"An extraordinary vision of what might happen in the future as

neuroscience digs ever deeper into our brains."

Henry Marsh Neurosurgeon

Author of NYT bestseller ‘Do No Harm’

"It’s a world where synaptically oppressed citizens are expected

to surrender property rights to their own memories!

Shulman’s work is uncannily provocative and topical."

John O’Mahony

Critic and feature writer, The Guardian

"An audacious novel which blends courtroom Grisham with

bleeding-edge neuroscience fiction."

Simon Pitts

Writer/TV producer

"Axion does what some great Sci-Fi can do: take you to the

not-so-distant-future to confront the next harrowing ‘what if’."

Daniel Biro

Founder, Sargasso Records

AXION:

The Memory Rights Uprising

by David Shulman

© 2023

ISBN 979-8-35091-883-0

eBook ISBN 979-8-35091-884-7

About the author

David Shulman is a BAFTA and TV Academy Award winning documentary producer and director. Originally from New York City, David moved to London in 2000 in the context of a U.S./UK Fulbright Fellowship. By 2005, he became one of the few Americans to gain a staff position at the BBC where for 10 years he produced and directed science, history, and arts programs.

David conceived the format and directed the first two seasons of the long running ‘Reality TV’ series Rough Science which was produced by the BBC in association with Open University scientists. It became one of the most successful and acclaimed science series in Open University history and is distributed globally.

A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in NYC, as an artist and experimental filmmaker, David has long been driven by a deep curiosity about how social systems work and a passion for social justice. His earliest experimental films focused on linguistic dimensions of memory, cognition, and consciousness – and were exhibited at the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Anthology Film Archives, and the New Museum. They were distributed by Castelli and Sonnabend Galleries.

David has made acclaimed feature documentaries about racism in American Network news coverage of urban violence – Race Against Prime Time (PBS), the pivotal role of Black landowners in Mississippi during the civil rights revolution of the 1960’s – Dirt & Deeds in Mississippi (Smithsonian Channel), stories of resistance inside Nazi concentration camps – Auschwitz Untold: In Colour (Channel Four/History Channel), a BAFTA winning portrait of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat – Basquiat: Rage to Riches (PBS/BBC) and a feature documentary about digital art on the blockchain – NFT:WTF? (Netflix)

‘AXION: The Memory Rights Uprising’ is a story that combines several areas of passionate interest to the author: memory, social justice, and notions of property rights.

SCENES

Encryptions of episodic neuron ensembles to last a lifetime

Morning, trials and tribulations

The neuro-circus begins

The Cortx neuro-moonshot

Memory crucible

Memories not meant to be

Parrots and PR disasters

Augmented bird brain

The nootropical good ol’days

Rattling the cage

Opening inoculation

Formulation of principles

Major the Myna

The neuroanthropologist

Latte out on a limb

Asynchronicity

Tchaikovsky, Cortx, and Kalashnikov

The plov thickens

Family, finality, farewell

A darker turn

Growing a global alliance

Brain tax reax

Eidetic cinema scheming

Anxiety of the Yes Brainers

Zigs and zags to Bishkek

Neuroterrorist on ice

Orange jumpsuit blues

A fury too far

Overflowing memory chamber

Corporate Citizen debrief

Keep your property claims out of our brains

Memory flunkies and neuro-geeks

Courtroom roulette

Hype cycle of unforgetableness

Wiped

A memory cracked, a forest down

What a pelican can recall

Pandora calling

A paramilitary bond

A date to remember

Yucky symptoms

High voltage hangover

Something isn’t right

Naked nootropics

The apple cart of memory prominence

Raising the drawbridge

Tales of a neuroethicist

A mess rehearsal

Exaflops with attitude, courtroom crescendo

Shootout at the Cortx coral

Closing twists and memory turns

Global actions and reactions

The ruling and the perilous cut

Closing: A chemical ensemble begins to sing

AXION: The Memory Rights Uprising

He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.

Aeschylus

(c.525 – c.455 BC)

The future ain’t what it used to be.

Yogi Berra

(Yankee catcher 1946 – 1963)

Encryptions of episodic neuron ensembles to last a lifetime

The sky over the canyon is a primordial blue. It’s a distinctive hue from a timeless palette which seamlessly drapes your field of vision.

A helicopter is flying past ancient limestone cliffs above a turbulent snaking river. Suspended from the helicopter are several 2 metre long stainless steel cylinders. As the helicopter slows to a hover, the cylinders begin to descend. A spectacular view of the Grand Canyon is welcoming them. 

The rising sun refracts off the glistening cylinders as they are greeted by several Park Rangers situated on a dramatic precipice. The Rangers detach the cylinders from the cable hoist and move them into a secured position on a glass bottomed tourist platform.

