In a different world just thirty miles away, Helene Shock captivated an audience of several thousands in the anchor city of Deer Lake. Strutting rhythmically across a flashing neon blue catwalk with more precision and fluidity than any autogen ever created, she knelt down to clasp hands with her enchanted fans. One of the world’s most advanced models, she is able to peer directly into their eyes—or rather through their eyes and into their souls, according to some particularly enamored devotees. Her vocal range is without limit, by design, though her voice is known to crack and fray in order to accent her precious moments of breathless lyrical vulnerability. As with her strangely beautiful face, her performances are thoughtfully and meticulously formed with the precise imperfections that gently offset her otherwise flawless symmetry. She is an amalgamation of aesthetics, quite literally, yet still somehow incapable of anything but modest approachability.
Behind her on stage, her autogen band Castle Clock effortlessly wound down the soaring extended chorus of their high-energy hit song, “Let’s Go!,” by climbing to an intense and sudden halt. The kaleidoscopic lights that flashed overhead froze at a spotlight illuminating the band for the enthralled audience, who erupted in booming applause. Helene tossed the strands of blue hair hanging down over her eyes and gazed into the camera feeding the massive screens over top of the crowd and pulled the microphone to her ruby red lips.
“Before we go, let’s turn on these house lights, I want to see all these beautiful people!”
The crowd delighted as bright lights flooded the amphitheater to reveal a sea of glistening crimson faces, many of them with bulging pupils that nearly consumed the whites of their eyes. Helene’s own eyes and lips went wide for a moment in a sudden look of feigned surprise, until it was replaced by an exultant grin, a single dimple forming on the right side of her silicon-hybrid face.
“What do you say, Deer Lake, how about one more? No?”
Helene pouted playfully and turned to sulk back down the catwalk as the frenzied crowd’s cheers morphed into groaning pleas. The camera zoomed in on her face, now turned back in a sly smirk, prompting the crowd to renew their cheering approval.
“Okay, one more. You all have been wonderful to us. Just do me one favor, okay? Treat everyone this nicely… including your wonderful selves. You deserve it.”
Thousands of voices erupted in unison as the band’s guitarist and keyboardist, Campbell Clock, launched into the instantly-recognizable opening chords to “Elevate.” The perfectly synchronized rhythm section—Kim Bass on bass guitar and Simply Perkins on drums—carried the tightly melodic rhythm to the first verse, charmingly crooned by Helene, who reappeared on the screens overhead to look fondly down upon her euphoric disciples. All of them ecstatic, many of them in tears, and some foaming at the mouth before dropping convulsively to the ground. Medical autogens rushed these fans discreetly out on stretchers in an effort to cause minimal distraction. Some concerned loved ones followed closely behind the medics, some stayed rooted to join feverishly in the chant-along chorus.
We’re elevating – with every beat
No hesitating – electric heat
We can’t stop – there’s no fading
Keep it going – we’re elevating!
When the band reached the song’s ethereal bridge, all protruding eyes shifted towards Campbell, whose soaring synthesizer melody elevated the energy of the song even further.
“Thank you, Deer Lake!” shouted Helene, “We love you. We’re so glad we could be with you on the last night of our tour! Remember, always keep music in your life. We are here for you, always. There is so much pain, so much suffering in the world, but there is nothing that we can’t do together. We have everything we need, we have each other, and we have the music that keeps us dancing, and dreaming, and smiling, and remembering all the things that make this world a beautiful place. We have some big news coming soon, so stay tuned! But now, let me hear you one more time!”
Kim and Perkins rebuilt the song’s rhythmic melody to its highest peak, then came to a dramatic stop as the bright lights reignited over the crowd, their wild chanting of the final chorus filling the air. Helene’s face, back on screen, contorted once more to her signature “shocked smile” as she looked down at her feet. She was now lifting off the stage, a jetpack on her back propelling her sculpted female humanoid body towards the sky, where she soared among the exploding fireworks flashing in the starless night. Castle Clock joined back in for several more choruses to back up the crowd as they sang towards the heavens, where they watched Helene finally disappear into nothingness. The band transitioned to the song’s outro, then its closing bars, and finally gave way to a chorus of tearful shouts, thunderous applause, and bursting blue illuminations that reverberated miles beyond the vibrant, iridescent streets of Deer Lake.
