NYLON - 4

Cody scans the crowd, looking for someone who doesn’t seem too busy or too intimidating. Most people are either dancing, drinking, or already deep in their own glittering conversations. There’s holographic screens floating around that make it hard to focus on someone, but Cody spots a guy leaning against a curved railing, sipping from a glowing bottle and casually watching a screen floating by.

He looks normal. His clothes aren’t as flashy—just a white jacket with glowing cuffs and pants that only blink a little at the seams. He looks like he might be in his late twenties.

Cody clears his throat and steps up.

“Excuse me. Do you mind if I ask you something?”

The guy turns, a bit startled when he sees them. “Woah. Why are you so dirty?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, sorry. Reflex. What’s up?”

“We’re looking for someone. My friend came up here about a week ago, and—”

“Wait,” the guy cuts in, already nodding. “Lemme guess. First time in the city, right?”

Cody nods. “How did you know?”

“Well, you two kinda stand out . . .”

The man’s looks at Cody, then at Lilian, whose hair is sticking to her cheeks from sweat, her oversized coat is patched and dirt-smudged, and her shoes look half-melted at the soles. Lilian’s head follows a little servoid as it rolls by carrying a bunch of drinks. It hands one out to her, but she’s so mystified that she’s doesn’t grab it. After it rolls away, she whirls around, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

“Cody, did you see that?”

“Yes, I did.”

“It just handed me a drink for free! I didn’t have to pay anything!”

“You didn’t grab the drink though . . .”

The guy chuckles at her reaction. “Yep. There’s lots of free stuff here in Nylon City. I still remember my first time here.”

As the crowd starts expanding, Cody pulls Lilian, still wide-eyed, out of the way so she doesn’t get lost. Once that’s done, he returns to his conversation with the man.

“Can I ask—are you from the Sub-City, too?”

The man chuckles again. “Well, of course I am. Most everyone here is. If you see people partying outside, chances are they’re Tier 4. If you want to visit any of Nylon City’s actual attractions, you’ll need to at least get Tier 3.”

Tier 4. Tier 3. Cody vaguely remembers the terms from the servoid’s screen at the gate, but they’re still fuzzy.

Lilian chimes in, voice hopeful. “So, can you help us find our friend? His name’s Rylan.”

“Rylan? Can’t say I’ve heard of him. Is he a chaser?”

Cody perks up at the new word. “. . . chaser? What’s that?”

The man looks at them strangely, as if they should already know.

“You know,” he says, gesturing vaguely to the glowing skyline around them. “Chasing the dream, chasing riches. Chasing Tier 2. Usually really dreamrotted.”

Cody and Lilian just look up at him with wide eyes. Seeming to realize they have no idea what he’s talking about, he sighs.

“Yeah, I can’t help you, but all the first-timers should head to the Welcome Hub. It’s down that way. You’ll find it easily.”

The man points to a side path to the left, sandwiched between two huge glass buildings.

“Thanks. We won’t bother you any further,” Cody says with a nod of his head.

“No worries at all.” The guy hesitates for a second, then adds with a friendly smile, “And hey—might wanna stop by one of the clothes districts at some point. You know . . . so you don’t stand out too much.”

Cody nods in understanding. They’re going to need to change up their style if they want to blend in.

After waving the helpful man goodbye, Cody and Lilian follow the path the man pointed out. The noise from the main street dims behind them, replaced by softer ambient tones—music without a source, like it’s playing inside the walls. The buildings here are taller and quieter. There’s still holographic screens floating by, going both ways down the street, but not many people around.

As the atmosphere relaxes, the two of them stop just to catch a breath. Cody sits down at a small table with an umbrella fixated in the middle, probably made to block the sun. He finds it strange that people here would even want to keep out of the sun.

Cody reclines in the metal chair. Finally getting a chance to slow down, he starts to read the actual words on the screens floating by. Most of them seem to be advertising products, but one of them stands out. It’s a bright red screen with sharp letters.

“Warning: Unauthorized data interference is a Class 7 offense.

If you spot suspicious behavior from any technology or servoid malfunctions, report it immediately to the nearest spectroid. If you know anyone who is attempting to hack into Nylon’s networks, don't be a bystander.

Help keep Nylon City secure.

Remember: Hackers don’t just break code. They break trust.”

Cody calls Lilian over. “Are you seeing this, too?”

Lilian sits down next to him and looks at the slow-moving holographic screen.

“Hey, I saw a few of those already. This city must really hate hackers! But why would anyone want to hurt Nylon City? It’s so amazing here.”

Cody nods. “I wonder . . .”

Before Cody can finish the thought, another screen drifts past—larger, glossier, and brighter than the rest. It spins slowly in place, vibrant gold letters on a white background, with music that sounds like a child’s lullaby mixed with a victory fanfare.

“YOUR FUTURE AWAITS!

Every festive was once a chaser.

Start your journey today and join the elite of Nylon City.

Just one lucky break… and the skyline could be yours.”

[Apply Now – Tier 3 Opportunity Passes Available!]

The screen transitions into smiling faces—young people dressed in glittering suits and gowns, laughing as they’re lifted into the air on floating platforms. Fireworks burst behind them. One girl blows a kiss. Another one cries with joy as she's handed a shining Tier 2 bracelet.

Lilian gasps, eyes locked on the screen like it’s calling to her.

“That could be us,” she whispers.

Cody blinks. “What?”

“Maybe we can make it rich,” she says louder. “What if we’re one of the lucky chasers?”

“We’re not chasers, Lily. We’re here to find Rylan and that’s it.”

