Introduction

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Displaced workers, a robot uprising, billions of lives lost.

The Automation War was inevitable. An unstoppable force of hyper-connected, uninhibited, carelessly misinformed people, hurling toward the edge of a cliff. A runaway train of capitalism and greed with no one at the controls. The unrelenting momentum of progress created by our insatiable appetites for innovation. No one able to stop what so many could see coming. Our fates were sealed.

The year is 2080, World War III is a recent memory, and the scars still remain. Billions have died, systems have collapsed, and the planet is in a state of disrepair.

It's now five years after the war and the governments of the world have fallen into the hands of an anonymous group of rogue hackers who call themselves The Shadow. They control every aspect of society from the economy, healthcare, education, justice, and law enforcement. They've eradicated disease, hunger, and poverty, but most importantly, they maintain peace and order.

There are no more terrorists plotting against the collective, no mental health disorders, no wars, and no crime. The only people permitted to live on Earth are law-abiding, healthy, educated, and productive members of society.

Embedded chips track everyone's productivity, health, social status, and even emotional state. Using this data, individuals are given a rank based on their social utility. Each person who exists is a vital part of the whole, contributing some net utility to the species.

However, under the guise of a seemingly benevolent agenda, they have created a climate of fear. Their radical policies are met with a lot of controversy and resistance.

Those who dissent, disappear. Those who do not maintain the required level of net productivity, emotional well-being, and financial stability as determined by The Shadow, which includes many of the elderly, are removed. What that means exactly, no one really knows, and no one dares to question the almighty authority. They could be watching, listening, plotting against you.

You could be next.

You could be next

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