Drim didn’t even blink at the bullets that flew right for him, having complete confidence in the shield that manifested to keep him safe. If he didn’t believe in the technology they’d just unleashed, why should anyone else? But though the attack was genuine and potentially deadly, there was no maliciousness behind the attempt, and the king’s personal knight didn’t make any effort to try and save him.
The gunman was none other than Phon who had teleported suddenly onto the stage, standing just a few feet away. She’d fired a standard handgun that could be obtained by any eligible citizen in most places in the world. After emptying the clip, she chucked it aside and drew a new pistol. Though this one was noticeably different.
Glowing purple streaks etched around the framework, matching the wound string around her wrist that pulsated in tune, all to showcase that the two had synchronized. The Vixen started by aiming just to the left, over Drim’s shoulder. Of course, the shots were blocked by his shield as expected. But as her hand swayed steadily to the right, she kept pulling the trigger, yet the gun stopped firing the moment her brother entered the crosshairs.
Then as soon as he was out of danger, the shots resumed, most blocked by the shield again, though a few drifted past its radius and fired into the stage’s backdrop. She repeated this a couple more times, swaying back and forth until the clip was empty, yet the result always stayed the same. Phon then chucked that gun aside as well. With her attack failed, she teleported away.
“Thank you to the Representative of Fiendish for that demonstration,” The Fiendish King used her more official political title. “What you just witnessed were two examples of how the devices will protect you. The first and obvious one is the forcefield. This is included as a base function of the device. It is strong enough to withstand every commonplace weapon and the might of most monsters. While it will drastically increase your rate of survival, please do not let it make you complacent in the face of danger.”
“The second facet demonstrated was the altered handgun. That will be a change coming soon in a second wave of technological upgrades, hopefully within the next few days. Again, there’s nothing you need to do. This will occur automatically to all deadly weapons in existence with mechanical parts.”
“I doubt I really need to explain the intricacies of how it works since you just saw for yourselves. But the gist is that if you try to attack someone with one of these weapons, purposely or accidentally, they will not operate. This also extends to acts of animal cruelty. However, if you genuinely believe your safety is in-danger, be it from humans or monsters, they will work as originally intended. Additionally, you will be allowed to continue hunting both monsters and game as per the laws of the nation you are in.”
“What wasn’t properly showcased, though, was another safeguard. In normal circumstances, my sister would have been subdued by the device for the violence she just tried to commit. However, it understood her intent and that the purposes of doing so were for a pre-planned, pre-consented demonstration.”
“If that had been an actual attack, my sister would have had some or all of her muscles frozen until I was out of harm’s way. The device would have also likely reported the crime and charged her for assault with a deadly weapon, sending it to authorities along with the location of the incident. And additionally, if she tried again after her motor functions were restored, her body would be put on full lockdown until authorities arrived.”
“That’s how it will work. Not just murder, but from now on, you will no longer be able to willingly harm another human. This extends not just to physical damage, but social harm as well—threats, exploitation, blackmail. The device will measure your intentions. If you knowingly understand that what you’re trying to do is against the law or will harm the other person in some way, you’ll find yourself incapable.”
“Through this, we aim to not only stop murder as a concept, to prevent any new Fiends or Lessers from being born into this world—to become Fiendless. We also deign to put an all-encompassing end to crime. It will likely be impossible to eliminate in its entirety. As long as there are those who wish to take advantage of their fellow humans, there will be those who attempt to circumvent the system.”
“While a sad thought, we understand its inevitably. Yet we still hold to hope we can make it as scarce as possible so it just becomes an afterthought to those living peaceful existences. With this, we aim for public protective services such as militaries and the police to shift to more of a community service focus rather than one that seeks to hunt criminals and maintain order. Don’t worry, you won’t be losing your jobs, but ideally they’ll be a bit nicer and less strenuous on your psyche.”
“Also, I had originally planned for any waiting death-row inmates to be killed instantly by the device so that we could do away with the death penalty moving forward. However, I was convinced otherwise for two reasons.”
