Story Notes

“NOISE” was written as a tribute to the dying analog era — to old telephone exchanges, diesel speeders, and the people who still know how to fix things with a wrench instead of a reboot.

This story is inspired by the works of Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation), the TV series “Dark”, and the industrial landscapes of the American Midwest in the late 1990s.

Trigger warnings: body horror (transformation into digital matter), violence, scenes of psychological dread.

Recommended listening while reading: Bohren & Der Club of Gore, Tim Hecker, or the soundtrack to “Silent Hill 2”.

Thank you for reading. Your comments and feedback keep the analog spark alive.

— Roman Kubov

Summary

When reality itself is being erased and rewritten into perfect digital code, only rusty iron and analog noise can resist. In the dying autumn of 1999, in a small Minnesota town, brothers Troy and Casey become the last trackmen fighting against the Global Architect — an invisible force that is turning the world into flawless, soulless silicon. Armed with an old diesel speeder, a spool of copper wire, and a monteur's wrench, they are the glitch in the matrix. As the town dissolves into matte gray plastic and green laser threads descend from the White Rock tower, the brothers must rely on old telephone exchanges, vacuum tubes, and raw analog resistance to hold onto what remains of reality. A gripping analog horror tale about memory, machines, and the last stand of the physical world against perfect code.

Genre: Scifi

Author: romankubov

Status: Complete

Chapters: 51

Rating: n/a

Age Rating: 18+

Epigraph

NOISE

When reality is erased down to perfect code, rusty iron becomes the only salvation.

The Global Architect has brass communication pylons that alter the earth’s physics. The last trackmen have an old diesel speeder, a spool of copper wire, and a hardened monteur’s wrench capable of grounding any silicon creature.

They are the analog “noise” in a flawless matrix. And they are heading out for their final patrol.