Citizens of Tomorrow

Indiana/History

Citizens of Tomorrow

0100001101101001011101000110100101111010011001010110111001110011001000000110111101100110001000000101010001101111011011010110111101110010011100100110111101110111

(volume three)

An English 'light novel'

Note: several elements of the novel (including its title) are inspired by the Tokyo Police Club song Citizens of Tomorrow, a single from their 2006 EP
"A Lesson in Crime"

August 3004

Evergreen trees turn black in the winter, and become greener in the summertime.

In a place with many trees, satellite disks caught sunlight like paper plates.

Our institution.

This place with so many trees, reminded Aisa of her childhood.

She remembers taking long walks, writing stories, calculating.

Today I am staring at computers.

Becoming less human, and more and more like a machine.

So many computers preferred darkness to sunshine. They hummed satisfaction with their tiny flashing red lights.

One day, they began to talk.

No, I'm not insane. This is happening. It's supposed to.

I was once Aisa Haskayne, but now I am Aisa Chrome.

Working inside, avoiding the weather as it grew warmer, as snows melted into slushes-

Aisa began building.

Can't a machine be . . .

"Starting up, 1-A Chrome"

"Ksh..sss...shhaaa.."

"Respond"

A machine that looked like a human being took still images of a girl who loved computers.

"Respond! Unit 1-A Chrome!"

Aisa shoved her pencil in her hair, frustrated.

It's not alive, it's dead.

"Please, say something!"

I worked too hard for you.

011100110111100101110011011101000110010101101101001000000111001101110100011000010111001001110100 (system_start)

"Hello, Aisa"

0111010001101000011010010111001100100000011010010111001100100000011101000110100001100101001000000110100001101001011100110111010001101111011100100111100100100000011011110110011000100000011101000110100001100101001000000110001101101001011101000110100101111010011001010110111001110011001000000110111101100110001000000111010001101111011011010110111101110010011100100110111101110111 (this is the history of the Citizens of Tomorrow) 00100001 (!)

III. 'Indiana' or

"The history of the

Citizens of Tomorrow"

Name started wearing a scarf to cover his scars, and he stayed with Indiana. Minnesota dropped off her phone while she was in class so Name would have someone to talk to. Another machine.

"Actually . . ." Name texted Indiana "your desk clock has minimal AI. It's telling me its name is Jimmy"

Hearing Name's true voice had scared Minnesota. Name agreed not to use it again, and resorted to digital communication.

"How're you feeling?"

"Not sick, I guess"

Request for diagnostics

(Lily, it's pointless. I can't)

(Want to connect in binary?)

(I'm not cheating on Minnesota)

(You'll never connect with her)

Alert messages came like headaches, keeping Name in bed, stressed. It wasn't bad, but it was distracting.

I can't control them

Minnesota tried to understand. Name's blood and saliva had lost their sweetness. Glucose was being directed to the neck area.

"Like licking a plastic spoon?"

"How romantic," texted Name.

Name could chat with Lily in binary while Minnesota was in the room.

Minnesota was a better girlfriend than Carolina, but made everything feel complicated. It was the closest thing to non-mechanical love Name had ever experienced. Probably.

(Do you love Minnesota?)

(Yes, Lily. Don't ask me again)

(Have you ever made a deep binary connection with a machine?)

(I don't really want to)

It's not what I want
I want something else

(How strange)

Name sat up, carefully tightening the scarf around his neck. Minnesota looked up from her studying.

Name sent her a text message.

I love you

Minnesota smiled.

"Name . . ."

Minnesota

Minnesota came to sit beside Name, holding his arm. She laughed.

"My cute little robot boyfriend~"

Name made a face.

"I wanna lick that plastic spoon again!"