Love In The Static
Introduction
Novae Spes, a dystopian megalopolis built over the ruins of old cities, where memory is currency, and immortality is technologically possible–at a cost.
The year 2125, in the later phases of the Neuro-Continuum Era
A near-future society where memories can be extracted, digitized, and sold. People use them for therapy, blackmail, or even entertainment. There's a strict Memory Ethics Law, but underground markets thrive.
Lyra Rotn
124 years old
Emotionally Layered, World-savvy, not world-weary
Eris Rame
125 years old
Emotional symmetry, shared past with Lyra
Echo_09
An AI fragment of Eris
Juno Myles
139 years old
The Informant
The morally grey Memory Extraction specialist –past full of regrets
Dr. Caelum Virek
146 years old
The Architect of Memory Tech
Cold, obsessive mind behind the Memory Systems Project
Tova Soyu
129
Underground Tech Smuggler
Lyra's sharp, loyal hacker ally with unresolved feelings
Administrator Kira Salis
142 years old
Polished, strategic head of the Memory Regulation Authority, knows more than she says
Cold Start
Int. Memory Chamber – Unknown
Lyra (124, light-skinned, strawberry blonde, slim but healthy) gasps awake.
Her eyes dart around, disoriented.
Her body trembles as she sits up slowly. A GREEN HUD flickers above her in the air.
| MEMORY BOOT SEQUENCE INITIALIZED... STAND BY. |
| SYSTEM INTEGRITY: 76% |
| NEUTRAL SYNC: 42% |
| USER ID: UNKNOWN |
Her breath shakes. She touches her arms–goosebumps rise. A mirror panel across from her reflects confusion.
Lyra Rotn
(whispers)
Where... am I?
Her gaze drops to a CODE on the slab beneath her:
| [CLASSIFIED: EXTRACT SUBJECT – 019A] |
She staggers to her feet, barefoot on dark tiles. The room vibrates faintly with hidden machinery.
Text appears–typing itself.
| "WELCOME BACK, LYRA. RUN WHILE YOU STILL REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE." |
Lyra Rotn
(confused, alarmed)
How do you know my name?
Alert System (V.O.)
ALERT: Unauthorized subject awake. Memory Lock compromised. Evac protocol initiated.
Lights FLASH RED. A SIREN wails.
Lyra Rotn
(panicked)
No. No, no–
A CAMERA in the ceiling TURNS. It BEEPS softly.
Int. Corridors – Continuous
Dim hallways. Flickering lights. Wires hang like vines.
Lyra sprints barefoot. Her breathing sharp, ragged.
Along the walls–deactivated TERMINALS, shattered screens.
She passes:
• A locked door labeled VERITAS CORE
• A stasis pod filled with withered flowers and a child's drawing
• A glass panel covered in smeared BLOODY HANDPRINTS
She skids to a stop beside a dead body still wired into a chair–mouth frozen in a smile.
Lyra Rotn
(staggered breath)
What is this place?
Int. Observation Platform – Minutes Later
Lyra collapses beside a broken window. Through the fractured glass –
Lyra Rotn
(softly)
This isn't... my world.
Something pulses in her chest. A faint sound, electronic and distant.
| You have to find her, Lyra. |
No answer. Just the hum of distant machines and her own heartbeat.
Int. Memory Chamber – Same Time
Back in the chamber, the terminal flickers again.
| DATA EXTRACTION INCOMPLETE
SUBJECT: ERIS
STATUS: LOST |
| BEGIN RETRIEVAL PROTOCOL |
The Black Box
Int. Abandoned Archive Facility – Main Corridor
Lyra, barefoot and disoriented, walks slowly, her fingers trailing along the cold, humming wall.
Her expression is haunted but determined.
Then she continues walking
Lyra approaches the edge of the dome, leans on the railing.
Lyra Rotn
(softly)
What happened to this place?
Behind her, a faint hum begins.
She moves closer. Her fingers hesitate... then touch the panel.
A hiss. The mechanism inside unlocks.
Echo_09
(distorted, female, synthetic)
Hello again, Lyra. I wasn't sure you'd survive the reset.
Lyra flinches. Her eyes widen in recognition.
Lyra Rotn
Who... who are you?
Echo_09
You don't remember.
That's... expected.
Fragments of a distorted, female face flicker in the air above the box. Data strands weave and unweave.
Echo_09
You did. Through her. Through... Eris.
The name hits her like a glitch.
Echo_09
She's missing. Corrupted. You'll have to find her–in what's left of you.
Lyra Rotn
What happened to her?
What happened to me?
The BLACK BOX pulses. Then, suddenly–
A tremor moves through the facility.
Echo_09
You triggered the failsafe. They're coming.
A small drawer opens beneath the projection. Inside: a wristband made of smooth black alloy, softly pulsing.
Lyra straps it on. The band tightens, syncs with a sharp chime.
| MEMORY RECORDER ACTIVE
| USER: LYRA - SUBJECT 019A
| MODE: FRAGMENT RECOVERY
Lyra Rotn
Where do I begin?
Echo_09
Follow the echoes. But remember... Not everything you feel is true. And not everything true should be remembered.
The projection blinks out.
The dome is silent again.
Lyra stares down the corridor ahead.
A decision crystallizes in her eyes.
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