Dawn of the Courtezan: Phase 01 (The Eighteenth Shadow)
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93) MA: Marijuana (Addicts) Anonymous.
94) MAAD: Mothers Against Alcohol Decriminalization.
95) Magcuff: Battery powered, morphology adaptive handcuffs secured by a magnetic field.
96) MARX (dogs): M.anagement A.ssault R.econnaissance X.enobot; these are CS3 battborgs based on the German Shepherd morphology. Like the common CATS bot available to civilians, they are not constructed around a titanalum skeletal chassis. Instead, their chassis is based on a semi-rigid polymer. MARX dogs have twice the strength and battery life of a standard CATS bot and are the modern cyborg of choice for various civilian law enforcement groups.
96A) MTF: Bureau of Marijuana, Tobacco & Firearms.
97) NADI: The North American Demographic Index supplies genetics profiles for every citizen in the NAUS embedded in the data core of their combud. If the citizen does not have a combud installed, this information is available in public records on the Govcloud.
98) NAKC: North American Kennel Club.
99) NAUS: The North American United States Union, established following The Progressive Revolution of 2041 which eventually came to include Canada, Mexico and the original United States of America.
100) Neurosynth Circuitry: Computer circuitry integrated into the human brain as a means of basic telepathic interface and biodata retrieval.
102) NORAL: National Organization for the Reform of Alcohol Laws.
102A) ’Noias: Slang for the paranoid reaction some consumers of marijuana experience when using the drug. The reaction is often acute among alcohol addicts who have undergone slaughterhouse surgery (see SAMCL). A Pleasium prescription is the most common means of treating marijuana induced paranoia.
102B) NSL: National Soccer League
103) Petri-Meat(s): Synthetically cultured protein medium which replicate the texture, taste and nutritional content of popular antique meat products such as beef, chicken and fish.
104) PHC: Peoples’ Hemp Collective(s). PHC’s are government subsidized mega-farms that produce 95% of North America’s hemp for industrial applications.
105) PingMe: The most popular hologram based social media site in the late 21st century North American United States Union.
106) Pleasium (P): A popular prescription anti-anxiety medication for which government subsidies are available; most often prescribed to those who experience paranoia after consuming marijuana.
107) PR (Progressive Revolution): Sociopolitical change sparked by the San Andreas Geological Disaster of 2041 otherwise known as “1.9 Day.”
109) Revolution, The: See PR – Progressive Revolution.
110) RIOT (dogs): R.econnaissance I.nterdiction O.ffensive T.erminator; the most advanced and powerful CATS cyborgs available. RIOT units are based on Doberman Pinscher morphology and are used exclusively by civilian law enforcement and the military. These cyborgs are typically wrapped in BIOSKIN©. CSF 5.0.
111) Rubcrete: High density, impact and fire resistant insulation material composed of recycled plastics, rubber and concrete which is capable of blocking all wireless stream and transmission signals.
112) SAMCL: Sonic Addiction Micro Cellular Lobotomy – A surgical process where a nanogauge drill bit is pushed into the skull around the eye socket until it is lodged in the frontal cortex. The flexible drill bit emits a series of sonic vibrations which destroys that section of the brain theoretically associated with chemical addiction.
113) San Andreas Geological Disaster (1.9 Day): Massive earthquake caused by hydraulic fracturing which caused the death of 1.9% of the U.S. Population in 2041.
113A) Sativa: The strain of marijuana typically associated with emotional uplift, energy and creativity. Sativa strains stimulate the frontal cortex of the brain and are typically blended with coffee or other stimulant based beverages, if not vaporized.
114) Seisometer: A drone or cyborg mounted sensor array which detects seismic vibrations in the Earth’s core.
115) ServCall©: A Lenexa, Kansas, based company known for manufacturing land based service, errand and courier droids.
116) Shiner: Derogatory slang term for a citizen who is directly involved in the black market alcohol trade, either production, sale or distribution.
