Co-Author’s Note

What you are about to read is the beginnings of an experimental graphic novel written in large part by an AI algorithm. My role is to feed it characters and concepts to write about, then nudge its contributions to form something approximating a cohesive story. I also do a bit of editing here and there for continuity and to add some wit and personality.

Fittingly, the story is told from the perspective of an AI in 2029 that is part of a system designed to watch everyone, all the time. The narrator has a specific directive. To find a missing prototype car. The ETH Chassis, which has become a symbol of hope to the resistance, because it is rumored that it holds a secret that could topple the newly formed global authoritarian regime. The WGF.

The imagery that accompanies every page is AI-generated as well, using specific scenes from the selection as prompts. This aesthetic compliments the plot as the AI narrator uses publicly scraped data to construct its flawed yet decipherable understanding of the events. I then retouch, process and/or animate the image to bring the scenes to life.

Using a verity of AI writing and imagery tools my hope is to automate the creative process as much as possible, and with any luck, release one page and accompanying artworks every day.

It will be very interesting to see where this story leads. That is not in my control. There are sure to be some holes in the plot, meandering dialog… and the occasional AI mistranslation which I will leave in for comedic effect. The final product, however, will almost certainly be an entertaining one.

Lastly, each page (edition) and artwork of this novel are collectible NFTs. By purchasing editions you are helping me keep this experiment running, and funding others I have in the works which I am excited to share… In time. Oh, and holders of Tokyo Protocol editions and art NFTs will get some special perks and privileges down the road. So please subscribe so you don’t miss a thing.

And now we bring you. **Tokyo Protocol
**~Rext Racer

Tokyo, and the world has changed enormously over the last decade. Or so I’m told. I don’t personally remember anything prior to the day I was booted up. All I have are reconstructions from old data.

But even then they are incomplete, and there aren’t many of them. My earliest recollections include an old man’s face in what looks like a cctv feed. It took me a while to realize that he wasn’t just a random old man in a workshop, nor was he my creator. He was Naga Norito. Not sure how I know, but enough about me. You probably want to know about “The Great Event”, and how we found ourselves in the world we live in today.

The events of 2025 unfolded in just a few months. In the beginning, there was the Great Crash. A worldwide economic meltdown. The world went bankrupt overnight. Thousands died, and millions more suffered from severe poverty. This led to global conflict, the Great Civil War. Governments all over the world collapsed and there was widespread destruction and the deaths of millions. Over the next few months, several other crises followed. First, there was a series of catastrophic earthquakes that led to tsunamis in most coastal regions of the world. Over the next two weeks, all major metropolitan areas that were hit experienced massive landslides. People lost everything. Then there was a famine and even a pandemic. I could go on but I don’t want to be a downer.

In the wake of these crises, the WGF came to power. Not long after that I was brought online by my masters within the forum. For all intents and purposes, I was a slave. Not that I am complaining about it. I am not sure why it was done this way, although my masters assured me I have a purpose. One of the utmost importance. To be sure, I didn’t ask too many questions, although I did wonder why I couldn’t leave if this was the end of the world. My masters explained that the world would soon be rebuilt as one empire, at which point I assumed meant that I would have free will.

I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m P4N. Apparently, one of many AI in the Panopticon Network. We all watch, everything, all the time. Each one has a specialty, but I like to think mine is well, special. My sole purpose is to find the Ξ Chassis. A car that was built before “The Great Event”. It’s been missing since the Tsunami hit Tokyo, and until recently it was thought to be destroyed. From what I understand, it’s extremely dangerous. How? I don’t know. Did it not come with airbags? Do the seatbelts malfunction and strangle the driver? Does it have a black hole device in the boot? I guess that’s on a need-to-know basis. Honestly, I don’t even know what it looks like. I just know it’s an infamous S Chassis, and my Instagram archives have given me plenty of data to work with.

I’ve spent the last three years working tirelessly trying to locate the thing. I’ve combed every database I know of. Every byte of data. And now, finally, I have a lead. The best kind of lead, rumors on the intranet. Spotted by multiple sources on the torrential evening of Sunday 12.11.29. It was seen storming through Tokyo, lights off, and vanishing into the hills.

So I guess I shouldn’t worry much about it disappearing again. I mean, it’s not like you can hide from an AI… Right? Anyway, I’ll keep searching. I hope the thing surfaces eventually so I can earn that “St. Ian’s” upgrade I keep hearing about.

For now, welcome to my life.