/A new dawn/I open my eyes/Do you remember me?/

“Welcome to the Resistance.

“Before we talk to you about your missions, should you agree, I’d like to explain one thing. We aren’t trying to overthrow the One. Hell, none of us have ever seen the One. He might be a great guy, he might be Hitler or something. I don’t fucking care.

“What we’re trying to overcome is the corporate oligarchy that administrates Columbia and so many big cities around it. It’s pretty fucking dystopian at the moment for those of you who haven’t been. Basically a corporate state at this point, with high levels of surveillance, low-paying jobs, no basic human rights, et-cetera. Kind of a hellhole.

“Our goal is to ensure a good life for everyone in the city. This means basic human rights, shelter, the guarantee of a well-paying job, healthcare, schools, everything. This means setting up a democratic government, that, while subservient to the One - which is kinda necessary to survive here - is most subservient to its own people.

“We’re ambitious, radical, crazy, but that’s the only way we will get the change we crave.

“You all will start as entry level recruits. Your identities will be faked and you will be transplanted into society, in some cases living alone, in some cases living together. You will be expected to act as productive members of society.” She grimaced a little.

“Productive members of society, in the eyes of your… corporate overlords… only. You will be given the contacts of two other, higher-level, resistance members. You are expected to act as mostly a messenger, but you may be asked to do other tasks at times, especially once you have established yourself as a member in good standing of the Resistance.

“We’re taking an unprecedented step in promoting you all to entry-level with no training, no loyalty checks. We expect that you won’t betray our trust, considering all of you have been unfairly imprisoned at some point. If any of you are caught trying to sabotage us… your **** will be neither quick nor painless.

“With that out of the way, I’d like to make sure you all are committed. If you would prefer not to work with us, we will release you back to the prison, where you were all treated fairly, at least. You’ll at least get three good meals a day there.

“Who’s out?”

No one raised their hand. No one wanted to go back, once they had tasted freedom.

“Your new life begins now.”

Arkady and Electra, new last name Kavafis, were together - Arkady could not have lived alone, after all. He would have been lost, lost in the bright lights, the fast moving everything, the towers that draped the street in a curtain of shadow, the constant suspicious glances…

Electra was at home, though loathe to admit it. Even as Arkady glanced around in shock, even disgust, Electra kept her eyes down on the street, her hood up so no one would see her face, even notice her gender. She knew how to blend in, keep herself away from greedy and lecherous eyes.

They arrived at a small building, thin and tall, as was the norm here. Keys were fumbled with, golden flashes in the dark, then the correct one was found and stuck in the hole in the door. It swung open smoothly, and they were presented with a cheap wooden door and a flight of stairs.

Electra locked the door behind them, then headed up the stairs. Three flights. Third floor.

It was home.

She took in the sights she hadn’t seen for a week, the small drawing on scrap paper she had made in grade school, before she had started skipping in earnest, lovingly pinned up by her parents over a small refrigerator and hot-plate. On the right was a bed big enough for two, and an uncomfortable-looking couch. The couch where her father had slept until he died. Killed himself.

It brought back memories, not all of them good. All of them not good.

She kissed Arkady on the lips, peeled off her boots, and fell on the bed. Despite the lumpiness of the mattress, she slept almost immediately.

Arkady took another look at the Affection Multiplier. For some reason, numbers had stopped appearing over people’s heads. He wondered why.

notice: real-time affection meter disabled. it was far too hard to maintain when you were surrounded by that many people. also I think you found it disconcerting.

Arkady - N/A - tired, confused - facets available!

Electra - 120 - tired - facets available!

20 monetary units available

new quest! tap here to view

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A quest. That was interesting. He tapped immediately, even before he took a look at the facets.

quest no. 1: let’s start a bit easy

goal: purchase a facet, for either you or another person

reward: 10 monetary units

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That seemed easy enough. He tapped his own name, and a tree appeared. Only the root of it was visible; everything else was blacked out.

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[start here - basic enhancements - click to view more!]

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He clicked. A little description popped up;

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this will make your face look a lot more like that of the ideal human’s. the change is retroactive, so no one will comment on the difference. will slightly enhance relationship gains. 20 m.u.

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He went for it. Why not, after all?

His monetary units counter vanished briefly, then updated to a ten, reflecting the quest reward.

A new look for a new life. How fitting.

Then he joined Electra in bed, and slept.