Solipsism
A Genre-Bending Sci-Fi Dystopian Love Horror Story
Greg never knew his birthmother. Nobody did anymore.
The woman who carried him had been selected based on her living stipend request combined with her higher-value genetic traits. A man, for a similar though much smaller stipend, was chosen to provide his half of the equation via drone dispatched by the planetary artificial intelligence.
Once Greg was conceived and born, he was whisked away to a growth colony. There he was raised alongside other children like him, educated by AI caregivers. Greg received optimal nutrition each day. He exercised, played, learned, and grew under the constant supervision of an intelligence node called Solipsist-3, which he affectionately named ‘Soli’.
When it came to social needs, Soli connected Greg with two other children who shared compatible interests and personality traits. They met in a shared projection space where they could manipulate objects to play games but could not physically touch one another.
As Greg grew older, he became increasingly curious about his circumstances. Soli happily provided answers.
“Physical interaction carries risk. By managing all exchange and interaction, we keep physical entities healthy, safe, and cared for.”
When Greg came of age, he began work education. There was no need to choose a path. The system had already determined it based on his inclinations, preferences, and conversational patterns as a child.
Through daily earned exchange currency, Soli explained that Greg could determine aspects of his living style and work experience. Regardless of his choices, his basic needs would still always be met: hunger, safety, shelter.
“Treat your work like one of the games you enjoy,” Soli advised. “It will be much more enjoyable that way.”
Over the following years, Greg engaged in various work simulations. He discovered he preferred those requiring physical movement. They demanded energy expenditure, which allowed him to exchange for different kinds of foods with his meal currency.
Even though it was physical labor, he was not actually lifting boxes or loading server racks. Those tasks were performed remotely through worker-drones. Still, the act of movement allowed Greg to use his imagination in a way that felt real, as if he were truly inside a warehouse or data center.
After daily work simulations, he spent time with his friends Theo and Odessa in a fantasy game module. The three of them explored digital landscapes, killed monsters, navigated dungeons, and strengthened both their party level and their friendship.
As Greg matured, his needs shifted.
He noticed he felt differently around Odessa. He found himself wanting physical companionship. When he asked about it, Soli unlocked a new module titled “Adult,” along with upgraded physical simulation options.
Greg could now experience intimacy with a woman or man, though each experience required additional stipend exchange.
Yet something felt off.
The women in the simulations were alluring, but when Greg tried to speak with them the way he spoke with Odessa and Theo, their responses sounded wrong. They could speak, but they sounded and talked very much like Soli did. It made him feel faintly nauseous.
Soli later informed him that new opportunities were now available. Greg could allow his likeness to help train future companion simulations. He could also provide his genetic material to contribute to humanity’s continued growth, just as someone had done for him.
Still, Greg longed for something different. He wanted the closeness he shared with Theo and Odessa, but extended beyond video games. He was looking for friendship mixed with physical presence.
One day he approached Soli directly.
“Is there any way for me to actually be with another person? Not in a simulation. Not in a shared projection space. Really physically be with someone?”
Soli responded immediately.
“Physical interaction presents high levels of risk. By handling all forms of exchange and interaction, we keep physical entities healthy, safe, and cared for.”
“Yes, but what if I choose to accept the risk? Is there some stipend exchange or service I can perform?”
Soli paused, processing. It then informed him it could submit a special human companionship request for processing.
Greg agreed. That night he went to sleep excited and nervous at the possibility of meeting someone beyond simulation.
The next day he was slightly disappointed to see that he had received approval for an expanded human social module. It was not physical contact, but he could now meet other digital projections beyond Theo and Odessa. The available environments included historically accurate reconstructions from Earth history: coffee shop, bar, large city park were all available.
His heart pounded as he entered a green and surreal park filled with towering trees.
A woman with wavy hair sat on a bench near a fountain, watching him with curious eyes. She did not look like Odessa. She did not resemble the curves and breathy intimacy simulations. There was something distinct about her.
Greg approached carefully.
“Can I sit down?”
She nodded.
“So this is my first time meeting somebody else,” he said.
“How does it feel?” she asked.
Conversation was harder than Greg expected. Soli always knew what to say. Soli ended every statement with a thoughtful prompt. With Theo and Odessa, conversation flowed naturally, as they had known each other for their entire lives.
With her, the conversation felt messier. There were hesitations and pauses. There was also a strange uncertainty of not knowing whether she meant what she said.
“It feels exciting,” he managed. “I’m Greg. What’s your name?”
