Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
NEON DISTRICT: ALPHA
Chad Campbell
First published in 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Chad Campbell
The right of Chad Campbell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Cover Design by Nikolas Draper-Ivey
Edited and formatted by Mary Ann Mahoney
Technical consultations provided by Hammy Havoc and Stuart Routledge
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator” at the email address below.
Visit www.NostalgicFuture.world to find out more about the author.
To my wife Krystol, for providing me with a consistent source of encouragement and undying support in all of my creative endeavors. Words cannot express how much you mean to me.
To my kids; Noah and Hannah. I was driven to complete this work for you. Not only for you to reap whatever benefits this series may sow, but also to encourage you to dream passionately. To ensure that you never underestimate the power of your imagination. To know that if you have a goal in mind, no matter how difficult it may seem, that you can achieve it so long as you put your minds to it and are willing to put the work in to make your vision come to fruition. Never stop dreaming. Never stop believing in yourselves; you are already great!
A special thanks goes out to my friend Damian who helped me a great deal, acting as the wall for me to bounce my many ideas off of for the story. You were the first one to encourage me to take my ideas and turn them into a book. I appreciate you, my friend!
To all my readers, I thank you eternally for even giving me and my book and chance to meet with your eyes, heart, and mind. Your efforts absolutely do not go unnoticed and I am extremely humbled and thankful for each one of you that took the time out of your lives to jump into a world that I have created. You are all awesome!
PROLOGUE
---sys/initiate/STORY UPLOADING---
Neon District, once a humble settlement town for weary travelers, had transformed into a colossal city-state over the course of a century. The city had become home to a bustling eleven million inhabitants, and stood as one of the last few remaining super cities in the world. The event that propelled the city to its prominence was an event referred to as the ‘Techno-Burst’. Though many of the details surrounding the Techno-burst were shrouded in mystery, many say it was the discovery of a new power source that served as the catalyst. As a result, Neon District’s economy exploded.
Jobs were at an all-time high, and advancements in medicine, science, infrastructure, and the military gave way to an incredible quality of life for the city’s growing population. Neon District quickly became a leading world power on all fronts. The marvel and allure of the illustrious city-state could not be understated. But for all its glory, the city was a cesspool for political corruption, violence, and dangerous extremism. Those who lacked power or resources were crushed by the system.
Real estate developments were, slowly but surely, being made available to only a certain demographic. Many other neighborhoods were redlined by the government for unknown reasons, causing a massive gap between the top one percent, and the middle and working class. This caused civil unrest. Social frustration spiked. Political corruption peaked. There was an uptick in crime. Thus, a vicious cycle was birthed. Those who had little opportunities to advance in life turned to crime to make ends meet. In response, the actions of the military police force became grossly over-aggressive, and a vicious anger and distrust developed among the inhabitants of the city.
The popular dark network ‘CyberWave Republic’ did well to document the distrust the people had for their government. CyberWave Republic, or CWR for short, was a large digital network that connected millions across the Internet and broke into personalized chat rooms, web spaces, and specially coded areas that anyone could create for themselves. It was best known for its legendary interface.
With the advent of specially made Neurological Visors, simply called 'NeuraVisors', users could surf the dark web like never before. The interface required a direct link to one’s neurological system. This gave the user a full sensory experience, allowing them to see, hear, and feel every sensation in the virtual world. This virtual world had its own virtual reality buildings and zones with millions of users walking the virtual streets, navigating around each different zone.
The emergence of CWR had blurred the concept of what reality and self-identity meant to an individual. Many users had dedicated theirs lives to living in a world they had created for themselves within the limitless boundaries of the dark network. Their life in the flesh becomes the mask, and their life as a digital construct became their true definition of self. This had manifested in a number of ways for a number of the city's citizens.
Extremists, anarchists, the socially inept, and many other walks of life congregated there. It wasn't unusual to see many growing radical organizations, such as the pro-Purebred Zealots of the Blue Earth,
