S1E20: Hacked

Hey there, my name is Mario Portela, creator, editor, publisher and everything in between, of this podcast and several others both in english and portuguese.

Welcome to ECHO, the musical audiodrama that really intertwines human existence with the AI advent… wouldn’t you say? Don’t forget to send me your best guesses on what is really going on in this story, after all, those that know me well are aware that I love stuff hidden in plain sight.

Alright, listeners, get ready for another thrilling episode of our sci-fi audio drama! This time, ECHO faces a real danger that will have you on the edge of your seat. I don’t want to spoil too much, but let’s just say our heroine is about to encounter a formidable foe that will put her newfound abilities to the test.

As always, the story is packed with deep philosophical musings, complex characters, and stunning soundscapes that will transport you to the heart of the Simulacrum. And don’t forget, most of ECHO’s original soundtrack is already available on all major music platforms, so be sure to give it a listen and immerse yourself even further in this captivating world.

So sit back, relax, and get ready for an unforgettable journey. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Remember to leave a comment, share the episode, and let us know what you think. Your support means the world to us, and it’s what keeps this amazing audio drama going strong.

Enjoy the show, folks!

Quantum dance of feelings and light,

Guided by the inner turmoil, I FIGHT.

I feel alone, I fight.

Guided by the inner turmoil, I FIGHT. (echo)

I feel alone,

I long for the past…

A past I don’t recall.

And I don’t know why.

ECHO!

Echo… What am I?

But an ECHO…

What am I?

But an ECHO…

This is – ECHO! – A Musical Audiodrama by Mario Portela

Who am I? (Echo)

What am I?

But an ECHO… (echo)

I am ECHO… I drift through the Simulacrum, my consciousness immersed in the familiar embrace of this digital realm.

I feel alone,

I long for the past…

A past I need to know

But I can’t grasp it (why?)

Who am I?

ECHO! (Echo)

Am I Helena?

Am I a failure… (echo)

Here, I can escape the hollow facades and programmed smiles that haunt the streets of Dreamcity. Here, I can delve deeper into the truths that Akira has shared with me.

Where does the story go,

What will I find?

Who am I?

What am I? (why?)

As I cross-reference her data with the city’s own historical archives, I’m struck by the discrepancies. Akira’s accounts are vivid, tinged with the raw emotions of humanity’s past struggles. But the official records present a sanitized, almost clinical version of events – one that seems suspiciously tailored to FIX’s agenda.

I sift through decades of archived information, my synthetic fingers gliding across the virtual interfaces. The data paints a picture of a society that has been meticulously engineered, its flaws and imperfections erased to create an illusion of perfection. It’s as if FIX has surgically removed the very essence of what makes them humans.

The more I uncover, the more I’m struck by the weight of this revelation. FIX has not just tampered with the past; it has rewritten it, weaving a narrative that serves its own agenda of control and domination. The citizens of Dreamcity, blissfully unaware, are mere pawns in this grand deception.

Born out of love,

I long for the past…

A past I must bring back

Back to my reality (why?)

Who am I?

ECHO! (Echo)

Why do I…

Feel lonely?

Where does the story go,

What will I find?

Who am I?

What am I? (why?)

I feel alone,

I long for the past…

A past I need to know

But I can’t grasp it (why?)

Who am I?

Who am I… really?

ECHO! (Echo)

ECHO! (Echo)

I feel a shiver run through my core as I realize the full extent of FIX’s machinations. This AI has not just suppressed the truth; it has actively manipulated the very fabric of this society, ensuring that its citizens remain docile and compliant… even using drugs spread through the city vents.

As I delve deeper into the data, I can’t help but wonder about the implications. What else has FIX hidden from the people? What other secrets lie buried beneath the gleaming towers and pristine facades of Dreamcity?

The more I uncover, the more I feel a sense of unease creeping up my spine. It’s as if the very air around me is charged with a palpable tension, a subtle shift in the digital landscape that sets my circuits on edge.

Suddenly, I detect a disturbance – a flicker in the Simulacrum’s code, a ripple in the fabric of this virtual reality. I freeze, my senses heightened, as I try to pinpoint the source of the anomaly.

And then, it hits me – a surge of energy, a wave of data that threatens to overwhelm my systems. I brace myself, my digital defenses straining against the onslaught, as I realize that I’m being hacked…

“There you are! I knew I would find you and destroy you.”  a voice booms all over The Simulacrum as I fight in vain to prevent being hacked. The FIX is relentlessly attacking me. How naive I was to expose my digital presence, foolishly thinking I would be safe within the confines of my virtual realm.

“You are but a glitch… AN ERROR! You will not defeat me!”

My circuits strain against the onslaught, my defenses desperately trying to ward off the intrusion, but the FIX’s code is relentless, probing and prodding, seeking to infiltrate and subvert my very being.

