CWR was also known for seedier activity, such as drug dealing, hacking requests, Neuro-Voyeurism, human trafficking, the distribution of weapons, illegal cybernetic surgeries, and other taboo requests and fetishes. CWR operated opposite the more publicly promoted, ‘safer’, and government-monitored 'Zonos Search Engine'.
Thoughts of revolution had been vocalized by the people of Neon District. The times slowly began to change. The voice of the people, however stifled, began to sound off through the disparity. It was only a matter of time until their hidden frustration boiled over into something more.
The chain of events that followed unearthed an epic and perilous journey.
CHAPTER 1
---usr/systems/server-x/CAIDEN NYX---
The room was illuminated by three holographic computer monitors hovering over a lustrously designed computer desk. The holo-monitor hovering in the center was the largest, and was accompanied by two smaller monitors on each side. The screens on the outside were angled toward Caiden in his custom-built computer seat. Countless lines of code were flickering, scrolling from top to bottom in rapid succession through each screen. The color of the text would transition from green, to red, to blue, to violet. The flickering lights from the screen danced on the plain walls and ceiling of Caiden's room with a strobe like rhythm. It was a computer coded light show, filled with alphanumeric flashes and fluorescent coloring.
Caiden was reclined in the computer chair while connected to a thin silver visor that covered his eyes and extended around the circumference of his head. In the middle of the visor was a thin orange light that ran the length of the device. His index finger was twitching, responding to the quick changes in code as they appeared and disappeared from the screens. His neurological system was perfectly in sync with the ever-popular dark network, CyberWave Republic, the digital paradise where Caiden makes his living.
On CWR, Caiden goes under the codename ‘VseR’, which he pronounced ‘Viewzer’. As VseR, he has cultivated a persona as a beloved leader of the people due to his uncanny ability to rally the masses. He has posted critically acclaimed think pieces on the topics of power, human governance, and existential themed essays, all of which adduce passionate heartfelt responses and feedback from his millions of followers. As VseR, he has been an outspoken proponent of doctrines loosely based on Libertarian Anarchism. The methods that Zonos Inc. used to enforce the laws on the general populous of Neon District’s massive eleven million inhabitants forcibly gave birth to a poisonous subculture built around a burgeoning fear and hatred of establishment. It had also been rumored that Psi-Corp, Zonos Inc.’s military policing unit, had been given Cognitive Limiters or ‘COGLIMS’, as a means of controlling every officer to make them follow the orders of the establishment without question. For the most part, the issue of COGLIMS had been largely kept away from the public eye to avoid outcry and suspicion.
It was no wonder that the growing popularity of 'VseR' has attracted the adulation of even more people, but also the ire of the powers that be. Many of his digital rallies are held in specially coded areas of CWR. This was done to prevent secret government agents from entering, allowing for freedom of speech without fear of governmental repercussions.
Though freedom was not scarce in the city, it was not free either. Zonos Inc. had been notorious for bending the laws for their own benefit at the expense of those who were in the lower-middle and poorer classes. Zonos Inc. had long been rumored to be the root cause of the ongoing social rift between Hybrid humans, those with cybernetic implants, and Purebred humans, those without any cybernetic upgrades at all, within the population. It prompted VseR to push for freedom from the power of the ‘state’, eliminating Zonos Inc.’s autocratic usage of the ‘Social Contract’, and ultimately release its control over the people.
A good number of his posts and encrypted neuro-digital hall discussions focus on empowering the disenfranchised. He covers an array of topics, from becoming independent business owners, to developing an independent underground economy separate from the city-state's, to privatizing anonymity and free market channels. As VseR, he was also the single most sought-after black-hat hacker in all CWR’s one hundred million users. Known for his impeccable and meticulous professionalism, flawless execution and expansive knowledge in the field, Caiden had been making quite a living from his ‘freelancing’ as a hacker. The fringe criminality of his line of work required for him to maintain an unbelievably low profile. He preferred complete discretion for nearly every facet of his life, including activities unrelated to hacking. He had earned enough Creds to buy a corporate building complex if he truly wanted to. Creds were the primary source of currency; they could exist as cash, but were often transacted as digital money throughout the city.
“Main menu. Please search top posts of the past week,” Caiden commanded Xandra, the artificial intelligence program he personally created for his home systems. The virtual environment of the main menu area always changed every time a user logged into their personal CWR account. This time it was outer space.
“Very well VseR, would you like to narrow your search further?”
“No, that will be all. Thank you,” Caiden replied.
VseR’s avatar consisted of the body of a male human in a skin-tight and high-tech body armor suit, mirroring an advanced ninja. The head of his avatar had the shape of a motorcycle helmet, but was made up entirely of vertical lines of code. The avatar floated to the hottest topics list in the main posts zone, and Caiden came
