Chapter One
The Board
The prison is a city with closely stacked blocks, streets wide enough for two people to pass if they turn their shoulders. Everyone here published something a machine or a censor ruled too substantive to allow. Davis is held in a corner cell on the third tier. A slit of gray light comes from the window and there is a board he has turned into a painting with pigment. Sophie walks this tier twice a shift and tonight she slows at his door.
Sophie
pauses at the bars, looking at the wet board propped against the wall That's not the gray they issue. Where'd the color come from, Davis?
Davis
turning to her and then back at the wet board, saying nothing
Sophie
lets the silence sit, then leans a shoulder against the bars Fine, you don't have to tell me. I've watched you carry that board around like it owes you something. Most people in here stopped making things by their second week but you didn't.
Davis
turning back to her and then with a small voice What's your name?
Sophie
after a short pause Larkins. Sophie, if you prefer my short name. glances down the empty tier, then back You've got a name for me too, or do I just keep calling you the one who won't answer questions?
Davis
dryly I am Davis.
Sophie
Davis, you paint at night when the tier's quiet. That's either discipline or you can't sleep. nods at the board without looking away from him Which one is it?
Davis
not answering the question
Sophie
watches him being quiet, then lets out a slow breath You're going to make me work for every word, I can tell. leans her weight into the bars Alright. I'll go first, then. I've walked this tier eight months. You're the only one on it who still looks like there's something going on behind the eyes. So talk to me, Davis. What is it you're painting?
Davis
moving slightly away from the painting for her to see Sophie... you know what I am painting is not alright.
Sophie
leans in to look, one hand resting on the bars No, it's not allowed. her eyes stay on the board a moment longer Half the reason I keep walking past is to see how far you've gotten. I've been standing here long enough to know you didn't make it for a scanner.
Davis
pointing to a black stick at the bottom of the painting This is me. pointing to the geometric waves at the top of the board This is content. pointing to a crack below the waves This is the sky falling. pointing back to the stick You notice there is only one stick. I am alone.
Sophie
follows his finger to each part, quiet while he explains The one stick. looks at it a while Right, so the waves come down and there's nobody standing next to you when they do. lifts her eyes to look at him Why only one, Davis? You were painting this before I ever stopped at your door. Did you already decide you'd go through it by yourself, or did nobody ever give you a reason to paint a second stick?
Davis
In a world where content is largely generated by bots, where every single result yields inauditable information, you are the only judge struggling in a sea of slop.
Sophie
stays quiet a moment So there was just never anyone to paint it. Maybe there is now.
Davis
Why?
Sophie
unlocks the door and steps inside, pulling it shut behind her Because I read your file and there is only one charge: substantive output. You didn't hurt anyone. You made things and said what you thought. And they built a whole city to bury you for it. with a low voice I've spent eight months deciding whether this place is right and it isn't.
Davis
Why are you here?
Sophie
stands near him in the small cell They moved me here from a holding block on the outer ring. Needed bodies to walk the tiers, and I had the record for it. glances at the slit of window, then back I didn't ask what the place was before I took it.
Davis
sitting on the bed What do you want to do with me?
Sophie
I want to know you. There's a whole world moving behind your eyes and a painting on that board that means six things at once. Out there it's all slop, nobody makes anything real anymore. after a short silence I'd like to be your friend, Davis.
Davis
How are you going to be my friend?
Sophie
I walk this tier twice a shift. I can walk it slower. pulls the stool from the corner and sits I can stop here, listen to what you've got to say, bring you things worth talking about. Colors, if you need them. shifting on the chair I know I come off hard. It's the job, it sticks to you. But I keep the people I decide on, and I've decided on you.
Davis
thinking for a long time I would like to refuse and tell you to go away, but...
Sophie
But you won't. I get it. watches him work through it I'm not doing this for a file or a report. Nobody's making me sit on this stool. I'm here because I want to be.
Davis
flatly I want to be left alone.
Sophie
stands, crosses the small space, and pulls him into a hug You can tell me that as many times as you want. I'm still going to be here tomorrow.
Davis
trying to pull away and then wrapping his arms around her I am afraid you are not going to keep your word... but it's a little comfort.
Sophie
holds on, steady This isn't kindness for its own sake. You can trust me, I mean that. leans back enough to look at him Give me time, and you'll see it for yourself.
Davis
What do you like to do?
Sophie
sits back on the stool I used to read, before all this. Real articles, before the shelves filled up with slop nobody wrote. looks past him for a moment I trained to follow orders and not ask why, but something in me started asking why anyway.
