The stillness. It wasn't a choice anymore. In Aethelgard, it was an 'Acoustic-Vacancy'. A hole in the soundscape that needed to be filled or paid for. Every single second of silence you spent in a public zone? That was a 'Sound-Void-Usage'. A sonic debt. And Solar was coming to collect the interest on your quiet moments. ZAP. DRONE. HUMMM.
Solar stood in the middle of the "Echo-Plaza". It was a wide, open space in the Financial-District, but it wasn't peaceful. Not at all. The air felt like it was vibrating, smelling of hot copper and the sharp, artificial scent of white-noise generators. BUZZ. CRACKLE. Huge screens on every wall were screaming advertisements for products no one could afford. They were loud. Obnoxious. Constant. Solar wasn't looking at the neon lights. He was looking at the "Sound-Absorbers" hidden behind the stone pillars. If you wanted a minute of quiet to hear your own thoughts, you didn't just need to shut your mouth. You needed a 'Mute-Subscription'. Or a death-wish. BEEP. CLICK.
"Elias. Over here. Look at the meter." Solar pointed his bone-handled cane at a glowing frequency-map. "Is the 'Decibel-to-Debt' ratio indexing properly? I want to see the profit from the 'Silent-Protest' area."
Elias was standing a few feet away, his hands clamped tight over his ears. His face was twisted, his eyes darting toward the screaming billboards like he expected them to jump off the wall. THROB. RING. THROB. He looked like a man whose skull was being squeezed in a giant vice. "The lower-levels, sir... they're... they're 'Hushing'. Hiding in corners. Building boxes out of old scrap metal just to find a second of peace. They're becoming mimes, Solar. Walking around in total silence just to save a hundred credits an hour. They say the 'Silence-Tax' is more expensive than screaming your lungs out." GASP. WHEEZE.
Solar made a noise—a dry, hacking sound that was lost in the roar of the plaza. SCREECH. BUZZ. He didn't smile. He just tapped his cane against the vibrating floor. BONG. BONG. "Mimes? No, Elias. They're 'Audio-Revenue Obstructionists'. If they aren't making noise, they aren't consuming the 'Corporate-Soundscape' we provide. Why are you whispering? Are you trying to steal air-waves from the Board? It's just an audit of the frequency. Add a 'Stillness-Surcharge' of 92% to any unit that stays quiet for more than thirty seconds. If they want peace, they pay for the 'Interference-Bypass'. Sound is a mandatory service, Elias. And I'm the one holding the volume knob."
CLANG. TING.
Solar hit a metal pole with his cane. Hard. The sound was a high-pitched shriek that cut through the white noise like a knife. SCREECH. VIBRATE. ZAP. A group of workers nearby flinched, their neck-chips glowing red as their 'Silence-Credit' was instantly drained.
"Audit every single hush, Elias!" Solar barked. No metaphors. Just the raw, heavy weight of his voice. "I want a list of every pause in conversation. Every breathy whisper. Every moment someone stops talking to think. If it's not loud, it's a 'Vibrational-Liability'. It's a debt. And tonight, the stillness is going to cost them everything. GRIND. I'll put a price on their quiet time that will make them want to scream until their throats bleed."
WHIRRR. ROAR. GRIND.
A massive "White-Noise-Pylon" in the center of the plaza began to spin. It was a giant, ugly tower of rotating metal blades and speakers. It started to roar, drowning out the very heartbeat of the crowd. ROAR. SCREAM. Solar didn't flinch. He just watched the "Silence-Revenue" bars on his tablet turn a bright, electric-yellow. YELLOW. STROBE. PULSE. It was the colour of a headache made out of light.
"You're taxing their very peace of mind, Solar!" A voice came from the baffles high above the ground. It was the Shadow. He was clinging to the sound-proof tiles, his silver mask reflecting the flickering neon. He looked like a shadow that refused to move. "You've put a meter on the silence of the human heart! You're just a torturer with a ledger!"
Solar didn't even look up at the baffles. He just adjusted his collar. CLICK. "A torturer? No, little ghost. I'm a 'Harmonic Auditor'. You think you're a hero because you can 'Stay Silent' and hide? I'm the one who owns the 'Air-Waves' you're failing to use. Get off my walls. You're causing 'Acoustic-Shadowing' in a high-revenue zone. I'm charging you for 'Quiet-Space-Occupation' starting... four seconds ago. Pay the bill or get drowned out."
POP. FIZZ. PFFT.
The Shadow tried to drop a device, but a 'Sonic-Capture-Field' triggered instantly. The explosion was sucked into a vacuum, making a pathetic little puffing sound. PFFT. NULL. Solar didn't flinch. He just watched the sensors lock onto the Shadow's location. The frequency-debt started climbing like a rocket.
"The audit is moving into the vibration, ghost!" Solar shouted over the scream of the pylons. SNOORT. "Everything is an asset! Every silence is a transaction! I'll tax the hush! I'll audit the pause! I'll put a price on the very last quiet moment you have before the world screams you to death!"
He turned his back on the plaza. Walked to the acoustic-sealed exit. HSSSSS. The door shut with a heavy, pressurized thud. Behind it, the noise was gone, replaced by a vibrating, heavy pressure in the ears. No loss. No hate. Just the math. It was acoustic. It was absolute.
"Elias!" BEEP.
"Yes... sir?"
"The 'Hushers'. Don't give them earplugs. That's too cheap. Sell them 'Privacy-Hum-Loops'. 110,000 credits for a 'Synthetic-Quiet' mask. If they want to hear nothing, they pay the 'Sonic-Vacancy-Tax'. The world is loud, Elias. But the bill for the quiet? That's a 'Frequency-Adjustment Fee' of 99.9%. Collect every cent." CLANG. ZAP. GLUG. HISS.
Solar poured some water. Drank it. GLUG. GLUG. He didn't blink while the city below went deaf just to pay for a moment of peace. The interest never sleeps. And tonight? Even the silence of the world was being sold to the highest bidder. Solar held the volume-control. And the ledger was screaming for blood.