their heads self-destroys in two weeks. Just as it almost happened to me. I need to find a solution, and I only have two weeks to do it.

Kal’s head was bowed, and his shoulders drooped.

Amber turned toward Kal, away from the screen, and took his hand, but Kal shied away from her touch and took a step back. I need to go, he said, speaking distantly, and left the room.

He’ll be fine, don’t worry, Afex said to Amber. It was a shock, obviously, but nobody could foresee that this would happen, and surely none of us is to blame.

I hope so, but I’m worried. He just started to stabilize after all he’s been through, and I thought we were making progress, you know ... he and I.

Give him time, said Afex.

Amber nodded but swallowed a knot in her throat.

Amber knocked on Afex’s door and entered without waiting. Afex got up and circled his desk to go and meet her. He kissed her on the cheek as he always did when meeting her.

You wanted to see me, Uncle?

I did. I’m going to New City to oversee the rescue operations, and I thought that you might want to come with me.

But isn’t the area restricted only to rescue crews? Amber asked.

It is but being chairman of the council carries some privileges. One of them is being able to go anywhere I want and take whoever I want with me.

Oh, I don’t know ...

Kal is there, Afex blurted out.

What is he doing there? Amber asked with sudden alarm. You shouldn’t allow it. You know he’s blaming himself, and going there is sure to harm him—emotionally, I mean.

Not letting him go and do what he can to help those poor people would be worse, believe me.

Uhm ... I don’t know what’s worse. I’ll come with you, anyway.

They went to the flying platform dock, walking side-by-side in silence, and barely spoke all the way to New City. The destruction seen from the air was much worse than they had anticipated from the images they had seen on the screen. Buildings were flattened to the ground, and pillars of smoke still grew from many others that had kept smoldering for days. The platform landed on an empty space, once a central square, next to which the rescue team had raised a vast tent. Amber and Afex stepped off the platform and walked into the tent. The scene inside was heart-wrenching. At one side of the tent, medical teams worked on badly injured people, and at the other side, the bodies of the wounded who had not survived were neatly lined up on the floor. Kal stood beside a desk, near the entrance and far from the medical teams, speaking with two others. Amber and Afex approached him, and Amber touched his arm. Kal turned jerkily, startled by the touch. He gazed at her with an expressionless face and remained silent.

Kal ..., said Amber.

What are you doing here? was Kal’s mechanical reaction.

We wanted to assess the situation directly, Afex intervened before Amber managed to respond. Can you give us an overview?

"It’s bad, terrible. The mortality rate