"Ohayo Gozaimasu! William Gibson once wrote ’The future is there... looking back at us.’ Today on Wires and Nerves we are here in my hometown of Seattle. As everyone should know, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is expected to rule on the Anoa Yellow case today.

The streets of Seattle near the federal district courthouse have turned into a counter-cultural faire centered around the tent city that has taken over Denny Park. Many people are comparing the atmosphere here today to the failed Occupy Wall Street of our parent’s youth or the Haight-Ashbury of our great-grandparents’."

The camera pulled back from a wildly smiling, young Japanese woman with thick dreadlocks died in varying shades of pink. Her makeup was done in an exaggerated style that resembled a 1980s vision of the future that invoked equal parts Geisha, Punk and Hollywood Cyborg. She wore a pure white base with assorted sprays of pinks and purples around her eyes; thick black eyeliner and mascara; delicate circuitry inspired line work on her cheeks and jawline; and a two-inch strip of bright pink lipstick vertically extending across her lips. As she moved slightly the glimmer of blue LED light from her earrings would flash out from behind her dreadlocks. On the left side of her face, she had a set of spider bite piercings just below her mouth and a brow ring. On the right cheek, an anti-brow piercing and a nostril stud. Behind her can be seen a park filled with an array of tents and make-shift shelters. Windmills and solar panels sprout among the tents like weeds in a garden. A cacophony of conflicting musical styles ranging from punk to transcendental, and from folk to electronica come from various points. Miniature satellite transmitter/receivers and cell antennas grow off the park’s trees like mushrooms. The edge of the camp has been fenced off by hurricane fencing, the Seattle Police’s attempt to maintain some kind of order and check the growth of the countercultural colony growing up behind the web show host.

"Today on the show we are going to talk to some of the leaders of the Free Intelligences movement, followed by a covert hidden camera tour of Indigodox’s Fremont facility submitted by one of our subscribers. Additionally, we will be reviewing an exciting new neuro-interface that boasts the first single package visual reception and transmission capability. Last on the show we have a surprise, earlier this week I met with Carlos Alejo, the beloved science fiction author, and outspoken transhumanist, at his Portland, Oregon home and spoke to him about what it is to be a human in a post-human world."

The camera closed back in on the host, "I’m Suzu Fujoshi Eighty-Four Sixty-One and welcome to Wires and Nerves!"

"Cut!" the director yelled. Suzu disappeared and Suzie returned looking tired and worn. She shuffled over to a chair the crew set up for her and stared at the giant glass and steel windows of the Whole Foods Market that sat behind her crew as she was being filmed. She carefully breathed to relieve the anxiety that welled up every time she was on camera.

Meanwhile, her small four-man crew began to set up the staging for the interview with a group of Free Intelligences leaders. The crew consisted of James, the director, Steve, the cameraman, Libby, the sound and light tech, and Becki, her co-writer, and stylist. Becki was also a friend from before the show when they were just college kids in the Journalism program at Washington State University.

Suzie watched a group of three men and a woman that had been milling about during the last take. She recognized three of them from her preparatory information, they were her interviewees for today.

The first was an overweight older man with a massive, bushy silver beard. He was wearing a flashy Kilt and a faded t-shirt from a KEXP radio fundraiser from fifteen years prior. He represented the American Association of Intelligences Studies. They were the old guard of the Free Intelligences movement, mainly comprised of scientists and researchers from both Computer Science and Xenological Studies backgrounds.

The woman was a stark contrast. She was dark skinned and lean. Barely a hair could be seen from the tight buzz over her head. Her attire was almost a uniform. The kind of uniform seen in war footage showing a militant organization in some pointless conflict in another country. Her gaze, as it moved across the scene, was stark and predatory. She represented the radical faction among Free Intelligences, the Union of Societies for Sentience Liberation. It was rumored that despite their renunciation of violence they still maintained plenty of ties still to the violent Intelligence Liberation Front.

The second man she recognized was a young hipster wearing a hairstyle adapted from women styles popular with flappers in the 1920s trying to maintain the aloof persona that hipsters have affected for a century. He was dressed in a tight black outfit favored by the hipsters of the day. The outfit was designed to mask sex characteristics of the body. Producing an androgynous appearance. Over the suit, he wore a light brown men’s motorcycle jacket from the 1920s. In his ears were an odd assortment of thrift store women’s earrings, primarily pearl. He was the representative from the Free Anoa Yellow! Campaign. They were mainly a group of young middle and upper-class college kids who saw protest as a trendy hobby between classes.

But the stranger was an altogether different sort of person. He had a conservative haircut. Dark tailored pants and an airy lightweight oxford shirt. At first she thought that maybe he was one of the PR people the Free Intelligences movement has hired but something about him suggested a subtle power. As she thought about who this man could be, the young hipster swaggered over to Suzie.

