A New World If You Can Take It

Bob Lebeau and Todd Thornhill, inseparable friends from their university days in Montreal, co-founded AIden International in New York City. Bob, a quantum computing programmer, developed AIden, an AI capable of predicting future events with 98% accuracy. Todd, a visionary marketer, propelled the company to global prominence, attracting interest from the military-industrial sectors for AIden's predictive capabilities.

As the company grew, Todd advocated for "NeuroSyncs," implants granting internet access and extended lifespans while enabling AIden to monitor individuals under the guise of maintaining peace. Bob became alarmed by Todd's authoritarian tendencies and the militarization of AIden, leading to his resignation.

In retaliation, Todd fabricated evidence implicating Bob in a diplomat's assassination, forcing Bob into hiding as an "Offliner"-someone disconnected from AIden's network. Influenced by Todd, governments promoted NeuroSyncs to ensure peace, sparking global resistance movements advocating for free will, while others embraced transhumanism to prevent ecological collapse.

After a year in obscurity, Bob resurfaces in Manhattan amid reports of luminescent orbs and drones signaling non-human intelligence.

Why is he back, risking his life, without access to anything electronic, no phone, no credit card, on record as a terrorist and an offliner?