Speculative Satire from the Future

August 2122, New Maine Global Commune: On a day like any other, a memory merchant by the name of Zephyr 87 received an unusual request from a prospective buyer, code named 'Zeta 23'. Zeta 23, having been received by Zephyr 87's Personal Artificial Consciousness (PAC), had expressed interest in acquiring a neuristealth module, an advanced neural manipulation tool capable of suppressing synaptic responses and altering memory perceptions. This disclosure was immediately flagged due to a prior self-report of cerebral instability on a federal form. However, in a society 100 years hence where fire-arms have been replaced by neural augmentations, the memory merchant had to deny the purchase while adhering to the Global Commune's cybernetic code of conduct, which clearly emphasizes the necessity of cognitive stability for ownership of such advanced neural technology.Zeta 23, as per digital records, had self-reported cognitive imbalance while refiling his global commune status, an act of utter rarity in an age when neural balance diagnostics are a part of the annual health assessment carried out by personal PACs. The disclosure raised immediate flags in the hypernet, but the memory merchant's PAC intercepted the request before Zeta 23 could secure the neuristealth module. Elon IX, the chief of cerebral security for the Global Commune, applauds Zephyr 87 for ethical business conduct and preserving the cerebral sanctity of the commune. 'Under no circumstances should a neuristealth be sold to an individual with cerebral instability. It has the potential to wreak havoc in our collective cognitive harmony', he iterates. Elon IX adds that the incident underscores the need for stricter regulation for the sale and distribution of neural augmentations.Incidents like these bring into question just how future-proof our ethical guidelines are in this high-tech post-human landscape. And they underscore the crucial role the memory merchants play in 2122's mental and social stability, far beyond their conventional role of neural augmentation providers.