.30 caliber machine gun
Significance: A key defensive asset for the caravan, illustrating the need for significant firepower to survive in this world.
.380 handgun
Significance: Chase's concealed weapon, a tool for survival; his ability to hide it is a small act of defiance/preparation.
.45
A handgun/pistol.
Significance: A personal defense weapon, acquired by Quincy and used by Gavin in the final scene.
.45 automag
A pistol.
Significance: Quincy's personal weapon, essential for her survival during her exile.
.45 Automag Pistol
A heavy pistol, described as Andreu's, won in a game of dice. Possesses a familiar heft to Quincy. The hammer is cocked.
Significance: A tool for survival given to Quincy, a tangible link to a deceased friend, and a symbol of the violent reality of the world.
.45 pistol
Significance: Quincy's personal weapon, a tool for survival; its loss after capture signifies her disarming.
.45 pistol / Automag
Quincy's personal firearm.
Significance: Quincy's sidearm, used in the confrontation with the ravagers.
.50 cal rifle
A specific type of large-caliber rifle.
Significance: Represents Chase's proficiency with weaponry, his method of coping with stress, and the type of equipment used in the military path he desires.
.50-cal
A heavy machine gun.
Significance: A crucial defensive weapon for the caravan, used to fend off attackers.
100-liter water filters (Drip filters)
Plastic funnel-shaped devices with a spout.
Significance: A vital survival tool that allows access to clean drinking water from contaminated sources, reducing reliance on stored water and increasing their range.
10mm sidearm
Significance: Chase's secondary weapon, less effective than his rifle but necessary for close quarters.
3DO studios
Studios or platforms for creating 3D content.
Significance: Highlights the advanced technological infrastructure available for creative pursuits within the Stella system.
9mm
A loaded pistol.
Significance: Part of the items Quincy uses to prove her identity, indicating her preparedness and potentially the dangerous nature of her world.
9mm SMG
A submachine gun
Significance: A standard weapon used in the world, demonstrated by Gavin and easily disarmed by Lesha, highlighting her capabilities.
Access Cards/Pads
Small plastic rectangles (red and yellow) clipped to robes, used with a glowing rectangular pad (yellow/red/green light) on a metal door.
Significance: Represent the facility's security system. Demmy uses cards taken from victims to bypass security, demonstrating his tactical thinking.
Access logs
Significance: Found in a dead node, indicating past activity that someone tried to hide.
Activation chip
Significance: Necessary component for using the TEG-6, implying a security or operational protocol for the technology.
Active suspension
Significance: Highlights the advanced nature and comfort of the TEG-4 vehicle.
Active vibration-canceling system
Significance: Provides a comfortable and stable environment for the occupant despite external conditions, showcasing advanced engineering.
Adjusted neuroject regimen
Significance: Shows the technological and potentially invasive methods used by the system to manage citizens' emotional states.
Advanced healing (implied)
Significance: Allows Demmy to survive injuries that should have been fatal and recover quickly enough to begin life at the monastery. Highlights a level of medical technology available, at least in places like the hospital where Demmy was treated.
AEGIS
Software, counterpart to SCALPEL scripts.
Significance: Mentioned as a security measure the holdfast lacks, explaining why Quincy's hack is possible and relatively safe from immediate detection.
AI agent / patterning daemon
A lightweight, 'dirty' artificial intelligence program.
Significance: An advanced analytical tool developed or used by Shelly to find hidden connections in the complex data, indicating her skill and the difficulty of the task.
Alcohol fuel cell
A container holding alcohol fuel (puro).
Significance: A valuable resource for powering their vehicle, highlighting the types of fuel sources used in this world.
Algae bioreactor
Technology utilizing specialized algae.
Significance: A significant technological breakthrough developed at Fox River, seen as a valuable asset for trade and a bargaining chip for joining the Metrofederacy.
Analog camera
A tiny black eye on the communications cluster.
Significance: The visual component of the secure call, allowing characters to see each other.
Andreu's automag
A type of pistol.
Significance: A lost item belonging to Quincy, representing a personal loss incurred during the events at the holdfast.
Anti-anxiety medicine
A substance injected into the IV tube.
Significance: Provides Demmy with relief from his trauma-induced panic, demonstrating the medical facility's ability to treat psychological as well as physical wounds. It also represents a sensation of calm alien to his survival instincts.
Antique keyboard
Old keyboard plugged into the AR glasses with a dirty plastic cord.
Significance: Highlights the mix of old and new technology in the world, essential for Quincy's hacking process.
Antiseptic/Disinfectant
Significance: Indicates the medical nature of the bus and the need for hygiene in a potentially harsh environment.
AR glasses
A physical item, not the newest or most modern.
Significance: A potential tool for Quincy to access the technical information she needs to repair the autopacker, highlighting the divide between those with and without cybernetic enhancements.
Archaic keyboard projection
A keyboard projected onto the table's surface from the communications cluster.
Significance: A blend of old and new technology, suggesting resourcefulness or specific security protocols.
Archive screaming "FAY?"
A digital archive file with a prominent, alarming label.
Significance: Highlights a key mystery and potential danger within the dataset Shelly is investigating.
Armored Dermoweave
Flexes and moves like skin, made of little hex tiles that can be replaced.
Significance: Lesha's unique physical enhancement and primary defense. It highlights her mercenary background and the advanced bio-technology in this world.
Armored vest
Protective clothing.
Significance: Offers some defense against bullets but is ineffective against knife attacks, highlighting its limitations.
Arthrobotics GL-7Q Arm
A prosthetic arm with black joints and blue metal, made with graphene-titanium laminate.
Significance: A major cybernetic augmentation received by Chase, symbolizing his physical transformation and the loss of his biological limb.
Artificial third node
Part of Skree's brain.
Significance: The mechanism through which Skree is controlled, designed to make external instructions feel like internal impulses.
Augmented body
A human body enhanced with technological modifications.
Significance: Grants Lesha superhuman abilities, making her a formidable fighter and crucial asset to the group's survival.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Digital information and visuals overlaid onto the real world.
Significance: The primary interface for interacting with systems and data in this world, crucial for Shelly's investigation.
Augmented Reality (AR) styling
Technology that applies dynamic visual overlays to physical objects, specifically clothing in this context.
Capabilities: Adds visual effects (stripes, flowers) to clothing that can react to movement.
Significance: A common, integrated technology in the Stella Metrofederacy, indicating a blend of physical and digital reality in daily life.
Augmented Vision
Vision enhanced with digital overlays.
Significance: A common interface technology in this world, showing how information is consumed.
Augmented-Reality Clothing
Physical jumpsuits with AR overlays.
Significance: Eliminates the need for a large physical wardrobe and laundry, as the 'outfit' is a projection. It symbolizes the system's focus on utility and appearance over tangible possessions, a point of dislike for Michelle.
Aural implant
Not physically described.
Significance: Part of the discreet communication system used by political figures and their aides, emphasizing the high-stakes environment where information control is crucial.
Automag pistol
Quincy's large pistol.
Significance: Quincy's primary weapon. The act of using it to kill is a pivotal moment for her character development in this chunk.
Autopacker
Part of the machinery in Production and Operations.
Significance: Its malfunction provides the reason for Chase and Quincy's reassignment, potentially offering them new opportunities or challenges.
Avatar
An augmented reality projection linked to the PID.
Significance: Part of the integrated AR environment, allowing users to present a desired appearance.
Ballistic armor
Thin armor on Chase's back.
Significance: Its failure to stop a knife reinforces the specific nature of threats faced and the armor's limitations.
Benzo/Psychostim Cocktail
Significance: Shows the use of neurochemicals for managing psychological states, particularly Skree's anxiety.
Binoculars
Significance: A vital tool for navigation, spotting threats, and identifying distant landmarks or vehicles.
Biometrics
Data related to biological measurements and characteristics.
Significance: Source of objective biological information used in forensic analysis.
Blacksmith-crafted weapon
A weapon crafted by a blacksmith, 'suited to his particular talents'.
Significance: Demmy's new preferred weapon, replacing his improvised tools, suggesting his integration into Fox River's operations.
Body Armor
Mismatch of protective gear.
Significance: Worn by the arriving TRG forces, indicating their preparedness and military nature.
Additional context: Standard equipment for security personnel, indicating the constant threat of physical violence.
Brass casing
A spent shell casing.
Significance: A tactile object Quincy uses as a nervous habit, representing her past life as a 'wildlander' and her current detachment from combat.
Broadcast drone
Significance: Part of the standard equipment for reporters, enabling mobile live broadcasts.
Broken cloth scissors
A damaged pair of scissors.
Significance: Highlights Demmy's unconventional and lethal fighting style.
Caf
Ink-black liquid served in stained cups.
Significance: A simple comfort and stimulant shared between Quincy and Lesha, highlighting the small pleasures available in their harsh environment.
Caliper
Not physically described.
Significance: A standard tool of Quincy's trade, representing her skill and focus on her work.