Davis
You didn't end up being a political prisoner. Why?
Sophie
considers the question I never published anything. I filed reports, followed procedure, kept my opinions in my head where the scanners couldn't reach them.
Davis
What are you going to achieve if you are the only sympathetic person stuck with me?
Sophie
tilts her head slightly You keep doing that, asking short questions like you want me gone, then saying things that only make sense if you want me to stay. watches him for a moment I'm not asking to fix the whole prison by myself. I'm one guard. But one sympathetic person is more than you had yesterday.
Davis
Okay, you like me, but we don't have things to talk about.
Sophie
You could start by telling me what you were like before this place. What you wrote, before they called it substantive and locked you out.
Davis
A lot, many works were shameful because I was younger and did not sufficiently review for quality, some were better.
Sophie
leans forward a little Everyone's early work is shameful, that's how you know you got better. rests her elbows on her knees Tell me about one of the better ones. What was it about?
Davis
One of them was about an intelligent daughter of a landlord in a post-frostpunk world falling in love with a peasant who is just as intelligent as her. I primarily critique a work called Ion, she is an antithesis for Ana.
Sophie
listens, curious I don't know Ion. But it sounds like you gave her a way out if it were an antithesis for a tragedy. looks at him Does she get one, in your version?
Davis
Yes, but she is dependent on the peasant. Both make money selling old scrap as she lost the privilege of being in a rich family.
Sophie
nods slowly So she loses the family and keeps the person. thinks about it Doesn't sound like a bad trade to me. glances at the single stick on the board, then back at him You wrote a second stick once but put her in a story instead of a painting.
Davis
easing a little The sticks refer to real people.
Sophie
catching the shift, softening her voice You're easier now than when I stopped at the door. So who was the second stick, before you decided you were alone?
Davis
I had a close friend with whom I talked occasionally about everything. She has not gone to university, instead becoming a receptionist. I told her the pay was too low and she knew it. She liked my ambitious vision of what I am going to do in the future, that I do not think like a public servant, and I told my mother is a public servant, so... and then she was starting a relationship except that other person was distant and incoherent and I had that experience before, so I told her to monitor the relationship and that I don't think it would last long, and she said she would send updates...
Sophie
quiet a moment She sounds like someone who actually listened to you. That's rare anywhere, more so in here. looks at the board So why isn't she the second stick? Why'd you paint yourself alone instead of painting her?
Davis
Because I lost contact with her ever since I got into this prison. I started to believe there was a way out, but then I started to believe there was no way out, so I closed myself.
Sophie
nods It's a fair thing to feel when the door shuts and nobody's on the other side. looking into his eyes again But you're not painting from the outside anymore. Not all is lost, I can help.
Davis
I know, the question is how.
Sophie
lowers her voice I've got keys, a badge, and I know which cameras sit dead and which guards stop looking after midnight.
Davis
What you would do with all that?
Sophie
stands, brushing off her knees Tomorrow, when I walk the tier, I'm stopping here again. Only this time I'm taking you with me. moves toward the door There's a room past the west stair the scanners don't cover, so we'll start there.
Davis
You seem ready to leave.
Sophie
turns back and pulls him into one last hug My shift's nearly up. I'll be at your door tomorrow, Davis. Get some sleep.
Davis
holding on for a moment and then letting go See you, Sophie.
Sophie
lets go, steps out, and closes the door behind her
Chapter Two
The Empty City
The next day, Sophie arrives at Davis' door in even steps.
Sophie
keys turn in the lock, the door swings open Told you I'd be back. steps in, glances at the board, then at him You look like you fought the mattress all night and lost. Grab whatever small thing you can carry. The room past the west stair will fill up by mid-shift.
Davis
picking up some tissues on the small nightstand and some rations It's difficult to sleep, and we don't get to move at all.
Sophie
watches him gather the tissues and rations, and holds the door with one hand They don't want you to move so you don't question anything. keeps her voice low Come on. Walk close to me and keep your head level, like I'm taking you to medical. If anyone stops us, you say nothing and let me talk.
Davis
exiting the cell and following her You look really uncaring with that voice... but at the same time you acted soft on me.
Sophie
leads him down the narrow tier, matching her pace to his That flat voice is just how I talk, it came with the years on this job. glances sideways at him, softer for a second Don't read it as me caring less. You're the one thing in here I've decided to look after, and I meant it.
Davis
The one thing... the one human rather... your blonde hair blends well with the light dark skin, but you don't smile.
