Chapter 1: Awakening to Tomorrow
Orion woke up to a soft voice telling her to wake up. She had set an alarm for Monday evening. No one would roam the streets before the robots went away. Towards 8 PM, most automated workers would be sent to charge in their pods, so to feel free, we started avoiding AIs altogether.
She roamed the streets of Old Chicago in search of amusement. A surprisingly hard task given how deserted and quiet this side of town was, but Orion refused to leave it. She'd been once before to the modern districts and the experience had scarred her.
The place could be called the definition of debauchery. You couldn't walk five seconds without being offered something. Payment was most often sexual favors, and bright neon lights would assault your senses wherever you went.
Orion heard a faint sound coming from a nearby building. It was the latest AI-generated music, specifically designed to replicate human entertainment. She had to admit, it was catchy enough to get stuck in your head, but the lyrics were repetitive and lacked any depth or meaning. It was like a cheap imitation of real music.
Only small groups of people could be seen outside and a lot fewer in Old Chicago. In general, the masses were too busy eating up the AI-generated culture of today created by AIs to entertain the general public.
All the greatness of AI had been taken away from their generation. They'd taken away the purpose out of the lives of so many. Walking through the streets, she found her usual spot to forget about it.
Orion preferred being out and about in the city. It smelled god-awful at times. Probably a mix of urine and dead bodies. Happiness was of the utmost importance here. Drug dispensers were everywhere you looked, even here. The sole point of the lives of everyone here was to be happy. If you were unhappy, even after all of that, then what was the point of living?
An old bar, barely renovated, it seemed ready to fall apart. Not much of a difference compared to the other buildings nearby. This was Old Chicago. Old cities were largely ignored by the administration. They cost too much to maintain, so they resorted to building cheap districts within them. So the old cities were effectively left as a relic of our past.
Feeling sick, Orion sat down at the bar, as was usually the case after watching this city falling apart before her eyes. The barkeep, named John, looked at her and asked, "What'll it be today, Orion?"
"A beer, please. I can't stand another moment sober, especially not here."
Orion had been raised on Mars and had only emigrated to Earth recently after her family wanted to "reconnect" to their roots. Space travel was taxing on the body, and they weren't sure if they'd be able to leave Earth after coming, so it was effectively a one-way trip.
She remembered the megas-tructures that used to be everywhere on Mars. The gigantic zeppelins roaming the skies shining with myriads of colors.
"So, Orion, how's life treating you?" John was always curious about everyone.
The drinks here were free as long as you could share a good story. Orion was good at that. It's probably why John liked her so much.
"Well, John, as miserable as always, but I met this raccoon recently, right? I swear he followed me around for days. It was a blast!" Orion was always passionate about everything. It was what kept her going in this hell hole.
John gave her a beer and started talking about his business.
"Y'know, Orion, it's really fucking boring down here. At this point, you're my only client besides the street gangs. No one ever comes here it's more convenient to just go to a drug dispenser and I'm not gonna go to the modern districts either."
"Yeah I feel you John, they're really missing out on some great customer service."
Orion liked her talks with John. Most of the time he just ranted about the modern districts and his lack of clients, but he was distracting enough to make it enjoyable.
"Why's no one happy 'round these parts anymore. Feels like everyone just lost their shine when they grew up. Feels like everything is going to hell. " As she said those words Orion looked at John with clear sadness showing.
"Listen Orion, I don't know much. I'm a barkeeper not a psychologist. The most I'll say to you is that you shouldn't worry too much about it, people grow up and change it's just normal."
Orion felt lost and helpless. Everything felt wrong. No matter what she tried or did it seemed that nothing could excite her. Hard drugs were scary even for her.
Overwhelmed Orion finished her beer and ordered tequila shots. If John couldn't answer her questions she could at least try to forget them."