Camera
A device found by Demmy, with a cracked screen.
Alternative description: A camera with a damaged screen.
Significance: A personal item Demmy brought with him, potentially containing information or memories from his past. He hides it, suggesting its contents are sensitive or secret.
Additional context: Found with Demmy, potentially holds important information or is a clue to his activities.
Cameras
Old surveillance cameras.
Significance: A tool used by the Holdfast to maintain control and prevent escape, a major obstacle for the captives.
Canteen
Significance: A simple item used in an attempt by Chase to bridge the gap with Quincy.
Capsule/Pod
A container resting on an elevated tray, made of glass, where the body is stored.
Significance: The central piece of equipment for storing and examining deceased individuals in this setting.
Carboronitride Hyperlaminate
A material mentioned as superior.
Significance: Its unavailability in Broken Bow highlights the technological limitations of the location and the pragmatic choices required for Chase's treatment.
Case Management Tab
An interface within the PID.
Significance: Part of the official system for managing investigations and evidence.
Centrifuge, test tubes, slides
Standard laboratory equipment.
Significance: Grounds the futuristic setting in recognizable scientific practices, showing Fay's work involves biological/chemical analysis alongside cybernetics.
Ceramicrete crate
A heavy crate with illuminated controls and a human-shaped depression inside.
Significance: The final destination of Skree's escape in the VR simulation, serving as the transition point to her physical capture and transport.
CF-67 encrypted message
Significance: Represents the type of complex cryptographic problem Skree is designed to solve.
CF-67 Encryption
Metrofederacy's most advanced encryption standard, employing a multidimensional, holographic non-linear array model.
Significance: Used for high-clearance communications and restricted data; its presence in the mysterious data stream indicates the adversary has access to or can manipulate top-tier security systems.
Additional context: Indicates the high level of security required for the information being exchanged.
Chase's favorite rifle
Significance: Included in the gear for the potential rescue mission, hinting at Chase's capabilities.
Chase's rifle
A firearm.
Significance: Personal weapon of a key character, requiring repair after the incident.
Checkpoint scans / Thermal sensors
Significance: The reason given for Skree needing to be hidden in the crate and exposed to cold gas.
Chemjector
A device pulled from a pocket, with a needle.
Significance: Essential for Lesha to manage her withdrawal symptoms and function, highlighting her dependence and the holdfast's role in manufacturing the drug.
Chimera ring
A ring worn by Margdelain.
Significance: Represents Margdelain's authority and position as Chancelor.
Chip reader
Metal device with faded buttons.
Significance: Essential tool for conducting trade using the established currency, demonstrating the continued use of specific technologies in the post-apocalypse.
Citizen ID
A personal identification number.
Significance: Standard form of identity in this world.
Climate-controlled cab
Significance: Indicates the harshness of the external environment and the technological comfort provided by the vehicle.
Cloth bag
A bag placed over the head.
Significance: A tool of the captors to disorient and control the characters.
Club (Big Cleric's)
Long wooden handle supporting a roughly diamond-shaped metal head with eight flat metal protrusions like blades.
Significance: A unique and dangerous weapon wielded by the Big Cleric, highlighting his role as a powerful physical threat and the violent nature of the organization's enforcers.
Color-coded tabs
Significance: Part of the chaotic but functional system Shelly uses to manage her data.
Com stud
Small electronic device worn near the ear
Significance: Enables instant communication between characters, crucial for relaying information and orders over distance.
Combat knife
A long knife.
Significance: Weapon used by the emaciated young man in desperate hand-to-hand combat.
Combat knife (long, black)
A long, black knife.
Significance: Lesha's weapon, used in her decisive intervention against Carl.
Combat knife (ultrasonic power)
Wicked-looking knife that hums.
Significance: The weapon used by the mercenaries in the VR simulation, highlighting the lethality of the staged attack.
Comms
Communication device/system.
Significance: Essential for command and control, and a source of conflict (Margdelain's tirade).
Comms mic
Significance: Used by Jeb to coordinate the TRG element.
Communication blackout period
Significance: A built-in system process that creates a window of uncertainty and isolation after major decisions are made, adding to the tension and risk.
Communicator (handheld)
A little handheld device with a screen.
Alternative description: A handheld device with a screen.
Alternative description: A little handheld device with a screen.
Significance: A standard personal communication device, but this specific one becomes a crucial plot device for delivering urgent information.
Additional context: The key item that allows Demmy to discover Evelyn's location, driving the plot forward and revealing the impossible nature of where she was taken.
Additional context: A standard personal communication device, but this specific one becomes a crucial plot device for delivering urgent information.
Communicator / Handheld
A portable electronic device.
Significance: A primary tool for character interaction and connection, particularly between Evelyn and Demmy. Its acquisition and use drive part of Evelyn's actions.
Connections toolkit / Virtual tap
Software or interface described as 'archaic,' 'clunky,' and 'old,' with many drop-downs and toggles.
Significance: Highlights Shelly's technical expertise with older systems and provides access to critical, hidden data outside the standard network.
Context-sensitive menus
Significance: Another example of the integrated, intuitive technology interface.
Control matrices
Significance: The core of Skree's programming that Li Mei seeks to control and Fay seeks to bypass.
Coolant system
Significance: A necessary component for enabling advanced computing, indicating the physical demands of the technology.
Cordite
Smell.
Significance: Evidence of the recent violent conflict.
Corneal display
Low-resolution interface displayed directly in the user's eye.
Alternative description: Installed overlays on the cornea.
Significance: Represents the inferior technology available in the Wildlands compared to the Metrofederacy, a source of frustration for Margdelain.
Additional context: A transitional technology highlighting the progression towards full neural integration; contrasts with older tech from the Free City.
Corpus Callosum Interface
A 'third lane' added to the brain's connection.
Significance: Fay's pioneering technology for subtle, direct mind control.
Couple's pod
Automated private rooms designed for intimate encounters.
Capabilities: Provides a secluded space for private activities.
Significance: A technological amenity facilitating private recreation and intimacy.
Courseware / Tutorials
Virtual learning materials delivered via sensory implants.
Significance: The primary method of education and skill acquisition in the Metrofederacy, facilitated directly by the AI.
Cranberry tabs
Significance: A mundane health item, contrasting with the high-tech environment, showing basic biological needs still exist.
Cred chip / Ident chip
A small plastic cuboid case containing a chip (1cm).
Significance: Crucial for identity verification and access; Fay manipulates this to insert a forged version with hidden functions.
Cryptowitch
Not a physical item, but a professional role.
Significance: Highlights the presence of specialized technological skills in the world and is necessary for Quincy's plans involving selling assets.
Cyan guide line
A blinking line of cyan light that appears on the floor.
Significance: Guides Shelly from her apartment to her transport.
Cybermancer
Significance: A specialized medical professional needed for complex injuries involving potential cybernetic intervention, suggesting the integration of tech and biology in healthcare.
Cybermancer's Metallic Fingers/Hands
Segmented metal protuberances, multi-jointed, tipped with various tools (blade, saw, needle, clamp).
Significance: The primary tools of the Cybermancer, representing the advanced and invasive nature of cybernetic surgery.
Cybernetic appendages
Artificial limbs
Significance: Mentioned as a potential solution for severe injuries like Chase's broken arm, indicating advanced medical technology exists.
Cybernetic com gear
Significance: Its prohibition by Li Mei in her division emphasizes the secretive and perhaps low-tech or secure nature of communication preferred within Balance Party Special Projects.
Datapad
A handheld electronic device.
Significance: Indicates some level of technology persists, used by different groups. Access to them can be difficult (Demmy had to buy time on one).
Delivery drone
Significance: Part of the background environment, illustrating the common use of automated technology in the Metrofederacy.
Dermabond tape
A type of tape from a first aid kit.
Significance: An advanced medical supply that highlights the difference between the resources available to caravanners (or those with access to them) and wildlanders, enabling treatment of injuries that might otherwise be fatal.
Dermahesive patch
Significance: Part of the advanced medical treatment for injuries like Chase's stab wound.
Dermoweave
Thumb-sized hexagonal patches covering Lesha's exposed skin, described as dark and tessellated. It is armored.
Alternative description: Hexagonal patterned skin-like armor.
Alternative description: Cable-like muscles shifting underneath.
Significance: A combat-grade enhancement from Lesha's past as a merc, now a physical reminder of her former life and current limitations (only specific points can be pierced).
Additional context: Worn by the mercenaries in the VR simulation, indicating their enhanced nature.
Additional context: Another example of advanced human enhancement.
Designer Hallucinogen ("Riff")
Significance: An example of personalized, technologically administered recreational drugs.
Dice
Small objects used in a game.
Significance: A tool for temporary distraction and recreation within the caravan camp.
Digital designer / Color sampling tool
A digital tool within an interface.
Significance: Used by Shelly to tag her virtual tap connection with a color symbolic of her emotional state and the investigation's context.
Digital map
A map displayed on a screen.
