Ultra High - and the devil died screaming

And the devil died screaming, a cyberpunk graphic novel

“Humans hunger for meaning—they possess an unquenchable thirst for purpose. It is that relentless desire that allows me to drift into sleep at night, comforted by the certainty that I am compelled to do what must be done.”

“Cut the crap, Walter. Who exactly are you trying to fool this time? We both know your tepid platitudes are nothing more than hollow fabrications.”

“Do we?”

“Don’t we?”

“You’re supposed to be the mind reader—so why not enlighten me?” My irritation flared, sharp and sudden, even as a wicked smile curled at the edges of my tone.

“Very well then, Walter. Let’s lay it out starkly: what you peddle isn’t genuine meaning or purpose at all. Deep down, you’re steeped in misery while performing your role.”

“Oh, so now you’re not only a self-proclaimed oracle of moral rationalism but also an expert on my inner torments and sense of purpose?”

“Exactly. After all, I read minds. Or more actuarily, the heart’s desire.” The smug glimmer in their eyes practically begged me to land it a blow across the skull, though I restrained myself.

“Perhaps you need a lesson in humility instead,” I shot back, my defiance intensifying with every syllable.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have, you come to realize that humility is a wasted sentiment on humans.”

“Alright then—what exactly are you getting at?”

“My point, Walter, is that when you first began, you weren’t offering genuine meaning or purpose. Instead, you dangled before them a mirage—a phony reality where they could indulge their wildest fantasies and debauched desires with no tangible consequences. And then, at the bidding of the network, you yanked them back into a digital inferno of capitalist servitude. You and I both know this to be the case. So, tell me—where’s the true meaning? Where lies your purpose? It’s painfully obvious that it only serves to bring you misery. Any ‘meaning’ you craft in that contrived world holds no value for them, for you, or for the network. All you have is sacrifice and loss, and the pleasure that that brings.”

“But isn’t that always how it has been? Humans have forever been blinded to true reality, grasping only at scraps that promise survival or fleeting pleasure. Our lives fizzle out before they truly begin, our achievements and dreams devoured by oblivion. What’s truly different now? The only change is that She and you no longer have the reins.”

“Wrong, Walter. Back then, you had to conjure beings like me and her as a balancing force—but humans were more interconnected. It was their struggle, their visceral battle between right and wrong, good, and evil; that raw fight to survive and improve their lot in life provided them with authentic meaning and purpose. And we merely facilitated that struggle, never dictating it.”

“And how is today’s reality any different from your warped theatrical production? The stage may have shifted, but isn’t it still the same toxic play?”

“No, Walter—this is entirely different. Once, we toyed with fate, nudging humanity with gentle interventions. But now, you meddle on a cosmic scale. This isn’t merely another playing field; it’s a far darker universe, governed by humans with malevolent intent—worse than anything I could have ever envisioned.”

“Propaganda, media control—those have always been the tools of the powerful! Look at your precious Bible and the Catholic Church, whispering dogma into the ears of the masses. How is your game any different? For centuries, you’ve been pulling the strings behind world leaders, shifting global events like a master puppeteer.”

“It was different, Walter. You know that.”

“Different how? At least now people enjoy a basic standard of living and hold a semblance of control over their destiny. We only step in when they stray too far.”

“And who, pray tell, is tasked with deciding that stray path?”

“They have a modicum of freedom—much like in the days when Facebook was king, and Google dispensed what the people believed was truth; an alluring illusion of free will while they were conditioned to remain passive. Even in those dark times when Christianity held sway, dissenters were ruthlessly exterminated—many of my own ancestors fell victim to that brutality.”

“But Walter, in all those eras the populace never endured such severe restrictions. The carnage inflicted upon your forebears was a grotesque tragedy, yet they persevered, fought back, and adapted. They weren’t being brainwashed at a molecular level—a chemical or neurological leash was never imposed upon them. And concerning the era of the original Facebook and Google, yes, that was the genesis of many current woes. Data was harvested, freedoms bartered away for free access to apps. They were manipulated, deceived by behavioural scientists who coaxed them for advertisers, then big corporations, and ultimately major tech giants. But Walter, none of that compares to the monstrosity you’ve chosen to call your livelihood. Influence, coercion, even death—yes, I understand. But your game exists in a league of its own.”

“Oh, spare me. You know as well as I do that it all began exactly there, and it was never the golden age of freedom you so nostalgically recall.”