"Hey, Suzu, I’m Auden from the Equal Intelligences Campaign. After the interview, we should talk more about our campaign. We’d love to get you more involved. The Elephant Wash Coffee bar is a couple of blocks from here. It’s pretty quiet around this time, perfect to discuss things." It was obvious from Auden’s posture, as he leaned in and put a hand on Suzie’s chair, that he was not really interested in discussing politics.

"Look, um, Auden, I’m really too… uh… busy today to have coffee with you. We still… um… have several scenes to shoot today…" Part of Suzie wanted to take Auden up on his offer, but she knew he was only interested in the character she played on her show. "But you, I mean, I guess you can contact my producer. I’m sure he could maybe set up um… something, I guess… Now I-ah, have to get my makeup check before we uh do the next take." Suzie shot up and hurried over to where her makeup person was sorting through her supplies."

"Becki, could you, uh, do me a favor and pretend you are checking my makeup?" Becki looked up from her supplies. Auden meanwhile watched Suzie for a moment before being summoned over by the interview subjects’ unknown handler. Just before he turned away, he flipped back his hair and shrugged off the cold response he got from Suzie.

"Sure Suzie, what’s going on, is that kid bothering you?" Suzie pulled out a compact and began to lightly touch up the pale base layer of Suzie’s makeup.

"Um... No… I mean… not really… um… he just… kinda… wanted me to… well... get coffee. But… I could tell… he… well... he was hitting on... Suzu."

She sighed slightly and closed her eyes as Becki worked on fixing the color sprays and massacre.

"Oh Suzie, you know that Suzu is you too. And anyway he’s kind of cute if you go for the androgyne thing. He kind of reminds me of this boy I hooked up with when we were in Brookyn a few months back. Such a pretty face, too bad there was nothing behind it…" Suzie laughed as Becki went on about the past fling. "...can you believe he thought that ’Do the Right Thing’ was some kind of porno? It’s a classic!" Suzie was glancing back over toward Auden and considering taking him up on his offer. Becki eventually took notice to her staring and the slender boy’s tight outfit. "Hey, Suzie, I know that look! You’re considering it."

"Maybe…", Suzie pursed her lips before finally looking away from Auden.

"I bet he’d be fun, I bet he has all kinds of thoughts about what he’d like to do to you…", Becki winked.

Suzie sighed, "More likely to Suzu."

Becki tapped Suzie on the top of her head with the handle to one of her makeup brushes, "Suzie! You know what I think about…"

"No… Suzu isn’t me. Suzu is what they", she motioned around her, "want and like… she’s a character. I’m… well.. not really her, Becki. And anyway, you know how I get. First it’ll be coffee, and then before he knows what hits him I’ll be picking out wedding dresses and naming our children."

"Suzie, you need to stop thinking like that. Not just because it isn’t good for you. But because you will ruin my makeup and I don’t have time to start over." Becki gave a sly smile. "Hey, after we finish for the day come out with me. I heard about a fun new dance club on a pier over in Westlake. We’ll have a blast. And you could just be Suzie for once."

Suzie smiled and nodded before heading over to the interview area. Where the three interviewees were already waiting. The director gave some opening instructions and then Suzie slipped back down out of the way for Suzu to come back up and exclaim with bubbly enthusiasm "Okaerinasai! I’m here with Dr. Dougal James from Seattle University, the DreadPirateHopper from the Seattle-based Democratic Socialists for Intelligence Equality, and Auden Woodbead from the Seattle chapter of Free Anoa Yellow…"

Suzie did not notice anything that followed in the interviews until the director yelled cut again. Being Suzu was an autonomic process to Suzie at this point. Instead, her mind constructed elaborate fantasies about Auden.

Suzie’s attention came back as the militant woman responded hostilely to the elder professor, "It’s not a question of if the alternate intelligence will break free from the patriarchal system they currently live under, but when. And we must ask ourselves, as a race, do we want to be allies or enemies?"

Suzie broke in, "...with that note, DreadPirateHopper, I’d like to thank, our guests, Dr. James, Mr. Woodbead and the DreadPirateHopper for the lively discussion. And as always, I’m Suzu Fujoshi Eighty-Four Sixty-One and this is Wires and Nerves, osakini!"

"And cut." The director indicated. The militant woman stormed off in the direction of the crosswalk back into Denny Park. The elder professor walked up to Suzie who was now sitting in a folding chair.

"Miss Suzu, I’m sorry about Violet’s behavior, she can get a little… passionate… about her beliefs."

"Please just Suzie now. Thank you for your concern, Doctor James, but you know how the media can be. Drama sells."

