Hi, I'd like to tell you my short story.
My name is Kio.
It's the year 2077.
I'm 33 years old and I still live with my parents like the last parasite.
That's what my whole family calls me.
No job. No school. No future.
My main activities?
Lying in front of the TV in the living room.
Stuffing myself with junk food and, of course, playing games.
Friends? Yeah, I've got a few.
Most of them are "online friends", so I'm not really close with them.
But there are also a few who live on the same street as me.
We don't meet very often — you can probably guess why.
They have jobs, their own apartments, families.
And me?
I only have my PC and my console...
I live in Sector 9 — one of the poorer parts of Vortex City.
Full of factories, warehouses, and people who lost control of their lives a long time ago.
Safe? Sure... if you don't leave your house.
We've got a problem here with alcohol and substances.
And these are not regular drugs anymore.
This stuff hooks you from the very first time.
One try is enough — and you know there's no way back.
This shit is called "Neurox".
Single-use syringe, quick shot... and suddenly nothing matters anymore.
At least that's what they say.
Because the truth is...
once you try it, you don't control Neurox.
Neurox controls you.
But that's not the only problem in this district.
Gangs. Shootouts. Fights.
Pretty normal life if you grew up here.
Although, as you can see — it can be avoided.
Just look at me.
Stay inside. Don't stick your nose out the door.
And everything will be fine.
But I'm already 33...
so maybe it's time to change something.
You'd probably ask: why don't I just get a job?
Well... let me tell you.
I don't have an education.
I only finished the basic level of learning.
Sure, I could've gone further...
but Sector 9 pulled me in.
I started drinking. Partying.
Instead of thinking about school, I was only thinking about when I'd get out of this hole again.
Yeah... a hole.
That's what I used to call our house.
And it wasn't really a hole.
My parents took care of it.
Mostly my mom — she spent the most time there.
Not because she was unemployed...
but because her hours got cut at work.
She used to work full-time as a cleaner in a plastic processing factory.
Filthy place.
If you started working there young, you knew that in old age you'd be sick from all the chemicals and processed materials.
Anyway... my parents.
My mom worked only 16 hours a week — barely any credits per month.
But my dad worked 40 hours a week in the same factory, as a production line operator.
Thanks to him, we could afford all the bills.
And me?
Yeah... no job.
But something changed recently — I registered at the job office.
I'm fully insured now and I get 240 credits per month.
Enough for game subscriptions... and some junk food.
Of course I'm also looking for work on my own — browsing offers, trying to find any small job... just to do something.
And to stop hearing my parents complain.
Because honestly... for me, finding a job is a nightmare.
They didn't even want to take me for the production line — my education is too low.
And my best skills?
Playing games and sitting on my ass...
yeah... that won't get me anywhere.
Today I was checking job offers again (like every day) that I got from the job office.
And of course — I don't qualify for any of them.
No surprise there.
I was about to close it... but something caught my attention:
[NEW LIFE PROGRAM]
BECOME A VOLUNTEER IN OUR PILOT PROGRAM AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER.
PAYMENT: 4500 CREDITS
APPLY NOW
CONTACT:
Back then, it didn't seem suspicious at all.
The only thing that mattered to me...
was 4500 credits.
Enough to last me for a while.
And probably not much work.
Perfect job for me.
Without checking anything, I filled out the form and sent it.
Now I just had to wait.
It took about a week.
Very productive week... playing my favorite games.
And then... it came.
A message.
I got accepted.
And in 3 days I had to show up at the given address.
Of course, I checked where it was right away.
City center.
But what surprised me — it was a closed-off area.
Big garden. Several buildings.
Looked more like a sanatorium than some test facility.
Still... I didn't suspect anything.
All I saw... was 4500.
They also told me what to bring and that I had to provide contact info for my closest relatives — just in case.
I told my parents I was going to some training for a few days.
They weren't surprised.
More surprised that I actually found something.
But what was I supposed to tell them?
I didn't even know what I was going there for.
Three days passed fast.
And there I was... standing in front of a huge gate.
