System Failure

Overload - Chapter One

"Don't go near the control console without a senior close by." Toor nodded vigorously, trying to convey her trustworthiness in the gesture.

"If there's an emergency, call one of the supers and we'll handle it," Argus continued, still eyeing her with suspicion. "I know they let all of you run wild upstairs but down here, everything is critical."

She held back a retort about the laxness of her last posting and ignored the implication that her job hadn't been important. In all honestly, it hadn't, especially in comparison to the core systems she was now assigned to.

"One last thing," Argus said, giving her a level look. "People down here are...different than what you might be used to. There's not much time to go to the surface when you're working on these systems and not much reason. That can warp a person. I'd keep to myself for awhile until you've been here a few months. By then you'll start to understand."

"I..." She hesitated, then, "I can't go to the surface when my shift is over?"

The broad faced man smirked, "You're free to go when your shift ends, but down here the work is never finished. You'll see."

Toor wanted to turn and run back to her old posting. It was dark and cold down here and she didn't like the implications of Argus' words. Unfortunately, there was no going back. The assignments were handed out and everyone had to do their part. The colony relied on compliance and willingness to do one's job without question. And she was now part of the most important team in the colony, Omega Team. If she did well she would earn the kind of recognition most of them only dreamed about.

She watched the other engineers and supers go about their work with a kind of deftness that comes from experience and total confidence. Toor wanted that. Nodding to herself she decided she would do whatever it took to climb the ranks.

She hurried to one of the maintenance bays and began her work. Behind her, the wall of the control console lit up with an unusual reading and then dimmed. It went completely unnoticed.

***

By the time Toor left her teammates, it was zero hour. Her exhausted brain felt like it was melting and navigating her way to her bed, three levels up seemed impossible. There were dorms on the lowest level, but she had always thought they were held for emergency situations, when you needed to catch a little sleep before returning to whatever crisis was going on. Now she saw that the dorms were just more convenient after a twelve hour shift.

She stepped into the dim room hesitantly, looking for a light switch and seeing none. Wan light from the hallway crept into the room with no door to prevent it from coming in. She wondered how anyone could sleep without privacy or something to close against the noise. Then she realized that there was no noise aside from the faint hum of electricity and temperature control vents. The dull footsteps of another engineer made her turn her head but the older woman didn't bother to acknowledge her as she padded by. Apparently privacy wasn't necessary because no one paid attention.

She tentatively sat on one of the mattresses and spotted a man lying two beds over. He was not sleeping. Toor began to greet him but stopped when she saw his fixed expression. He lay on the bed, arms flat and eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. There was a tiny blue light pulsing on his temple: a neuro nanny.

The device had originally been called a neurodivergence stimulator but the term "neuro nanny" had caught on so well that it became the common name for it. Using gentle, focused electrical pulses it zapped the limbic system just enough to induce a dream like state. With a little tweaking, users could enjoy a range of dream scenarios when they weren't working or carrying out their daily tasks. The makers described it as a "mental vacation".

Toor swallowed, continuing to watch her dorm mate as he lay in his trance. On the surface, neuro nannies were used when you were bored or couldn't sleep and other entertainment wasn't available. Sometimes people hosted "dream parties" where they linked the nannies together and shared the experience but the device was usually left at home. On the surface, people preferred conversation and games or watching movies or a dozen other forms of leisure. A person that preferred a neuro nanny was considered aberrant and might be recommended for behavioral therapy in some cases. But she had heard stories about the people who worked on the lowest level. They were reclusive and kept to themselves. They didn't have parties or watch movies, most of their time was spent working and the rest was sleeping and eating. But even sleep was scarce for them and the rumor was that they spent those hours with a neuro nanny, staring at nothing. Like zombies.

Toor hugged herself, feeling chilled despite the room's temperature. Would she become one of them if she stayed down here?

She removed her shoes and curled up on the bed. Despite her fears, sleep overtook her quickly and she dreamed of a dim blue light and an expressionless face beneath it.