Eli left that afternoon. He didn’t say goodbye. He just walked out with his paper book and his cracked spine, and her implant had nothing left to track. The data stream went silent.

“Can I see you again?”

Scan.

Scan complete. New vulnerability detected. Probability of attachment: 96%.

Scan. Scan. Scan.

Perfect. Complete. A total capture.

Hit. Dopamine flood. The junkie’s reward.

Scan.