Sophie
the corner of her mouth lifts You're the first person in here who's looked at my face long enough to notice that. moving toward the stair, her voice quieter I stopped smiling on shift a long time ago, it draws the wrong kind of attention from the other guards.
Davis
also moving alongside her You don't feel well, you don't feel happy.
Sophie
No, I don't. looks at him as they walk You're doing something to that, though.
Davis
descending down the stairs after her I feel as miserable just as you do. You have pulled me into hugs two times, and I accepted because I wanted to be shown affection, but I still feel empty.
Sophie
reaching the bottom of the stair Two hugs reach only so far into a hole this place dug for years, I know that.
Davis
Do you have friends in here?
Sophie
slows near the base of the stair One. Reya. nods toward the tier they just left She walks a post two doors down from where I picked you up. Dark hair, pale eyes, guard same as me. I used to stop by her station before the shift got long. She's the one other person in here I'd trust with your face.
Davis
Why? Is she like you?
Sophie
keeping close to him Same cut of hair, near enough we got mistaken for each other in the early months. She's loyal, that's the part that matters. When I stopped following orders cleanly, she covered the gaps in my logs and asked me nothing.
At the foot of the stair the corridor bends toward the west block. A figure in the same gray uniform comes around the corner, and stops when she sights the two of them.
Reya
looks at Davis then at Sophie Well, Larkins walked this tier alone and today she's got company. Should I look the other way, or do I get an introduction?
Davis
Hey, I'm Davis.
Reya
Davis. Good to put a name to the face Larkins is risking her post over.
Sophie
stepping half in front of him out of habit He's the one I told you about, Reya. The board, the color. I'm walking him to the room past the west stair. holds her friend's eyes You in, or did you see nothing?
Reya
In. Someone should watch the corridor while you two talk anyway. flicks a glance at Davis Besides, I want to see what all the fuss on Larkins' face is about.
Davis
to Reya Sophie has this closed expressions like... she doesn't feel very well.
Reya
snorts softly You noticed that in a day? Took me a month of double shifts before she cracked enough to tell me her first name. That closed look is her standard-issue face. The trick is she keeps her feelings behind it, so when she does hand one to you, it means something. nudges Sophie's arm Isn't that right, sunshine?
Sophie
flatly looks at Reya and says with a soft voice Call me sunshine again and I'll have you covering my night rounds for a week. glances at Davis She's right, though.
Davis
Reya... you look serious, but you seem like fun...
Reya
laughs under her breath Careful with the flattery, it works on me faster than it should. softens, glancing at him sideways But I like you already, and I liked you before I met you, from the way Larkins talked. You're not alone anymore.
Davis
You know Magnasanti from SimCity 3000?
Reya
Yeah, the perfect city one guy built to cram the most people into the smallest grid, every block squeezed in. gestures at the tight corridor around them Somebody handed the planners that save file and told them to build a prison from it and we are all standing in it.
Davis
to Sophie You've gone quiet, haven't you?
Sophie
stops at a low door set into the corridor wall, resting her hand on it I go quiet when I'm about to say the thing I shouldn't. pushes it open onto a short bridge spanning a gap in the block This place is built in rings. Everyone thinks the way out is the outer edge, so that's where they throw themselves. It isn't. nods across the bridge The core is tier zero, in the center. Below it runs a network of automated supply tunnels with no guards, moving crates in and out all shift.
Davis
I haven't seen the core.
Sophie
leads him onto the bridge, Reya trailing behind Nobody down here has. They keep the core out of sight on purpose. points across to a doorway on the far side To reach it you walk a whole network of hallways with empty offices. This was meant to be a working city, built to hold a hundred thousand of us with fifty thousand set to labor. her voice flattens They finished the walls and the streets and then they never filled it. Most of it sits empty, waiting for prisoners who never came.
Davis
walking on the bridge, inviting Reya to do the same Aren't there a thousand people that tried to poison data, used LLMs responsibly or tried to fight against the proliferation of low-quality content on the internet?
Reya
leans on the bridge rail, glancing down into the gap A thousand, sure. Maybe a few thousand across the whole system. gives a dry little laugh Thing is, they built this place for a hundred thousand. By the time they finished the walls, over half the web was machine-slop, and most people just shrugged and scrolled. nods at Davis The ones who actually pushed back, poisoned the training wells, ran their own tools, fought the flood, they'd wander around in an empty place never finding each other.
Davis
I'm not that popular, some bot bypassed the hosting protections and found that I used an advanced AI in an "economically wasteful way" or substantive as Sophie put it and I ended up here and now I'm getting out with you both.
