About
Truthful posture. Fictional events. Real mechanisms.
Author’s Note
This book is not about heroes.
It is about what happens when power is forced to ask instead of decide.
The events in this story are fictional. The mechanisms are not.
Institutions, systems, and technologies often harm people without intent, malice, or acknowledgment—by being reasonable, efficient, and on time for themselves.
This book does not argue for purity, safety, or certainty.
It argues for consent under pressure.
You will not find villains who announce themselves, or solutions that scale cleanly. You will find decisions that cost something, delays that matter, and choices that cannot be optimized without erasing someone.
If this story makes you uncomfortable, let it.
Discomfort is often the first honest signal that something real is being asked.
—Rick