Significance: Indicates the restricted nature of Evelyn's location by not displaying it.
Direct Plasma Sintering Metal Fabricator
An advanced 3D metal printer.
Significance: Represents the cutting-edge technology available for education and creation within the system, exciting to those who embrace it like Randy.
Dirty bathtub stims
Significance: A general term for the drugs used by ravagers, explaining their enhanced physical capabilities.
Dolly
Significance: Used to transport Skree's physical case.
Drone
Tiny flying machine, too small for anyone to ride, somehow automatic.
Significance: Represents advanced 'corp-tech' that is rare and valuable, suggesting different levels of technology exist in the world.
Drone Feeds
Video captured by drones.
Significance: The source of the disturbing video from the wildlands, showing remote monitoring capabilities.
Electric motor
The vehicle's drive mechanism.
Alternative description: Motors powering the caravan's trucks.
Significance: The core of the vehicle's propulsion system, its hum contrasting with the vehicle's mechanical noise.
Additional context: Indicates the power source for the caravan's mobility, suggesting a post-fossil fuel era.
Embedded ID Chip
A chip embedded in the wrist.
Significance: A common form of personal identification and transaction.
Encrypted stream
Significance: The focus of Lucas's alarming discovery, linking two distant locations and potentially Randy's identity.
Environmental controls
Automated system within the concert hall.
Significance: Allows customization of physical space for specific purposes, used by Shelly to create her desired atmosphere for focus.
Environmentally controlled cab / Filtered air
Significance: Emphasizes the luxury and technological advancement of the TEG-4 compared to the outside environment.
Ethanol fuel cells
Significance: Indicates the reliance on alternative, likely scavenged or produced, fuel sources in this post-apocalyptic world.
Faraday cage
A shielded enclosure.
Alternative description: Layers of shielding.
Significance: Essential technology for achieving privacy and conducting clandestine operations outside Stella's monitoring. The meeting room in Tahua is a Faraday cage.
Additional context: Used to ensure complete secrecy for the meeting, preventing any electronic eavesdropping or communication with Stella.
Fat, pliable tires
Large, flexible tires.
Significance: Highlights the vehicle's capability for off-road travel in a harsh environment.
Fiber-optic communications cluster
A box plugged into a recessed port on a table.
Significance: Represents the advanced, secure communication methods used in this world.
File server (*nix-style)
A digital server structured with nested folders and containing various types of raw data (packet captures, logs, images, etc.).
Significance: Contains the crucial information Shelly has been seeking for her investigation, provided by her mother's team.
Flat panel
Likely a screen or interface, possibly related to power management.
Significance: Part of their power system, allowing them to manage and utilize collected energy.
Flier
Significance: How Lesha traveled to the holdfast, indicating a level of transportation technology exists.
Flushing toilet and shower
Standard bathroom fixtures.
Significance: Mentioned as a notable comfort and upgrade compared to their previous conditions, indicating a certain level of infrastructure within the Holdfast.
Fly-eyes
Millimeter cameras/drones that detach from Werner's shoulder.
Significance: Provide flexible, mobile camera perspectives for detailed recording.
Fog-Proof Camera (in showerhead)
A small camera integrated into the showerhead.
Significance: An example of how technology is integrated into even the most private spaces for convenience and efficiency.
Forensic analysis suite / EVAT (Explosive Vector Analysis Toolkit)
Software that runs on Shelly's PID, presenting as semi-transparent layers across her vision.
Significance: Shelly's primary investigative tool, allowing her to quickly and accurately determine the nature and origin of the explosion.
Forensic drones
Significance: Specialized tools essential for a detailed, systematic investigation of the disaster site.
Forensic Investigator III certification system
A credentialing system that assesses and certifies individuals for forensic investigation roles
Capabilities: Administers exams, scores performance, grants provisional certification status
Significance: Represents the meritocratic aspect of this society, where access is determined by demonstrated skill
Forensic Investigator IV (FI-4)
Significance: A crucial certification Shelly needs to execute her plan to investigate and potentially apprehend the adversary.
Forensic Toolkit
Automated tools integrated with the capsule/pod.
Significance: Enables highly advanced and automated forensic investigation, contrasting with traditional methods.
Fox River four-seater / TEG-4
A fancy, advanced vehicle, described as a four-seater. Later identified as a TEG-4.
Significance: Represents Chase's wealth and privilege; provides comfort and advanced features but is ultimately vulnerable to attack.
Fox River seal/ring
A chimera with a badger's head, wolf's body, and eagle's wings battling a rattlesnake. Appears on the wall and on Margdelain's ring.
Significance: Represents the identity and struggles of Fox River, mirroring Margdelain's own perceived battle for control and survival.
Freelance server farm
Significance: Mentioned as a location for a blacklisted group, suggesting a hub for illicit digital activity.
Fuel cell
A component with a catalyzer mesh inside, fueled by 'puro' (ethanol).
Significance: Represents a potentially faster or more reliable charging technology, sought after but not found.
Full VR immersion mode
Significance: Represents a high level of technological advancement enabling deep interaction with digital spaces.
Full-Immersion Tri-D Simulation
A highly realistic virtual world experienced as reality.
Significance: Skree's entire existence and training ground, controlled by Fay.
Gas analyzer
Significance: A forensic tool used in the investigation to find evidence related to the disappearance of the caravan members.
Gavin's Canvas Pack
A crumpled canvas pack left behind.
Significance: A physical remnant of Gavin, left at the scene of the attack, picked up by the skerv kid.
Geothermal Power Plant
Thrumming beneath the outpost.
Significance: Shows the advanced energy infrastructure of the Metrofederacy and the massive power demands of the Stella AI hardware.
Glowing Line Guide
A glowing line appearing on the floor.
Significance: Automated navigation system within the archive.
Glowing Tag
A thin vertical tag glowing faintly in synthetic brick.
Significance: A subtle form of identification in this futuristic setting.
Golden pendant with flaming sword
A golden pendant depicting a flaming sword, worn around the neck.
Significance: A gift from Brother Olafsen to Demmy, symbolizing blessing, guidance, or perhaps a connection to the Order's deeper beliefs. It marks Demmy's departure on his mission with a physical token.
Goldilocks Zone
Significance: Illustrates Stella's role in personal development and goal achievement, framing it as a supportive, albeit potentially controlling, system.
Graphene-Based Sensory Matrix
Part of the GL-7Q arm.
Significance: Allows the prosthetic arm to simulate the sense of touch, enhancing its functionality and integration.
Graphene-Titanium Laminate
The material used for the outer layer of the GL-7Q arm.
Significance: An advanced material used in cybernetic prosthetics, indicating the technological level of the world.
Grenade
Significance: Used by the attackers to incapacitate the characters during the ambush.
Handheld Communicator
A device playing music.
Significance: Provides background noise that helps mask Demmy's actions during the first kill. Belongs to Anthony.
Handheld device
A small black rectangle, slightly larger than a hand, newer than the datapad.
Significance: A means for Demmy and Evelyn to communicate secretly in the future, representing a step towards continued connection and potentially further clandestine activities.
Headset
A communication device worn on the head.
Significance: Standard equipment for the Order's monitoring personnel, facilitating internal communication regarding system alerts.
Heatmap overlays
Significance: A type of data analysis found in Michelle's dataset, suggesting surveillance or tracking information.
Heavy machine gun
A large firearm.
Significance: Indicates the scale and intensity of the external attack on the holdfast.
Hexagonal Armored Tiles
Tiny armored tiles tessellating the skin of mercenaries.
Significance: Represent advanced body modification and enhancement technology.
HID Pattern in Mouth
Mentioned as something that can be printed in the mouth.
Significance: Part of a suite of augmentations for control, suggesting alternative input methods for augmented individuals.
High-powered scope
A scope attached to a rifle.
Significance: Highlights Chase's advanced equipment and exceptional skill as a marksman.
Holo / VR
A simulated reality environment.
Significance: The primary setting for the initial part of the chunk, used by Fay to manipulate Skree's experience.
Holo chips
Significance: Part of the gambling culture in Quincy's past caravan life.
Holocred chip
A chip used for payment.
Significance: Represents the standard form of currency in Fox River.
Holocred chip injector
A compact device with a needle and screw-on cap.
Significance: A method for transferring currency directly into a person.
Holocred chips
Significance: The primary medium of exchange for valuable goods and services (like passage or residency) in this world, highlighting a blend of advanced tech and societal collapse where physical goods are also crucial.
Holocred network
Significance: Likely a critical financial or data network in this world, highlighting the importance of its security.
Holocred reader
A device slid across the desk.
Significance: Represents the futuristic monetary system and means of payment.
Holocred transactional security
Significance: Mentioned as using technology similar to CF-67, suggesting advanced security features in the financial system.
Holocreds
Not physically described.
Significance: Represents the obsolete economic system the family left behind, contrasting with the Metrofederacy's compensation packages.
Holographic Ads
Flickering displays around the room's edges.