“First is inaccurate sentences. While I’d like to hold faith in our justice system, we have no way of guaranteeing that everyone currently on death-row has actually committed their crime and been fairly sentenced. Only the accused themselves know for certain the validity of their accusations.”
“So if you know without a shadow of a doubt that you did not commit your crime, your case will automatically be reopened and sent back to both discovery and trial. And since I, a Fiend, am giving this order, along with their upcoming increase in funding and staff, I will be tasking the Fiend Crimes Division to personally handle these cases and uncover the truth once and for all.”
“This also extends to any prisoners incarcerated for other crimes. If you believe your own innocence, your case will be reopened. Though depending on the workload, it may be given to other law enforcement agencies that have proven to be trustworthy and unbiased in the interest of expediency. However, if you acknowledge your own guilt, either consciously or subconsciously, you will be left to carry out your sentence, whatever it may be, as originally intended.”
“On the off-chance that you are entirely unsure of the truth, your case will be studied at the end of the line. Hopefully, with these new crime preventions in place, we will be able to shut down the majority of prisons within the next century, and reallocate both the facilities and funding to something more beneficial to society.”
“As for the second reason I mentioned, I agreed with my colleague that it was ultimately best for the device to have absolutely no functionality to kill its own host. That way, even if one of us who has access to modify the system goes rogue, a new way to commit murder and an easy route to genocide are entirely off the table. We’ve also included a mind-numbing amount of safe-guards to prevent the tampering of all existing systems that provide safety or can inflict pain.”
“Now I would like to take a moment and address a concern that’s undoubtedly at the forefront of many of your minds. I want to assure you that the device will limit your free will as little as feasibly possible. This was actually a brutal point of contention amongst those in our organization, one I had shamefully neglected to flesh-out in full during my original designs. I was too small-minded in my way of thinking, only having my perspective and my own vision for the world.”
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“But thanks to the insight of others around me, we have been able to refine this to a meticulous degree. For the vast majority of you who merely want to go about your lives and enjoy your time in this world without ulterior motives, hopefully you will only find your day-to-day improved by the functionality of the device. And though you may notice some small changes, hopefully there will be a short transitionary period of adaptability.”
“Now then, a main focus of this has been the prevention of crime. But I’ll tell you now, that not all of them will be stopped. The device will blatantly ignore noble instances such as stealing food to feed your starving family. And crimes that are technically illegal but have no tangible victims will likely be allowed as well.”
“It will read your intentions and gauge if you mean any harm. Additionally, it will know if you try to get around its system. So I would suggest that you don’t even try, or you might find even your mere thoughts punishing you. After all, they are a part of you, so they are influenced by your own judgment.”
“And I am serious when I say that. The moment our devices fuse with your bodies, they go from technological to biological. There is nothing in this world that can remove them. Even if it’s on your wrist and your arm gets cut off, it will just reappear elsewhere. As long as you can be considered alive, it will exist alongside you.”
“It is now also a permanent part of humanity going forward. After today, once every person has gone through evolution, all new infants conceived beyond this point will be born with the device naturally. Until then, for the next few months, supply will be provided to birthing wards to introduce manually to the newborns. Again, don’t think that this is a loophole to have your children free of them. The devices will find their hosts one way or another.”
“Additionally, once we’re able to create a continuous supply, scaled-back versions of the devices will be available for any who wish to give them to your pets. It will mostly consist of just the defensive and medical features so that you can ensure their safety as well. This will be optional and will require effort on your part to retrieve, though we will be offering them to all veterinarians and encouraging them to place them on any incoming patients that don’t already have one. It will not, however, have the function of producing newborns with the device. This is to discourage selective breeding and animal mills.”
“Actually, now I’d like to backtrack briefly to free will. There is an important part that I forgot to mention. My apologies, this was a lot to memorize, and my enthusiasm has been veering me off track. It also doesn’t help that part of this is difficult for me to say.”
“The point being is that we understand that there are many ways that people wish to live their lives, and that there are certain cases where physical harm would be either beneficial or even desirable. An example of this would be sparring matches or competitive sports. As long as all parties understand the risks involved and potential harm, the devices will not interfere except when absolutely necessary.”
