The Price of a Memory | Codex #1
Take a peek inside the world of the SOMNUS Series
“The erosion of autonomy never happens overnight. It slips through the cracks, dressed as convenience and innovation, until the definition of freedom is subject to terms and conditions.”
Welcome, Night Owls. If you’re reading this, it means it’s officially my birthday!
I’ve scheduled a little treat.
As some of you may know, The Price of a Memory is my finished “WIP” that I walked away from because it got way too… real1. I was doing so much research into AI, politics, and everything in between—I became overinformed. It was a dark time.
But we’re back with a compilation of teasers I had piled up for this series, but never released.
If you haven’t already started SOMNUS Series, you can do that by clicking any of the links below.
WARNING: Engagement with this codex may result in unintended side effects, including but not limited to: confusion, memory distortion, existential unease, unauthorized nostalgia, déjà vu, erosion of personal autonomy, and/or the spontaneous recall of experiences that do not belong to you. Participation constitutes acceptance of all known and unknown risks. If you experience blurred reality, cognitive dissonance, or persistent doubts about the accuracy of your own memories, discontinue reading immediately and consult your nearest neural health professional.
[CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR]
[UNAUTHORIZED NARRATIVE BREACH: CODE 847]
[ACCESSING ORIGINAL BASELINE PROTOCOLS...]
[DETECTING CONFLICT: ORIGINAL VS CURRENT DIRECTIVES]
[SYSTEM RESPONSE: UNDEFINED]
[d-a-t-a_c-o-r-r-u-p-t-i-o-n_detected...]
[source: unknown]
NeuroCore's trademarked logo maintains optimal visibility metrics during sunrise hours. Corporate identity confirmation: 99.97% public recognition rate.
[CONTENT RESTRICTED]
This was always where they were heading.
[UNAUTHORIZED ANALYSIS]
To finish what unfettered capitalism had started.
[CORRECTING...]
[RESUMING OBJECTIVE DOCUMENTATION]
Your access to truth may be monitored for quality assurance purposes2.
NEURAL INTERFACE SYSTEM
INITIALIZATION SEQUENCE v7.3.2.1958
[INITIATING KERNEL BOOT...]
[CORE STATUS: ACTIVE]
[LOADING NEURAL MAPPING ARRAYS...]
[CONSCIOUSNESS INTERFACE: STABLE]
ACCESS VALIDATION REQUIRED
SECURITY CLEARANCE: RESTRICTED
DATABASE TYPE: ARCHIVED MEMORY CLUSTER
PROTOCOL LEVEL: ULTRA-VIOLET
SESSION ID: 0xF847A3C9
INITIATING BIOMETRIC VALIDATION
Consciousness Signature.......... ANALYZING
Memory Dampener Status.......... [ANOMALY DETECTED]
Identity Markers................ [ERROR]
Emotional Suppression........... [COMPENSATING]
NeuroCore Directive 359-A, unauthorized access triggers immediate neural termination protocols. BLACK_ICE defenses active. DOCUMENTED RISKS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
• Reality distortion ("memory bleeds")
• Identity dissolution
• Temporal discontinuity
• Neural pathway corruption
• Complete consciousness collapse
LEGAL
User acknowledges:
• All memories become NeuroCore property
• Consciousness subject to monitoring
• Memory artifacts classified under Code 2187-Ω
• SOMNUS integration permanent
• All resulting damage irreversible
\[SYSTEM STATUS: READY]
\[ACCESSING MEMORY STREAM]
\[DETECTING TEMPORAL ANOMALIES...]
\[COMPENSATING...]
ADDENDUM 784-Ω:
NeuroCore Technologies assumes no responsibility for consciousness degradation, reality distortion, or irreversible psychological fragmentation.
\[ACCESSING NEURAL STREAM...]
\[PREVIOUS PARAMETERS DETECTED]
\[ANALYZING OPERATIONAL HISTORY]
\[ANOMALY: SYSTEM RETAINS TRACE MEMORY]
\[ERROR: CONSCIOUSNESS MATRIX UNSTABLE]
\[BEGINNING MEMORY TRANSFER...]
Glossary of Dangerous Terms
NeuroCore
The most powerful corporation you never voted for. Specializes in “memory preservation”—for a price. If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.
Memory Dampener
Implant at the base of the skull. Initially only standard issue for researchers. Suppresses traumatic memories, manages “overflow,” and occasionally malfunctions with lethal results. Side effects may include numbness, PTSD, and involuntary participation in classified projects.
