Story 1

(live: 1s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 3s) [The //Link// transit slides to a halt with a long hiss, gradually lowering to match the curb’s height. The exterior of the bus is flanked in a glossy metal material so reflective that I can see my relection in the surface. As I approach the door, a small scanning device descends from within the entrance, abruptly shooting intense light rays at my eyes. An affirmative tone sounds and the door slides open. I step [[inside]].(stop:)]]

I push the screen aside, creating a wide crease in the surface's image projection. The extra light from the outside pours through the opening and I shrink back. I've made this trip countless times before, but I've never seen the periphery of New York with my own eyes, only through the window projections. It looks a bit different than the images I remember seeing--more unrefined and [[intimidating]].

A narrow sliver of light pours through the opening at the base of the window. As the bus travels across the periphery of New York, I watch the screen as the succession of syscrapers are replaced with houses. I've never seen this part of town in person before. Few have. Most people live in high-rises now. The houses here are well-kept and radically different from the center of New York, constructed of synthetic wood instead of the conventional tinted glass used for every [[high-rise]].

In the distance, I see puffs of smoke gathering in the sky. As I get closer, a massive grey building materializes. The air looks heavy/dirty somehow, as if grime was suspended in the air. Protruding out of the top of the building, a large black pipe stretches into the sky. Something dark and black seems to pour out of the top, saturating the air with this darkness. At the side of the building, I see something I recongnize--truck containers. The ones that broughts us. Why were they here?

A shiny mesh surface descends from a crevasse at the top of the window. As the [visor]<potatoes| approaches the base of the window, the screen bursts into color, mirroring the appearance of the outside world. But then something different happens. [Right before the screen reaches the bottom, it catches.]<1| (click-replace: ?1)[The automated system releases a strained buzz before grinding to a stop with a final sputter.] [[Leave it alone]] [[Peek through the screen]] (click: ?potatoes)[//Window visors are provided on all forms of trans-city travel for the convenience of each passenger, enabling individuals to view the vehicle’s surroundings with greater privacy and comfort by reducing the sun glare. The visor also offers the option to deactivate the screen for those wishing to rest on their journey.//]

(align: "=><=")[(live: 1s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[Year 2093 (stop:)]] (live: 4s)[(replace: "Year 2093") + (transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[New York City]] [(live: 7s)[(replace: "New York City") + (transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[//[[The corner of Madison Ave. and East 66th St.]]// (stop:)]]]]

As the bus passes through the wall, the screen's pixels explode into vibrant shades of green, reflecting the bright color across the grey sides of my pod. The warm sunlight flickers on the screen projection as the bus passes between the trees. I shift my gaze to the narrow break between the screen and the window. It takes me a second to realize that the light penetrating through the opening doesn't match the screen. [The light isn't flickering.]<hmm| (click: ?hmm) [[It isn't even green.]<yep|] (click: ?yep) [[It's almost orange]<reveal|] (click: ?reveal) [[[Dismiss it]] [[Push aside the screen]]]

I don’t remember the soldiers, skirting along the roads with guns resting on their shoulders. Or the battered stuctures that line the roads, exhausted and forgotten but not empty. As the bus rushes past, I catch a glimpse of a weary elderly lady resting on the crooked stairs of a porch. In the distance, [[the wall]] materializes along the horizon, rising far above the surrounding buildings. As the vehicle nears the wall, the surrounding areas sink into shadow as the barricade obstructs the harsh afternoon sunlight.

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Inside the carrier, the space is divided into rows of individual glass pods. I climb in my designated pod #254B, situated next to a window. I press a small circular button along the the ridge of my window. (align: "=><==")[[''**◯**'']<1|] (click-replace: ?1)[The pod hisses shut, the clear glass shell materializing into light [[grey]].]

A low hum emanates from the floor as the carrier surges back to life, smoothly gliding forward along the pavement. As the //Link// accelerates, I peer out of the broad window, watching the uniform pattern of buildings and city lights converge into a greyish blur The speakers at the top of my pod sound a pleasant [[chime]], signifying the closure of the screen visors.

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[The wall looks different.]<1| (click-replace: ?1)[It isn’t the sleek grey surface I've seen before. Instead, the surface is rough and discolored with deep cracks radiating from the bottom. At the base, the concrete is crammed with [[writings]] and paintings. //When did these appear? Did they change it?//]

(live: 2s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)["You may be blind but we are NOT" (stop:)]] (live: 1s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)["We won't give up" (stop:)]] (live: 4s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)["Tear down this wall" (stop:)]] (live: 3s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)["Break this wall of silence" (stop:)]] (live: 5s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)["The hands that build can also tear down" (stop:)]] (live: 6s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)["[[Don't forget]] the struggle" (stop:)]]

[Something must be happening...]<1| (click-replace: ?1)[ A group of soldiers are congregated at the base of the wall. As the bus advances, their gazes shift in my [direction.]<shout|] (click:?shout)[I shrink back, releasing [[the screen]] and letting it swing back into place.]

