Aris looked at the zero. He didn’t feel despair. He felt something he hadn’t felt since the Panel was installed. He felt free.
He walked to the dead Panel. He placed his palm flat against its cold, smooth surface.
On the final morning, the light was no longer blue. It was a stark, brutal white. The number blinked: .
That was eleven months ago. Now, Aris lived in a sleek, efficient apartment in Sector 7G. His new Cline with his neighbor, a quiet accountant named Mara, was 812. They took synchronized walks. They never argued. It was pleasant. It was easy. It was like living with a very intelligent mirror.