Chapter 1
Jane
Working from home every day was efficient. It was also dull.
No coworkers interrupting her. No boss leaning over her shoulder. No chatter, no noise. Just the work, clean and uninterrupted. Tasks moved from “to-do” to “done” with quiet precision, day after day.
Do the job. Send the report. Log off. Rinse. Repeat.
Jane leaned back in her chair, taking a break, her thumb already scrolling through her usual rotation.
Social media first. Always. Who was doing what? Who was pretending to? Which influencer was selling nonsense today?
Politics. The environment. The world arguing with itself in real time.
Then the good stuff.
Space.
That was where she slowed down. Rocket tests. Launch windows. New propulsion ideas. The long, slow crawl toward getting off this rock. She followed it all—every update, every delay, every small step forward.
And AI.
That fascinated her even more: the way it was slipping quietly and efficiently into everything, becoming… normal.
Jane spent more time than she probably should have watching where it was all heading.
This day felt like all the others. Until it wasn’t.
On her favorite robotics site, something new appeared.
A pop-up.
Not flashy. Not annoying. Just… there. Clean and simple.
Would you like to participate in a Beta Test?
Yes No
Jane smirked. “Yeah, no thanks.”
She clicked No.
The screen changed.
Thank you for your interest in our test. We are happy you will join us.
Jane blinked. “…Wait.”
Her mouse hovered over the screen. “I clicked no… didn’t I?”
The screen shifted again.
Please confirm your contact information.
Every field was already filled in. Name. Email. Phone. Address.
All correct.
All hers.
Jane stared at it for a moment, then shrugged. “Okay… well… why not?”
She clicked Confirm.
Thank you.
The box disappeared, just like that.
“Huh.”
Jane leaned back slightly, a faint smile tugging at her mouth. “I wonder what I just signed up for.”
Probably a newsletter. Robotics Weekly. Something harmless. That was how these things usually went.
She glanced at the time. Break over. Back to work.
The next day felt exactly the same. Work. Quiet. Efficient.
Break.
Scroll.
Jane paused when she remembered the pop-up from the day before. A small, almost amused thought crossed her mind.
Huh… I wonder what that was about.
She clicked on the robotics site. The page loaded, and for a second, nothing happened.
Then a pop-up appeared.
Welcome back, Jane.
Jane blinked. “…Okay.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly at the screen.
How do they know my name?
The text shifted.