D. B. Goodin - Ramble: An Irregular Cyberpunk Journey into the Musical Heart

Ramble

to grow or extend irregularly

Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary

Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City

Thursday, July 23rd, 2071, 5:58 p.m.

It took Alice Parsons almost twenty-seven years to find meaning in her life, and less than five minutes to lose it. She realized that the Puriststhe people, like her, who resisted AI-generated musichad given her hope and a cause to believe in: something shed never had before. Until shed worked at Roxys all-human club, she had never even realized that so many people felt the same way that she did about synthetic music and robots.

Alice felt defeated in her hospital bed as she held the remains of her augmented reality visor: another casualty of the E-Bomb. Except for her best friend Lindsey and her mother, nobody visited her.

I need to get better friends, Alice thought.

Officer Rollins sat at the foot of her hospital bed. Alice felt a pang of guilt when he introduced himself, but she understood that he was doing his job. He was just trying to figure out why shed been found at the bottom of a ladder next to MuseFam Hall after the CityWide Concert disaster.

The fading sunlight gave the room a yellowish tint that reminded Alice of the Players Pavilion: a venue in New York where human musicians once played. She herself used to play there; her musical performances were often late in the afternoon, so the tarps covering the stage would cast a hue similar to the golden light streaming into her hospital room. She held fast to the memory of playing at the CityWide Concerta big eventbefore it was taken over by MuseFam; that was a simpler time, before the monstrosity now known as MuseFam Hall was built on top of the pavilions remains. Brenton Morris, MuseFams CEO, had convinced the board of the privately held conservatory to sell him the land and rights for MuseFam to hold special events at the location for an undisclosed sum and duration.

Ms. Parsons, do you feel well enough to talk to me? Officer Rollins asked.

These painkillers and recovery drugs are making me feel disoriented, but I can talk, Alice said.

Dont worry, Ill be brief.

Officer Rollins leafed through his notepad. Alice watched him curiously; she couldnt remember the last time someone other than herself had used actual paper. Besides Doris, her visors AI, technology was untrustworthy in her eyes; she preferred the old ways, such as journaling by hand.

I see that Im not the only one who uses actual paper anymore, Alice said.

Officer Rollins smiled.

Yeah, I still prefer to take notes on paper. I know its not common, but I like the feel of the paper in my hands. Besides, my electronic tablet has been acting up since the incident at MuseFam Hall.

Acting up? How? Alice said. She shrank back into her hospital bed, suspecting the cause of the tablets dysfunction.

The department provided me with a new one, and it doesnt store my work, or it disconnects from the network. Ive been so busy after the incident that I havent been able to get it fixed.

My visor is dead too, Alice said, looking at it and fidgeting nervously. So how can I be of help, officer?

Officer Rollins leveled his gaze at her. Im a little unclear of why you were up on the roof of MuseFam Hall after the E-Bomb went off. The way we found you was a little unsettling.

Alice felt a pang of regret: a feeling she knew well.

I should have learned my lesson from the last CityWide Concert. Hacking was not the answerit just caused more pain.

You were lying on a man dressed in a trench coat and old-fashioned goggles. He looked like hed stepped out of the 1800s.

Officer Rollins handed Alice a hard copy of a photograph; in it, Alice appeared to be snugglingclearly unconsciousnext to a man she recognized. His hands were resting on her stomach. Alices head was turned to one side, away from the camera, but she could see the mans face. The photo was in black and white, but Alice could see the dark trail of blood leading from the body of Stewie Hawk. The bizarre, unintended intimacy of the photo might have given outsiders the wrong impression.

Do you know this man? Officer Rollins said.

Alice gulped. Well... I do recognize him. Hes my stalker.

Office Rollins looked surprised. He jotted down some information in his notebook.

From what we could piece together, this person had no form of identification on his body, and his DNA isnt registered to any apartment, vehicle, or anything else weve been able to trace...

Alice tried to come up with a satisfactory response, but she couldnt think of one. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Officer Rollins handed Alice a tissue, then placed a comforting hand on Alices shoulder. Alice just stared at the photo, then looked out the window. She felt numb.

Alice had always liked how the sky looks at dusk. The darkness wasnt frightening to her. When she had played shows, they were usually at night, and shed felt at peace when she played her guitar. She hoped that those feelings would return someday.

We can continue whenever youre ready, Rollins said.

Alice took a deep breath.

No sense avoiding the inevitable any longer.

Im ready, Alice said, turning her head back to him.

You said that you were being stalked by this man. So, why climb the roof of MuseFam Hall instead of calling the police or notifying security at MuseFam Hall?

Alice started thinking and speakingfast. She needed to cover her tracks. I didnt see any security when I saw him coming toward me. I must have panicked, because the next thing I knew, I was being chased.

Did you know there was a bomb atop MuseFam Hall?

I shouldn't lie to a cop, but he doesnt understand why destroying the robots was so important to me and the Purists!

Alice fiddled with her dead visor once more, trying to think of something to say that wasnt another lie.

If I had known there was a bomb that would almost kill me, do you think I would have been there? Alice asked.

Officer Rollins wrote in his notebook, then looked at her for a long moment as if he were considering his next question.