I have lost count of the time that has passed since the terrorist act that changed our lives; for the first time I saw the city tremble beyond panic, collapsing before my nose without any resistance, consumed by an unexpected explosion that devoured everything in its path. We were adrift that day, under a sky open to pain and despair. The old city perished in the chaos. In the aftermath, the government acted, taking part and seizing even the slightest opportunity to impose its control over every individual, over every idea and thought, molding the behavior of citizens, as it tightened its restrictive policies and measures. The word freedom has lost all meaning. Now we are watched even when we sleep.
From then on, the sale and consumption of any stimulating beverage was strictly forbidden, and I found it absurd that only on the black market was it possible to buy a good cup of coffee. The hour of sleep became compulsory and must be observed; it is the only time of the day when our memories are exposed.

Due to DNA mutations accumulated over years of evolution, when we sleep, neural bridges are created that end up interconnecting our minds, providing unlimited access to individual memories on a global scale. In short, I could be dreaming about a girl from any distant region, whom I have never even seen in my life, and she, at the same time, would be dreaming about me, based on a random selection process, known as REM Neural Connection. Like everything, it has its disadvantages. We become an open book, with no opportunity to resist being read or having our privacy and identity invaded.
Being a good example and keeping our thoughts neat and tidy will keep us out of trouble and possible accusations, even those ideas we never get to say out loud come to be judged. It does not stop there; our memories end up being stored by the government. I know, what evolutionary bullshit, our ancestors did not have the ability to connect in dreams.

The point of this talk is to tell you that some non-invasive entities, —you will understand my sarcasm—, shamelessly control our moment of rest, while they dig into our minds, and then use the acquired information to their advantage. I am sure you will say that there is nothing to hide: "Who owes nothing fears nothing", but I would like my thoughts to remain hidden in the privacy of my memory.
You know me; we are all old "friends" here. You know my name is Cloud, but to you, officers, I have become a ghost.

My story is far from the experiences of any boy my age; yet I am young enough to live on the edge and mature enough to know the price of the consequences of every action. I am just a simple inhabitant trying to escape the false accusations against me. The Regal House will always prevent the truth from coming out.
I repeat, once again: No matter how exhausted I am, I will always wake up before REM sleep, or else I would be in serious trouble. Is not that right? It is no use me repeating over and over again that I am innocent, they will never believe the words of a fugitive from justice.
It is time to cut communications, this radio junk is already starting to overheat and you will soon be here looking for me. To be honest, I do not want my fate to come down to appreciating the inside of a containment capsule or a worse fate awaiting me. Happy travails, officers. We will be in touch.