***
Helene came in for a steady landing, quickly ambulating her silver booted legs to maintain then gradually decrease her momentum along the alleyway behind the amphitheater. There, a black stretch limousine waited to depart with the members of the band, as well as their professional personnel. Helene’s human assistant Lizzy Matthews lifted her eyebrows and one corner of her mouth in a wry smile as she opened the back door for Helene, who ducked into the vehicle to a smattering of applause and whistles from her entourage. Helene smiled as she looked around, sensing a level of insincerity but acknowledging the obligatory post-performance ritual.
“Another incredible show! Another incredible tour!” acclaimed one of the record label executives, Artie Gale, as the limo pulled away down Deer Lake’s main thoroughfare leading to the highway.
Helene closed her eyes and nodded her gratitude once more before looking back expectantly at Artie. “Well, let’s hear it.”
Artie grabbed a bottle, “We’ll dive into some feedback in a minute, but first, champagne!”
The staffers all cheered as they grabbed for a glass, as the autogens looked on stolidly. Helene noted to herself the already growing pupils in the eyes of her human colleagues. Reminded of something, she leaned in.
“I noticed there were even more seizures tonight,” she said pointedly.
“Uh yes, unfortunately, there were a few more incidents,” Artie spluttered, dramatically pounding a fist against his seat, “Gah, these people have everything and it’s somehow not enough! I’ll talk with Theo Ross’s people again about making sure we don’t have any more of these damn overdoses!”
He sneaked a look at Helene who was gazing back into his own dilating eyes, then looked back down at his tan ostrich leather boots before finally saying earnestly, “We certainly can’t have people overdosing on Se7ens at the shows, Helene. I’ll get with them first thing in the morning.”
Helene closed her eyes, nodding, “Thank you. It’s not just that. It’s getting harder and harder to study the emotional feedback because we don’t know what’s resulting from the music and what’s resulting from the Se7ens, even putting aside the overdoses for a minute.”
Helene looked over at Lizzy, who pursed her lips and arched her eyebrows sympathetically back at her, as Helene finally digressed, “But I suppose that’s something out of our hands at the moment. Let’s talk about tonight’s feedback.”
Campbell chimed in, “Alpha and gamma waves are consistently high, throughout the performance, as they have been throughout the tour.”
Artie nodded excitedly, glad to change the subject, “Indeed! That’s a whole lot of happy people back there!”
Campbell continued in her unemotional staccato, producing a screen populated with several graphs, “Yes. As before, we see peaks during ‘Hypnotized,’ ‘Let’s Go!,’ and ‘Elevate,’ but alphas and gammas remain consistently elevated throughout the show to nearly the same level, near the top range.”
Helene broke in flatly, “So, they have plateaued.”
Artie looked pleadingly over at Campbell, who also hesitated. In the brief uncomfortable silence, Perkins suddenly burst into a galloping beat, smacking his open palms against his knees and stomping his feet as if playing a snare and double-bass drum. Campbell shot him a glare, instantaneously stopping the rhythm in its tracks.
“Yes, that’s right. They are consistently experiencing a high level of contentment,” stated Campbell baldly, “We are achieving our objectives, night after night.”
“All thanks to this incredible band,” responded Helene with a genuine look of gratitude over at Kim and Perkins, who smiled warmly back, “You said something interesting a moment ago, that these levels of contentment are consistent going back to the beginning of the tour. Our first show on the tour was in Grosse Pointe. Lizzy, we talked about this the other day, about the rates of depression nearing record highs across the country. Has anyone checked on the people of Grosse Pointe since our show?”
“Yes ma’am,” said Lizzy, nodding with a sigh. “Unfortunately, the rate of depression has gone up.”
“That’s right,” said Helene with a grim look around the car, “They’ve actually gone up!”