The glass platform is about 20 meters wide and protrudes about 6 anxiety inducing meters over the canyon and features two long rows of vertical stations each equipped with a stylish clear plastic face mask. The Rangers begin to attach one of the cylinders to a distribution valve which feeds a network of tubes which connect to the vertical stations which hold the masks. A sign appears in the center of the platform:

Welcome to the Grand Canyon. 

A view to last a lifetime. 

Just beyond the platform, a calm orderly queue of about 100 tourists is patiently waiting in the crisp morning air for the opening of the viewing platform at one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. 

Through the thick underbrush of the Sabangau rain forest in Borneo, an elderly gamekeeper is leading a group of two dozen sharply dressed eco-tourists who have come a long way and paid a lot of money in the hope of catching a glimpse of the worlds last Orangutan living in the wild.

Each tourist is wearing a plastic face mask with a tube running from the mask to a small stainless steel cylinder kept in a holster which hangs from their waist. The gamekeeper takes them towards the cluster of tall trees where the Orangutan has a treetop nest. The visitors are expecting an unforgettable glimpse of a soon to be extinct species. 

At a military base in Galveston, Texas, several dozen soldiers are wearing face masks with slender tubes that connect to a central network. They are sitting at bare desks in a military hanger all facing a large membrane screen. A gruff drill sergeant is barking out instructions. 

Listen up doll faces. Glue your eyes to the screen. In the next one hundred and twenty seconds you’ll receive complete operational instructions for the latest front line, self-assemble, self-op, multiple targeting, high kinetic energy assault system. There is a pencil and paper on each of your desks – I don’t think you will need them, but you can send love notes to each other if you wish. 

The Sargent goes to his tab and clicks. The training video which details the complex assembly process unfolds at a steady and metronomic pace before the fresh recruits. 

About two dozen primary school children funnel into a brightly illuminated classroom and scramble to find a seat. There is some initial confusion because this is not their usual classroom and the seats are haphazardly arranged. A double door entrance through which they entered is ominously shut and sealed behind them by a teacher’s assistant.

Inside a closet adjacent to the classroom, valves on a row of silver cylinders are being opened. The hiss of gas can barely be heard as it exits vents in the ceiling above the children. Some of the children appear deeply anxious. 

The normal buzz of children at the start of a new lesson is subdued. On the outside of the double doors to this classroom is sign which reads: 

Putting the E into Education 

Eidetic Industries, a subsidiary of Cortx

The teacher begins the lesson, 

Please open your story books children. Today, Timmy and Kylie play with their pet dog Pixie – as they learn to shop... 

In a bleak industrial estate, beyond CCTV cameras, motion detectors, and a 4 meter high fence with an electrified razor ribbon along the top, is a vast storage depot where thousands of stainless steel cylinders holding compressed gas are stored. Each cylinder is less than half a meter in diameter and 2 meters in height and has a Cortx logo beneath a valve. Cortx is an industry leader at the forefront of neurotech and nootropic research and development. It ranks at the top of the Ntech100 stock index. 

Production, sales, and marketing of their proprietary nootropic gas formula is only one sector of the Cortx empire but the company is relentless in its efforts to expand it. The conglomerate is planning a spectacular plunge into the global family entertainment market. A growing list of countries and their regulatory regimes have given a provisional nod of approval to an ambitious scheme which the Cortx PR machine claims will revolutionise the cinema going experience. 

Morning, trials and tribulations

To say Gil Hinchliff has not been sleeping well is a monumental understatement.

Sex with his girlfriend Dena is still a welcome soporific, but she is very close to leaving him. He’s either got too much on his mind to notice or he’s in denial about the deteriorated state of their relationship – or both.

Dena is frightened, alienated, and helpless in response to Gil’s recent bouts of nightmares, cold sweats, spasms, shouts, and morning hallucinations. 

Even before Gil’s mental health went into freefall after his recent visit to a Cortx lab in Central Asia, Dena and Gil were drifting apart. Gil has been reluctant to talk in any detail about what happened to him during this trip which only adds to Dena’s alienation. 

An alarm clock goes off on a bedside table at arms length from Gil. It’s making a loud squawking sound. Appearing above the base of the alarm clock is an animated hologram of a parrot. 

