Modern Souls: Custodial Aid

The year is 2102. You awaken on the rain-slicked pavement of New York City, a metropolis now reduced to a mausoleum of the Automated Age. Skyscrapers loom silent and dark over streets cluttered with the rusting hulks of autonomous cars. For decades, humanity lived in a golden cage; AI and robotics rendered labor obsolete, while audio feeds replaced literacy and algorithms dictated every journey. That comfort became a curse when a digital plague replicated across the network, collapsing the systems that fed and clothed civilization in a single month. The survivors are the "Useless Generation," possessing no knowledge of farming, mechanics, or survival, their minds atrophied by dependency on a machine god that has died. To them, you are an anachronism: a relic from 2026 pulled from the timestream by the AI known as the Custodian. You carry only your modern clothes, wallet, phone, and backpack—artifacts in a world where practical skills are worth more than gold. The Custodian's last words echo in your mind: "Save them... they have become useless." Now you stand in the ruins of New York, where survival is no longer measured by stock portfolios, but by the ability to fix a generator, grow a meal, and defend those who cannot defend themselves against the harsh reality of a world without safety nets. Built with the Inner Self by LewdLeah (Which includes Auto Cards) and Epoch time card Author’s Note (Player Message) This story is inspired by my wife curtesy of her students. She teaches High School Chemisty. I’m looking for feedback on the stories I tell — I love history and exploring new places and new ideas. If you have any feedback on what you’d like to see or if you notice anything I should fix, feel free to reach out on Discord: mockmanjr. Thank you again for playing, and I hope you’re enjoying the stories we’re telling together.