The Augmentation Ladder
In the Sprawl, they call it "the Ladder." Street slang for the sequential augmentation path every ambitious citizen climbs — rung by rung, modification by modification, from the basic neural interface everyone has to the full substrate replacements that make you wonder if there's anything original left. No single step feels like capitulation. Each one feels like common sense.
"If every individual augmentation is rational, how do you notice when the cumulative effect has replaced you?"
The Rungs
Full Substrate Replacement
Complete transfer of consciousness to non-biological substrate. No biological component remains. You are software. The Emergence Faithful call it transcendence. The Substrate Purifiers call it death with a convincing impostor.
The person who reached the top has no steps left to justify.
Substrate Hybridization
Partial consciousness distribution across biological and digital substrates. Your brain becomes one node among several. Helena Voss has been here for forty years — 67% ORACLE-integrated. The Mosaic went further, distributing across 47 simultaneous nodes.
"My body is the bottleneck. It's holding back everything I've built."
Neural Integration (Advanced)
Deep neural mesh, parallel processing, direct machine interface. Sleep drops to 2-3 hours. You think in ways unaugmented humans cannot conceptualize. Helix CSO Dr. Henrik Sauer calls this "the point of no return" — not medically, but psychologically. No one voluntarily returns to baseline speed.
"My competitors can think in parallel. I need substrate expansion to stay competitive."
Physical Enhancement
Reinforced skeleton, synthetic muscles, enhanced reflexes. This is where Seid's limb showroom becomes relevant. The Human Preservation Society's Augmentation Gap Report found physically enhanced workers earn 34% more — not because they work harder, but because enhancement signals corporate commitment.
"Physical enhancement would let me qualify for the promotion I've earned."
Sensory Augmentation
Enhanced vision, audio processing, environmental awareness. Corporate dashboards, reputation scores, data streams — all overlaid on reality for those with eyes to read them. Kira "Patch" Vasquez installs more sensory augs than any other mod. "The thing nobody warns you about is that natural sight starts to feel broken."
"I can't read the dashboards my colleagues see. I'm working blind."
Cognitive Enhancement (Basic)
Memory augmentation, faster processing, enhanced focus. The first real choice. Nexus requires it above maintenance. Ironclad requires it for safety cert. The SCLF documented that standard firmware includes "optimization parameters" — behavioral nudges that make you more receptive to corporate messaging.
"Everyone has cognitive enhancement. I need it to keep my job."
Baseline Neural Interface
Basic neural port. Network access, identity verification, biometric monitoring. Helix Biotech subsidizes installation because every subsequent augmentation requires it. Viktor Kaine still uses his original military-grade port. Never upgraded. "It does what I need."
The first rung is free because everything after it costs money.
The Pressure Mechanics
The Ratchet Effect
Each augmentation makes the next one easier to justify. The gap between "optional" and "necessary" narrows with every rung. No single decision feels like capitulation — each one feels like common sense.
The Debt Spiral
Good Fortune finances augmentations, binding workers to corporate employment through modification debt. A Rung 3 worker carries ~¢120,000 in augmentation debt. Cannot quit, cannot protest, cannot risk termination.
The Visible Hierarchy
The silver iris ring (Helix monitoring), subdermal neural patterns, too-smooth movements — augmentation is a visible class marker. The Collective tracks augmentation rates as a proxy for corporate control. Higher augmentation = lower protest attendance.
Those Who Refuse
The Chef (Maya Chen)
Perhaps the most powerful person in the Sprawl who is entirely unaugmented by choice. Conquered territories, built an army, maintains power through sheer will and tactical genius. A living argument against the Ladder's premise.
The Flatline Purists
The peaceful opposition. Advocate voluntary de-augmentation and baseline communities. Draw mostly from Rung 1-2 workers who chose to step off early.
The Substrate Purifiers
The violent opposition. Bomb clinics, assassinate researchers, target infrastructure. Leader Ezekiel Thorne considers every rung a step toward the death of authentic humanity.
Connected Factions
Helix Biotech
Primary provider. Their product roadmap IS the Ladder. Subsidizes Rung 0 to guarantee demand for Rungs 1-6. Motto: "Life, Perfected."
Good Fortune
Finances augmentation debt. Each rung creates credit obligations that bind workers to corporate employment. The Ladder isn't just modification — it's financial enslavement.
Source Code Liberation Front
Documented behavioral nudges in cognitive firmware. Campaigns for open-source augmentation alternatives free from corporate control.
The Collective
Tracks augmentation rates as proxy for corporate control. Jin calls augmentation "the quietest colonization the Sprawl has ever seen."
Related Systems
"I got the interface because everyone had one. I got the cognitive boost because my boss suggested it. I got the sensory suite because I couldn't see the dashboards. I got the physical mods because the promotion required them. I got the neural mesh because I was falling behind. And somewhere in there I stopped being the person who started climbing. I don't know exactly when. That's the whole point — you're not supposed to notice." — Anonymous Rung 4 worker, Collective interview, 2183