Zardong woke up groggy. He struggled out of his Slumber Vestibule X-1000 and made his way warily to the kitchen. These new vestibules, powered by kale-driven flux-capacitors, were a lifesaver for someone like Zardong. His insomnia had become a constant nightmare.

“If only I could sleep, perchance to actually nightmare, I wouldn’t mind the insomnia so much, would I?” he piped in irritatingly in response to the previous sentence.

One has always abhorred characters who intrude into the story, disturbing the narrative flow and challenging the author’s voice with their own petty, unsolicited, first-person encroachments. But this is what one has to contend with in 2192.

Time was when thinking about the future used to be a pleasant exercise and artificial intelligence (AI) was mostly used to save Cliftonian heroes, such as Doland J. Drumpf, from themselves. But those were the glory years of AI.

Artificial Intelligence knows far more than those who created it and could be taking control of the story

Artificial Intelligence knows far more than those who created it and could be taking control of the story

All of Cliftonia couldn’t wait to worship at the altar of St Altman and was besotted by the power of his magnificent vision. Who knew that something that had started so benignly and with hardly any........

© Dawn (Magazines)