What does it mean to be alive? is it what they taught you in biology, where if it breaths, eats, shits, and reproduces that means it's alive? maybe it's not that. Maybe, it's where you have emotions, feelings, a thought, a love, a passion. No, all of these are wrong. To be alive is to have a soul.
Hank steward was born in the year 2115, to a father who always worked and a mother who never cared. This caused him to develop slightly slower than everyone around him, yet this didn't matter as all he could think about all day every day was being free. He hadn't seen either of his parents since his 5th birthday. His parents had signed him up to a "Scholarship program" wherein return for free education at a semi-decent private school, he was forced to participate in Lab experimentations hosted by the Nishio corporation, a leading scientific institute that had no actual legal product that they distributed, instead being labeled as a "research firm".
Hank lived in a box, woke up in a pod, and lived his life in a strict routine where nothing ever really changed, except the experiments. From Monday to Friday he went to school, and on the weekends he went to the labs. First, it was brain scans, followed by pills, followed by brain scans. Then, after a few years, it changed to being put into a helmet which would often do nothing followed by annoyed shouts by the scientists, and every so often a buzzing sound in Hanks ears that felt like TV static creeping up his spine would caress his eardrums. The scientists loved that. All of a sudden Hank was put into a different school that for some reason, only required him to go to school 3 days a week, and was only ever teaching the same material that he learned in 3rd grade.
Hank went to the lab more and more, often being congratulated after every successful buzzing sound he heard in the sessions. He didn't know why, but every time he put on the helmet he felt a falling sensation, like he was moving, yet at the same time kept staying still. He could feel the sensations of the old plastic chair, its uncomfortable edges, and forced upright posture, yet every time he put on the helmet after five seconds he felt like he was being pulled somewhere, and it made him feel alive.
He began excitedly awaiting the tests, waking up extra early and going to the labs with five minutes to spare, just so he could feel the weightlessness that occurred whenever he put back on that helmet. The researchers didn't care about his mood, yet it made them feel more enthusiastic about their work, encouraging them to put in that extra bit of effort that they had in order to complete whatever it was that they were doing.
When he turned 16 Hank realized that he could now see things within the helmet, a vast green sea that his eyes were just under the surface of, and which he could feel himself breathing through. After this discovery he excitedly told the scientists, to which they all cheered and hugged each other, obviously something had gone right, but what it was, he didn't know.
"Um, excuse me."
"Yes, Hank?"
"Can I go back in the helmet?"
The scientists all had a look of confusion on their faces as if he had asked a question that they did not know the answer to. Eventually, one of the taller female scientists walked up to him and said the words that made all of Hanks world crumble.
"I'm sorry Hank, but we don't need you anymore. You can now go to school and live life like a normal kid now."
The world came crashing down, walls descended onto walls, ashes onto ashes, and hank started crying. He was ushered out and told that he would be given a monthly allowance and would be put into a regular school again and be put back with his parents in their apartment. Hank was no longer alive in his world. He graduated without a friend, getting good grades as he had nothing else to do in his life except pass high school, even though he had been taught almost nothing for most of his teenage years.
The memories hurt the most, the feeling of not being pulled down by the earth, and the knowledge that that was his purpose had kept him going, but now? he had nothing. His parents barely existed, coming and going like ghosts, only acknowledging his presence when it benefitted them, and giving him half of his monthly allowance from the Nishio corporation.
His life was over. his suffering, had begun