Significance: Part of the setting's atmosphere, highlighting the prevalence of body modification and augmentation in this world.
Holographic display
Significance: Provides a stark, visual representation of the crisis Giles is trying to address, emphasizing the scale of the human loss.
Holographic encryption
Significance: Indicates a sophisticated level of data security in this world.
Holographic Grief Counselor (Naomi)
A projected three-dimensional image of a person.
Significance: Represents the human-like interface of the AI system for emotional support, but also its limitations when faced with complex, system-related issues.
Holographic non-linear array algorithm
Significance: Provides context for the type of advanced security measures present in this world.
Holos
Not physically described, but lost during gambling.
Significance: Represents a form of value or currency within the caravan, used for recreation and potentially trade.
Holos (Holocreds)
Significance: Represents the form of currency or value exchange in this future setting.
Holotainment center
A physical space designed to facilitate immersive virtual reality experiences.
Capabilities: Provides a physical base for VR, potentially controlling environmental factors like temperature and airflow via its reactive floor.
Significance: A key recreational and creative technology, central to the characters' leisure activities.
Holotank
Significance: A tool for reviewing and analyzing recorded sensory data in a highly immersive way.
Honeypot
Carefully curated breadcrumbs in a system.
Significance: Used by Fay to manipulate Randy's sister, demonstrating her ongoing schemes.
Hookah Pipe
Brass tip, snaking tube, connected to a hookah.
Significance: Part of the Cybermancer's characterization and the clinic's atmosphere, adding an unsettling, non-standard element to the sterile environment.
Hydroponics vats
Rows of vats, mostly dark and dormant, but a couple show signs of life.
Significance: Indicates the holdfast's past reliance on advanced agriculture and the current state of decay in their infrastructure.
Hygienics menu
A digital interface.
Significance: Illustrates the automated and on-demand nature of basic services.
Hyper-performance mode
Significance: Indicates the advanced capabilities of computing hardware and the risks associated with pushing technology to its limits.
Hypersonic jet
Sleek, swept-wing aircraft.
Significance: Illustrates the advanced transportation available within the Metrofederacy and serves as a setting for Cervantes's private reflection after the meeting.
Implantable holocred chip / Holocred injector
A device containing a large sum of money, injected into a person.
Significance: A significant amount of wealth transferred discreetly; represents Chase's mother's influence and potentially puts Quincy in danger due to its value.
Implants
Unblinking glossy orange eye replacements (Qasim's).
Significance: Shows the level of cybernetic enhancement available and integrated into human life in the Metrofederacy.
Implants (optical, corneal, lip mic, aural, lingual interface)
Internal cybernetic enhancements.
Significance: Represent a significant technological divide. Characters with implants have direct access to information and communication, giving them a major advantage over those without, like Quincy.
Incubation Chamber/Pod
A chamber containing thick incubation gel where clones mature.
Significance: The core technology for creating beings like Skree.
Incubation tank
A tank used for incubation.
Significance: Where Skree was previously held before being transferred.
Info board
A monitoring station with six screens.
Significance: Represents the Order's surveillance capabilities and is the interface through which the activated datapad is detected.
Infopanel
Significance: A standard tool for managing daily life and work, its inaccessibility in the Faraday cage highlights the isolation.
Injection / Prick
A sharp prick in the neck.
Significance: Used by the captors to subdue the characters after capture.
Injector tool
Significance: The device used to implant the chip; Fay attempts to use her own manipulated version.
Insectile Probes
Small, insect-like probes detaching from the capsule's rails.
Significance: Advanced, non-invasive automated tools for detailed internal forensic examination.
InteractDB utility
An open-source AR utility.
Significance: A tool Skree uses to navigate social interactions, highlighting her difficulty with them.
Intercom
Significance: Used by the man in overalls to communicate with Skree inside the crate.
Interface code / Back doors / Logic bombs
Programming elements within a system.
Significance: Represents the digital tools used by Fay to maintain control or create diversions within Skree's system.
Interface Plug/Port
A cable bundle and a port on Skree's abdomen.
Significance: Allows Skree to access her full computational potential, highlighting her unique physical integration with technology and her dependence on external resources for peak performance.
Internal Processor
A computer core installed in Skree's body.
Significance: The source of Skree's extraordinary intelligence and computational power.
IV bag
A bag hanging from a hook, connected to a tube.
Significance: Part of the medical treatment administered to injured characters like Chase.
IV bags
Bags containing fluids connected to veins
Significance: Essential medical technology for treating critically injured patients.
IV tube
A tube protruding from Demmy's arm.
Significance: A standard medical technology that is initially terrifying and alien to Demmy, highlighting his unfamiliarity with modern healthcare.
Jump node / Utility Chiller 13
Significance: A vector used by Fay to access systems remotely, highlighting her hacking abilities.
Kitchen module
A modular unit that can be ordered and integrated into a living space.
Significance: An example of modular living technology.
Knife (Stiletto)
A stiletto with a 30-centimeter blade, brass grip, and finger guard; made by an armorer.
Significance: A personal weapon made specifically for Demmy, replacing a previous makeshift weapon (broken scissors), indicating his reliance on close-quarters combat and the importance placed on his effectiveness.
LED light strips
Low lights on the ceiling.
Significance: Part of the infrastructure of the hidden area.
Legacy cables
Cables that fit the datapad.
Significance: Suggests that older electronic devices and their connectors are still in use alongside newer technology.
Legacy link
Significance: Indicates a need for secure or private communication outside the standard system, hinting at potential surveillance or the sensitive nature of Shelly's message.
Letter Openers
Gleaming slivers of steel with handles bearing the Order's emblem (cross-shaped sword with two flaming snakes).
Significance: Repurposed everyday items used effectively as deadly weapons, highlighting Demmy's resourcefulness and the brutal nature of his methods. The emblem on the handle adds a layer of irony/conflict for Demmy.
Light-amplification loop (Night vision loop)
Looks like thick glasses with one lens (Quincy's primary). A slightly clunkier backup set with one thick lens.
Significance: A crucial tool for navigation and stealth in the dark, highlighting the technological advantages caravanners might have and enabling dangerous nighttime actions.
Limiters (on processor)
Significance: Highlights the potential dangers or resource costs of operating technology at maximum capacity.
Lingual Input Device
Combination of mag-dot implant and reactive ink patterns.
Significance: A unique and intuitive method of interacting with the AI, highlighting the deep integration of technology with the human body.
Lingual interface
Significance: Allows for hands-free interaction with systems and menus.
Localcast menu
Significance: A common method for accessing menus in this world.
Localcasting
Transmitting data directly to another person's neural interface or augmented reality.
Significance: The primary method of sharing complex information between individuals.
Localized holos
Significance: Allowed Fay to interact with her victims in pleasure pods without being physically present, enabling her to avoid detection by Stella and maintain her detachment.
Localnet
Significance: Crippled by the Macrobus issue, requiring manual data transfer via runners, highlighting the breakdown of normal communication.
Localnet security cam
Significance: Used by Fay's thrall to skim data from the real cred chip.
Location services
A function on the communicator.
Significance: Crucial plot device that pinpoints Evelyn's location, revealing she is in a mysterious, inaccessible area and confirming she was taken against her will.
Location tracking
A feature on devices and monitoring systems.
Significance: Used by Evelyn to share her location with Demmy as a gesture of connection. Used by the Order to pinpoint the location of the activated datapad, revealing it is within their facility.
Lock
Significance: The immediate obstacle to escape, highlighting Quincy's desire for her toolbox.
Long-throw suspension
Significance: Enhances the vehicle's ability to traverse challenging landscapes smoothly.
Low-light optics
Optical devices (likely goggles or scope) that amplify available light.
Significance: Essential tool for movement and observation at night, highlighting the dangers and necessary adaptations for operating after dark in this world.
Lye-filled, chemically resistant bag
A bag containing lye.
Significance: Used in the murder of Councilman Bivualier.
Machine gun (on trucks)
Mounted on the backs of trucks, uses belts of rounds.
Significance: The primary defensive weapons of the caravan defenders.
Machine guns
Mounted atop rusty scissor-lifts on heavy trucks.
Significance: Highlights the constant danger faced by the caravan and the necessity of being heavily armed for survival.
Macrobus
Stella's neural lattice, connecting virtually every square centimeter of the planet.
Significance: Mentioned as a place where historical information can be looked up, suggesting a form of stored knowledge exists in this world.
Macrobus protocol
A network layer 'one level up' from StellaNet, operating outside its jurisdiction.
Significance: Represents a hidden, potentially unregulated digital space where sensitive information is kept.
Mag-dot Implant
Implant in the tip of the tongue.
Significance: A key component of the lingual input device, enabling precise interaction with the AI interface.
Maglev track
Significance: Part of the advanced transportation infrastructure.
Maintenance bot
Significance: A commonplace domestic technology.
Makeshift Mirror (Glass Shard)
A palm-size shard of broken glass dug from the dirt.