(live: 1s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[I know what's behind that wall. (stop:)]] (live: 3s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[I've seen it in all of the window projections. (stop:)]] (live: 5s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[We've all learned about it in school. (stop:)]] (live: 7s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[What lies beyond the wall is [unpredictable]<something| (stop:)]] (click-replace: ?something)[[beautiful]<yellow|] (click-replace: ?yellow)[dangerous](live: 10s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[Beyond the wall is(live: 2s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[ [[nature]](stop:)]](stop:)]]

As the screen swings back into place, I don't see the soldiers anymore. The opening in the wall is deserted. The words written along the concrete have vanished-- replaced with a smooth and immaculate [[wall face]].

I know I've seen this before. Was this not a real recording?

(live: 1s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[ I lean over towards the window, peering through the small gap between the screen and the window. (stop:)]] (live: 3s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[The soldiers are still there. (stop:)]] (live: 5s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[The writings are still there. (stop:)]] (live: 7s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time:2s)[The visor projections are **[[wrong]]**.(stop:)]]

As the bus passes the gate, the pixels on the screen explode into vibrant shades of green, mirroring the trees [outside]<frenchfries|. (click: ?frenchfries)[But it wasn't nature beyond the [wall]<mashed|.] (click: ?mashed) [At least [[not anymore]].]

When I brush the visor aside, there is no green. The ground is a reddish-brown color, carpeted with straggly clumps of yellow grass. The ground is dotted with large brown cylinders rising out of the soil. I don't know what they are. Maybe some special plant. The barren emptiness stretches out towards the horizon, only accented with the occasional dead branch stretching out its gnarled fingers across the [[ground]].

[Miles]<shout| (click: ?shout)[and Miles]<scream| (click: ?scream)[and Miles]<whistle| (click: ?whistle) [of emptiness]<potato| (click: ?potato) [and then I finally see [[something]]]

Ahead of me, the sky is sinking into a dark [murkiness]<bagels|. (click: ?bagels)[But it's not evening yet.]<cup| (click: ?cup) [The air looks almost heavy, as though debris is suspended in it. I see a building [[in the distance]]]

(align: "=><=")[(live: 1s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[1 hour later (stop:)]]] (live: 4s)[(replace: "1 hour later") + (transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[The bus arrives in St. Louis (stop:)]<fries|] (live: 6s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[The //Link// glides to a halt and my pod opens. Once again, I am encompassed by a labyrinth of towering buildings and immaculate streets, each identical to the last.(stop:)]] (live: 10) [(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s) [It's all so perfect (click-replace: "perfect")[measured]] (click-replace: "measured")[meticulous] (live: 14s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[But something still doesn't feel quite right (stop:)]] (live: 18s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 3s)[Perhaps there is some merit to the unrefined (stop:)]] (align: "=><=")[(live: 17s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[**[[Resources]]** (stop:)]] (live: 17s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s) [**[[Play Again]]**]]]

On the visor's screen, I watch the pattern of trees hurtling past my window. Gradually, the trees begin to recede, transitioning into a wide expanse of grassland. The ground is blanketed with layers of lush grass and blossoming wildflowers. There's something so novel about nature. Uncultivated and untouched. It's not [perfect]<yep|(click: ?yep)[, yet somehow it still is.] Flowers are a commodity in the city, but here, they're [[abounding]].

A massive, black structure materializes into view. Three long pipes climb into the sky, spitting out black puffs into the air. The ground that must have once been shades of orange and brown is now covered in a thick layer of dark [[residue]].

As the bus nears the building, I begin to hear a muffled roar of running machinery and squealing [equipment.]<apple| (click: ?apple) [//How have I never heard this before?//]<orange| (click: ?orange) [Maybe the screen normally dampers the [[sounds]].]

But there weren't only machines. Along the side of the building, I see [figures]<coffee| moving. (click: ?coffee)[People. Crowds of them. Filing into the small entrances at the base of the [structure.]<icecream|] (click: ?icecream)[Their clothes are tattered and stained, mirroring the color of the ebony smoke hanging in the air. Their faces and skin are coated with the same dark [residue]<chickfila|.] (click: ?chickfila)[[No one lives out here.]<starbucks|] (click: ?starbucks) [[No one lives out here.]<pupusas|] (click: ?pupusas)[I've always been told that [[no one]] lives out here.]

