The World
In the year 2028, the world is in turmoil, ravaged by climate change and dwindling resources. International help is no longer available as each country is struggling to assist their own people. As a last ditch effort, the founders of the tech company, FusionNex, work to develop solutions for the citizens living through climate change. The Watson’s, along with their close friend and colleague, James, work on developing a smart exosuit that can detect potential danger, maneuver the wearer to safety, and adapt the fabric’s exterior to combat any change in the environment. However, as development on the suit advances, James shows signs of sinister intentions, believing that control over the suits could grant power and security for them in this new world shaped by climate change. The Watson’s, realizing the threat posed by James, hide a vital part of the exosuit's code in a pendant, gifting it as a necklace to their 10-year-old daughter. They explain to young Karma that they specifically designed this pendant to glow whenever she experiences stress or anxiety, acting as a soothing mechanism and a constant reminder of their presence in her life. They also instill the importance of keeping the pendant on her, emphasizing that it should always remain close to her. Soon after, they decide to shut down the project, refusing to work on the suit any longer.
The Story
One stormy night, with young Karma fast asleep in her room, James confronts the Watson’s. He demands they continue work on the suits, saying he can’t do it alone. When they refuse, James, blinded by anger, kills them both. Before the weight of what he’s done hits James, an air raid siren goes off, warning of an incoming tornado. Snapped out of his shock, he quickly heads out the door just as Karma runs downstairs in search of her parents, but not before hearing the front door shut. She finds her parents on the floor, unresponsive, and runs outside to see who was just there. Unable to see the shadowy figure in the distance, she heads back inside to safety. Sitting in the living room, staring at her parents' lifeless body, Karma sits still, unable to feel anything. The next morning, James comes back, with the intention of finding any information on the exosuit, but instead finds Karma in the living room, frozen and broken inside, unresponsive to his arrival, with her cold eyes locked on her parents, clutching the pendant around her neck. He sits with Karma in an effort to comfort her, deciding, in that moment, to adopt her, turn her into his apprentice, and make it his life goal to finish the software. Karma, who appreciates James taking her in, starts to look up to him as her new parental figure.
The world continues to descend into chaos as natural disasters bring about the collapse of society. In the year 2045, nomadic survival becomes the norm, with only a few communities retaining limited resources. One of the larger known communities, formed by a group of survivalists, has been able to build a comfortable life in their compound. Only those with viable skills can be accepted into their community. James, with the now 27-year-old Karma, is able to negotiate their place in the survivalist community because of their technological expertise. In this high-stress environment, Karma emotionally relies on James and the pendant to comfort her when experiencing anxiety and uneasiness. In these times, her pendant activates and gradually reduces anxiety and increases focus, allowing Karma to remain objective. James and Karma become valuable members, bartering their tech knowledge and innovations to trade for essential supplies amongst other communities. Their business is facilitated by Asher, a skilled trade specialist who operates on the outskirts of the community, where he has an established safe cabin monitored by his entrusted associates.
Scarred by her turbulent past, Karma isolates herself from others but Asher is unfazed. Instead he’s captivated by her intelligence and sense of dedication. In an attempt to bridge the emotional gap between them, he embarks on a dangerous mission to scavenge an abandoned tech facility, collecting various items he believes might interest Karma. Asher asks Karma to meet her at his cabin. Karma expresses her uneasiness to James, who, curious about Asher’s intentions, encourages Karma to go, under the guise of making friends, but with another plan in mind. At the cabin, Asher gifts her an intricate looking jumpsuit, which she immediately recognizes as the smart suit her parents tirelessly worked on. Karma, noticing the glow from her pendant, decides to put the jumpsuit on and immediately feels an inexplicable warmth wash over her. Filled with gratitude, Karma surprises Asher with a heartfelt hug.
Instinctively, Karma grips her pendant tightly, as she often does to feel connected with her parents. She hears a muffled noise coming from her hand and glances down to find an image. Karma realizes connecting her pendant with the jumpsuit reveals a message from her parents. They explain that they created this necklace with infrasonic tech to calm her in times of worry, knowing the uncertainty the future was going to bring. They also inform her that James’ intentions were becoming questionable and so they embedded parts of the code for their software in both the jumpsuit and pendant. Once brought together, the two complete the full development of the smart suit, which they intended to share with all of humanity and encourage her to do the same.
James barges in after overhearing the whole exchange. Now knowing the truth about James, Karma, filled with anger and newfound courage, stands up to him. She boldly states that her parents were more noble than him and maybe he deserved to die instead of them. James tells Karma her parents were fools and only got in the way of the true power this tech could have brought to them, revealing he put an end to her parents. James attempts to take the suit but the suit maneuvers Karma out of harm's way, as Asher rushes to place himself in front of Karma while calling out to his associates. As Asher’s men restrain James, he tells Karma that it’s not just a matter of control, it's about the power and significance this suit could wield over the people during these difficult times. Karma, realizing that James is not looking to lead with compassion but instead uses the suit as a tool of manipulation and dominance.
The cabin door suddenly comes crashing down, and community members rush in. Guns pointed, they demand that Asher’s associates release James. Karma tells James that he’s right, that the suit will only bring more discord amongst the people. "This vision, like you, is dead to me. No one will have access to the suit." In a moment of quick thinking, Asher charges at the community members and they open fire. Karma’s suit maneuvers her out of the cabin to safety and runs off, knowing that James will be after her and the suit. Karma vows that she’ll use the software to work on protecting the people against climate change incidents and hopefully restore balance to this world.
To be continued…