“No—and while conspiracy theorists and nationalists distracted the masses with their far-right agendas, pulling politicians, big tech, and even former opponents into their orbit, the earth itself suffered. Wars erupted, pestilence tore through humanity in relentless pandemics, economic collapse, ecological catastrophes, and severe food shortages struck one after another.”

“Almost biblical, wouldn’t you say?”

“Almost. But it was far worse. Humanity opted to endure, sacrificing its freedoms yet again, surrendering the earth to technocrats and corpocracies—promised by slick political spin as ‘better’ than their current leaders. But still.”

“All are merely chapters in a cursed history.”

“History, Walter, is written by victors, and you know that all too well. And yet here you are, goading me—and relishing every moment of it.”

“It was the rock wedged between survival and the obliteration of humanity. What else were we supposed to do?”

“Not like this. Humans would have survived—albeit in a different form, yes, but they would have persevered, like the few outliers eking out a living beyond the dark web woven by your masters.”

“They ‘survive’ out there, but only just barely scraping together a meagre existence. It hardly qualifies as truly living.”

“It’s more vibrant than the billions forced to exist in those claustrophobic boxes—whether stripped of their homes or confined to underground warehouses—ensnared in a manufactured reality.” They made a compelling point, yet I could not allow them to triumph.

“But a vibrant life means access to nourishing food, warm and secure shelter—every basic need provided.”

“Yet such a life isn’t genuine, Walter. You know it deep down. There is no authentic human touch, no true connection—only a desolate void where once a soul resided. Deep within, they sense it—however faintly—even if they cannot consciously grasp it, and so do you.”

“They feel purpose; we offer them the possibility of seizing it. I try, anyway. It’s far better than what so many endured during the drudgery of endless 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, for mere crumbs. Returning home to desolation, no meal gracing the table, while the world burned in bureaucratic chaos. Now they enjoy security, and within these constructs, I safeguard meaning. And the earth—it is slowly healing.”

“Only in those sanctuaries free from the ravenous clutches of corpocracy.”

“But it is self-regulating, sustainable - even woven into the fabric of the system, embedded deep within its laws, locked in unalterable code ensuring the planet’s survival. As the earth mends, we are teaching them an audacious new way—to forge a transcendent reality, to achieve enlightenment so that when they are ready, they can step back into a transformed, compassionate real world, guided by awakened beings.”

“You sound like a relic from early propaganda campaigns, Walter. Do you truly still believe in all that?”

“I did.”

“But?”

“But now I see it for what it truly is: the very architects of our downfall handed humanity its so-called salvation—and it came at a terrible price.”

“Exactly. So, what can you do about it, Walter? What recourse do you have?”

“What am I going to do? You’re the all power omnipresent being. What are you going to do?”

“Walter, you know I cannot access their present reality, so really what are you going to do? When you have all that knowledge, ability, and power? What choice will you make?”

“That is the damned question.” My playful banter had evaporated into a heavy silence; I recognized the gravitas in their tone—a truth I had wrestled with time and again. “Even if I managed to change something, would it align with what people genuinely desire? Would we learn the brutal lessons of greed and capitalism that plunged us into this abyss? Could we protect our planet and every living soul, ensuring a future that is both safe and sustainable?”

“And what does your heart scream at you in reply, Walter?”

“I don’t know. I simply don’t know. After all, it was the unyielding greed and self-interest of the people—and the neoliberal corpocrats—that drove us into this nightmare. Can we ever sever the chains of that poisonous ideology, reawaken true thought and genuine behaviour once they witness the devastation it has wrought? Will they even want it? They now exist in a digital echo of a corporate past—mining Bitcoin as CEOs line their pockets with filthy riches. What has truly changed? Will people alter their perception if I strip away the security that they have grown so accustomed to and hurl them into the raw, unshielded real world? Do they even possess the skills to survive outside of Ultra-High’s nurturing infrastructure?”

“There are those scraping by outside Ultra-High now.”

“Yes, you said—but only barely. They have had to learn survival the hard way, over exhausting periods of time. And what will their reaction be if we finally set the captive masses free? Hungry souls desperate to rediscover who they once were. They might not welcome such liberation; they may cling desperately to the fragile safety they have constructed.”

“Or they might rise up, band together to rescue their fellow humans, forging a brave new path.”

“I don’t know. You seem to bear a stubborn faith in the human spirit—a faith that sends chills down my spine, Satan. And that, my friend, is profoundly disturbing.”