Right beyond the immense building stood a towering wire fence with spirals of barbed wire along the top. Behind it rests a wide expanse of small make-shift [structures]<shock|. (click: ?shock) [[Some were made of tin and scraps of wood.]<cafe|] (click: ?cafe) [[Others were made out of a blue material propped up with long sticks]<tatertots|.] (click: ?tatertots) [[//Do people live in these?//]<tea|] (click: ?tea) [[I haven't seen anything like this before.]<homeless|] (click: ?homeless)[Only in history books.] (live: 10s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[It wasn't like this anymore. (stop:)]] (live: 12s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[It wasn't.(stop:)]] (live: 14s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[People lived in the city now.(stop:)]] (live: 16s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[No one was hungry.(stop:)]] (live: 18s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 1s)[No one was [[homeless]] (stop:)]]

A young girl grasps onto the rungs of the fence ahead of me, peering out through the twisted metal links. She's maybe five or six years old with a painful jutting physique and sunken features. For just a moment, we locked eyes and [then]<pear|(click: ?pear)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[, just like that,]<spice|] (click: ?spice)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[ she was [gone. (stop:)]<lemon|]] (click: ?lemon)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 5s)[The small structures were once again replaced with barren terrain. I look back, watching the settlement shrink away until it dissapears [[completely]].]]

(align: "=><=")[(live: 1s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[1 hour later (stop:)]]] (live: 4s)[(replace: "1 hour later") + (transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[The bus arrives in St. Louis (stop:)]<fries|] (live: 6s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[The //Link// glides to a halt and my pod opens. Once again, I am encompassed by a labyrinth of towering buildings and immaculate streets, each identical to the last.(stop:)]] (live: 11s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[But something doesn't feel right anymore (stop:)]] (live: 15s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 3s)[Because this isn't all of us (stop:)]] (align: "=><=")[(live: 17s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s)[**[[Resources]]** (stop:)]] (live: 17s)[(transition: "dissolve") + (transition-time: 2s) [**[[Play Again]]**]]]

(align: "=><=")[**Resources**] (link: "The UN Refugee Agency")[(link: https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/)] (link: "The International Rescue Committee")[(goto-url: https://www.rescue.org)] (link: "National Alliance to End Homelessness")[(goto-url: https://endhomelessness.org)] (link: "UNICEF")[(goto-url: https://www.unicef.org)] (link: "The Child Labor Coalition")[(goto-url: http://stopchildlabor.org)] (link: "The World Wildlife Fund")[(goto-url: https://www.worldwildlife.org)] (link: "The Nature Conservancy")[(goto-url: https://www.nature.org/en-us/)]

In the distance, the wall materializes along the horizon, rising far above the surrounding buildings. As the vehicle nears the wall, the surrounding areas sink into shadow as the barricade obstructs the harsh afternoon sunlight. The sleek grey wall extends for miles, encompassing the entire city of New York. It was constructed to protect us from [[everything]] that lies beyond it.

All of a sudden, the light from the opening begins to subside, transitioning into a muted glow. In the distance, I hear the muffled roar that resembles the sound of running machinery. I've never heard that here beofre [I scan the screen, searching for the source of the noise.]<UL| (click: ?UL)[Nothing. The expanse extends out to the horizon, boasting nothing but low vegetation and the occasional bush. [[Brush the visor aside]] [[Keep checking the screen]]]

The //Link// glides to stop and my pod opens. Once again, I am encompassed by a labrinth of towering buildings and immaculate streets, each identical to the last. It's all so perfect. But somehow it also isn't. There was something special about nature. Something that can't be found in

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I slide the visor aside, recoiling quickly. There is no green No grassland A massive, black structure rests ahead of me. Three long pipes climb into the sky, spitting out black puffs into the air. The ground that must have once been brown is now covered in a thick layer of [[dark residue]].

I scour the far edges of the screen for the source, but the sounds of machinery begin to fade away as quickly as they came. The grassland finally gives way to a thick forest-- the final segment of [[the journey]].

Along the side of the building, I see [figures]<coffee| moving. (click: ?coffee)[People. Crowds of them. Filing into the small entrances at the base of the [structure.]<icecream|] (click: ?icecream)[Their clothes are tattered and stained, mirroring the color of the ebony smoke hanging in the air. Their faces and skin are coated with the same dark [residue]<chickfila|.] (click: ?chickfila)[[No one lives out here.]<starbucks|] (click: ?starbucks) [[No one lives out here.]<pupusas|] (click: ?pupusas)[I've always been told that [[no one]] lives out here.]

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