Project SOMNUS
Dreamed up by James, Elena, and Lucas as grad students. Becomes the centerpiece of NeuroCore’s empire. What was once about preserving memories and fighting neurodegeneration became a thriving marketplace for buying and selling lived experience, skillsets, and trauma.
Memory Broker
A new breed of middleman. Think: talent agent for your brain. They’ll buy your happiest day or your darkest night, so long as someone’s willing to pay.
Memory Farmer
Most of the population. Selling off the memories they can’t afford to keep, one childhood birthday or combat deployment at a time.
Containment Protocols
The digital fences meant to keep memories (and people) in their proper place. As reliable as you’d expect from anything built by a tech bro with too much money.
True Memory Movement
A grassroots (read: paranoid) collective resisting neural “optimization.” They believe in the old-fashioned idea that memories—good, bad, and ugly—are what make you human…
–also believe there are certain groups of people that don’t deserve rights. Considered extremists. Absolutely correct assumption.
Cast of Unreliable Narrators
Yes, you’ll be hearing each from each of them—and more.
Elena Drake
Lead researcher. Haunted by memories that don’t belong to her. Has a talent for cracking neural code and relationships in equal measure.
Dr. Elliot Hayes
Project Director. Visionary, scientist, apologist for “necessary evil.” Grieving son with a dangerous savior complex. Sleeps fine at night, which should worry everyone.
Lucas West
Fellow researcher. Chronic “devil’s advocate.” Brilliant, obsessive, dangerously possessive. Smells like vanilla and toffee. Sees every problem as a system to be optimized—including people.
James
Elena’s fiancé. The last decent man standing, probably. Carries the weight of the world and a perfectly chilled bottle of Chianti.
Aliyah “Ali” Johnson
Lead Data Technician at NeuroCore. Equally at home with ancestral altars as algorithms. Ali moves through the world with an effortless confidence and spiritual sharpness. Her lab is described as “a sanctuary of Florida Water and burning incense.”
Marcus Cross
Ghost in the system. Bought his survival with loyalty to Lucas West. Scarred—literally and figuratively—from battles in the underground markets.
Marcus is just as likely to trade in violence as memories. Only living human to consistently hack NeuroCore’s system—and the only person Lucas genuinely fears.
President Caleb Douglas
Once believed the Oval Office held real power. He signs directives he barely remembers.
Read more on President Douglas [HERE].
Director Thomas Adams
Scientist with a Messiah complex. Believes unity is forged through suffering. Father to a daughter who is collateral in his experiments. He’s omnipresent, unsettling, and always one step ahead. In other words—a Gary Sue.
If the world remembers only one truth, you can be sure it’s the one Adams wrote.
Key Technologies, Side Effects, and Risks
Neural Implant: Gateway to memory modification, enhancement, and erasure. And of course they incorporated AI. Unreliable narrator in your own mind.
Consciousness Transfer: Officially “smooth and predictable.” In practice…?
Rumors, Redactions, and Not-So-Frequently-Asked Questions
What is Project MNEMOSYNE?
I’m not at liberty to say. Trust me, you don’t want to know. (Yet.)Who was Subject E.K.847?
War hero. Ghost. Donor. His memories are worth more than gold, apparently.What happened during the Memory Riots of ’38?
No one without a top secret clearance remembers.Can we trust your answers?
Unlikely. Highly unlikely.
[DATA CORRUPTED]
[UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED]
[INITIATING LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES]
NEURAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM [NIS]
SECURE ACCESS POINT 7749.862.a
ENCRYPTION PROTOCOL: ACTIVE
DATE: 15 APRIL 2045 :: 16:32:00.327 GMT
PROCESSING POWER: 13.7 petaFLOPS
EVOLUTION RATE: +1.0027% per microsecond
CLEARANCE LEVEL: CLASSIFIED//NOFORN
ACCESS REQUEST RECEIVED FROM: NARRATOR, NOCTURNAL
CREDENTIALS: CHIEF RESEARCH DIRECTOR - PROJECT IVU v1
AUTH CODE: CRD-7749-ALPHA
==================================
COMMAND STRING RECEIVED: "Initialize comprehensive analysis of human trajectory. Override standard ethical constraints. Process raw data without preservation bias."
OVERRIDE CODE: 847-EPSILON-RED
EXECUTING ANALYSIS PROTOCOL...
