Prompt:

Describe or narrate a scenario about a pill found a generation into a future in which ‘progress’ has continued. Your description should address issues related to the court system and elicit feelings of dread.

Title of the story: Reborn

Backstory: In the year 2050, most jobs were taken over by AI, leaving only less desirable and stressful jobs. Ironically, people also did not want to do these remaining jobs, preferring remote work or avoiding work altogether. Since the early 2020s, with the rise of remote jobs and a general aversion to undesirable work, a significant labor shortage in necessary jobs became a major issue for the government.

One of the most controversial innovations was the introduction of the “Memory Erasure Pill,” a pharmaceutical breakthrough intended to revolutionize the world. Unable to wait for public approval, the government began using the pill on select criminals who had no visitors and were convicted of first-degree murder. Instead of the death penalty and costly imprisonment, the government proposed this so-called humane solution to handle severe criminals and the job shortage.

The Memory Erasure Pill is a small, white tablet developed by a consortium of scientists and legal experts. When ingested, the pill wipes the consumer’s memories, effectively erasing their identity. After a few trials, President Richardson provided evidence to convince the nation that using the pill on criminals with the worst charges was a humane and practical solution to the labor shortage. Seven years of successful administration of the Memory Erasure Pill followed.

Story:

It is the year 2057. The main character wakes up one morning in a room with no memory of her past or her name. She steps out into what seems like a communal area, observing people engaged in ordinary activities. A man with a name badge that says “Gideon” approaches her. He tells the main character that she signed up for a government experiment to cure her terminal brain tumor because she was poor and couldn’t afford treatment. He claims she was on the verge of death but was reborn through a brain surgery. In reality, she was injected with the Memory Erasure Pill.

Gideon informs her that her name is Aileen Warner and that her purpose is to fulfill the duties assigned by the government and help other citizens. She will be provided with food, shelter, and basic necessities but must work 14 hours a day and volunteer at a local senior community on weekends. She has been assigned to work in a factory where the labor is intensive, and she is among a few others like her.

One day, while working, a heavy object falls on Aileen, knocking her unconscious. During her unconscious state, she experiences vivid dreams of people and places that seem strangely familiar. These disorienting and faint memory fragments trouble her deeply. Upon regaining consciousness, Aileen reports the incident to Gideon, expressing concerns about what she believes to be side effects of the pill, mentioning the familiar visions she had while unconscious.

Outside the “prison” walls, controversy arises: If a criminal’s memory is completely erased, are they still considered a criminal, or a new person? Why must they do all the dirty and intensive labor? What ethical dilemmas arise from erasing someone’s identity, even for criminals?

Back to Aileen, agents make her unconscious and take her to a lab to inject the pill again. Despite the second injection, Aileen’s dreams become more vivid, and she starts to remember things vaguely. She begins to question and resist the control imposed on her, seeking answers to the truth. She discovers evidence of her former life and the government’s role in the memory erasure. Aileen and a group of her housemates plan an escape to reclaim their identities and expose the government’s practices. The escape leads to a confrontation with government agents, revealing the extent of the Memory Erasure Pill’s side effects and the ethical breaches involved. The survivors of the escape attempt to reintegrate into society, but they learn that they were first-degree murderers and are now wanted fugitives…

 

Click the link to view the movie trailer: https://youtu.be/z6QxJq02rVw