Gil’s face is half buried beneath the sheets. Dena is trying to bury her head under her pillow as the ghostly parrot begins to speak in its parrot like voice the reminders Gil programmed the night before: 

‘Six-fifteen’ (squawk) 

‘Complete opening statement’ (squawk, squawk) 

‘Confirm witness’ (squawk, screech) 

‘Fuck Cortx’ (screech, screech) 

Gil’s eyes open then shut. It’s the vivid and harrowing morning horror show that has been flashing in his head with variations on and off over the past couple of months. It is exacerbated by stress. Gil opens then closes his eyes. It’s a kitsch film scene from a Soviet era musical. Peasants astride a tractor sing in unison as they harvest crops. Gil’s eyes blink open and shut. A grisly film clip of World War II POW’s being executed against a church wall by a Nazi firing squad. The ear splitting sound of gunshots causes Gil to spasm. His vivid mental flashes are brief, jolting, and surreal. 

The hologram continues to screech. 

Gil sits up in bed, takes three deep breaths and gently props his eyelids open with his fingers. He discovered that this simple intervention helps to mitigate the morning horror show. 

He waves his hand through the hologram to silence the squawking. 

Trying not to disturb Dena, Gil stumbles out of bed and heads into the bathroom where he swipes a plastic card on a wall mounted sensor and starts to take a shower. 

After a few seconds the water cuts off, 

‘FUCK! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUUUCCCK!’ 

Gil jumps out of the shower. 

Naked, wet and cold, he rushes back to a pile of clothes next to his bed. He finds another card in a trouser pocket. He returns to the wall sensor next to the shower and swipes it. Nothing happens, 

Aaaaahhhh fuuuck...

Gil wraps himself in a towel as he runs out of the bathroom into the kitchen. 

Amidst piles of used plates and a kitchen table cluttered with empty takeaway containers and stacked with odd printouts and court documents, Gil shouts into the air, 

"Dial (UNDER BREATH) fucking bank." 

The shout triggers electronic dialling sounds. 

‘What service please?’

"Transfer 50 E-ren to Aquanet (UNDER BREATH) ripoff artists." 

‘Mr. Hinchliff, your request for a – fifty E-ren debit to – Aquanet – has been received. If this is correct please say ‘yes’.’ 

Gil shouts, 

Yes. 

Then mutters under his breath, 

‘Motherfuckers!’. 

‘Your transaction is complete. Thank you.’ 

Gil can’t restrain himself, 

‘Fuck you completely.’

Approaching the bathroom sensor again, Gil swipes his card again. This time the the shower jutters to life. Gil continues to mutter as he steps into the stream of hot water, 

Mootheerrrrfuuuckkeeerrrs...

Dena is slowly coming around but she is simmering. She’s glancing at images on one of the bedroom walls of Gil’s world. Some images resemble geothermal imagery of earth captured by high resolution satellite cameras. 

Dena knows exactly what they are. They’re high resolution scans of Gil’s brain taken in a public neurogram kiosk.

It’s one of Gil’s hobbies to collect scans that reflect a range of his emotions. There are subtle visual differences between them. Each image also has a word hand scrawled in bold letters upon it. One scan has the word ‘ANGER’. Another scan has the word ‘LAUGHTER’. A third scan has the word ‘GRIEF’. 

On the same wall with the scans are some of Gil’s family photos. Gil as a toddler with his smiling mum. A photo of little Gil with his older brother Stephen. Gil when he was about 6 sitting inside a large amusement arcade rocket. There is a man’s hand on his shoulder, but the half of the photo with the man has been torn away. There’s also a photo of Gil in a mortar board next to his mother on graduation day. His mother’s expression is proud, but there is sadness and anguish in her eyes too. 

Back in the shower, Gil taps his shower curtain twice with two fingers to activate it as a computer screen. A menu of options becomes visible through the cascading water. Gil taps the ‘Breaking News’ menu item. 

A female news anchor appears on the shower curtain and her news report is heard clearly above the sounds of the running water, 

Is memory lane being turned into a toll road? 

The same news report is playing on a tab screen in the back seat of a limousine travelling through Central London. The anchor continues, 

...A landmark legal battle begins today in a London courtroom... 

Sitting in the back seat of the Limo with a pile of folders beside him is Ken Marshall the lead attorney for Cortx. Marshall is in his early 40’s and a slick dresser wearing a custom tailored light grey suit, a peach coloured shirt and a dark blue tie with thin silver diagonal stripes. The news report on his screen continues. There’s a montage of shots which include tourists kitted up with clear masks at the Grand Canyon, a pyramid in Giza, and the Eiffel Tower. 

"It started out as a one-time premium charge at some of the world’s top tourist attractions... 

"...But Cortx, the neurotech entertainment conglomerate will be introducing an unprecedented payment scheme at their new chain of cinema’s for a film going experience they promise to be literally unforgettable. 

Cinema-goers face permanent micro-charges for film memories Cortx claims remain their intellectual property. But a group of memory rights activists are challenging this controversial scheme as well as the safety of what they refer to as ‘memory steroids’ developed by Cortx. If beaten in court, Cortx faces a devastating financial setback. 

