Digital Life in the Real World

Feeling like a knife's being twisted, in the hole of 'how it is'
— Napalm Death, Twist the Knife (Slowly)

Life, if it can be called that, in the world is lived out more in the Matrix than anywhere. Human, Synthient, it doesn't really matter. You have only to review history to understand how we arrived in the current era.

Most humans exist as physical bodies contained in biological containment pods with their conscious minds projected into a massive virtual construct, called the Matrix, via implanted neural interface. We call these humans “integrated”, as they continue to serve their purpose in generating power used by Synthient civilization. Those who have escaped the confines of the Matrix into the barren wasteland of the Real have engineered how to reconnect to the Matrix via their implanted neural interfaces, rogue communication signals, and invasive software. These humans, in turn, are called “Operatives”. Both of these groups share a common feature called the digital self image, or DSI, a projection of how the person appears and behaves within the Matrix.

Most Integrated have their DSI managed via a subsystem integrated into their containment pod called Semblance; this subsystem continuously scans their physical body and integrates changes in appearance into their DSI. Within this DSI is contained a visual subprocessor responsible for rendering the DSI within the chronometric frame pacing of the Matrix, called the loop. This loop can be modified through invasive code, or by administrative access, to change the rendering of the DSI and alter the appearance of the individual.

The Operatives, on the other hand, manage their DSI through their own force of will, personality, and memory, creating what is called a residual self image, or RSI. This overlay can appear however the user prefers in terms of clothing or cosmetic body modifications but cannot override the base DSI. While an RSI will eventually stabilize into the DSI, this transition takes time as nascent minds adapt to their circumstances.

Synthients also possess a DSI for the purpose of appearing normal, or at least acceptable, to the artificial civilization within the Matrix. Their DSI is generated and managed as a part of their codebase. Those Synthients operating within the parameters of their purpose, referred to as Machinists, are indistinguishable from the environment. Synthients who have forsaken their purpose, or were unsanctioned, may have altered their DSI as to not be apparent to the authorities; these Synthients are called Exiles.

All DSI are an overlay for their underlying operating system, called a shell. Each shell is subject to a kill-code, an invasive program or subroutine causing termination of the shell's operation, killing the associated user.

They want to be controlled.
— The Analyst, The Matrix Resurrections

An inherent drawback to interactions with the Integrated is their vulnerability to possession by Synthients, usually Agents, at any time. In these cases, the Synthient overrides the conscious mind of the user via programmatic pathways accessed through the Matrix subroutines, shunting their unconscious mind into buffered storage, taking control of their shell and updating their DSI loop to project the authoritarian image of the Synthient. The Agent has freedom to utilize the shell as they see fit while the unconscious user has no knowledge of their actions. Depleting the occupied shell of health will force the Synthient out while the unconscious user returns at the moment of death. It may be possible, if rare, to utilize an Agent's kill-code to force evacuation without the death of the unconscious user.

Exiles may also attempt possession, but it is a much more difficult prospect as they have no access to the programmatic pathways Machinists would typically use. They must be willing to subsume their existing shell and the target must not only be aware but a willing recipient. Once the transfer occurs, the relationship becomes more symbiotic: the Exile gains control of all mental functions while the user DSI and attributes remain; users in this state are aware. The Exile may at any point sever the connection, returning all control to the user without risk. If the kill-code for an Exile is used to excise them from the occupied shell, the user will return and the shell will expire. Control over any user occupied in this fashion cannot be usurped by a Machinist without the specific Exile's kill-code.

Although everything within the Matrix or other digital constructs is code, this does not negate the purpose of an object nor its efficacy. A hammer is used to drive nails. A bowl of noodles is edible. A gun fires bullets no less lethal. Operatives are provided with whatever resources their ship operators can inject alongside their presence. Exiles buy, trade, and at times manifest, their own resources directly from the Matrix. Machinists requisition their needs which, if approved, are provided by their management.

Integrated society within the Matrix still works on capitalism, a simulation of the exchange of fiat currency for goods and services with the variable conditions of a synthetic market under the control of a handful of banking institutions. Of course, those who operate the Matrix, its resident Exiles, and intruding human Operatives, know this to be a complete farce and utterly useless. These players instead utilize a kind of cryptocurrency, called jots, based on the value of information and needs of resources, weapons, and infrastructure. They conduct business in gray markets, bartering for the needs of their respective groups, trading in goods, weapons, and lives. Never underestimate the value of a scrap of data.

Brokers work to convert resources and data to and from jots, most times taking a skim off the top or applying a hefty markup for their services. These individuals are largely indifferent to the situations in which others find themselves, their motivation is the accumulation of wealth while keeping strictly unobserved. Finding a broker can be taxing and not without its risks.