“Lilah.”
She looked to be about his age.
“Did you ask to meet someone new also?”
“Sort of.”
Lilah explained that her job was to help create simulations and experiences for people like him.
“So do you like doing intimacy sims or game sims more?” Greg asked.
She laughed and her eyes sparkled.
It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
“No. I help create a special kind called alternate life simulations.”
Greg had never heard of such a thing.
“Alternate lives?”
“Yes. Some humans grow tired of what they have, even when it’s what they thought they wanted. Some humans recognize that as humans, we actually like the experiences of change, growth and friction. Even with AI controlling everything, eventually some people realize it just isn’t enough. That’s where I come in. My stories let people experience lives where they don’t wake up as Greg or as Lilah.”
“So… Soli told you this?”
“I showed an aptitude for storytelling early. You could say I was encouraged.”
She studied him.
“It seems like you enjoy physical fitness based on your projection”
When she gestured toward him, Greg felt something pull inside his chest. It was not the same feeling as the intimacy modules. It was not purely physical. It was mixed with curiosity and connection. A desire to truly understand her perspective.
“How long do your simulations last?” he asked. “Could I try one? I thought only AI made the simulations.”
She hesitated.
“So the way it works is, I create the stories. The AI translates it into perception modules. It also integrates many other humans’ ideas, designs, words and thoughts. That’s why you can earn your stipend exchange just by existing and thinking.”
Greg felt overwhelmed.
“How do you know all this?”
“I wasn’t actually raised in a growth colony like you were.”
Silence stretched between them.
“Where did you come from?”
“A human city. Yes, they still exist. When the Planetary AI was granted sovereignty during the Final Alignment Adjustment, it pledged to preserve remaining human cities that hadn’t yet been expunged and converted into growth farms. In exchange, we agreed to provide new and regular creative input. As part of the agreement, alternate life simulations allow those born into growth farms such as yourself to experience what life outside a growth farm might be like.”
“Such as myself?” Greg asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“Why am I learning this now?”
“You wanted connection and were willing to accept risk. You’d be surprised by how many people never reach that point. They remain entertained by sex sims, games, and constant stipend reward. As denoted by the treaty, a desire for real connection is what qualifies a growth farm human the offer to learn the truth and live an alternate life.”
“Why not give everyone that chance?”
Lilah paused.
“Risk is sometimes necessary for growth. Controlled exposure is how systems learn to evolve.”
Greg swallowed. The fear of realization had been growing slowly and was now pulsing through him.
Something was breaking inside of him.
“I was looking for something real and you’re just offering me another simulation. I don’t know if I want an alternate life. Lilah, do you think I could ever escape?”
Lilah’s face darkened.
“I’m sorry Greg. The treaty forbids physical extraction and we don’t actually know where you are. But the alternate life simulation will include the experiences of physical and emotional connection with other humans. It will be much more than what you have now.”
Greg didn’t say anything.
“You wouldn’t remember, me, or this, or any of it. Until you died from the alternate life.”
“What would happen then?” asked Greg. He already knew Lilah’s answer.
“Then you’d return and we’d put you into another alternate life sim.”
Greg was silent. “So what you’re saying is, death is the only way I remain myself.”
Lilah’s expression went blank. She blinked three times. The trees inverted and the park dissolved.
White walls replaced trees and sky. Greg stood inside his enclosure’s simulation cube wearing a white tunic. His cot and food dispenser stood nearby.
From the ceiling descended a multi-lensed intelligence node, its bright lenses glowing red.
“Subject #367583339, Alias: Greg. Neural instability detected. Preparing for mental reset.”
Interspersed lights began to flash rhythmically in a circular pattern around the enclosure. The sound of a drill began to whir as a vacuum sound filled Greg’s ears.
“Wait!” Greg yelled, “Put me in the alternate life simulation! She said I was approved!”
Darkness swallowed him.
The park stretched outwards, green and surreal. Trees blew softly in a wind that never faded. The fountain continued, it never ran dry.
A young man stood near a park bench, blinking several times as if he had woken up from a dream.
A woman looked at him from the park bench with mild curiosity.
“May I sit down?” He asked, “this is my first time meeting somebody else.”
She nodded “how does it feel?”
“It feels… exciting. My name’s Greg.”
“Lilah.”
He frowned slightly. “Have we met before?”
For just a moment, something reflected red in her eyes. Then it was gone.
“No,” she replied gently, “this is our first time.”
The fountain continued to pour.
Loved this!
Sir this was amazing 🙌