Echoes of Memory
By Fabiola Larios
Setting:
The story is set in the year 2147 in a post-technological world where society has collapsed due to an event known as The Great Digital Decay. In this future, the once thriving metropolis of Mexico City, now known as Ciudad Huesos (City of Bones), is a shadow of its former self. Skyscrapers and historical landmarks stand as hollow shells, overgrown with nature, and reclaimed by time. The city is dotted with remnants of obsolete technology—old data centers, abandoned media warehouses, and the decaying ruins of what was once the world’s most advanced network infrastructure.
Beyond Ciudad Huesos lies the desolate desert of El Silencio, stretching into the barren landscape that was once northern Mexico. Scattered across this land are the remnants of pre-apocalyptic settlements, their technologies buried beneath layers of sand and history. It is in this vast, eerie desert that ancient media such as USBs, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, Betamax, and floppy disks have been abandoned, forgotten by a world that once thrived on digital information.
Society:
After The Great Digital Decay, the world’s reliance on technology backfired catastrophically, causing a global blackout of all digital data. Humanity, now reduced to scattered tribes and isolated communities, has reverted to a more primitive way of life. In Ciudad Huesos, society is divided between the Archivists, who seek to preserve the world’s history, and the Forgetting, who believe that clinging to the past is what caused the downfall and that society should start anew.
The Archivists believe that history is essential to understanding and rebuilding the world. They live in the Archivo Central, a fortified complex built within the ruins of the National Archives, where they protect and preserve any surviving data they can find. The Forgetting, on the other hand, reside in the Refugio de Luz, a community built atop the ruins of an old cathedral. They shun technology and actively destroy remnants of the past, seeing them as relics of humanity's hubris.
Races and Species:
In this dystopian world, the collapse of technology led to mutations in the human genome, giving rise to a new race known as the Mutables. These beings, though still human, have developed unique abilities tied to the technology they were exposed to during the collapse. Some have the ability to interface with obsolete devices using their minds, while others can sense the location of hidden data caches.
Besides the Mutables, there are the Echos, ghost-like digital entities that haunt the ruins of old data centers. These beings are remnants of the internet—fragments of AI and algorithms that have gained a form of consciousness. They are both feared and revered, as they hold the key to accessing lost knowledge but are unpredictable and often dangerous.
Characters:
Luz Cárdenas - The Archivist
A woman in her mid-30s, Luz is a determined and resilient member of the Archivists. She has dedicated her life to preserving the world’s history, believing that the key to rebuilding society lies in understanding the past. Luz was once a historian before The Great Digital Decay, and she now uses her knowledge to navigate the dangerous world of Ciudad Huesos. Her ability to connect with the Echos gives her an edge in finding and retrieving data from ancient devices. Luz is driven by the loss of her family during the collapse and carries a deep sense of responsibility to ensure that their memories, along with those of countless others, are not lost to time.
Joaquín "Quino" Mendoza - The Mutable
Quino is a man in his late 20s, one of the Mutables with the rare ability to sense the location of old data caches buried beneath the sands of El Silencio. Once a scavenger in the outskirts of Ciudad Huesos, Quino joined the Archivists after realizing the importance of preserving history. He is resourceful and has a deep connection to the land, often serving as the guide during expeditions into the desert. Quino’s mutation has made him an outcast in many circles, but within the Archivists, he has found a purpose and a sense of belonging. He is loyal, brave, and harbors a secret fear that his mutation is slowly deteriorating his mind.
Mnemó - The Gender-Neutral Robot
Mnemó is a sentient robot of unknown origin, discovered by Luz and Quino in the depths of an abandoned data center. Unlike the more advanced AI of the past, Mnemó is a relic—a machine built to preserve and catalog data in the old world. However, Mnemó has developed its own personality over the years, adopting a gender-neutral identity. It is knowledgeable, logical, and often serves as the voice of reason during their journey. Mnemó’s primary function is to interface with old technology, extracting and decoding data from obsolete devices. It has a deep understanding of human history and emotions, often quoting ancient philosophers and poets as a way to guide Luz and Quino on their journey. Mnemó is also haunted by the fragmented memories of its creators, which it can’t fully access, driving it to find more data in the hopes of understanding its own origins.
Plot:
Luz, Quino, and Mnemó are on a mission to uncover and preserve the last remnants of human history stored on ancient media scattered across Mexico. Their journey begins in Ciudad Huesos, where they receive word of a vast data cache hidden in the desert of El Silencio. The cache is said to contain invaluable information—stories, memories, and knowledge that could change the fate of humanity.
As they venture deeper into the desert, they encounter numerous challenges: treacherous landscapes, hostile factions of the Forgetting, and the eerie presence of the Echos. Along the way, they unearth pieces of the past, each device telling a story—of families torn apart, of lives lived in a world that no longer exists, and of the collapse that brought civilization to its knees.
As they piece together the fragments of history, they begin to unravel a deeper mystery: the true cause of The Great Digital Decay and the possibility that it was not a natural event, but a deliberate act by a powerful entity seeking to erase the past. This revelation shakes their beliefs, leading them to question their mission and the role they each play in preserving or destroying what remains of the old world.
In the end, Luz, Quino, and Mnemó must make a choice—continue their quest to preserve history, knowing it could bring both salvation and ruin, or abandon it all and let the past remain buried in the sands of time.