Two guards at the entrance. Big guns.
That should've been a red flag...
but I was too excited about the money.
Now I know... I was wrong.
They checked my ID and one of them led me to the main building.
Reception inside.
Looked like a luxury hotel.
Marble floors. High-end furniture.
Holograms lighting up the walls.
A very nice lady at the reception gave me papers.
Rules. Agreements.
I just had to sign.
So I did.
Without reading a single word.
Stupid. I know that now.
They showed me around the whole place before taking me to my room.
And it was... nice.
Big bed. Bathroom with shower and bathtub.
No TV — that was weird.
I thought maybe it was part of the tests.
There was a touchscreen on the wall with all the info and daily plan.
For today — just dinner and introduction.
Oh... and one more thing.
The most important rule.
No talking to other participants.
Dinner was quick. Silent.
Food was actually good.
Then introduction, thanks for joining... everything felt normal.
Everyone got an individual plan.
I went back to my room and logged into the big wall tablet.
My plan was already there.
That was a bit weird — how fast they assigned everything.
First tests: running, cycling, swimming... and some exams.
Before sleep I got my first dose of "vitamins".
That's what they called it.
So I took them without thinking and went to bed.
They kept saying sleep is the most important test.
First morning... not easy.
Everything hurt. Hangover. No energy.
And I had to start tests.
At breakfast — first set of supplements.
And some extra pills I'd never seen before.
Different colors. Different shapes.
One of them... completely black.
Like it absorbed light.
I wanted to ask someone...
but then I remembered the rule.
No talking.
So I did what I do best.
Didn't think too much.
Just swallowed them.
Taste? None.
But then... something started.
First — a light noise in my head.
Like someone turned up the volume of the world.
Every sound sharper. Every movement clearer.
My heart started beating faster.
Too fast.
I looked at my hands.
They were shaking slightly.
But not from fear...
from energy.
Suddenly I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
Motivation.
I stood up faster than I expected.
Too fast. Almost fell.
The world felt... different.
Like someone removed a filter.
Colors sharper.
Thoughts faster.
Body lighter.
— What the hell... — I muttered.
Then the screen turned on.
[TEST 1 — ACTIVE]
TIME: 00:30:00
The door unlocked with a quiet click.
I don't remember agreeing to this.
But my legs...
were already moving.
I passed the tests easily.
They lasted until lunch.
After lunch — which was actually really good — I had some free time in my room.
So I did what I do best — took a shower and thought I'd lie down...
But I couldn't.
My body was still full of energy.
Too much.
Heart still racing.
Thoughts wouldn't slow down.
So instead of lying down...
I started training.
Harder than ever.
Push-ups.
Squats.
No breaks.
And I didn't even get tired.
That was... wrong.
Break ended.
More tests.
Until dinner.
And that's when I noticed something.
I wasn't the only one.
Everyone looked... energized.
Ready.
Like machines.
We ate in silence.
No eye contact.
After dinner — everyone went back to their rooms.
Next dose of pills.
Sleep.
Days started blending together.
Tests.
Food.
Pills.
Sleep.
Tests again.
I don't know how long I stayed there.
A week... maybe a month.
I stopped counting.
Every day got easier.
My body worked better than ever.
Faster. Stronger. No fatigue.
But something was wrong.
I thought less and less about home.
About my parents.
About who I used to be.
Like it was... fading.
One day, after a test, I was called to another room.
Empty.
Just a screen.
And a message.
[PHASE 2 — READINESS CONFIRMED]
That's when I understood.
"Body: approved for transfer."
I froze.
"Consciousness: archiving in progress."
And everything became clear.
We weren't here to live better.
We were here... to disappear.
Our bodies for them.
And us...
on a disk.
I didn't sleep that night.
But in the morning... they came anyway.
I didn't fight.
I had no strength left.
Or maybe...
I just wasn't myself enough anymore to fight.
I don't remember the exact moment it ended.
Only that something... shut down.
And somewhere...
on one of thousands of servers...
I was saved.
A file.
KIO_2077_v1.0
Status: saved successfully.