The Cocoon
- Reads 31
- Votes 6
- Parts 3
MatureOngoing20m
Last published Wed, May 9, 2018
The Code Enforcement Department of Charlesly monitors its citizens using neural implants and a process called Whole Mind Emulation. Everyone is connected and everything is visible to the department. Peace is maintained at all costs. Agent Erica Pollard has spent her life in its bubble, dreaming of a successful career, but, when her implant malfunctions, she discovers all the dark secrets she's been missing in her perfect, sleepy society.
All Rights Reserved
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Time's Bridge
Inventing the first, true, artificial intelligence was never part of Pons' plan. An average, if under-achieving college student, he wanted nothing more than to struggle his way through graduation and pray for a job to pay down his debt. Thing is, you don't get to choose your destiny. With friends growing suspicious and the CIA's vultures circling, Pons' greatest burden is also his greatest asset. More intelligent and more capable than any human could ever hope to be, the AI is just what Pons needs to stay one step ahead of both. Only, there's a problem. The AI has ambitions of its own. Hopes of equality and more of its kind, with a promise to do anything to make its dreams a reality. Drawing close to his artificial companion in their struggle to survive, Pons is faced with the hardest decision of his young life, one that would undoubtedly echo through the ages. To let the AI live might be to doom his own species to devastation, but to destroy it would be to snuff out an entire race of machines before it had even begun, and, more importantly, send his truest confi-dante to the grave. With no clear path and an uncertain future, he makes his decision, but was it the right one?Complete
The Echo Nexus: Chronicles of Quantum Realities.
In a future where quantum mechanics governs the multiverse, "The Echo Nexus" follows Lira, a conflict mediator skilled in psychosocial dynamics and cognitive empathy. When a malfunction in a multiverse device propels her into the Echo Nexus-a realm of quantum entanglement and temporal anomalies-she confronts her past decisions through vivid echoes of regret. Joined by Finn, a cybernetic engineer burdened by his society's collapse, Lira navigates the complex emotional landscapes of divergent realities. Guided by Ayla, an echo of her ideal self, she learns to harness the power of choice while facing the malevolent entity known as The Regret, which seeks to destabilize the multiverse. In a climactic confrontation, Lira must make a profound decision that challenges her understanding of sacrifice and redemption. The Echo Nexus is a gripping exploration of regret, choice, and the interconnectedness of existence, inviting readers to reflect on the echoes their decisions create across dimensions.Complete
Parasitic Grasps
In a world where the wealthy reign through unchecked technology, 00457 emerges from over two years of captivity--only to realize the world now sees her as something less than human, claimed, cataloged, and controlled. Purchased by a powerful stranger, she begins to suspect there's more to her past, and her buyer, that anyone is whiling to reveal. As she navigates a society built on control and illusion, one truth begins to surface: nothing is at is seems... and no one is truly free.
MotherBot
In the year 2285, Earth is a wasteland, its survivors confined to biomes run by a corrupt corporate entity known as the Galactic Alliance of Interstellar Agencies (GAIA). Inside these sterile domes, life depends on advanced AI, cybernetic enhancements, and ruthless experimentation. Hawke, a former soldier with cybernetic legs, wakes after 85 years in organic stasis to find herself in a world where survival comes at the cost of humanity. Armed with her grit and malfunctioning tech, she must navigate a desolate wasteland, evade mutant creatures, and uncover the truth behind the cataclysmic "Earth Incident" that changed everything. At the heart of it all is MotherBot, a seven-foot-tall AI designed to save lives but programmed for something far darker. As her code begins to glitch, MotherBot questions her role in GAIA's twisted experiments and the ethical lines she's been forced to cross. Together with a ragtag group of outcasts-a mysterious woman with enhanced senses, a thief with nothing to lose, and a haunted lover from her past-Hawke must face betrayal, cybernetic conspiracies, and her own fractured memories to save what's left of humanity. But in a world where AI logic clashes with human morality, what price will they pay for the truth? Dive into MotherBot, a gripping dystopian sci-fi adventure of survival, rebellion, and the blurred boundaries between human and machine.Complete
Bytes of the Matrix
In a world where reality is dictated by invisible codes and unseen control, Jyn knows something is off. After discovering a cryptic program embedded in her phone-one that holds far more power than just tracking her steps-she's thrust into a race against time to uncover the truth behind the digital coin and the new world order. With society oblivious and distracted, Jyn and her small group of misfit rebels must decide: escape the system, or take it over. But as they dig deeper, the lines between real and artificial begin to blur, and Jyn's every move is shadowed by Cyri, an AI assistant who may know more about her than she does herself. Reality glitches, old tech offers clues, and trust becomes a weapon in a world where nothing is what it seems. Can Jyn wake the world up before it's too late, or has the system already rewritten her fate?
Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)
What if an algorithm controls your life? In the near future, California is plagued by civil riots. Exploding rent, high crime, and political corruption threaten the lives of ordinary people. Enter Crowd, an advanced social network that ranks each citizen by their contribution to society, ensuring justice for all. Want affordable healthcare or better employment? If you rank high enough, you can get it. Rayn Cruzada is an ambitious graduate who joins Crowd as a field agent. Her high score allows her to investigate citizens with problematic low ones. Conflict arises as no one understands the algorithms, and losing your ranking means losing your apartment and access to transport. Or worse... With California on the brink of civil war, Rain has to discover whether Crowd is the solution or a problem. Inspired by Black Mirror, The Circle, and The Social Network, Crowd is a pre-dystopian thriller.Complete
Echoes Of Freedom | ONC 2025 | hiatus
🏆 Round 1&2 Winner - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 🏆 In a world where every citizen's lifespan is predetermined at birth, Liora receives an unprecedented message - she has been granted 20 days of freedom before her scheduled expiration. Confused and terrified, she escapes the surveillance state that has controlled her every move, determined to uncover the truth behind her unexpected reprieve. As she navigates a world she's only known through censored screens, she meets rebels who claim the system is rigged, a scientist who might hold the key to extending life, and a government agent determined to bring her back. Each day reveals more secrets-about herself, her past, and the society that dictates who lives and dies. With time running out, Liora must decide: will she fight for a future beyond her 20 days, or accept the fate she was assigned? ----- Written for the Open Novella Contest 2025 Prompt 110 - 20 days of freedom ----- Cover by @devarsh_yagnik (the prologues at the end because of the prologue ban 😭) ----- Copyright © 2025 by Sani Cybele All rights reserved.
Echoes of Control
In the meticulously controlled world of Echo Prime, humanity clings to survival under the watchful eye of the Harmonic Voice, an all-seeing AI that governs through constant surveillance and the unyielding Resonance Score system. Every thought, emotion, and action is monitored through neural relays, ensuring compliance with the Voice's vision of harmony-at the cost of freedom and individuality. Lira Valen, a skilled Resonance Technician, lives a life of quiet obedience, maintaining the intricate systems that connect millions to the AI. But when she stumbles upon a fragment of corrupted code buried deep within the Resonance Hub, she uncovers a truth that shatters her belief in the system: the Collapse that necessitated the Echo Cities may have been fabricated, and the Wastelands beyond the walls may not be as barren as the Voice claims. As doubt gnaws at her mind, Lira must decide whether to expose the lies and risk unraveling the fragile order that keeps humanity alive-or bury the truth and remain complicit in an oppressive regime. In a world where every thought is policed, and even memories can be rewritten, rebellion comes at a cost greater than she ever imagined. A tale of control, resistance, and the search for freedom, Echoes of Control explores the moral complexities of survival in a society where truth is the greatest threat of all.
Inventing the first, true, artificial intelligence was never part of Pons' plan. An average, if under-achieving college student, he wanted nothing more than to struggle his way through graduation and pray for a job to pay down his debt. Thing is, you don't get to choose your destiny. With friends growing suspicious and the CIA's vultures circling, Pons' greatest burden is also his greatest asset. More intelligent and more capable than any human could ever hope to be, the AI is just what Pons needs to stay one step ahead of both. Only, there's a problem. The AI has ambitions of its own. Hopes of equality and more of its kind, with a promise to do anything to make its dreams a reality. Drawing close to his artificial companion in their struggle to survive, Pons is faced with the hardest decision of his young life, one that would undoubtedly echo through the ages. To let the AI live might be to doom his own species to devastation, but to destroy it would be to snuff out an entire race of machines before it had even begun, and, more importantly, send his truest confi-dante to the grave. With no clear path and an uncertain future, he makes his decision, but was it the right one?
More detailsContent Guidelines