<results for instances of \u201cwhy\u201d><\/p>\n\n\n\n
19:20 08.09.2117<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<setting> replication building, fluorescent lights in high ceilings, white walls <\/setting><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> 90X70 screen, with human-like people smiling in different positions <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=text: black, bold, across the whole screen><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLIVE FOREVER.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEVER SAY GOODBYE TO LOVED ONES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
REPLICATE YOURSELF TODAY.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> receptionist, glasses, typing <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> self, female, aged 9.59726, dark curly hair, eating a lollipop with one hand, holding male with other <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> male, aged 39.3424, holding female in hand <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: receptionist, perky, exhausted><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHere is some final paperwork for you.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> stack of 7 papers, sliding across the counter with the words \u201cELECTIVE REPLIC SURGERY\u201d on top <\/insert>
<script style=voice: female, young, unsure, curious><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat does that mean? Why are you signing that?\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: male, tired, squeezes her hand><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll tell you when you\u2019re older.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
15:35 09.20.2117<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<setting> outside, bright and sunny, endless blue skies too bright to process <\/setting><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> self, female, aged 9.71233, dark curly hair, staring at hand <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> male, aged 39.45735, running to female <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> knife, in female\u2019s hand, sharp, against throat, bleeding <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: male, sharp, scared, loud><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPut that down, Alice.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, curious, monotone><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy is there so much blood?\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> tears, dripping down female\u2019s face onto knife <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, crying><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs this what death feels like?\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: male, sighing, clearly holding something back><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s get you to the hospital, sweetie.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10:45 04.30.2124<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<setting> outside, tall buildings reaching to the skies <\/setting><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> 32 signs, held by 34 people <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=text: written with red marker><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cREAL HUMANS DON\u2019T HAVE CODE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DYING GIVES US A REASON TO LIVE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A SOUL CAN\u2019T BE BROKEN INTO CODE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WITHOUT DEATH, IT\u2019S ALL POINTLESS\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> self, female, aged 17.39452, dark curly hair, walking through the crowds with books in hands <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, mumbling to self><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re human. You\u2019re human. You\u2019re human.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
20:50 05.25.2125<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<setting> house, rooftop, dark and starry, 4,789,241 twinkles <\/setting><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> self, female, aged 16.32603, dark curly hair, standing on edge of the roof <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> partner, sitting next to female <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, young, whispering, as though if she talks too loud people will hear><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you want to\u2026 you know, replicate yourself?\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: partner, even quieter><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see why not. It would be cool to live forever.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, muffled from wiping eyes with sleeve><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA coded copy\u2026 living forever.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
23:23 1.20.2126<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<setting> park, empty, overwhelming darkness <\/setting><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> 42 trees and bushes <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> pathway through trees and bushes <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> park bench, stained with bird excrement on one side <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> self, female, aged 18.05205, dark curly hair, sitting on park bench <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> phone, in female\u2019s hand, showing a search screen <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=text: typed, into search bar><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy can\u2019t I die?\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
#<\/p>\n\n\n\n
19:34 02.01.2126<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<setting> bedroom <\/setting><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> bed, red with four tall wooden posts <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> nightstand, stacked with books <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> books, stacked on a tissue box <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> half-eaten apple, red delicious, on the verge of molding, stacked on 7.5 half-used tissues and a picture of an older female smiling <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> self, female, aged 18.08493, dark curly hair, squeezing a stuffed animal bear with a missing eye and stitched up left arm <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> male, aged 47.83014, knocking outside on door <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: male, older, gentler, full of unexpected wisdom><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s hard sweetie, but it was meant to be. Your mom lived a good life.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, sniffling, whispering><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy\u2026\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: male, sighing><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause we can\u2019t afford\u2014\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy did you save me but you won\u2019t save her?\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: male, defensive>
\u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, clear><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been doing some research. Humans aren\u2019t immune to death like me. Humans don\u2019t search their memories by inputting commands into their brains. And my memories say that I\u2019m\u2026 I\u2019m a replic. I\u2019m a coded copy of myself.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: male, soft, persistent><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut you\u2019re a coded copy that gets to live forever. You can live without the fear of death.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<script style=voice: female, mumbling to self while staring at the photograph><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWithout death.\u201d <\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<insert> silence <\/insert><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/results end><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Camden Rose is a queer author who loves seeking out magic beneath the everyday world. Her works have appeared with Inner Worlds and Heartlines Spec. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her spouse, black cats, and collection of books and board games. You can find her online at www.camdenscorner.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <results for instances of \u201cwhy\u201d> 19:20 08.09.2117 <setting> replication building, fluorescent lights in high ceilings,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":100043413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3292],"tags":[6,227,3296,2740],"class_list":["post-100043411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-fiction","tag-cyberpunk","tag-fiction","tag-prose","tag-short"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100043411"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100043416,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043411\/revisions\/100043416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100043413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100043411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100043411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100043411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}