Significance: A simple but effective survival technique used by the skerv kid, demonstrating practical knowledge of the environment.
Malware (Fay's)
Scripted and encoded behavioral packages delivered via tri-D.
Significance: Fay's secret weapon and tool for rebellion/revenge against Li Mei's agents.
Massage Chair
Integrated into the meditation pod.
Significance: Part of the meditation pod's therapeutic features, highlighting the attempt to use technology to soothe physical and emotional pain.
MD Certification (Metrofederacy Path – Clinical Track)
Significance: A key professional goal for Shelly, necessary for advancing her career path.
Med bus
A vehicle used for medical purposes.
Significance: A mobile medical facility crucial for immediate care in the field.
Med kit
A bag containing medical supplies.
Significance: Used by Shelly to treat Evelyn before transport.
Medevac
Medical evacuation vehicle/system
Significance: Enabled the rescue and transport of the injured man to Fox River, highlighting advanced medical capabilities.
Meditation Pod
A personal enclosed space with a form-fitting chair and massage function.
Significance: A technological tool intended for well-being, used here as a symbol of forced therapy and Michelle's internal struggle against prescribed methods of coping.
Memchip
A small data storage device.
Significance: Part of the items Quincy uses to prove her identity, suggesting a level of technological access or record-keeping within the caravan.
Message interface
A digital interface for communication, messages can 'hover' in the user's vision.
Significance: The primary means of communication, central to the pivotal exchange between Shelly and her mother.
Metadata breakdowns
Significance: A method used by Shelly to understand the context and origin of the information.
Metal bed, woven reed mat, metal chair, bucket, fold-down shelf
Basic furnishings in the cell.
Significance: Illustrate the primitive and harsh conditions of the captivity.
Metrofederacy
Significance: Fox River is considering joining it; Jessop views it as an enemy; joining it is Margdelain's primary goal.
Metrofederacy walls
Massive structures.
Significance: Physical barriers separating the protected cities from the dangerous wasteland, symbolizing the societal divide.
MG barrels (.30 cals)
Parts of machine guns.
Significance: Indicates the type of weaponry used in the prior engagement and the state of equipment after combat.
Microdot
An embedded device, specifically mentioned as being in the tip of the tongue.
Significance: Another example of Wildlander tech, integrated into the body for interface control.
Microdot Controller
A small controller.
Significance: Part of a suite of augmentations for control, suggesting various methods for interacting with cybernetics.
Microphone Stud
A piercing stud in the bottom lip.
Significance: An older technology the family already possessed, integrated into the Stella system for voice commands.
Mindmaps
Significance: Part of the analytical tools Shelly uses to process the complex data.
Mirrored panel
An instantiated panel that shows a reflection.
Significance: A personal utility item used by Shelly, highlighting her self-awareness despite her exhaustion.
Monitors
Electronic medical equipment
Significance: Crucial for monitoring the condition of critically ill patients in the medical ward.
Monorail system
Snakes towards the ceiling and out of sight, with empty buckets dangling.
Significance: Another example of the large-scale, non-functional infrastructure of the past.
Motor pool
A place where vehicles are kept.
Significance: Indicates the resources and infrastructure available to Fox River.
Motorized Cleaning Bots
Robotic cleaners.
Significance: Part of the automated infrastructure that maintains the pristine environment, contributing to the overall efficiency and lack of personal chores.
Multifunc (Shower)
A unit that provides showering and potentially other functions.
Significance: A standard utility in Skree's simulated apartment, highlighting the automated nature of her environment.
Multifunc interface
A digital interface, possibly projected or screen-based.
Significance: Represents a common, convenient technology for obtaining necessities in this world.
Multifunctional corner
A section within the study pod.
Significance: Shows the integration of technology into daily life and the efficiency/compactness of living spaces.
Multifunctional Corner/Area
Physical doorways within an apartment unit.
Significance: A key feature of the efficient, shared-resource model of the apartment complex, eliminating the need for permanent, personal bathrooms, etc. It symbolizes the system's focus on utility over personal ownership.
Nav computer
A computer system within the vehicle.
Significance: Essential tool for piloting and locating destinations in the world.
Navigator
Significance: Chase leaving it behind is seen as evidence of his reckless and unplanned actions.
Nerve Block
Significance: Used to keep Chase still during treatment and manage pain, but also contributes to his fear and helplessness by paralyzing him.
Net-casting
A method used by the Master Scrivener's team.
Significance: Highlights the surveillance and data analysis capabilities available, even with Wildlander tech, for political or investigative purposes.
Network nodes
Significance: Mentioned in relation to erased logs and dissolved nodes, indicating efforts to hide digital activity.
Neural Interface
A system that allows digital information to be displayed directly in the user's vision and controlled through physical actions like tongue movements
Capabilities: Displays certification results, allows opening new tabs, enables text input through tongue movements
Significance: Enables seamless, rapid communication and data sharing between individuals.
Neurochem Menu
A glowing bar or menu in peripheral vision accessed by tongue movements.
Significance: Shows the integration of chemistry and technology for mood and experience alteration.
Neurochem thralls
Significance: Indicates Fay's ability to control other people through technological or chemical means.
Neurochemical Profile/Deviation Map
A digital representation (ghosted wireframe) of the body highlighting neurochemical data.
Significance: Provides critical data on the deceased's mental and physiological state leading up to death, revealing suffering.
Neuroject
A device or system related to neurochemical regulation.
Significance: Central to understanding the deceased's final physiological state and the potential cause/nature of death. Its logs are subject to falsification.
Neuroject hacks
Significance: A highly controversial and ethically disturbing technology proposed as a solution for creating a compelled workforce, revealing the dark side of advanced bio-technology and control.
Neuroject implant
An implantable device allowing direct injection of neurochemicals into the user's brain.
Capabilities: Can deliver specific cocktails of neurochemicals (Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Oxytocin, etc.) to alter mood and sensation.
Significance: A powerful, potentially risky bio-enhancement technology that allows users to directly manipulate their emotional and physical state, used here to enhance sexual experience.
Neuroject menu
An internal display interface used to control the neuroject implant.
Capabilities: Allows users to select and set doses of neurochemicals.
Significance: The user interface for the neuroject implant, making the technology controllable by the individual.
Night vision goggles
Goggles lifted onto the forehead.
Significance: Aids Demmy in navigating the dark holdfast streets during the escape.
Nikon
A brand name rotating around Werner's optical processors.
Significance: Indicates the manufacturer or quality of Werner's cybernetic eyes/sensors.
Noise cancellation devices
Devices installed in the couple's pod.
Capabilities: Block external sound.
Significance: Enhance the privacy and immersion of the experience within the pod.
Numeric header flag
Significance: The specific piece of data Lucas finds that matches Randy's citizen ID and birthday time, suggesting a deliberate link.
Nutrition bar
Compressed food, dry and flaky.
Significance: Represents the functional, unappealing nature of food in this society and Shelly's poor self-care.
Omnicharger
A device on the nightstand.
Significance: A piece of common technology in this world, allowing Demmy to power his datapad.
Optic Nerve Implant
Tiny interface collars secured by bioconforming gel, linked by growing molecular crystal strands.
Significance: The core technology enabling direct neural interface and integration with Stella, central to the Metrofederacy's control and information system.
Optical processor
Significance: Provides an interface that Fay exploited to gain control over subjects' neuroject implants through layered, undetectable scripts.
Optical processors
Werner's silver eyes, containing sensors.
Significance: Integrated cybernetics that are crucial for his job as a cameraman/tech specialist.
Packet headers
Significance: Where Lucas discovers the significant numeric flag linking the encrypted stream to Randy.
Packet traces
Significance: A type of data in Michelle's dataset, useful for tracking digital communication and activity.
Painkillers
Significance: Highlights the severity of Chase's injuries and the level of medical care available.
Parts wash
A murky wash bucket.
Significance: A tool of Quincy's trade, essential for her work, and also serves as a surface for her reflection.
Pendant
An item worn by Demmy.
Significance: Helps Demmy blend in as 'just another brother'.
Pendant (Order symbol)
A small cross-shaped sword hanging from its pommel, with two flaming snakes twisting around the blade.
Significance: Represents the Order's identity and its dual nature, combining religious faith (cross) with force/conflict (sword, snakes, flame).
Penlight
A small light source.
Significance: A practical tool Demmy uses to navigate the dark service corridors, enabling his movement towards Evelyn's location.
Pentafan
A massive, gray aircraft with five enormous gimbaled thrusters on stubby stalks, an ovoid fuselage.
Significance: Represents a level of advanced technology and power (likely military or governmental, like the Metrofederacy) far beyond that of the characters, a fleeting but awe-inspiring presence in the sky.
Personal handheld device
A handheld electronic device.
Significance: A common personal electronic device used to share crucial evidence in a digital format.
Phase coil
A component within the ravager cart.
Significance: Its condition determines the functionality of the ravager cart.
Phone
A personal communication device.
