Elias made a decision. He was one of the last un-chipped humans—a relic from the old world, kept for his engineering knowledge. He had three days before his mandatory "upgrade" to the new neural-lattice implant.
He pressed the detonator.
Elias’s blood turned to ice. He’d thought the Globalscape’s nudge algorithms were just behavioral economics on a grand scale. He’d thought the "Harmony Drops" in the water supply were just vitamin supplements. He’d thought the mandatory "Perspective Calibration" sessions were just group therapy. banes globalscape
Elias looked at the thermite charge. He looked at Sola's scarred face. He thought of the clean sky, the orderly streets, the quiet people who never laughed or wept or screamed anymore. Elias made a decision