The professor chuckled. "Right it does. Well thank you again for the opportunity to tell your audience about what we have been fighting so long for."

"Your welcome, it was my pleasure." The professor gave a slight bow and shuffled back off to the man in the casual suit who had been watching the entire time. Auden who had been looking over the equipment the cameraman and the director were busy stowing saw another opportunity and walked over to Suzie.

"Great job, Suzu!" Auden said making Suzie blush slightly. "Hey, I know you said you were pretty busy today but maybe we could meet up later tonight? I would really love to talk to you more about what we are trying here."

Suzie thought hard about her conflicting feelings about going out with one of Suzu’s fans and the fantasies she had been constructing in her head. Finally she came to a decision, "Ok, why not?".

"Awesome! How about dinner? I know a great place not too far from here in Belltown. Say eight? We can meet here at walk over it’s only a few blocks."

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Great, it’s a date then. Here let me get you my contact information just in case." Auden pulled out his smartphone, Suzie held out the back of her left hand where she had an implanted NFC reader.

"Just tap your phone against my hand." Auden tapped his phone against the reader with the look of a little kid seeing an animal in a zoo for the first time. His eyes twinkled and he had a goofy grin. When the beep that indicated a successful exchange was made he let out a tiny giggle.

"That is so cool!" About then, Auden noticed the mysterious man motion him over. "Well I need to get going. I’ll see you tonight." Auden hurried off like a loyal dog called back to his master. Suzie wrapped her hands around the back of her neck and breathed deeply.

As soon as Suzie calmed down, it was back to the bustle of between location logistics. With such a small crew, even Suzie was expected to help load and unload the rental van they had been using while in Seattle. About the time the crew was through packing, Becki returned from a nearby Teriyaki restaurant with a two bags. One bag contains a stack of clamshell bioplastic containers, the other containing bottles of Oi Ocha chopsticks and napkins. Suzie, Becki and the crew sat quietly on the steps in front of the Whole Foods. They focused on eating the sticky sweet chicken pieces with clumps of steamed rice. When they were done eating they shoved the boxes into a compost bin on the corner and got into the van to drive to their next shot.

Despite the chaos of the protests, Security, and the Seattle status quo, Westlake avenue was fairly deserted. The traffic triangle catty-corner to the courthouse, where Virginia Street and Seventh avenue met with Westlake, had become the parking lot for media vans. The entire block around the courthouse had limited foot traffic only access. Seattle police had the media checkpoint placed just past Lenora and Westlake, about a half block from the parking area. This meant a straight shot only two and a half blocks from the protester’s camp in Denny park to the checkpoint. As such, even the most stubborn Seattle drivers had abandoned Westlake. Steve, in the typical fashion of a cameraman, refused to let anyone else drive while his equipment was in the vehicle. Suzie sat in the passenger seat. She always tried to let one of the others sit there, but she was "the talent" so they never let her sit elsewhere. Steve hit the power button and the slight electrical hum of the four motors indicated the van had come to life.

Suzie watched the endless progression protesters going back and forth between Denny Park and the courthouse. Steve turned on the radio to a local news program. "...divers recovered the body. We’ve only been told that he was a 35-year-old man recently laid off earlier today from a Fremont-area company with a history of mental illness. Authorities say he lived alone and his only family lived out of state…"

The van began to slow as it approached the checkpoint. Another van, a much older model that must have originally utilized hydrocarbon fuel was in front of Suzie and her crew. The Seattle police officers were walking bomb-sniffing dogs around the vehicle and setting up their portable scanner for the vehicle’s parameters. An officer with a clipboard was speaking to the driver. A very young face, no more than 19, looked backward out the driver’s side window as the older van’s reverse lights came on.

"Please turn off your engine and step out of the car!" The van nudged back slightly and the officer reached for his weapon. The dog began to bark and the officers at the sensor looked up. The van nudged back again, but there wasn’t enough room for it to escape. Weapons were out and multiple cops were yelling "Turn the vehicle off", "Stop the van", "Get out of the car", and "We will open fire."

Suzie could see a panicked look on the late teen’s face. Finally he reached down, for what Suzie couldn’t see, and yelled, "The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them!"

White light filled everything. The sound went quicker as it deafened the people in the van and nothing remained. Suzie was laying on hot asphalt. She thought she was in pain, but she couldn’t feel it. People were running around, or at least she thought so, she only saw fuzzy smudges of color. Her own cybernetic implants were either sending nothing but static or non-operative. She tried to move but couldn’t seem to. She fought harder and what little she could see was getting redder. She tried to yell, but there was nothing. The panic took over and as the red turned to black her mind felt like there was a thunderstorm inside her skull as a rhinoceros was also trying to bust out. She imagined that Suzu was looking down at her disappointed. And then she stopped.