Significance: Used by Evelyn, highlighting her attempt to reconnect with someone important despite the surrounding chaos.
Physical display screen
A fifteen-centimeter screen on the communications cluster.
Significance: Part of the secure communication technology, providing basic feedback.
PID
A personal information device, likely integrated or projected into the user's periphery.
Significance: Its lack of signal in the shielded room highlights the complete isolation and secrecy of the meeting.
PID (Personal ID)
A device or interface, possibly integrated into the user's vision.
Significance: The primary interface through which citizens receive official information and interact with the system. It delivers the devastating news of Randy's death.
PID (Personal Identification Device)
A personal device, likely integrated or accessed via AR/neural interface.
Significance: The interface through which individuals interact with and control aspects of the Stella system and their personal data.
PID (Personal Identity Device)
A personal device, likely integrated or handheld.
Significance: Essential tool for interacting with the automated world, managing identity, accessing information, and conducting investigations.
PID (Personal Information Device)
Accessed by tapping the tongue.
Significance: A common personal device demonstrating the integrated nature of technology in this society, used for accessing data and interacting with systems.
PID (Personal Information Display)
A black square or dashboard with graphs and readouts projected into the user's vision.
Significance: The primary visual interface for accessing personal information and interacting with Stella.
PID Logs
Data logs associated with a Personal Identity Device.
Significance: Provides a digital record of a person's life and interactions, crucial for investigations but subject to privacy restrictions and potential manipulation.
Pistol
A firearm carried by Lenya Tam.
Significance: A symbol of Lenya's authority and willingness to use force to maintain order and protect her interests.
Pistol (.45 automag)
A handgun.
Significance: Their primary weapon, limited in effectiveness against multiple enemies, also represents a last resort (suicide) in dire circumstances.
Pistol (10mm)
A handgun, 10mm caliber.
Significance: Chase's secondary weapon, crucial for his survival in the desperate hand-to-hand fight.
Pistol-gripped shotgun
Holstered on Davian's belt.
Significance: A common weapon for personal protection, even for leaders.
Podlev
Magnetic levitation pods that travel in chains through the city.
Significance: Mentioned as a standard mode of transport that Shelly chooses not to use, highlighting her state of mind and preference for walking.
Podlevs
Sleek, luminous, ovoid-shaped vehicles that glide soundlessly.
Significance: A common mode of futuristic transportation in this world.
Power capacitor
Significance: The specific part that needed replacing to fix the console, highlighting the technical nature of Quincy's task.
PPN
Part of a digital address format.
Significance: Indicates a specific type of network or address system, possibly associated with 'free cities' outside the Metrofederacy.
Profiler software
Software used to analyze a detected signature.
Significance: Used by Shelly to confirm the heat signature detected by Werner's drone was a living person.
Projected terminal
A virtual display of a computer terminal.
Significance: Shelly's interface for conducting her investigation, suggesting advanced display technology.
Psych consult
Significance: Part of the automated/systematic response to mental health concerns, leading to prescribed treatments.
Purification filters
Almost new.
Significance: Crucial technology for survival, making clean water a valuable and tradable commodity.
Puro
A home-brewed substance.
Significance: A potentially dangerous, multi-purpose substance highlighting the resourcefulness and risks taken by the caravan members for both practical needs and recreation.
Quadrafan
A flying vehicle with four rotors.
Significance: Used by Fox River for emergency medical evacuation (Demmy) and delivering supplies.
Quadrafan flier
An aircraft with four ducted electric fans.
Significance: Enables quick movement of personnel and critical transport in the setting.
Radio
Communication device on a gun belt.
Significance: The primary means of contact between Chase and the caravan, initiating the plot point.
Radio / Comms device
A small, handheld device found in a ravager vehicle.
Significance: Provides a potential means to contact the caravan or other groups, and later reveals crucial information about the 'wolfpack'.
Ration bar
Significance: A basic survival item given to Evelyn after her rescue.
Ration bars (Caravan preserved food)
Dark strips of food, rich, made of mashed meat, berries, animal fat, and salt, dried and stored in plastic bags.
Significance: A valuable and long-lasting food source from the caravan, representing a link to Quincy's past life and a crucial resource for survival. Used as currency/trade.
Ravager rifle
Significance: Used by the dark-headed woman, showing that the defenders are armed and fighting back.
Ravager special vehicle
A wrecked vehicle, longer than their buggy, with a tube frame, stripped shell covered in jagged flat iron and barbed wire. One front wheel is kicked out.
Significance: Indicates the presence and nature of 'Ravagers'. Its wrecked state provides Quincy with parts needed to repair her own vehicle.
Ravager two-seater cart
A ground vehicle, initially half-busted with a burned phase coil, later a second one in slightly better condition.
Significance: Used by Quincy and Demmy to escape the ravager camp and return to the caravan site.
Reactive floor
A component of the holotainment center floor.
Capabilities: Precisely controls temperature, airflow, and moisture within the physical space.
Significance: Enhances the physical realism and comfort of the VR experience by controlling environmental factors.
Reactive Ink Patterns
Patterns laid on the hard palate and inside the bottom row of teeth.
Significance: Part of the lingual input system, providing a tactile interface for controlling Stella.
Reader
Significance: Indicates a system for digital contracts and financial transactions, suggesting a level of technological infrastructure even in a remote holdfast context.
Reconstructed vision captures
Significance: A type of data in Michelle's dataset, suggesting advanced surveillance or data recovery capabilities.
Recyclable chopsticks
Pre-stained to look used.
Significance: An example of the Metrofederacy's artificial 'dystopian' aesthetic, highlighting the contrast between appearance and reality and Shelly's disdain for it.
Recyclable Food Containers
Containers used for food.
Significance: A mundane detail highlighting the everyday life interrupted by tragedy and suggesting a society focused on sustainability.
Recyclable Items
Items designed to be 100% recyclable, including food delivery boxes, cutlery, and potentially toiletries/brushes.
Significance: Highlights the societal priority shift towards efficiency and sustainability, but is viewed negatively by Michelle as contributing to the lack of personal, lasting possessions.
Recycling hamper
Significance: Where Shelly throws her unwashed nightshirt, symbolizing her attempt to transition from her state of intense work and neglect.
Red rectangle clip
A clip worn on the front of the guard's robes.
Significance: A visual marker identifying the guard's status.
Reminder Dot
A visual cue, an AR projection in the user's vision.
Significance: An example of how the Stella AI provides subtle guidance and task management in daily life.
Remote brick
A command or function within the monitoring system.
Significance: A security protocol used by the Order to neutralize compromised or lost devices.
Remote-operated silicone doll
A physical doll used in conjunction with localized holos.
Significance: Part of Fay's method for interacting with victims remotely, maintaining her physical distance and avoiding detection.
Reply icon
Significance: The point of interaction where Shelly decides to respond to her father, marking a shift in her focus.
Repurposed scissors
Scissors concealed beneath Demmy's sleeve.
Significance: Represents Demmy's readiness for violence and resourcefulness in using available items.
Residual Neurochemistry Audit
A forensic procedure that examines neurochemical remnants in deceased individuals
Capabilities: Allows investigation of brain chemistry after death
Significance: Suggests advanced neuroscience and preservation of brain data even after death
Rifle
A long-barreled firearm.
Significance: Used by McTanner to neutralize the older cleric, representing the decisive intervention of the TRG and a more conventional form of combat compared to Demmy's methods.
Rifle (.50 cal)
A large caliber firearm.
Significance: Used by Chase to defend the strangers and by Jeb's team. Chase's specific rifle is central to his fight, used both for firing and defense.
Rifle (cannon-like sound)
A rifle used by Chase.
Significance: Chase's weapon, used to protect Quincy and indicating his preparedness.
Rusty Shiv
A jagged metal shard with a cloth-wrapped handle.
Significance: A personal survival tool carried by the skerv kid, highlighting the resourcefulness needed in this world.
SAIR
A systemic registry.
Significance: A key element of citizen life and social standing within the Metrofederacy, used as a political tool and measure of integration.
SAIR (Self-Assessment and Improvement Rating)
A system tracking personal progress and qualifications.
Significance: The central mechanism for personal advancement and social mobility within the Metrofederacy. It incentivizes conformity and continuous self-optimization according to system metrics.
SAIR (Self-Assessment and Integration Report)
A personal interface or report managed by Stella.
Significance: The primary tool for individuals to interact with Stella's career and learning system. It represents the structured, data-driven approach to personal development that Michelle finds overwhelming and formulaic.
SAIR (Stella Aggregated Identity Ranking)
A composite score based on thousands of discrete data elements.
Significance: The central system for social and economic mobility within the Metrofederacy, representing a form of algorithmic meritocracy or control.
SAIR (System for Automated Information Retrieval?)
Significance: Part of the professional certification and education infrastructure.
SAIR (Systematic Achievement and Integration Rating)
A system used in the Stella Metrofederacy, likely tracking citizens' academic and professional achievements and potentially influencing their opportunities.