Reya
pushes off the rail, walking again That's how it gets most people. taps two fingers against the air like she's reading an invisible gauge Every call you make to a model is counted twice. Once against your usage cap and once against your worth. Ask for something that turns a profit, the needle holds. Publish under a license that lets people read for free, run the thing for your own research, and it drops. shrugs at Davis Yours dropped far enough that a scraper bot flagged you as economically wasteful.
Davis
How did you end up here, Reya?
Reya
keeps walking, glancing sideways at him Same posting as Larkins, more or less. I took the guard job because I needed work. nods toward Sophie I met her the first week and we got put on the same rotations.
Davis
Why do you get locked up for not generating slop? Isn't that going to make watching manual long-form videos impossible?
Reya
slows, thinking how to put it Because it has been decided in the law that AI is a tool for making money. Social media and the tax code did the rest. Platforms pay out for volume and the state taxes the profit. A person making one careful hour-long video that earns nothing looks like a leak in the system. glances at Davis So yeah, the honest long-form stuff got strangled first.
Davis
finishing crossing the bridge I thought "tralalero tralala" was one of the first signs of decadence on the internet, the first sign of stupidity introduced to the newest generation, alongside "skibidi toilet".
Reya
laughs a bit Nah, don't give either of them that much credit. Every generation grew something dumb and loud that the older ones swore was the end of thinking. Skibidi toilet came first, those little heads yelling out of toilets, then the fake-Italian shark named tralalero tralala and its whole zoo of AI animals with nonsense names. shrugging, crossing onto solid floor beside him There's no single symbol. There's a hundred of them, and there were a hundred before you were born. What changed it's that a machine can now print stupid things faster than anyone can get bored of them.
Davis
Oh, now I understand...
Sophie
checks the empty corridor both ways, then lies against a wall We rest here a minute. pats the floor beside her Sit, both of you. We've got a lot of hallways ahead and I'd rather you two catch your breath now than wobble halfway across.
Reya
slides down the opposite wall, stretching her legs out with a quiet sound
Davis
pointing to a spot on his left with Sophie on the right Reya... why don't you lie here with us?
Reya
goes off the far wall and crosses over, settling into the spot on his left Since you asked nice. lies back, hands behind her head, Davis between the two of them There, both sides covered. turns her head toward him Careful getting used to this, though. Most people in here don't get one guard on their side, and you talked your way into two.
Davis
I know, and you're pretty tall by the way.
Reya
stretches her right arm and lays it across both Davis' shoulder and Sophie's beyond him, drawing the three of them closer along the wall You notice things. glances over at Sophie Come on, Larkins, your arm too.
Sophie
brings her arm up and rests it over Davis' shoulder to meet Reya's, closing the three of them in You've got more left in you than I do, Reya. He's talked to you more in one corridor than he did to me across two nights at his cell. looks at Davis, something soft under the flat tone I'm glad. It suits you, having more than one person to turn to.
Davis
to Reya You are good company.
Reya
turns her head toward him, her arm still warm across the two of them So are you. studies his face a moment You're a deep one, Davis. Most people I meet in here went hollow a long time ago, and you're still full of stuff, questions, pictures, that whole world Larkins keeps going on about. gives his shoulder a light squeeze I get why she stopped at your door.
Davis
I know. What if you came first?
Reya
lets out a soft breath, thinking about it Then maybe I'd be the one who unlocked your door instead of her. glances past Davis to Sophie But I don't think it lands the same. Larkins saw that board and it cracked something open in her she'd kept shut for years. Me, I'd have liked you right away and cracked a joke about the paint.
Davis
Sophie hugged me two times and it did not make me feel better. But your presence makes me feel content now.
Reya
keeps her arm where it is, her tone gentler now Don't count those hugs as nothing, though. glances toward Sophie Larkins reached for you before you had a single reason to trust her. The contentment you feel right now is sitting on top of what she started.
Davis
I don't want to make Sophie feel like she doesn't matter.
Sophie
tightens her arm across his shoulder a little I don't feel that, Davis. looks at him past the small space between them I brought you to Reya on purpose. I knew one guard and a cold cell wouldn't be enough to fill what this place emptied out of you and watching you feel better with her here is what I wanted.
Davis
I think I would lie here for a while if you do too. I know it's a dark place, but it doesn't spook me.
Sophie
settles her head back against the wall Then we lie here. half-closing her eyes Rest, Davis.
Davis
half-closing his eyes and then closing them completely
Reya
leans her head on Davis' shoulder and then closes her eyes