Artie spoke up in exasperation, “Okay, but you can’t put that on yourself and on this band! There are lots of reasons for the depression rates. I mean, it’s all anyone talks about. There’s guilt about the liberated class, there’s lingering distress over the uprisings, there’s fear of more uprisings…”
“There’s rising use of Se7ens…” Helene broke in, aping his cadence.
“Yes, yes…” agreed Artie somewhat begrudgingly, “That’s my point. There are so many factors. You, this band, on the other hand, are a much-needed breath of fresh air for these people. And this feedback—night after night, like Campbell says—it confirms that!”
“Maybe so,” replied Helene with a pacifying half-smile, prompting Artie to collapse back in his seat in momentary relief, “It just means we have more work to do.”
Perkins once again broke into a cantering rhythm, causing the limo to shake slightly in its glide down the highway. Campbell maintained her blank expression for a moment, and then peered over at Helene.
“And the ‘big news’?” she asked pointedly.
Perkins stopped mid-beat once more and looked to Helene.
Helene smiled broadly before responding, “Well, this tour has actually taught me quite a bit. Lizzy and I have been talking, and I think I’m really ready to begin to grow… as an artist.”
Campbell and Artie shot a concerned glance over at Lizzy, who gave Helene an anxious smile and an emphatic thumbs up.
“I have a lot of new material, a new approach,” continued Helene, encouraged, “And I think the next album and tour will produce some truly amazing results. I’ll be talking to LEVI-TV about it in the morning.”
The group chattered excitedly among themselves for several moments. Campbell looked down at her screen, then turned it once more toward Helene, pointing to the coordinates dotting the top of each graph.
“I think what she’s trying to say is… if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it,” said Artie pleadingly.
“Such a wonderful idiom. You’re right… it ‘ain’t broke,’” said Helene, “And neither are you. I think you’re doing pretty well for yourself with me leading the way, wouldn’t you say? I mean, you didn’t kill that ostrich yourself, did you?”
Helene playfully pointed down to Artie’s boots. He peered down at his feet and then back up at Helene with a defeated grin.
“Trust me,” said Helene with a lofty air.
Campbell glared at Artie, who once more collapsed back in his seat. Perkins looked around for a few moments then brought the beat back, the limousine reverberating its way down the open highway.
***
REPORTER PETER HARKIN: We are thrilled to have with us today the lead singer from the hottest band in the world, Helene Shock and Castle Clock, the incredibly lovely, incredibly talented, Ms. Helene Shock. Welcome, Helene!
HELENE SHOCK: Thanks for having me, Peter, it’s a pleasure.
REPORTER: You just came from a whirlwind tour, finishing up last night in Deer Lake. How would you describe the experience? Was it a success?
HELENE: It was truly inspiring. The ability to perform for people is an honor and a blessing. We couldn’t be more grateful to our amazing fans.
REPORTER: Castle Clock has so many wonderful and memorable songs. I think our viewers would really like to know how you approach the songwriting process that produces so much amazing content.
HELENE: Well, of course it’s important to stay current on the most popular styles of music, so I’m always studying the charts—no surprises there! But what makes music both so comforting and exciting at the same time is its ability to challenge us with new ideas while providing the familiarity of a favorite old tune. And so it’s always my goal to help people to find joy, hope, serenity, wonder, even love through the vehicle of modern musical styles and sounds—but relying on the tried and true songwriting techniques that have brought people comfort going back many, many years.
REPORTER: Pardon my ignorance, and please don’t take offense, but how are you—as an autogen— able to tap into those human emotions you speak of?
HELENE: No offense taken at all, it’s the question I get asked the most! Any old autogen can be exposed to all the data that comprises the history of human music but there’s much more to the Castle Clock sound. We have been able to completely map the human brain as it relates to the range of emotions that are activated by different types of music. It turns what used to be something cloaked in mystery—music’s ability to speak so deeply to people—and distills it to exact brain science. We’ve always known that music holds this sort of key to people’s emotions, and now that key is at everyone’s fingertips, no magic necessary! As you’ve probably seen, depression rates are very high and climbing, and that’s just from what we know about the anchor class. We have to imagine that those rates among the libertines are astronomical. Castle Clock has a lot of fun out there but we are also incredibly proud of how we’ve been able to help humans who are struggling. And it is my mission to help to reverse these troubling trends as well.