Capabilities: Tracks progress (e.g., towards Ph.D.), can be negatively affected by certain actions (e.g., neuroject overuse).
Significance: A key societal mechanism for measuring and potentially controlling citizen progress and behavior, representing a source of pressure and conflict for Randy.
SAIR penalty
A type of penalty.
Significance: Part of the legal or justice system, indicating specific procedures and consequences related to forensic findings.
SAIR rankings
Significance: A key indicator of societal stability and individual status within the Metrofederacy; its failure is a sign of system collapse.
Savachini suit
A tailored suit.
Significance: Indicates Alejandro's professional appearance for the broadcast.
SCALPEL scripts
Software, described as 'Source Concealing Adaptive Logic Polymorphic Entry/Exploit Link'.
Significance: Demonstrates Fay's hacking capabilities and the nature of digital security in this world.
Scissor-lift platform
Significance: Provides a tactical advantage for defense, showing the caravan's preparedness and engineering capabilities.
Scissor-lifts
Rusty lifts mounted on trucks.
Significance: A practical adaptation of existing technology for defensive purposes in a mobile community.
Scissors
A pair of scissors, one blade is broken by the end.
Significance: Another improvised weapon, demonstrating Demmy's adaptability and lethal skill. Its effectiveness in dispatching multiple opponents is highlighted.
Scissors (repurposed)
Originally a massive pair of scissors for cutting cloth, found with a broken blade. The single remaining blade is forearm-length and retains its shine.
Significance: A found object that Demmy transforms into his primary weapon, symbolizing his own transformation and repurposing from his previous life into a tool for violence and vengeance. It highlights the harsh reality of his new path.
Scope
Significance: Used by Jeb and Chase to identify targets and observe the battle from a distance.
Scraper scripts
Significance: Key tools used by Shelly to drill deep into the massive dataset.
Scrub-ops
Significance: Time-coded anomalies in StellaNet scrub-ops are flagged as matches related to 'FAY?', indicating these operations are significant to the mystery.
Secure Line
A communication channel accessed via the PID.
Significance: Enables confidential communication, important when dealing with sensitive or potentially criminal findings.
Security digest
An absurdly complex security system.
Significance: Represents the layers of security designed to ensure Li Mei's control over Skree.
Self-Guided Grief Protocol
A program accessed via PID/Stella.
Significance: A technological attempt to automate emotional therapy, which Michelle finds inadequate and impersonal.
Self-healing nanotech
Significance: Part of the Metrofederacy's advanced defense systems, highlighting its technological superiority over outside threats.
Semiauto (10mm)
A firearm with a 10mm caliber; comes with extra magazines.
Significance: Part of Demmy's standard gear for missions, highlighting the dangerous nature of his activities.
Sensory Implants
Significance: The general term for the implants that allow direct sensory input from Stella.
Server Racks
Kilometers-long, water-cooled.
Significance: Represent the immense physical infrastructure required to run the Stella AI, highlighting the scale of the technology and the resources consumed.
Shadow Request
A request appearing in the PID.
Significance: Demonstrates the interconnectedness of users within the Stella system and the potential for external interaction/control.
Sharing Vision / Interface Control
A capability allowing individuals to see through another's eyes and potentially control their interface.
Significance: Demonstrates a high level of technological integration into personal perception and interaction, used here by the children to help their mother navigate her SAIR.
Shell IDs
Significance: Used by a potential subcontractor group, indicating attempts to conceal their true identity.
Shiny letter openers
Small, sharp items found in a supply area.
Significance: Further examples of Demmy's resourcefulness and preparation for conflict.
Shipping containers (repurposed)
Original Fox River shipping containers used as partitioned dormitory cells.
Significance: Indicates a post-apocalyptic or resource-scarce world where existing structures are repurposed. Shows the practical, perhaps humble, nature of the monastery's facilities despite the comfort they offer Demmy.
Shiv
A thin six-inch blade.
Significance: Demmy's preferred weapon, highlighting his survival skills and brutal efficiency.
Shotgun
A firearm.
Significance: The weapon used by the antagonist in the scene, central to the conflict, and later becomes a resource for Demmy and Quincy.
Signal intelligence
Significance: A type of data in Michelle's dataset, indicating sophisticated surveillance capabilities.
Simulation
A digital recreation of events or states.
Significance: A powerful analytical tool for understanding the subjective experience of the deceased, highlighting the severity of their suffering.
Simulators and Training Labs
Significance: Physical resources available for free to support learning alongside virtual courseware.
Six-seater
A vehicle with a tailgate, capable of carrying multiple people and significant supplies; fully-stocked.
Significance: Demmy uses it to travel to his mission destination and carries his weapons and equipment within it.
Skree / Human-machine marriage
A biological and technological hybrid entity.
Significance: Represents the pinnacle of Fay's research and the Balance Party's advanced capabilities, highlighting the theme of human-machine integration and the creation of powerful, specialized assets.
Slate
A small writing surface.
Significance: A simple tool for recording information.
Sniper rifle
Significance: Associated with Chase, reinforcing his image as someone 'playing hero' or involved in combat roles.
Sniper rifle (.50 cal)
A large caliber rifle, assembled from parts.
Significance: Chase's primary weapon, providing him with a significant range advantage and allowing him to engage enemies from a distance.
Solar charger / panel
A 1m x 1m rigid panel.
Significance: Essential for recharging the buggy's electric motor, enabling longer travel but requiring stops and exposure during the day.
Solar panel
A flat panel mounted on top of the vehicle, and a folding mat deployed in the grass.
Significance: A crucial power source for the electric vehicle, enabling extended travel during the day.
Solar panel mat
A mat that collects solar energy.
Significance: A crucial tool for generating power and maintaining their vehicle's functionality, essential for long-distance travel.
Sorting machine
A hulking machine with bins and metal arms, frozen mid-motion, covered in rust. A smaller version is also present.
Significance: Represents the advanced technology of the past that is now largely non-functional, highlighting the decline of the holdfast's capabilities. The smaller one is the immediate task for the characters.
Stella
An AI system.
Capabilities: Verifies certifications, grants access to sensitive information, appears to have some level of autonomous decision-making
Significance: The central AI governing the Metrofederacy, providing information, opportunities, and guidance, while also monitoring citizens. Represents the pervasive technological control and support system.
Stella Aggregated Identity Ranking (SAIR)
A real-time scorecard calculated by Stella for every citizen.
Significance: The primary mechanism of social control and personal consequence in the Metrofederacy. Avoiding SAIR impact is a major concern for characters, especially politicians, and drives the need for clandestine locations like Tahua.
Stella AI
An artificial intelligence system.
Significance: The foundational technology maintaining order and stability in the Metrofederacy; its integrity is paramount.
Stella Projections / Augmented Reality (AR)
Holographic or visual overlays visible through Stella-enabled optics.
Significance: Defines the visual environment and interaction model of the Metrofederacy, blurring the lines between real and virtual. It allows for customization without physical clutter but is seen by some as lacking 'realness'.
Stella Runtime
Significance: The operating system of the AR world, which can be hacked or modified locally.
Stella System AI
Significance: The central governing entity of the world, the focus of the political conflict and the source of the crisis.
Stella-authorized key-exchange protocols
Significance: Indicates a centralized authority (Stella) controls access to decrypting the highest level of Metrofederacy encryption.
Stella-recognized forensic naming conventions
Significance: Indicates the professional, potentially illicit, nature of some of the data and the tools used to collect it.
Stella's backtraces
System logs or tracking data within StellaNet.
Significance: The absence of backtraces for Fay confirms the unprecedented completeness of her erasure, highlighting the power of the entity involved.
Stella's implants
Significance: Mentioned in relation to the possibility of being used for murder, suggesting a dark application of advanced biological or neural technology.
Stella's malware monitors/matrix
Significance: Represents the security infrastructure that Fay has successfully bypassed and continues to exploit, highlighting her technical skill and the scale of her illicit activities.
Stellanet
A vast network or system.
Significance: The default network, contrasted with the 'Legacy link' used by Shelly, suggesting it might be monitored or less private for certain communications.
Stemware
Glasses with stems, used for drinking.
Significance: A detail representing a preference for traditional items over ubiquitous recyclable ones, highlighting Lucas's practical nature and the contrast between pre-tragedy normalcy and post-tragedy chaos.
Stiletto
A small, sharp knife.
Significance: Demmy's weapon of choice, used effectively to kill Carl.
Stim-drink
Significance: Highlights the demanding nature of Shelly's task and her reliance on artificial aids.
Stims
Vials containing a substance.
Significance: Crucial for Lesha's well-being and a key objective during the escape, highlighting her dependency and adding urgency.
Stretcher
Significance: A standard medical item used in the rescue to move Evelyn.
String diagrams
Significance: A tool used by Shelly to map trace interactions within the dataset.
Study pod
An enclosed personal space.
Significance: Represents the standardized, confined living conditions in the Metrofederacy and Shelly's isolated existence.