“Then as for more… private, personal wants. As long as both parties willfully consent to the act, they may be carried out unimpeded. If you know what I’m talking about, then good. Otherwise, I will not be elaborating.”
“Now to immediately move on from that. So far we’ve mostly talked about protection, or as I’m sure some of you will call it, ‘oppression’. However, the device is so much more than something to keep you safe. As for all of its capabilities, we’re just getting started.”
“Oh, and just a quick side tangent. The reason I keep referring to it as just ‘the device’ is because I’m tired of naming things that have world-level impact. Commons and their associated card were already a nightmare to come up with. And I also didn’t want to leave it up to the minds of those who came out with such great hits as The Tourist, Drimini, and The Fiendish King. So it’s in the public’s hands now. You all do it. The zeitgeist will find its own name. It might be something I regret down the line, but at least it won’t be part of this legacy that I’m responsible for.”
“Alright, let's get back to the additional functions. We’ll begin with the obvious. The device will replace Common Cards in its entirety—actually a bit improved since you can project a screen of any size you wish to make managing your finances easier on those with bad eyes. They contain all the same functions, so you no longer need to carry the cards around or worry about losing them.”
“Feel free to go ahead and break them, let them dissolve to dust. It may seem like a waste, but those components can’t be used for anything else. Or you can hold onto them as a memento. I don’t really care, but support for them will end at some point.”
“Also, the devices have basically any function you can think of when compared to your phones, computers, and most other electronics, with more computing power than anything that will likely be released for the next… couple hundred generations. To prevent the inevitable economic collapse as a result of this, all currently operating tech businesses will be duly compensated for projected loss over the next few years. But that’s the only handout you’re getting. If you want to continue your business, create something new and interesting.”
“However, the devices are running on human hardware, so there are some instances where already developed specialty equipment like specific camera lenses would provide a clearer picture. Oh, right, I used that as an example because you can now record images and videos with your eyes, by the way. Probably should have said that first.”
“To not derail this event, I won’t explain how to do it right now. A full list of every new function will be available tomorrow. And a press conference will be held soon to go over each in detail. For now, enjoy discovering some of the exciting possibilities for yourself. Just as a teaser, you will be able to read digitally purchased books with just your mind and even play games in your sleep. A certain member really pushed for that one. Odds are, if it exists in science fiction, we’ve tried to incorporate it and make it all a reality.”
“But despite all that… we’re still not done. We’ve covered the science part, yet not the fantastical. Even with this new technology there still exists a large gap between humans and Fiends, one that we aim to close as time goes on. Thanks to contributions from every Fiend alive, we’ve already infused many of their powers into the devices in ways you may not expect. We’re also able and striving to recreate several more of those abilities to make them available for all.”
“Enhanced strength, faster bodily regeneration, and believe it or not, even teleportation. These are some of the things that you have to look forward to. However, I will state it plainly now. They are not currently available. Please do not attempt to activate them or treat your lives flippantly as if they’re powers you already have.”
“First, it was necessary to get the devices imbued with humanity. Now that they are enabled and infused, they will serve as catalysts for future improvement. While some of the features I mentioned and several more are ready for release to the best of our current beliefs, there is data we need from you all to ensure their safe implementation that would have been impossible to gather without having the devices already in your hands.”
“And another point that I’ll stress. We will not introduce these abilities until we’re absolutely certain that they cannot be manipulated to harm others, or more drastically, cause the collapse of society. You may not even see some of them in your lifetime. But I assure you, even after today, our work will continue. We are committed to our goal of improving everyone’s lives and keeping this world safe. This does not end just because it is now public.”
“With that, though, I believe it’s time to end this segment of my speech. I could talk about the device and our forecasted improvements for days, hours, weeks. But this is already running long, and I know you all have plans and events you want to get to. Though much has changed just over the course of me talking, life will carry on as ever before.”
“However, before I let you all go. I have two more announcements that can’t wait until tomorrow.”