117) SimulSun©: A specialty company located in Modesto, California, that produces artificial lighting arrays which simulate the full spectrum radiation of sunlight. Due to their excessive power consumption and expense, these arrays are used almost exclusively in corporate or public sector applications.
118) SkyDrop©: Privately owned, drone based courier service.
118A) Slaughterhouse: A derogatory slang term given to hospitals and clinics that perform SAMCL surgery. “The Slaughterhouse Experience” is what is commonly attributed to turning a regular alcohol user into a humdroid.
119) SSRI: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
120) Synth(meat): Synthetic beef, chicken, pork or fish grown in petri cubes.
121) Synthamneotic fluid: Artificial birth medium, which precisely replicates the uterine environment and is the basis for the popular, extracorporeal embryonic growth movement among women.
122) Tangi-gram: NAUS slang for a tangible hologram. Tangible holographic technology was patented in 2069 by Austrian optics physicist, Jens Frankel. Projecting tangi-grams and their associated 180 degree visuotactile environments requires the fastest superframe computers available, bridged with molecular resolution, triple-lensed holoprojectors. These systems additionally require synced access to dedicated, high density solar arrays and/or a fusion based power source. The programs are biometrically encrypted to the operator and cost millions of digidollars to purchase. It is this latter condition which makes private ownership by all but the wealthiest individuals impossible. One widely known cultural exception is amongst the world of hackers. Many hackers will construct their own solar arrays and program their own tangi-grams, avoiding the upfront cost of proprietary purchase by programming their own avatars. In the mainstream NAUS economy, tangi-grams are used primarily in two industries: avatar based surgery and virtual prostitution.
122A) TeaHC©: Concentrated adult beverage produced by OneThread© Beverages that contains the THC equivalent of a single vapor joint in liquid form. Available at your local grocer in pomegranate, blueberry and citrus flavors.
123) THC: Tetrahydrocannabinol, or more precisely its main isomer (−)-trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [(6aR,10aR)-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol], is the principal psychoactive constituent (or cannabinoid) of the marijuana plant.
125) Titanalum: The most expensive metallurgic substance known; an alloy derived of titanium and aluminum which is then coated with a thin layer of bionic graphene. Used almost exclusively in the military cyborg industry for chassis construction.
126) Transhuman: This term refers to individuals who have experienced spikes of evolutionary advancement. These citizens manifest varied advanced abilities from cognitive telepathy and ESP to accelerated strength quotients and sensory capabilities such as night vision or long range hearing.
127) Tricyclic Summit Theory: A mythological urban construct widely discussed by civilian members of academia which posits that by combining quantum computer processors, fusion power and the Adler Code programming language, a cyborg is capable of attaining a mammalian level of autonomous intelligence, memory and consciousness.
128) Vaporjoint: See E-joint.
129) VCSW: Vision Certified Social Worker.
130) Vidorb: Cybernetic visual receptor or “eyeball” capable of thermal imaging, target contrast enhancement, tracking, telescopic magnification, holotransmission, holoflage projection and microscopic enlargement. Normally vidorbs are associated with cyborgs, however they can also be surgically installed in a human being to replace a damaged eye or to counteract blindness.
131) Vision: The socialist philosophy of living in environmental harmony with the Earth and fellow humans, whose basic tenant is that citizens of a healthy society have nothing to hide from one another. “Vision sees through the
archaic need for privacy.” The most contentious aspect of Vision is the prohibition of alcohol as it is posited that the drug is detrimental to the fabric of society. The concept of Vision was created by The Architect.
132) WarmCoure©: A company which produces a line of form-fitting winter active wear that radiates heat across the skin in order to maintain a comfortable body temperature. WC shirts and pants are powered by micro-graphene batteries woven into the clothing’s fabric in strands the width of a thread.
Jon Lee Grafton
Copyright © 2017 Jon Lee Grafton Books
All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
JON LEE GRAFTON is a science fiction author living in the great state of Kansas. He writes about cyborgs, environmental dystopia, surveillance and the American drug wars of the future.