Stylus
A pen-like tool.
Significance: A common futuristic input device.
Sublingual message
Not physically described.
Significance: A tool used by Margdelain for covertly issuing commands without being overheard, highlighting advanced communication technology and her need for secrecy.
Sublingual mic
Significance: Enables private communication in public settings, highlighting the need for secrecy and strategic coordination among political allies.
Sublingual mics
Significance: Enables discreet communication, particularly useful in formal settings or when privacy is desired.
Submachine gun (SMG)
A compact automatic firearm.
Significance: Used by Gavin as a weapon to threaten the group; later used by Quincy to kill Gavin; represents immediate threat and violence.
Suborbital
Significance: Indicates the level of transportation technology and Romuald's ability to travel quickly.
Subvocalization
Speaking commands in a very low voice or internally.
Significance: A common interface method in this futuristic world, enabling seamless interaction with technology.
Supersonic flier
Sleek, silver-colored transport vessel, described as looking more like a 'bird of prey' than a commuter vessel.
Significance: Represents advanced transportation technology and serves as the vehicle for Shelly's next journey, symbolizing her transition to a new phase.
Surgepods
Significance: The physical location/equipment used for the surgeries, indicating the capacity for mass procedures.
Sykotiq
Liquid in vials, referred to as 'lightning'
Significance: Explains the erratic and dangerous behavior of some ravagers and highlights another peril of the wildlands.
Sykotiq injector
A needle.
Significance: The means by which Lesha takes the drug she is dependent on.
Synchronized quantum random number generator (QRNG)
Significance: A key component of the highly secure CF-67 encryption.
Synth food
Significance: Indicates a world where synthetic food is a common alternative to 'real' food.
Synthetic Sky Panels
Panels overhead that glow, attempting to simulate natural sky conditions like dusk.
Significance: Part of the city's artificial environment, contributing to the slightly unreal or manufactured feel of the world.
Tachycardia Indicator
A visual alert in the user's field of vision.
Significance: An example of Stella's constant health monitoring, which Michelle finds intrusive and ironic given her son's death.
TEG-2
A two-seater vehicle.
Significance: Represents a high-performance vehicle model from Fox River Engineering.
TEG-6
A rugged vehicle.
Significance: The primary means of transportation for the TRG element searching for Chase.
Test meter
Significance: A key tool for Quincy's repair work, enabling her to identify problems with the machine.
Tester
Significance: Used by Li Mei's assistant to confirm the chip is valid, unknowingly verifying Fay's forgery.
Thermal drone / IR scan
A drone capable of performing a low-altitude infrared scan.
Significance: A critical tool used by Werner to locate potential survivors in the debris.
Thermos
Stained.
Significance: Used by Lesha to share caf, representing a small act of generosity and shared experience.
Three Shovels ration bar
A type of food bar.
Significance: Represents their limited food supply, emphasizing the scarcity of resources.
Timed Doors
Doors that hiss open automatically.
Significance: Demonstrates the high level of automation and efficiency in the archive.
TOILET
A mobile unit.
Significance: Highlights the modular and potentially shared nature of facilities in this society.
Tongue-Tap Commands / Lingual Commands
User interface method.
Significance: A hands-free, integrated method of interacting with the pervasive technology.
Toolbox
A container for tools.
Significance: Quincy's essential item, representing her skill and value as a mechanic. Its theft by Gavin is a significant betrayal.
Tools (wooden box)
A collection of tools in a wooden box.
Significance: Enables Demmy to create a believable reason for being in a restricted area.
Total Compensation Packages
Significance: The unique economic system of the Metrofederacy, eliminating the need for currency transactions and representing a fundamental shift in how resources are managed.
Trade caravan
Significance: Mentioned in Quincy's past, providing context for her resourcefulness and lock-picking skills.
Tragus Speaker Studs
Piercing studs in each ear's tragus.
Significance: An older technology the family already possessed, integrated into the Stella system for receiving audio information.
Transit Capsule
Significance: Mentioned as the location where a subject coded (died), part of a case Shelly reviewed.
Translucent Report
A report displayed as a translucent overlay in augmented vision.
Significance: Part of the standard information interface.
Transpo
A futuristic transportation system.
Capabilities: Provides a means of travel within the city.
Significance: A standard mode of transport in the Stella Metrofederacy.
Transport chamber
Significance: Where Skree is placed after being removed from the incubation tank.
Traumalert
A system or service.
Significance: Highlights the advanced medical monitoring and response capabilities of the society, making Randy's death from 'Failure to Thrive' without intervention seem highly suspicious.
TRG (Tactical Response Group)
An organization or unit.
Significance: The affiliation of the main characters, defining their roles and purpose.
TRG buggy
A vehicle used by TRG (presumably a security or police force).
Significance: Indicates the involvement of official forces in the plot against Margdelain and Quincy.
TRG gear
Significance: Associated with Chase, suggesting he is involved in or has access to specialized operations/equipment, fueling Quincy's suspicion.
Tri-D
Significance: Mentioned as a type of recording that could be on the datapad, emphasizing the advanced nature of some technology and the potential horror of ravager actions.
Tri-D (Full immersion tri-D)
Significance: Mentioned as a way to view the devastation, implying a highly realistic and potentially disturbing experience.
Tri-D Camera
A camera used for capturing three-dimensional images (presumably for the holographic projection).
Significance: Part of the holographic counseling technology, indicating the session is being monitored or recorded.
Tri-D Feed
A three-dimensional video feed.
Significance: The format of the video shown to Romuald, indicating advanced visual technology.
Tri-D horror vid
Significance: A cultural reference point used by Chase to describe his feeling of impending doom.
Tri-D Projection/Display
Holographic displays showing 3D images.
Significance: A standard interface technology used for monitoring and interaction.
Truck
Significance: Mentioned in Quincy's past, providing context for her resourcefulness and lock-picking skills learned during long hours inside one.
Trucks
Various heavy-duty vehicles (e.g., 'Achilles', 'Gooch') often armored with welded metal and featuring solid-metal tires on trailers.
Significance: The lifeblood of the caravan, providing mobility, shelter, and protection in the dangerous wasteland.
Two-seater (scavenged vehicle)
A vehicle made of patched metal and repurposed parts, described as a 'scavenged marvel'.
Significance: The primary means of travel for Quincy and Demmy, essential for their pursuit of the caravan and survival in the wildlands.
Two-seater buggy
An ugly little four-wheeled buggy with a bench seat and a box frame. Ravager version is garish orange and black with barbed wire and metal plates.
Significance: Their primary means of travel, salvaged from the ravager camp. Its condition and need for repair dictate their speed and vulnerability. The existence of another similar buggy is a plot point.
Two-seater vehicle
Significance: Chase's primary mode of transport and tool for his mission.
UAV drones
Significance: Part of the holdfast's security measures, making escape difficult.
Unseen machinery
Machines that beep and whir.
Significance: Indicates the advanced technological capabilities of Fox River's medical facility, contrasting with Demmy's wildland experience.
Vibe Stick Inhaler (Chillaxer)
A small inhaler.
Significance: A common technological aid for managing stress and anxiety, highlighting the society's reliance on chemical/technological solutions for emotional states.
Virtual Desktop
A digital workspace within AR.
Significance: Skree's primary tool for her work.
Virtual Facades
Augmented reality overlays on buildings.
Significance: Shows the layer of digital illusion over the physical world, which can be altered by users.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Technology creating immersive, three-dimensional simulated environments.
Capabilities: Allows users to feel present in fantastical worlds (gas giant, underwater), supports collaborative creation, can simulate physics realistically.
Significance: A primary form of recreation and creative expression for citizens, particularly Fay.
Virtual Whiteboard
Appears on the wall, visible to everyone.
Significance: Illustrates the advanced collaborative tools available in this future setting.
Vision-capturing
A method of recording visual information.
Significance: A vital tool for Shelly's investigation, allowing her to document findings and create backups outside the main network.
Visual cortex projection
Significance: A common interface for receiving data and updates, highlighting the integration of technology with human perception.
Vocal distortion dial
A manual dial on the communications cluster.
Significance: Adds another layer of security and anonymity for certain communications.
Voice Input
A method of inputting information or commands.
Significance: Another hands-free interface method for interacting with technology.
Wall Dispenser (for toiletries)
A dispenser integrated into the wall.
Significance: Part of the standardized, efficient system for providing personal care items, linked to compensation plans rather than personal choice.
Water filters
Significance: Mentioned by Demmy as another example of advanced technology that saves lives in the wildlands.
Wire cutters
A tool designed for cutting wire.
Significance: A necessary tool for breaching the Ravager barricade.
Wired microphone
A microphone connected by a wire to a vehicle's interior.
Significance: Used by the leader, Davian, to direct actions during combat.
Wireframe Overlay
A blue wireframe appearing superimposed over the body, sometimes with a second 'Baseline' wireframe.
Significance: A key AR visualization tool for forensic analysis, allowing for quick identification of anomalies.