LifeNet: The Price of Immortality

Chapter 9 - Disturbing Evidence

“Hi there! I’ve been having some trouble with my device lately,” Elara said, smiling a bit nervously as she approached the front desk of the LifeNet service center. “It keeps freezing, and then sometimes it… just kind of restarts out of nowhere?”

The technician behind the counter looked at her with polite indifference. He was young, probably a few years younger than her, with a quick, routine smile. “Sure, let’s take a look. Could be a software glitch. We’ll need to run a few diagnostics, but it should be quick.”

“Thanks,” Elara replied, sliding her device across the counter. She glanced around, subtly taking in her surroundings. The room was bright, sterile, and slightly claustrophobic, with rows of service pods lining one side of the room, each with a technician working away in front of a glowing screen.

The technician looked at her device, then at his screen, typing rapidly. “Looks like the OS is current. Have you had any trouble connecting to LifeNet lately?”

“No, it connects just fine,” she replied. “It’s just that sometimes… I don’t know. It feels like it’s doing something on its own. You know? Like I’ll be using it, and suddenly it’s… slower, or a bit odd?”

The technician chuckled, clearly used to hearing complaints from customers who didn’t understand the intricacies of technology. “Devices sometimes feel like they’re doing things on their own, but it’s usually just system updates in the background.”

“Right…” Elara nodded, feigning curiosity as she peered over the counter, catching glimpses of the code running across the technician’s screen. She pretended to stretch, leaning in a little closer.

As he typed, a line of text caught her attention, something about “real-time tracking” and “activity logs.” She blinked, watching the screen out of the corner of her eye, trying not to stare. The screen flickered with a series of windows opening and closing too fast for her to read entirely, but she could catch glimpses: location pings, timestamps, user activity. Her stomach tightened.

“What are all those… activity logs?” she asked casually, gesturing at the screen with a slight, feigned interest.

The technician glanced up, giving her a slightly amused look. “Ah, just system stuff. It tracks user interactions with LifeNet. Helps us troubleshoot, make sure the network is running smoothly.”

Elara forced herself to smile, keeping her tone light. “Interesting. I didn’t know LifeNet kept such close tabs on things.”

“Yeah, but it’s all harmless,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Just part of keeping things connected. LifeNet’s got a lot of complex data going on at once.”

“Right…” she murmured, a knot forming in her chest.

The technician went back to his screen, and Elara took the opportunity to shift her weight, leaning slightly closer. A pop-up window caught her eye. It read: Live User Activity – Display Active Feed. Below it was a list of usernames, timestamps, locations. For a moment, she thought she saw her own username flash by, but it was gone too quickly to be sure.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, catching her slight frown.

“Oh! No, no,” she replied quickly, giving an apologetic smile. “Just… fascinating, really. I don’t think I’ve ever seen how all this works.”

“Most people haven’t,” he said, glancing up with a small smirk. “It’s all backend stuff. Complicated, but essential for maintaining everything in sync.”

“Of course,” she replied, letting out a small laugh to mask her unease. But her eyes kept drifting back to the lines of code and user data flickering across the screen.

Elara’s mind was racing. This wasn’t just tracking; it was a live stream of user activity. Every move, every interaction, monitored in real-time. LifeNet didn’t just log people’s history—it was watching them, constantly.

The technician cleared his throat, glancing up. “You, uh… you really seem interested in this stuff.”

Elara realized she’d been staring too intently. “Oh! Sorry, just curious, I guess. It’s amazing what technology can do these days.”

“Right…” He looked at her a bit warily now, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re… Elara, right?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Yes?”

He gave her a tight smile, but there was an edge to it now. “We’ll have your device ready soon. I’ll just need to finish a couple more checks. Feel free to wait out in the lobby.”

“Oh, of course,” she replied, sensing the shift in his demeanor. She turned and headed to the lobby, but her mind was reeling. This was bigger than she’d imagined.

Sitting in the lobby, Elara kept her gaze fixed on a magazine, though her mind was racing with everything she’d seen. If LifeNet was monitoring people in real-time, tracking every action… then what else were they capable of? The brief glimpses she’d caught hinted at a level of surveillance that went far beyond simple connectivity. It felt like there was no privacy, no way to be truly alone, even in her own thoughts.

She glanced over her shoulder. The technician was watching her from the counter, talking quietly to someone else, glancing in her direction every now and then. She’d overstayed her welcome. Time to leave.

When her device was finally returned, she thanked him and hurried out, feeling a chill as she stepped back into the open air.

***

Once home, Elara collapsed onto her chair, reaching for a notebook. She began to scribble down everything she’d seen, piecing together her observations with everything else she’d gathered. Her mind buzzed with the implications. LifeNet wasn’t just a network; it was a web of constant surveillance, a silent observer that knew where people were, what they did, even when they were completely unaware.

She felt a mixture of horror and thrill. This was evidence—a real lead. It wasn’t just glitches or rumors; it was proof that LifeNet had far more control than anyone had guessed.

A message from Nyx popped up on her screen.

“How’d it go?”

Elara took a deep breath before replying.

“You’re not going to believe this, but I think LifeNet’s monitoring everyone… in real-time. Like, constant tracking.”

There was a long pause before Nyx responded. “What? Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. I saw it on the screens. Every user, every action. It’s all logged live. It’s like… nobody has privacy anymore.”

“Wow,” he replied. “That’s… intense. But if they’re going to these lengths, then what does that say about LifeNet’s true purpose? Why do they need this level of control?”

Elara bit her lip, typing slowly. “Maybe it’s about more than just ‘keeping people connected.’ It feels like they want complete oversight, control over people’s lives.”

Nyx’s reply was quick, almost urgent. “That’s a dangerous thought, Elara. If they’re tracking us this closely, it means they know everything we’re doing—even the things we think are private.”

She felt a shiver run down her spine. “Yeah, I know. I’m starting to wonder if anyone is really free under LifeNet’s reach.”

For a moment, neither of them typed anything, the weight of her discovery settling heavily between them. Then Nyx’s message flashed on her screen.

“Elara… this isn’t just a curiosity anymore. If they’re monitoring people, altering memories, then anyone who starts digging could be in danger. We could be in danger.”

She knew he was right. She thought of the strange messages, the technician’s wary gaze, the conversations she’d overheard at the office. LifeNet’s reach wasn’t just technological—it was pervasive, touching every aspect of people’s lives, thoughts, memories.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, typing slowly. “Then we’re going to have to be more careful than ever.”

Nyx’s next message was immediate. “Agreed. And if you’re getting this close, we need a plan. A real one. Something to keep you safe.”

“I’ll think of something,” she replied, though her heart was racing.

She set down her device, looking around her dim apartment. For the first time, it felt less like a home and more like a vulnerable outpost in LifeNet’s vast, unseen empire. The walls seemed to close in around her, every shadow a reminder of the unseen eyes that could be watching.

But even as fear whispered in the back of her mind, a fierce determination welled up. She was closer than ever to the truth, and now, more than ever, she needed answers.