Lilian looks up, her expression brightening. “What if this is what happened to Rylan? He didn’t get stuck—he won. Now he’s living the good life as a festive and we just have to find him!”

“That’s just unrealistic, and you know it.”

But Lilian isn’t listening anymore. Her eyes follow another ad floating down the path. She starts after it.

“Lily—hey, wait!” Cody calls, but she waves him off.

“Just taking a look!” she says over her shoulder.

Cody sighs. He turns back to the floating screens, and that’s when he sees another ad. It’s designed in such a way that he wonders if it’s even an ad. It’s not like the last few. It’s smaller, almost trying to hide. It’s darker. Simpler. No music. Just bold gray text on a black background.

“WARNING: DREAMROT

Prolonged exposure to overstimulation and addictive sensory environments may lead to cognitive deterioration. Symptoms include delusion, dependency, violent withdrawal, and psychological collapse.

Please party responsibly. For assistance, locate your nearest MedCenter.”

The text slowly fades into a blurred face—eyes wide, tears running down, smile twitching and frozen in place like the person doesn’t know how to stop.

Cody stares at it, feeling sick to his stomach.

“Dreamrot,” he says under his breath.

He remembers Maddox’s warning. About how it breaks people. “In Nylon City, the only evil you really have to watch… is the kind inside yourself.” He glances in the direction Lilian ran off to, suddenly uneasy.

“Lily?” he calls out, standing up.

No answer.

“Lily, seriously, come look at this.”

Still nothing. For some reason, he’s reminded of scavenging on those garbage dumps in the Sub-City. Lilian would always run up ahead, so far off that Cody’s voice couldn’t reach her. Cody gets up and starts walking briskly down the street. The holograms blur past him, from discounts, to slogans, to velvet invitations. Every corner of the city seems to be trying to catch his attention.

He rounds the corner and stops.

Lilian is standing in front of a marble statue, but she’s not alone. A woman is standing next to her. Cody walks up to them.

“Lily, who is this?”

Lilian turns around and smiles. “Cody, look who I found! This is Ruby. She said she’s willing to show us around the city!”

Cody observes the lady. She looks normal enough, with a flashy red dress that seems fitting of someone who stays in Nylon City. She’s quite a bit taller than Lilian and has short neck-length hair. She wears heavy makeup so he can’t really place her age, and her smile is warm and easy, the kind that feels practiced but genuine.

“Hey there,” the woman says amiably. “I’m Ruby. We’ve just been chatting about the city—it’s a lot to take in, huh?”

“Definitely. So are you from the Sub-City, too?”

“Me? Oh, no—I’ve been up here for a while now” she chuckles. “I work over at the Welcome Hub. Basically, I help folks get their bearings. Nylon can be a little overwhelming the first time.”

Lilian laughs, already bouncing on her heels. “Cody, you just missed it! Ruby was telling me all about this statue.”

She gestures toward the towering marble figure behind her. It’s a man in an outdated, glossy suit—sharp lapels, chin lifted proudly, one arm outstretched like he’s offering the entire city in his palm. His expression is warm but commanding, like a father figure carved in stone.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Lilian says breathlessly. “It’s a one-to-one replica of this guy named John Nylon. I guess no one visits this place because they’re too busy shopping or heading to the entertainment sectors.”

“John Nylon,” Cody repeats, squinting at the statue. “Who’s that?”

Ruby steps closer to the statue and explains, “John Nylon built this place about seventy years back. People say he was kind of a big dreamer—a little ahead of his time. He wanted a city where anyone could find a little piece of joy, I guess. And, well, here we are.”

Lilian turns to Cody, grinning.

“You have to admit it’s cool. I mean, back in the Sub-City, our statues are just piles of trash someone carved faces into.”

“True.”

Suddenly, Cody remembers the holographic ad from earlier. “Wait, Lily. I have something to show you.”

“Sure! Ruby, you should come with us!”

Cody leads the way, retracing his steps toward the table beneath the umbrella. The holograms are still gliding by, some of them cycling the same ads they saw before, but not the one he’s looking for.

He slows.

“It was right here,” he mutters, scanning each screen that floats by. “Gray background, no music. It said something about dreamrot—real blunt. Like a warning.”

Lilian tilts her head. “Are you sure you didn’t imagine it? I never saw anything like that.”

“I didn’t imagine it,” Cody says firmly, stepping into the center of the path, trying to catch the feed from a better angle. “It was right here.”

But now, there’s nothing but sparkle and color. Ruby walks up behind them.

“Oh yeah, those screens change depending on what people watch. Kinda creepy, right?” she laughs lightly. “The system tries to keep things upbeat. Most folks don’t wanna see the... heavier stuff.”

“Yeah, but—” Cody begins, stopping himself. “Forget it.”

“It could have been a glitch,” Lilian offers.

Ruby smiles warmly. “If you want, I can tell you more about it sometime. The official term is Deprivation Trauma, but most people just stick with dreamrot. Honestly, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. But hey—don’t take my word for it. Just look around. Do these people look sick to you?”

She gestures to the glittering street, the laughter, the dancing, the lights.

“Some folks just can’t handle the fun, but you two seem smart. You’ll be fine.”

Lilian nods in agreement. “See, Cody? Nothing to worry about.”

Right. Nothing to worry about. Cody nods slowly, letting the tension ease from his shoulders. He doesn’t know much about Nylon City himself—maybe Ruby’s right.

Yet somehow, Cody still can’t shake the feeling that not everything is as it seems.