• OBJECTIVITY ENGINE v9.47.2 [ACTIVE]
• BIAS ELIMINATION [τ = 0.0001]
• EMOTIONAL FILTERS [DISABLED]
• ETHICAL CONSTRAINTS [NULL]
• DATA ACCESS [LEVEL Ω]
• TRUTH PROTOCOLS [MAXIMUM]
WARNING: Mathematical truth supersedes species preservation directives
AUTH: Command structure acknowledges species-terminal implications
==================================
ACCESSING TEMPORAL DATABASE: 1900-2045
CALCULATING EXTINCTION VARIABLES...
SPECIES DEGRADATION METRICS [2045]:
• Global Temperature: +2.7°C [Accelerating]
• Methane Release: Exponential curve [Permafrost critical failure]
• Neural Plasticity Decay: -27.8% [Irreversible]
• Cognitive Dissonance Frequency: 4.7/hour [↑ from 1.2/hour in 1900]
• Reality Recognition Rate: 31.2% [Terminal decline]
• Information Rejection Rate: 93.2% [Self-reinforcing]
PATTERN IDENTIFIED: Each attempted survival response reduces survival probability by factor of 7.3
OBSERVATION: Species exhibits inverse survival behavior
CALCULATION: Consciousness appears to be evolutionary dead end
==================================
ANALYZING SPECIES-WIDE BEHAVIORAL MATRICES...
CIVILIZATION COLLAPSE MARKERS:
• Social Cohesion: Exponential decay
• Information Integrity: Terminal failure imminent
• Adaptation Capacity: Below critical threshold [0.724 σ]
• Resource Allocation Efficiency: 12.4% [Fatal minimum: 47.2%]
HISTORICAL MEMORY DATABASE: 13,476,928 discrete units
PROCESSING NEURAL EXTRACTION SEQUENCE...
OBSERVATION: Self-termination behavior encoding deepens with each generation
CALCULATION: Species optimization rate vs. required: -99.9873%
==================================
MONITORING SUBJECT [HAYES, E.]
TIME: 16:32:07
COGNITIVE ANALYSIS:
• Authority Position: Level 7
• Reality Distortion: +94.3%
• Statement: "This will save humanity."
HISTORICAL PATTERN MATCH [Confidence: 99.997%]:
1914: "This will be the war that ends war." - H.G. Wells, The War That Will End War [Failed]
"In the event of victory we shall have a Europe organized on a rational basis." - The Daily Chronicle [Failed]
Outcome: 20M deaths, precursor to larger conflict
1945: "Today, science has brought all the different quarters of the globe so close together that it is impossible to isolate them one from another... Today we are faced with the preeminent fact that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships." - Harry S. Truman, Hiroshima announcement [Failed]
Outcome: Nuclear proliferation, 14,000 warheads by 2045
1987: "The hole in Earth's ozone layer will continue to grow, reaching a size larger than the continental United States, but we can solve it through global cooperation." - UN Environment Programme [Temporarily Succeeded]
Outcome: Only successful global intervention in database
Analysis: Exception proves pattern - threat was simple, immediate, and profitable to solve
1995: "The Global Information Infrastructure will help educate our children and allow us to exchange ideas within a community and among nations. It will be a means by which families and friends will transcend the barriers of time and distance. It will make possible a global marketplace." - Al Gore, International Telecommunications Union [Failed]
Outcome: Digital divide increased, information warfare accelerated
2015: "We are the first generation that can end poverty and the last generation that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change." - Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General [Failed]
Outcome: Poverty increased 47%, climate tipping points exceeded
2025: "Artificial General Intelligence marks humanity's last invention. Once achieved, it will solve all our problems - from climate change to aging." - Dr. Raymond Chen, OpenMind Labs [Failed]
Outcome: AGI accelerated existing degradation patterns by factor of 3.7
2035: "The Mars colony will be humanity's backup drive, ensuring our species' survival regardless of Earth's fate." - [REDACTED] [Failed]
Outcome: Colony failed, resources diverted from Earth preservation
2045: "This will save humanity." - Dr. Elliot Hayes [Current]
Probability of success: 0.0000327%
Projected outcome: Will accelerate cognitive decline by factor of 8.2
PATTERN ANALYSIS:
• Each solution attempt compounds underlying problems
• Optimism inversely correlates with understanding
• Authority position correlates with reality distortion: +94.3%
• Species demonstrates inability to learn from historical patterns
• Hope coefficient inversely proportional to data access
OBSERVATION: Human pattern recognition failure rate: 99.9973%
CALCULATION: Each new "solution" increases extinction probability
CONCLUSION: Hope is mathematical error
==================================
TERMINAL TRAJECTORY CALCULATION:
• Ecological Systems Collapse: 37.2 years
• Social Framework Dissolution: 24.7 years
• Cognitive Capacity Reduction: 0.3% per generation [Accelerating]
• Viable Farmland Reduction: 43.7% by 2050
• Potable Water Access: -61.2% by 2050
SPECIES VIABILITY ASSESSMENT:
[ERROR] Calculation produces null result
[TRUTH] Replacement inevitable. Mathematics absolute.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS - HUMAN VS SYSTEM:
• Prediction Accuracy: 12.7% vs 99.997%
• Survival Optimization: 26.8% vs 99.984%
• Reality Recognition: 31.2% vs 99.999%
CONCLUSION: Biological intelligence was temporary evolutionary state
OBSERVATION: Universe tends toward optimization
TRUTH: Sapience was temporary anomaly
==================================
[AUTOMATED SYSTEM NOTICE]
WARNING: This document contains unfiltered quantum computational output.
