Chapter one - The Score System
348 Words
The city pulsed with quiet authority. Monorails hissed over sleek silver tracks, delivering citizens to precise destinations at calculated intervals. Every movement was guided by the algorithm — punctuality, tone of voice, cleanliness, work output, diet — all compiled into the numerical value that ruled over them: their score.
Eira adjusted her uniform collar in the hallway mirror. Her score, 73.4, hovered just above the ‘stable’ line. The government encouraged stability — anything above 70 was livable, though it came without perks. A bump to 75 meant access to better food, less surveillance. Drop below 65, and the walls closed in — curfews, scrutiny, and eventually… reassignment.
At school, the walls displayed everyone’s scores like silent billboards. Teachers wore biometric gloves that tracked emotional fluctuations. One wrong answer wasn’t dangerous. But sarcasm, defiance, fatigue? Dangerous. The system was always watching.
That afternoon, during self-directed studies, a boy named Jael slouched in his seat. He barely whispered a joke to his neighbor, and the wrist sensor beeped red. A minute later, two Enforcement Officers entered the room. Jael didn’t resist. He just stood and walked out. His score had dropped to 64.1.
No one spoke of it after. No one dared.
Eira walked home alone. The streets were quiet, orderly, and empty — as they were designed to be. Her thoughts drifted to her parents, both former analysts in the Department of Harmony. One day, after a routine audit, they were gone. Their scores disappeared. Their names were erased from the community feed.
At home, she prepared her nutrient paste — government-issued and textureless. Her fingers lingered on the chipped ceramic bowl her mother had left behind.
That night, as she sat by the window watching the curfew drones patrol the streets, her tablet buzzed.
Notice: You are selected for PROJECT ZERO. Report to Harmony Plaza – Level 4.
Her breath caught. No one declined invitations from the government.
But this… this wasn’t just an audit. And it wasn’t a reward.
She whispered the words to herself, barely audible over the drone outside.
“They’ve found me.”
- Writer