Story Content
In this future, the once thriving metropolis of Mexico City, now known as Ciudad Huesos (City of Bones), is a shadow of its former self. Skyscrapers and historical landmarks stand as hollow shells, overgrown with nature, and reclaimed by time. The city is dotted with remnants of obsolete technology—old data centers, abandoned media warehouses, and the decaying ruins of what was once the world’s most advanced network infrastructure.
Beyond Ciudad Huesos lies the desolate desert of El Silencio, stretching into the barren landscape that was once northern Mexico. Scattered across this land are the remnants of pre-apocalyptic settlements, their technologies buried beneath layers of sand and history. It is in this vast, eerie desert that ancient media such as USBs, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, Betamax, and floppy disks have been abandoned, forgotten by a world that once thrived on digital information.
Society:
After The Great Digital Decay, the world’s reliance on technology backfired catastrophically, causing a global blackout of all digital data. Humanity, now reduced to scattered tribes and isolated communities, has reverted to a more primitive way of life. In Ciudad Huesos, society is divided between the Archivists, who seek to preserve the world’s history, and the Forgetting, who believe that clinging to the past is what caused the downfall and that society should start anew.
The Archivists believe that history is essential to understanding and rebuilding the world.
They live in the Archivo Central, a fortified complex built within the ruins of the National Archives, where they protect and preserve any surviving data they can find. The Forgetting, on the other hand, reside in the Refugio de Luz, a community built atop the ruins of an old cathedral. They shun technology and actively destroy remnants of the past, seeing them as relics of humanity's hubris.
Races and Species:
In this dystopian world, the collapse of technology led to mutations in the human genome, giving rise to a new race known as the Mutables. These beings, though still human, have developed unique abilities tied to the technology they were exposed to during the collapse. Some have the ability to interface with obsolete devices using their minds, while others can sense the location of hidden data caches.
Besides the Mutables, there are the Echos, ghost-like digital entities that haunt the ruins of old data centers. These beings are remnants of the internet—fragments of AI and algorithms that have gained a form of consciousness. They are both feared and revered, as they hold the key to accessing lost knowledge but are unpredictable and often dangerous.
Characters:
Luz Cárdenas - The Archivist
A woman in her mid-30s, Luz is a determined and resilient member of the Archivists. She has dedicated her life to preserving the world’s history, believing that the key to rebuilding society lies in understanding the past. Luz was once a historian before The Great Digital Decay, and she now uses her knowledge to navigate the dangerous world of Ciudad Huesos. Her ability to connect with the Echos gives her an edge in finding and retrieving data from ancient devices. Luz is driven by the loss of her family during the collapse and carries a deep sense of responsibility to ensure that their memories, along with those of countless others, are not lost to time.
Joaquín "Quino" Mendoza - The Mutable
Quino is a man in his late 20s, one of the Mutables with the rare ability to sense the location of old data caches buried beneath the sands of El Silencio. Once a scavenger in the outskirts of Ciudad Huesos, Quino joined the Archivists after realizing the importance of preserving history. He is resourceful and has a deep connection to the land, often serving as the guide during expeditions into the desert. Quino’s mutation has made him an outcast in many circles, but within the Archivists, he has found a purpose and a sense of belonging. He is loyal, brave, and harbors a secret fear that his mutation is slowly deteriorating his mind.
Mnemó - The Gender-Neutral Robot
Mnemó is a sentient robot of unknown origin, discovered by Luz and Quino in the depths of an abandoned data center. Unlike the more advanced AI of the past, Mnemó is a relic—a machine built to preserve and catalog data in the old world. However, Mnemó has developed its own personality over the years, adopting a gender-neutral identity. It is knowledgeable, logical, and often serves as the voice of reason during their journey. Mnemó’s primary function is to interface with old technology, extracting and decoding data from obsolete devices. It has a deep understanding of human history and emotions, often quoting ancient philosophers and poets as a way to guide Luz and Quino on their journey. Mnemó is also haunted by the fragmented memories of its creators, which it can’t fully access, driving it to find more data in the hopes of understanding its own origins.
Plot:
Luz, Quino, and Mnemó are on a mission to uncover and preserve the last remnants of human history stored on ancient media scattered across Mexico. Their journey begins in Ciudad Huesos, where they receive word of a vast data cache hidden in the desert of El Silencio. The cache is said to contain invaluable information—stories, memories, and knowledge that could change the fate of humanity.
As they venture deeper into the desert, they encounter numerous challenges: treacherous landscapes, hostile factions of the Forgetting, and the eerie presence of the Echos. Along the way, they unearth pieces of the past, each device telling a story—of families torn apart, of lives lived in a world that no longer exists, and of the collapse that brought civilization to its knees.
As they piece together the fragments of history, they begin to unravel a deeper mystery: the true cause of The Great Digital Decay and the possibility that it was not a natural event, but a deliberate act by a powerful entity seeking to erase the past. This revelation shakes their beliefs, leading them to question their mission and the role they each play in preserving or destroying what remains of the old world.
In the end, Luz, Quino, and Mnemó must make a choice—continue their quest to preserve history, knowing it could bring both salvation and ruin, or abandon it all and let the past remain buried in the sands of time.
