You have reached strata 3.
Decisions are the cusp between reality and possibility. Decisive actions create a moving universe for sentient beings where chance itself can immobilise actions and defeat progress. The maker of decisions holds a power over themselves, and, more often than not, over others.
****
Maybeline was sitting on Renyke's shoulder cleaning herself. Renyke made a point of collecting small berries and bugs which he stored in the pocket of his leather coat after squishing them dead and cataloguing their chemical compound and physiology.
Catching himself in a window reflection he put on the dark glasses he had found in the pocket of the coat which now offered protection from the unfamiliar weather conditions.
The winter sun was low in the sky.
'We look pretty good Maybeline, considering,' said Renyke, surprised by his vanity
Mabeline nestled into his neck as they entered the foreboding street.
****
They were in the centre of the busy metropolis. There was a lot of activity, people were shouting, bartering goods and moving quickly about the place. There were small groups of brightly dressed individuals leaning and congregating around stationary vehicles. Some were smoking pipes. Small hazy clouds hovered above them trapping the weak rays of the sun. The towering semi-derelict buildings created a darkened environment where small fires provided light and warmth.
The vehicles seemed to be a mix of old-fashioned motors from transportation systems and helicopters. There were some long legged hybrids, electric solar and engine mashups that looked like menacing metal insects.
The smells in the air were unfamiliar to Renyke but his detectors revealed them to be mostly comprised of chemicals: chlorine, sulfur, silicone, fluorine polymers and plasticisers.
A man hovered expectantly, somewhat close for comfort. He looked disheveled and seemed on edge as he checked all directions and avoided making eye contact Renyke.
Renyke checked his POS database for 'nibs'.
A drug used by nearly half the world's population that creates euphoria and doubles strength for a limited period. Can cause temporary and permanent coma. Long-term effects; brain rot.
'How much?' asks Renyke, who's algorithm was set to absorb all information about humans.
Renyke checked the POS for bits.
.....Bits: street talk for gold and silver and uranium metal nuggets used in the black and grey economy without government authority....
'I have no bits,' said Renyke.
'Hahahahahaha'.........' see you in hell brother!' shouted the man as he danced away on long legs and a demeanor that seemed at odds with his situation in this corner of Hell, this Godforsaken place.
In the midcasts, happiness came with security and expectation: digital and technological lives were formatted for predictability and reliability. Everything was clean and sanitised.
A fat man in a fur coat whistled at Renyke,
'Hey girly, you want some dirty action? I'll take that rodent off your hands if you need some sexy time.'
A warning comes from the OS.
Danger. Immediate. Ground Level.
A robot dog was barking loudly at Maybeline who was now snarling and making a shrieking noise.
'Wow, not so cute after all,' said Renyke.
For a millisecond Renyke analysed the possibilities of his next actions.
The options were endless. The POS created a fleeting map of most probable scenarios, outcomes that sprawled a multidimensional time map like a mathematical cobweb.
He could immobilise the robo-dog, tame it and use it for a million ends, sell it, break it up and separate its useful component parts, analyse its database for information, take its operating system, he could even ignore it.
As a droid and an excellent chess player, single decisions about actions that Renyke could make foresaw a million possibilities. Theoretically, this allowed for finely tuned activities and performance with very little or zero harm caused to his owners. Indeed, this forward thinking ability had marked machines as superior in operation to humans who were narrow thinkers and only able to make selfish and immediate decisions based on emotional desire without reference to consequences.
The dog opened its mouth and bit Renyke's ankle.
