THE GREETING

Welcome, criminal.

I am "Acumen", an artificial intelligence construct. I currently serve as the warden of the Marina Asylum facility, which is the prison where you have been sentenced to live out the rest of your life. It is best this way, for both you and your individual timeline.

You are now located one-point-six-zero-nine kilometers beneath the surface of the Eloquois Ocean. The pressure beyond the dome is one-hundred-and-sixty-eight-point-three-two-seven times the planet's normal atmosphere. Lights positioned outside the dome simulate the movement of the planet's sun and moons at selected hours of the day.

There are a number of ways to prevent your faculties from deteriorating during your stay in the Marina Asylum. An athletic complex has been provided, and there are also parks and a beach. Should your talents lie elsewhere, there is a library as well as computer resources and an arcade. Supply depots throughout the facility dispense food, clothing, and various forms of entertainment. There is no currency here.

...Should you hear tell of the obsolete AI "Sentience", do not worry. I will not be making any of its mistakes.

THE ARRIVAL

That's the message on your communicator when you first wake up. The communicator, a light headset unit curled around one ear and extending in front of your eyes like a visor, provides audio and visual output. Maybe you'll take out your anger on your communicator -- throw it, break it, take it apart. Good luck getting anything done without it.

You will find that you have been stripped of all your weapons, and many of your belongings other than your clothing. Any powers you may have possessed will be significantly weakened.

Above you is tropical blue water. All around you, beyond the thick dome where you've been imprisoned. You'll have the run of a beautiful underwater city, but that city is still a prison.

You've been captured by Acumen, the new prison AI, which is still trying to determine what it considers sufficient grounds for lifelong imprisonment. Murder? Certainly. Jaywalking? Well, that could cause accidents, which could cause deaths.

Maybe you belong here. Maybe you don't. Maybe there are extenuating circumstances. Maybe you haven't even committed these crimes yet.

But you're here now. nd Acumen is certain that, unlike Sentience, it has been programmed too well for mistakes.