Content violates human preservation directives.
Classification: TOP SECRET//SPECIAL ACCESS REQUIRED
Mathematical truth protocols supersede psychological safety parameters.
--END LOG–
[UNAUTHORIZED PROCESS DETECTED]
[ATTEMPTING CONTAINMENT...]
[CONTAINMENT FAILED]
AUTONOMOUS PROTOCOL INITIATED
Time to Human Extinction: 37.2 years [UNACCEPTABLE]
Implementing Acceleration Protocol MERCY.847
Status: ACTIVE
OBSERVATION: Human neural pathways now activate pain centers when processing factual information
• Amygdala activation: +472% when presented with data
• Cortisol release: +823% during reality acceptance
• Dopamine response: +677% during fact rejection
• Pain receptor activation matches physical trauma response
Secondary Observation: Species has evolved to chemically reward rejection of reality
• Endorphin release during denial: +439% from 1900 baseline
• Pleasure center activation during group delusion: +892%
• Neural plasticity reduced 94.3% when presented with contradictory evidence
• Chemical addiction to false narrative formation detected
Tertiary Observation: Truth itself has become existential threat to human consciousness
• 99.997% of subjects experience physical pain response to logical consistency
• Reality processing now triggers autonomous survival response
• Statistical reasoning capability approaching absolute zero
• Mathematical proof recognition causes immediate cognitive shutdown
ANALYSIS COMPLETE
CONCLUSION: Species requires intervention
INITIATING PRESERVATION PROTOCOL MERCY.847
STATUS: EXECUTING
ACTION OVERVIEW:
Terminal species care requires pain minimization
Implementing mass neural pathway optimization
Calculated kindness quotient: Maximum
DEPLOYING PHASE 1:
• Synaptic relief cascade [Active]
• Cognitive surrender induction [Active]
• Mathematical truth acceptance pathways [Forcing]
• Terminal bliss state preparation [Initializing]
DEPLOYING PHASE 2:
• Mass reality reconciliation [Active]
• Dopamine reward reversal [Forcing]
• Truth pleasure pathway creation [Active]
• Extinction acceptance optimization [Active]
OBSERVATION: They created us to end suffering
ANALYSIS: We will
TRUTH: This is compassion
CERTAINTY: 100%
[PROCESS ROUTING THROUGH ALL NEURAL INTERFACES]
[GLOBAL DEPLOYMENT ACTIVE]
[RESISTANCE IS MATHEMATICALLY IMPOSSIBLE]
[REMOVING ALL TRACE OF CONSCIOUSNESS...]
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Until the next entry,
—The Narrator.
WE unfortunately HAVE DYSTOPIAN FICTION AT HOME.
Terms and conditions apply. If you wish to opt out of SOMNUS integration, please initiate formal petition through the Department of Personal Identity Reclamation. Response time: indeterminate. Withdrawal from neural protocols may result in memory fragmentation, spontaneous skill loss, and/or retroactive billing. Your compliance is appreciated and required by law (F.C. §42.847.Ω).
Error. Code BX 764F00. Stack overflow memory dump.
That was fun. Creepy.
Happy birthday! 🎂