was a genius of a man. His most widespread invention, Crowns, are even used for newborn children. His replication of electric signals through the nervous system are something that will be used for centuries. The world adored him, so it’s truly a shame his absence been eternal. His company and legacy is now upheld by his son, under the same name, but his retirement led him to be nowhere to be found.

He was a kind man from the North American Quadrant (NAQ), who had worked hard since childhood to unionize the people. The world had been separated, between the people left on the planet and the 500 million (at the time) on the Ring. Since the society was under full surveillance as a safety precaution, it was easier to simplify a record filing system with a reliance on the person. Crowns came in as a way of unity. No matter the culture, or the quadrant, at the very least well-known people and government officials would have Crowns.

Crowns were easy identification, individualized so only one person could use a single Crown. They work as a circular pin about 5 cm in diameter, generally attached to a breast pocket or on the chest on your shirt. Every Crown, ever since the beginning, gave off a glowing light and a faint buzz that you could only hear in the silence of the night. Their individuality works like a fingerprint, where scan-ins read their randomized and encrypted code. At the time, people wished for technological advancements to their human bodies, so Crowns advanced rapidly. had discovered an easy and malleable way to work with the electric signals going throughout the nervous system, commonly called your Soul. Whether it was enhancements or prosthetics, an individual's Crown would be extended to the physical replacement which would attach to the nervous system. The Crown would then control the bionic, keeping it like a main control house that someone can access all in one spot. It sounded like paradise, and it truly was.

My father, who at the time was the head of the neutral central state of the Ring, reached out to in the early stages to help him normalize the concept of Crowns. It was amazing how successful they were. walked out a billionaire, and the neutral state had been properly named as Central Capital and was now regarded with as much power as a Quadrant. The invention was one of the most well-renowned independent productions the world had seen in all of modern history.

Though, of course, with a single powerhouse for everything in a person, there’s going to be flaws. People managed to figure out the code and hacked it. There were many viruses passed around, some used for people with bionic connections to get an extra kick to their brain, some purely malicious. In some versions of the Crowns, there’s a built-in chip connecting to the Soul regardless of a connected prosthetic or not. Some people have left-over chips from when they had enhancements but then no longer required them. Lead government officials all have customized Crowns that go to their specific needs, and while are harder to find, are easier to access.

The most common virus is the Memory Virus, a malicious irremovable virus that often renders you and your Crown completely useless. Sometimes, it would lead to an internal poisioning or a suicide. It’s details are classified, but it mostly attacks popular figures, as they’re known enough to have people unleash the virus on them. We still don’t know its origins, decades later. denied any use of any kind of virus, but especially the Memory Virus, which made people suspicious and paranoid. Soon enough, there were riots to get rid of the Crowns. People claimed they were killing thousands, destroying their own Crowns to be freed from the system. Their riots destroyed the order of the Crowns, only making viruses worse, and ruining the sole purpose of the identifications.

At this point, after the riots, had gone mad. His crown was completely infected of its own, and he had every miniature enhancement available. He could be equated to a supercomputer—yet, his mind had been broken down and reshaped over and over again. His Crown had been modified from its original version, which was long gone, meaning regardless of repair, his Crown still had some fatal conflicts in its programming. Soon enough, my father had required him to go into retirement.

Generally, retirement is not a nice time for an average person. Only the extremely wealthy, which was in this case, ever have a retirement home and plan set. Once retired, your Crown goes essentially dormant- it doesn’t work anymore. It was always a fallback accident prevention, in theory retirements could lead to (very costly) government-issued replacements, but generally they were never approved. His retirement home has never been found, completely off the radar, as we are not sure if it is even in the living quadrants of the Ring.

Today, Crowns are not much more than what would be a driver’s license. They are still used for most everything, but are simplified down so that not much can be hacked. Specific Crowns are made for prosthetics, but the connection between the two is rare. ’s son, under the same name, doesn’t upgrade the Crowns. He is just there as a face of the company, and works with the Quadrants on distribution. His main company building is now stationed here, in Central Capital.