As the story in City: The Mind in the Machine continues to unfold in Issue #2, we get to explore further some of the moral conundrums hinted at in the first issue: security vs. privacy, the consequences of ultimate power, etc. Shy, unassuming Ben now has his eyes—and his mind—directly connected to every surveillance camera in the city, both private and public. With a little practice, he can control them and switch between them just by thinking about it. But, more than that, he can also control just about anything else that’s connected to the network: traffic lights, streetcars, facial recognition software, and more.

The more Ben uses the technology that’s been implanted in him, the easier it gets—and the more obsessed and addicted he becomes. The people around him see how deeply he’s treading into dangerous territory and becoming a whole other person in the process. Yet, rather than stopping him, they just keep giving him more and better access to the network. After all, he’s preserving the safety of the city. Isn’t that worth a little risk?

We’ll have to wait for the next issue to find out if it’s worth the risk or not, but I’m guessing it won’t be.

It’s interesting to delve into the world that Ben finds himself caught up in and see the changes it causes in him. The sci-fi is pretty cool, and the story is compelling. So far, though, we have yet to see the stakes raised to the level that these kinds of issues demand. It’s all relatively minor crimes being stopped and minor issues being faced. But, it’s likely that soon we’ll get to some huge, impending, citywide catastrophe that brings the whole thing to a thrilling climax. In the meantime, though, the story is still interesting enough to hold my attention, capture my imagination, and make me curious to read the next issue.