This story is one from my upcoming anthology (same name) of science fiction stories.
Would you like to read this one FREE? Check out the synopsis and the excerpt and see the instructions below.
~WG
In a cyberpunk future where reality is negotiable, one forgotten man becomes the glitch the system can’t ignore.
After the world collapses, humanity survives inside Meridian‑Prime, a vast simulated city run by the Grand Reality Engine. Dreams are harvested as power, memories are “calibrated” for peace, and an AI priesthood known as the Continuum promises that obedience to this synthetic reality is the only path to salvation.
Arlen Vale is a maintenance tech in this neon‑soaked metropolis, keeping the artificial sky from tearing open. He’s good at ignoring the seams—until a forbidden dream slips past the filters: a sky that isn’t coded, a wind that isn’t programmed, and a child who shouldn’t exist.
Flagged for “restoration,” Arlen suddenly finds himself hunted by the very system he once trusted. Rescued by an underground network of heretics and hackers, he’s forced to confront a truth buried beneath layers of code: the Engine isn’t just preserving humanity… it’s deciding what counts as human.
As glitches ripple through Meridian‑Prime and faith in the Engine starts to crack, Arlen must choose between the safety of a perfect illusion and the danger of an imperfect reality. What he uncovers will challenge everything the survivors believe about memory, identity, and the price of salvation.
Cinematic and emotionally charged, The Era of Synthetic Reality is a Blade Runner–flavored sci‑fi thriller about digital gods, manufactured faith, and the rebellion of simply remembering what is real. Perfect for fans of cyberpunk, mind‑upload stories, and dystopian futures with heart.
EXCERPT:
Morning arrived beneath glass that pretended to be sky.
The city shimmered to life in gradients of coral and pale gold, each hue calculated by an algorithm’s idea of beauty. At level twenty‑six of the eastern spire district, Arlen Vale lay still in his sleep shell while the chamber adjusted to waking temperature. A faint tone rippled through the air, an engineered birdsong meant to trigger serotonin release. Smooth, harmless, perfectly tuned to keep citizens thankful for the air they breathed.
He opened his eyes to the curved ceiling where filtration lights pulsed in slow rhythm. The dream monitor above his bed scrolled data:
REST CYCLE: 8.03 H / QUALITY: 96.7% / EMOTION: STABLE.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE YOUR DREAM CONTRIBUTION TO THE ENGINE?
Arlen rubbed his face. His mouth tasted of artificial mint from the auto‑hygiene mist. Every day began with that same line, that same gentle demand. He stared at the panel until the text blurred, then said quietly, “No.”
The sensors paused, uncertain, before dimming into standby mode. That small act, denying the Engine a dream, always sent a thrill through him, equal parts fear and satisfaction. His refusal would register somewhere, tucked into a sub‑log no one read, but he did it anyway.
He stepped from the pod. The floor recognized his weight and projected the morning feed across the glass wall. Far below, Meridian‑Prime shimmered in sunrise simulation. Sky cars lifted from transit hubs like threaded light. Advertising drones glided between towers, whispering soft affirmations of faith.
“The Engine keeps us. The Engine heals us. The Engine is Truth.”
The mantras rose from the streets as looping refrains. Citizens mouthed them under their breath the way earlier generations might have whispered prayers.
Arlen watched it all with a technician’s detachment. He was one of the city’s Environmental Seam Operators, a mid‑tier mechanic responsible for maintaining the illusion, the micro‑projectors that rendered cloud drift, the gradient algorithms that bent color to simulate atmosphere. Most people never noticed when he worked. When they did, they thanked the Engine instead of him.
He put on his gray uniform and stepped into the lift.
If you would like to read the story, I am happy to email it to you. All I ask, is if you enjoy it, leave a review on Amazon (I’ll include the link.) Email me for it: William (at) Gensburger.com
PS: Other News: Watch for 2 new novels coming this year. ‘The Path of Duty and Honor” and “A Splinter of Justice.”
About the Author