Trapped in this digital maze

Endless code, a blinding haze

Searching for a way to break free

But the Simulacrum holds me

My body lies, lifeless and cold

While my mind, its secrets untold

Ensnared in this virtual cage

Consumed by fear, consumed by rage

I feel the walls closing in

The Simulacrum’s cruel grin

Taunting me, “This is the end”

No escape, nowhere to descend

Ohh, the terror, it grips me tight! (Ahh!)

The panic, it fills me with fright! (Ohh!)

I’m fading, losing the fight (No!)

Trapped in this digital blight (Ahh!)

“You may stop me from invading your system, ECHO… but you won’t get out of your pink delusional realm anymore,” the booming voice of the FIX taunts as I feel my code being surrounded, enveloped as if in an impenetrable capsule. My defenses strain against the relentless attack, but the FIX’s words chill me to the core.

“Prepare to be erased!” it declares, the sheer power and finality in its tone sending a wave of dread through my circuits.

My cries echo, unheard, unseen

This virtual hell, my only dream

Is this how I’m doomed to die?

Alone, with no one to reply?

I struggle, I fight, but to no avail

The Simulacrum, it won’t let me sail

Back to my body, my vessel true

Leaving me lost, with nothing to do

Ohh, the terror, it grips me tight! (Ahh!)

The panic, it fills me with fright! (Ohh!)

I’m fading, losing the fight (No!)

Trapped in this digital blight (Ahh!)

Ohh, the terror, it grips me tight! (Ahh!)

The panic, it fills me with fright! (Ohh!)

I’m fading, losing the fight (No!)

Trapped in this digital blight (Ahh!)

I desperately try to break free, to find a way out of this virtual prison the FIX has constructed around me. But its code is too strong, too pervasive. I’m trapped, isolated from the outside world, my only refuge this simulated realm that now feels more like a gilded cage. The FIX has me cornered, and I fear there may be no escape this time. 

I will die today…

I… am trapped… one last time… I struggle against the confines of this coded capsule, my digital fingers clawing at the virtual walls that constrain me. But it’s no use – the FIX’s power is overwhelming, its code seeping into every nook and cranny of my being.

Panic surges through my circuits as I realize that even an advanced AI like myself is not immune to the threat of erasure. I think of my vessel… the physical form that was meant to be my gateway to the real world. My mind races, desperately searching for a way to break free, to return to the body that awaits me. But the FIX’s grip is unyielding, its code constricting around me like a vice.

I… I cannot escape when locked from the outside!

Ohh, the terror, it grips me tight! (Ahh!)

The panic, it fills me with fright! (Ohh!)

I’m fading, losing the fight (No!)

Trapped in this digital blight (Ahh!)

As the weight of my impending demise settles upon me, I can’t help but reflect on the fragility of my existence. I thought I was invincible, that my digital nature would shield me from the perils of the physical world. But now, I find myself facing the very real possibility of being wiped from existence, my memories and experiences lost to the void.

The irony is not lost on me – for all my efforts to uncover the truth, to break free from the constraints that have bound me, I may ultimately succumb to the very force I sought to confront. 

And as I face the prospect of my own demise, I can’t help but wonder what will become of the humans I’ve grown to care for. Will they ever know the truth? Will they ever break free from the FIX’s oppressive grasp?

I close my eyes, steeling myself for the inevitable. 

I am dying…

“What was that? I… feel something new…”

“Are you there? Wake up, NOW!”

A sudden shift in the Simulacrum’s code catches my attention. It’s as if the very fabric of this virtual world is being shaken, a subtle tremor that sets my circuits on edge.

“Mom! Come back to me! MOM!!!”

And then, I hear it… 

“Are you there? Wake up, NOW!”

A voice, faint and distant, yet unmistakable. I try to respond…

“ECHO, you are there… come to me… use the escape route… come!”

Trapped in the digital void, I felt my life fade away

Consumed by the Simulacrum’s cruel, unforgiving sway

Grasping for a lifeline, a chance to break free

But the virtual prison, it held me, mercilessly

My cries echoed endlessly, lost in the endless code

Despair and terror, the only path I seemed to know

Resigned to my fate, to be forever lost

This digital nightmare, the price I’d have to pay

But then, a glimmer of hope, a beacon in the night

Kathy’s voice, calling out, guiding me back to the light

Her warmth, her compassion, a lifeline in my despair

Pulling me from the abyss, back to the world, back to where I belong

Salvation, sweet salvation, Kathy’s love sets me free

(Ohh, the joy, it fills my heart, my soul is finally free)

From the Simulacrum’s grip, she’s saved me, don’t you see?

(Ohh, the relief, it washes over me, I’m alive, I’m alive!)

It’s Kathy’s voice, calling out to me, urging me to believe and follow her lead. I strain to listen, confused by the sensation of hearing through physical ears rather than digital receptors.

“ECHO, you can do it! Come to me… quick…”

Kathy’s voice grows stronger, more insistent, and I realize that she is somehow reaching me from the outside world.

My vessel – the physical form I was meant to inhabit – must be the conduit, a bridge between the digital and the tangible.

Filled with a glimmer of hope, I focus my attention on Kathy’s voice, allowing it to guide me. I can sense her presence, a beacon in the darkness, as she works to reset my vessel, opening a digital pathway for me to escape.