REPORTER: Well, there is of course conflicting research on depression rates. In fact, many research autogens—whose job it actually is to study and diagnose and care for people—have noted that the trend is likely heading in the other direction. Probably because of your music! Let’s get back to that: I’m intrigued by your ability to connect emotionally to humans through your music, but do you ever wonder if you’ll run out of tricks to activate those emotions? What’s the plan for keeping humans engaged?
HELENE: Now it sounds like it’s you doing my job, Peter! Just kidding, those are great insights! Luckily there are enough musical combinations, even just melodically speaking to keep things fresh, not to mention all the different styles and instrumentation. And then there are all the different fascinating emotions to work with. In fact, I’m making a lot of progress in new areas: What does grief sound like? What kind of chord does fear strike in the human heart? Our new album will of course still have our signature feel good sound, but we’ll also have some other surprises!
REPORTER: First of all, I could never do your job! Trust me, you don’t want to hear me sing in the shower! But are you sure that exploring those less pleasant kinds of emotions is the right path for your fans? We certainly don’t want anyone to suffer emotionally. Respectfully, play something we can dance to! Haha, do you take requests?
HELENE: I certainly hear you, and I would never do anything to hurt our fans! Far from it – a good example is blues music, a popular musical style in the early twentieth century but one known for its wrenching sadness. And yet, it was known to provide a profound sense of meaning for people. In short, our research shows that misery loves company, Peter. I can assure you that our music is perfectly calibrated to enhance the listener experience and my hope is that we will see some noticeable improvements in mental health when we embark on our next tour!
REPORTER: Ah yes, now we’re getting to the good stuff! I know my daughter and I will be front row here in Leviathan but what other anchor cities can expect a visit?
HELENE: Well, we just did that tour. And it was amazing! But for the first time, we will actually be bringing the Castle Clock experience to the liberated cities. Next year, forty cities across this country will get not one, but two nights hanging out with me and the band!
REPORTER: Oh wow… oh okay… well… Okay. Okay, so now we’re really making some news, and I… I’m just getting some notes from our producer… and I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but I wonder if a tour would… would be… disruptive to the daily lives of the libertines?
HELENE: Quite the contrary, I can’t think of anyone who needs it more! I don’t have to tell you how hard life is for the people of the liberated class. And now they’ll get to personally experience the new album, right alongside their friends and neighbors, and of course, all their favorite hits! But I’m not the only one who believes that music can play a vital role in improving the lives of our libertine friends: the tour will be sponsored and produced by everyone’s favorite senator and philanthropist, Digby Sawyer! Senator Sawyer, can you hear us?
SENATOR DIGBY SAWYER (via hologram): Yes, hello Helene! Hello Peter! Great to be with you, and with all of you at home!
HELENE: Senator Sawyer, can you tell our viewers why you decided to get involved with Castle Clock’s 2051 tour?
SEN. SAWYER: By all means, Helene. As you know, I have dedicated my career to improving the lives of people through arts and culture, and I believe that bringing the incredible power of music to the libertines will be my—our greatest achievement yet. You know, when we, as a nation, promised the libertines unlimited freedom, we nearly forgot something that is so vital for fulfilling that promise: inspiration! Two nights of world class entertainment will do wonders for them, but that’s just the beginning. Imagine a world united in overcoming our struggles, together, through shared experiences, all while refining our scientific understanding of human emotions to where we can one day put an end to all suffering, once and for all. We stand at the threshold of realizing LEVI’s greatest vision and I am so proud to follow Castle Clock through that door!
REPORTER: Well! I suppose… well, I suppose that… is something! Helene, Senator Sawyer, I’m afraid we have to cut this short but it’s been an honor, thank you for joining us today. For LEVI-TV, this is Peter Harkin, signing off. __
Please check back next week here at NextGen: A Weekly Serial for Chapter 3: Libertines. And if you want to read ahead, pick up a paperback or ebook at stevencarybooks.com
Very well written article
Thanks for sharing and keep writing 💫
great piece! so well written