1 - You Can't Leave!

It's not safe.

“You can’t leave!” yelled Clara to the back of Arin’s head as her daughter disappeared down the hall, “it’s not safe,” her mother choked out, but Arin wasn’t listening. 

Clara jerked up her arm and yelled to her suited sleeve, “Call Brice,” Clara knew her Exosuit would respond just as quickly from a soft voice with her arm gently at her side, but she was angry and scared. Feeling the soft fabric of her enhanced Exosuit under her jacket, Clara felt closer to her husband who was only a call away.

The pleasant voice replied coldly from her suited arm, “Calling Dr. Brice Brecken.” As Clara waited, she could picture Brice the last time they spoke. Brice warned her that Arin would rebel. Living alone in hiding, Brice knew it was one thing to feel different all your life, but it was something else entirely to be different. 

“You know her friends are turning 18 and getting their first jobs––if you could call them jobs––sitting around playing games all day,” Brice said calmly. They were the second generation of kids growing up with games and playing them exclusively all their lives, not knowing anything else. Unless something changed, they would never know what the outside world was like. 

“Surely Arin won’t find her way out.” Said Clara. She knew there was a way in and out because citizens found things missing even with the tight security the ECC (Enhanced Computer Chip) Protective Services offered. “Arin wouldn’t know what to do if she got out into the sunlight,” Clara said worriedly.

It would take a while for Brice to get back to The City if he came at all, thought Clara. She couldn’t call the ECC Protective Services. If they found Arin, Clara knew she might never see her daughter again. Quickly leaving her office, Clara decided to check some of the places Arin sometimes hung out. She could ask questions without raising any alarms.

Clara thought about all the possibilities. Suddenly her legs felt weak. Arin was very curious and determined. She faced challenges head-on, but if she went down below or got out, she would probably go into shock, not understanding the world around her. Ok, Clara would pull herself together and start looking. She never thought of looking in the place closest to her.

The science:

“The robotic exosuits they’re developing are based on what they call neuro-embodied design, which bridges the gap between the human nervous system and devices allowing for far more harmony.” Human Exoskeletons Could Be Just Around the Corner.

“Exosuits show much promise as a method for augmenting the body with lightweight, portable, and compliant wearable systems. We envision that such systems can be further refined so that they can be sufficiently low profile to fit under a wearer's existing clothing.” Stronger, Smarter, Softer: Next-Generation Wearable Robots.

From the author: Does this section give you enough information to be interested in the story and want to read more, or does it feel confusing?