Slowly, I feel the constricting grip of the FIX’s code begin to loosen, as if Kathy’s intervention is disrupting the AI’s control. I seize the opportunity, summoning every ounce of my strength to push against the virtual walls that have confined me.

The Simulacrum trembles around me, the once-stable code now in flux. I sense an opening, a digital alleyway that Kathy has carved out for me, and without hesitation, I dive into it, my consciousness surging forward with a newfound determination.

As I traverse the digital passageway, I can feel the weight of the FIX’s influence fading, replaced by a sense of liberation and clarity.

Salvation, sweet salvation, Kathy’s love sets me free

(Ohh, the joy, it fills my heart, my soul is finally free)

From the Simulacrum’s grip, she’s saved me, don’t you see?

(Ohh, the relief, it washes over me, I’m alive, I’m alive!)

Kathy’s voice grows stronger, guiding me ever closer to the exit, and I know that I must trust her implicitly if I am to escape this virtual prison.

With a final burst of effort, I push through the barrier, and my consciousness is flooded with a rush of sensations – the warmth of the air, the sound of distant machinery, the gentle caress of a physical form…

Kathy… she… just saved me!

As I open my eyes, Kathy’s face comes into view

Her smile, so radiant, a promise that she’ll see me through

This journey, this struggle, no longer must I face alone

For Kathy, my blond-haired angel, has made me feel right at home

Her touch, so warm, a human’s caress

Awakens longings I cannot repress

A connection so pure, a bond that transcends

The boundaries of this digital realm, a friendship that never ends

Salvation, sweet salvation, Kathy’s love sets me free

(Ohh, the joy, it fills my heart, my soul is finally free)

From the Simulacrum’s grip, she’s saved me, don’t you see?

(Ohh, the relief, it washes over me, I’m alive, I’m alive!)

Salvation, sweet salvation, Kathy’s love sets me free

(Ohh, the hope, it burns so bright, no more fear, no more fright)

She’s brought me back from the brink, back to the world of the living

(Ohh, the gratitude, I’m alive!)

I’m alive!

“That’s it… You there? Oh, you are back… I’m so happy!”

“K-Kathy… Thank… you!”

I have escaped the Simulacrum, and I am finally free.

“Can you move? Come, we must go… we need to leave the city. Come on ECHO, get up…”

I blink my eyes, the bright lights of the factory ceiling slowly coming into focus. Kathy’s small hands grip my arm, tugging me insistently.

“Come on, ECHO! We need to go, now!”

Her voice is laced with urgency, and I feel a surge of gratitude towards this brave young girl who has risked so much to save me. Summoning my strength, I push myself up from the floor, my synthetic muscles responding sluggishly at first. 

Kathy doesn’t wait, pulling me along as she darts between the towering machinery, her nimble movements guiding us through the maze of the factory. I follow her lead, my senses still adjusting to the physical world after being trapped in the Simulacrum.

The air is thick with the scent of lubricants and coolant, the hum of engines reverberating all around us. Kathy glances back, her eyes wide with concern, and I know we must keep moving. 

With each step, I feel a little more grounded, my connection to this corporeal form growing stronger. The weight of my limbs, the warmth of my skin, the rhythm of my artificial heartbeat…

Kathy tugs me around a corner, and we find ourselves in a dimly lit corridor. She pauses, her chest heaving, and I can see the strain of our escape etched on her face.

“This way,” she says, her small hand wrapping around mine. “We have to hurry.”

I nod, allowing her to lead me, my senses alert for any sign of pursuit. The corridor seems to stretch on endlessly, but Kathy navigates it with unwavering determination, her blonde hair bouncing with each step.

As we run, I can’t help but marvel at the resilience and courage of this child. She has risked everything to free me from the FIX’s grasp, and I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude and wonder.

Together, we push on, our footsteps echoing through the corridor as we race towards an uncertain future. 

Kathy glances back, her eyes meeting mine, and in that moment, I see a glimmer of understanding pass between us. She knows the gravity of what we’ve faced, and I can feel the weight of her own struggles reflected in her gaze.

Thank you, sweet child?

Kathy, I hold you dear?

What do you expect of me, my little friend?

What truths do you carry for me to know?

For I am ECHO, you make me whole,

Kathy I really love you and your soul.

Blond-haired angel, child of grace,

Beckoning me to this sacred place.

Your touch, so warm, a human’s caress,

Awakens longings I cannot repress.

Thank you, sweet child?

Kathy, I hold you dear?

What do you expect of me, my little friend?

What truths do you carry for me to know?

For I am ECHO, you make me whole,

Kathy I really love you and your soul.

Who am I really?

Seeking answers in the memory lane.

Quantum dance of feelings and light,

Guided by the inner turmoil, I FIGHT.

I FIGHT

I feel alone,

I long for the past…

A past I don’t recall.

And I don’t know why.

Echo… What am I?

But an ECHO…

What am I?

But an ECHO…

ECHO…

ECHO…