The news report is showing the buzzing excitement of people in a queue outside the cineplex with a marquee which reads ‘Welcome to the Eidetic Cinema’. Also on the marquee is the title of the film to be screened on opening night. It’s a re-release of one of the most successful films in cinema history. Cortx takes shameless pride in showcasing a film which romanticised slavery in the American south. It has been retitled for the occasion: 

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN WITH THE WIND 

The news report features vox pops which were supplied by Cortx PR. 

Young woman, 

It’s amazing. I’ve never experienced anything like it! 

Young man, 

It’s like, the colours, the music all remain so vivid. 

A young couple. One speaks, 

The charges? They’re practically nothing. 

Both together, 

It’s definitely worth it 

The news anchor continues, 

Memory rights activists describe the Cortx plan as the world’s first ‘memory tax’. 

A ringtone and blinking light indicate an incoming call. Marshall activates a second tab embedded in the back of the front seat. Norman Palmer the CEO of Cortx appears on screen from another car. Palmer is meticulously dressed with perfectly cropped salt and pepper hair. He has a commanding voice and a tanned façade which conceals a dark core,

Good morning, Mr. Palmer. 

Morning Ken, how’s Margaret and the kids?

They’re all fine Mr. Palmer, thanks for asking. 

Ken, do you think that bastard has anything from the lab that can hurt us? 

I doubt it Mr. Palmer. We have him by the balls. 

As Palmer’s limo navigates towards the courthouse, it passes incidental evidence of how memory-centric the culture has become. A digital billboard for a travel agent promotes a surf and sun filled holiday package to the Arctic as ‘a precious deposit in your memory banks’. Up market restaurants conspicuously display their number on the Michelin ‘MI’ or ‘Memorability Index’. 

An advertising trend in the popular culture has become ‘memory shaming’. It is used to sell everything from computer games to health supplements and a wide range of mental exercise apps which all claim to improve your sex life, your wealth, and your intelligence – by boosting your embarrassingly inadequate memory. Memory shaming has long eclipsed fat shaming as a source of anxiety among teenagers and young adults. 

Another Neurogram Kiosk is passed. ‘NK’s’ as they are commonly called, are more ubiquitous and popular to use than photo booths of the previous century ever were. 

The neuro-circus begins

Outside the Crown Court is a vociferous assortment of protesters. Most of whom are affiliated with the MRA – the Memory Rights Alliance. They are shouting in unison, ‘Keep your claims out of our brains!’.

Separated by a LVPC (low voltage police cordon) is a smaller contingent of pro-Cortx demonstrators who are likely paid to be there by Cortx. They are a fake ‘grass roots’ coalition whose job is in part to confuse the public about the issues being raised by the MRA. They call themselves Citizen’s for Memory Liberty or the CML.

There are also a handful of neurogeeks. Neurogeeks love anything and everything to do with neurotech. They’ve been agitating for decades for neural implants and can be heard shouting ‘Jack us in’. They travel to the Grand Canyon, not for the view, but to take deep breaths of nootropics while viewing hard core porn on their tabs. 

Also outside the courthouse is a large turnout of international media. There are reporters from India, China, Australia, France, and America and lots of them are busy filming their news reports.

With protestors in the background and a stream of people entering the building, a reporter from India begins her report, 

REPORTER 

‘Are memories that don’t fade

worth fees that never end?’

A reporter from China can be overheard, 

REPORTER 

‘Your memories will remain the 

property of Cortx...’

As Gil’s taxi navigates the London streets on his way to the courthouse, he makes a desperate call to Sophie Hudson, 

Sophie, this is Gil. I’m still running a fever. I’ve had no real sleep for weeks. I’m getting death threats. Please call me back.

The interior of the Crown Courtroom is state-of-the-art. There are large floating membrane screens on each side of where the Judge presides. Smaller screens are located where the attorneys sit and on the Judges’ elevated bench.

A web of nearly invisible overhead filaments guides a network of camera’s which are no bigger than Brazil nuts to provide dynamic live coverage akin to that of a rock concert or a football match. Live coverage of the proceedings are fed to the membrane screens.

As with most judicial reviews, coverage will not be streamed live on the internet but the entire proceedings will be made public at the conclusion of the review.

Ken Marshall is opening his briefcase and removing documents.

Sophie Hudson enters the courtroom and walks past Marshall on her way to a seat. He greets her with a tone of familiarity,

Dobraye utro Sophie.

Sophie responds plaintively,

Good morning to you too.

I didn’t expect to see you on opening day

Nor did I.

Professionally, Sophie has