They came back to Vienna beneath a battered dawn sky the recollection of the Czech data center hanging like a chill. The Summit's day thrummed with a festive tranquility. They sought to witness the finale, not the, behind-the-scenes workings.
Ben's acquaintance, a junior curator at the Hofburg supplied two passes for "Auxiliary Sanitation Observers"—a designation so dull it went unnoticed. This allowed them access to the service galleries, above the assembly hall.
Beneath the atmosphere glowed with displayed information. Flavio Fergal stood on the platform. He was no longer the only center of attention. Next, to him was a interactive holographic city—not an actual one but a polished generic urban area filled with glass and greenery.
"For years " Flavio's tone soothed the crowd "we have addressed the manifestations of urban turmoil: anxiety, discord, dysfunction. We have soothed the individual.. The city itself persisted as a turbulent tense entity. Today we advance from tranquility to collective balance."
He motioned and the holographic city animated with streaming waves of light—blue indicating "optimal contentment " amber representing "sub-optimal agitation," and red marking "corrective intervention zones."
"Allow me to present Somnus-Omnia " Flavio declared. The phrase lingered in the silence. "The initial operating system created not to control traffic, waste or energy… but to regulate emotional throughput."
A wave of gentle, approving sighs rippled through the crowd.
A technology officer stepped up her tone clear and eager. "Somnus-Omnia combines live inputs from city sensors—facial expression stress analysis, crowd density heart-rate summaries, public wifi sentiment scans. It correlates these with metrics: noise intensity, light contamination, weather trends."
The hologram focused closely on a plaza. A group of indicators surfaced—people identified as "disturbed." Immediately the system reacted. The illumination, in the plaza shifted to a warmer shade. Water installations once motionless started a murmuring stream. From speakers, a deep-frequency harmonic sound, designed to ease collective tension spread throughout the space. The red indicators throbbed, changed to amber and finally to a peaceful blue. The audience yet suggested, had now been "optimized."
"It forms a self-contained cycle of satisfaction " the officer clarified. "The city senses its people. The people are sensed by the city.. The system softly persistently modifies the surroundings to preserve overall balance. No more irritations due, to a train—the train's ambient lighting and sound settings will shift to forestall annoyance. No more demonstrations—the ambient harmony fields will subtly boost dopamine levels before discontent can gather."
Devon inclined toward the front his gut chilling cold. It was Haldenwyck, yet perceptive and capable of expanding to millions. A vibrant metropolis transformed into a benign Skinner box. The perfect intelligent city: clever to maintain its residents calmly ignorant.
Flavio went back to the hub. "Somnus-Omnia represents the peak of our collaboration with Aethelred Solutions. It isn't, about monitoring. It's about empathy constructed as a system. It's governance not as an overlord. As a counselor. A city that tends to your state as dependably as it manages your power supply."
The hologram depicted a paradise. A man running late for his job started to jog. His biometrics glowed amber. The route before him transformed with the tree canopy stretching to cast shade and a public display showing a soothing nature image. His speed decreased. His bio-indicators shifted back, to blue. He reached work not stressed,. Calmly late.
Two individuals started bickering at a street corner. Their tones escalated their data indicators turned red. Suddenly a city drone, camouflaged as a lantern, descended broadcasting a focused localized Calm-Top-Up signal. The quarrel faded into shared apologies. They separated, bewildered yet peaceful.
"We shift from management to anticipatory care " Flavio concluded, his arms stretched wide as if to welcome everything. "The Social Harmony Initiative served as our experiment. Somnus-Omnia is our global-scale plan. A planet where nature itself strives for your tranquility."
The clapping wasn't deafening. It was steady even like a surge of relief. Those privileged in the space perceived not a jail. The definitive answer, to the chaotic draining issue of human nature.
Within the service gallery Ben's expression was one of terror. "They aren't merely calming individuals. They're calming reality itself. Transforming the world into something to intense emotion. Quarreling with your partner hurrying to your job feeling outraged, at unfairness… these transform into errors the system remedies. They're crafting the demise of significance."
The demonstrations commenced below. Aethelred executives along with Somnum technicians displayed the equipment: "Harmony Nodes" for street lamps "Serenity Drones" for areas and "Aura Weave" fabric, for uniforms that released subtle calming fields.
When the event paused for a " luncheon " Devon and Ben descended into the vacating hall. They walked by demonstration stalls. One showcased the protest pods seen outside now labeled "Civic Expression Volumes—for secure enclosed discussions."
At a quieter stall, towards the back a man showcased a straightforward gadget: a wristband. The demonstrator was Hugo Hubert. His crowd was modest consisting of business professionals and some tired civil servants.
"—for those desiring to embrace harmony " Hugo explained softly his tone confidential. "The Personal Aura device. It connects to the Somnus-Omnia network. When the system senses increasing tension it sends a micro-Calm, a discreet sigh. No one else has to notice. You stay operational. The tension… just dissolves. This represents the boundary of self-care: delegating your emotional management to a system that performs it more effectively than you ever could.
A city planner from Amsterdam was nodding enthusiastically. "The submissions, for pressure public service positions… police, social workers…"
"Precisely " Hugo grinned. "Compassion fatigue turns into an engineering challenge that can be addressed."
Devon felt a chill surge through him. This marked the capitulation. It wasn't merely letting the city influence your emotions. Actively requesting it. Offering up your intense feelings to be softly overridden by an algorithm, in the name of "functionality."
As Hugo's group departed he glanced up. Noticed them. His grin remained steady. He approached, carrying the air of a host greeting disoriented visitors.
"Benjamin. Devon. I was curious if you'd value the magnificence of the concept. Somnus-Omnia. It addresses your worries right? No more force. The system simply provides an alternative. A gentler route. People will opt for it since it's simpler. Because it's effective."
He indicated the city now fixed in an immaculate constant shade of blue serenity. "This represents the realm of leisure perfected. We do not seize will. Instead we offer an alternative for it. The desire to be liberated from desire. It is the choice, for the consumer."
He inched forward lowering his tone to a whisper. "The Discordanter was a trick. A flash of static.. You can't combat a symphony with one incorrect note. You can only cause people to value the harmony more when it resumes." He tapped Devon's arm, an act of superiority. "The Subscription serves as the blueprint. Somnus-Omnia is the system. There is no 'outside' remaining to oppose. Only different levels of tranquility. I recommend you pick one."
He moved off to return to his fans.
Devon and Ben remained solitary beneath the tranquil cityscape. They had penetrated the conference. They had witnessed the creation. It wasn't a medicine or treatment. It was a dimension of existence. A worldwide aware compassionate prison.
And outside the Hofburg, Vienna's public parks hummed their tailored quiet, and the soundproofed protestors beat their silent fists against the glass. The future wasn't coming. It was already here, adjusting the lighting, softening the noise, and offering a gentle, inescapable sigh.