AED-#210-31570 stood in front of where the mural should have been, of course, it wasn’t there, but he could imagine. He mimed the brush strokes needed to create such an image, as intangible in his mind as ever, and so he stood there, staring at the wall. Seconds passed, then minutes, and as it was approaching hours a loud metal stomping broke both the silence, and his delusion.

He crept to the side of the wall, pressing against it. Sure, he wasn’t technically doing anything wrong, but standing in a dead end, looking at a blank wall was a sure sign that even if the sickness hadn’t gotten to you, something was broken. AED-#210-31570 stared across the road as the thumping grew louder and louder, until eventually he could see what had made the noise, he knew what it was deep down, but there was a difference between knowing, and realizing. They were massive, towering at 11 feet tall, 4 sturdy metal legs supporting an armored boxlike form. Cylindrical protrusions extended from each side, emerging behind the dense foliage of shifting machinery. The cylindrical devices being massive autoguns of course, meant for ‘keeping the peace’ among (UNJUSTIFIABLY) disgruntled crowds. Everything was clad in the same gaudy grey chrome as everywhere else. However, the twin behemoths weren’t alone, accompanying

them were a varied force of heavily armed cops? Soldiers? AED-#210-31570 wasn’t sure what to call them when they carried so much potential for violence. The only thing that was certain was they had loose morals, and looser trigger fingers. They were dressed in mixtures of grey, blue, and white, undershirts overlaid by heavy plates and grenades, sporting long military briefs with inbuilt padded armor and muted white boots, sleek and angular with technology to allow brief propulsion. Their faces were left bare to the world, as the heavy technological implants and augmentations obscured them and blended their individualism much better than helmets ever could. He observed, with growing horror, as a passing citizen made the unfortunate decision to stare at them, his gaze unabashedly straightforward, before he turned to run. The loose convoy ground to a halt before slowly starting to approach him, and AED-#210-31570 slipped out in the distraction, ignoring the screams as he made his way back to his megastructure. At least he was certain about what one of the new additions to the ‘hang-out’ would look like. He gave a brief, remorseful chuckle at his terrible pun before grabbing one of the pills that kept him nutriated. And eating a bit more of the slop he called food.

HE WAS GLAD THAT A CRIMINAL HAD BEEN JUSTLY PUNISHED. AED-#210-31570 didn’t sleep, he simply lied there, staring at the ceiling, which seemed to be in a constant state of closing in. All citizens had the option to be given ‘rejuvenation’ pills to aid their bodies in the obscure art of sleep at the slight cost of some merit. He had never needed them, they were always an option, and he didn’t wish for that to change. He checked the clock with a groan, noting the current time and the start of his shift shrinking and sighed, before rolling back around on his bed, it was still cold.

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AED-#210-31570 walked his way up the stairs. The train. The drill. The same, the only thing remaining was the mural, it was on everything, was everywhere, just out of reach but still in sight. He worked and worked and worked, the only breaks present being the slight taste of flavour his nutrient-paste had to accompany the heavy pills. It was an endlessly debatable choice, commonly argued on The Source between whether Meat or Plant tasted better. He believed solely in the validity of Meat, Plant was a choice for those who enjoyed sucking the star-mold out of the abandoned reactors. It was a meal for the unemployable, in his opinion, Even as unlikely as it is someone would ever ask for it. Maybe AED-#211-25687 would put a facade of interest, but that was all he had.

His fist clenched as a surge of previously unknowable emotions ran through him, he stared at the grey of his hab, of the scarcity, the emptiness, the worthlessness. He realized his lack of importance, at that moment. There was nothing to define,

nothing to differentiate him, the most important thing he had ever done was watch other people die. It was maddening.

AED-#210-31570 persisted, with shifts, with routine, with the sensation of cloth on skin, he noticed the cameras now, what had always been hidden finally revealed. As he drilled in, then out, then in he forwarded his gaze towards the ceiling, scanning over its breadth finding cameras everywhere. They weren’t hidden, discreet of course, but not hidden. For why would a proper citizen ever bother to notice?

He knows, they know, everyone knows. There is no hiding. As he gazed at the cameras, a memory returned to him, staring at the camera recording they had given him presented a clear view of what had happened, but was it the same on the other side? A thought occurred to him, not a particularly smart one, nor one expected of a ‘model citizen’ but a thought nonetheless. It drifted through his mind, wandering where it shouldn’t, overstaying it’s welcome to the point of consideration, then, action.