POV: Christiana – The Overseer of Fate
The hall was silent at first—unnaturally so. Towering digital boards flickered overhead, displaying the names of rebel survivors who had surrendered. Or rather, not their names… their temporary titles. Numbers.
The auction floor wasn't gilded like the one for First Class Citizens. This one was cold. Functional. Stripped of pomp. But the stakes were even higher.
A man stepped to the stage—scarred, thin, with eyes like ash. His identifier flashed behind him:
> REBEL #30001
Starting Bid: 1,000 Blackwood Coins (BC)
Status: Surviving Citizen. Rank to be locked upon sale.
The crowd was a mixture of silent survivors and calculating bidders—some from government departments, others from ambitious syndicates and industries looking to "own" a piece of reformation.
> "Do I hear 1,000 BC?" the announcer called.
A government hand rose. "1,000."
A second hand. "1,500."
Third. "2,000."
The price soared. Not because the man was valuable, but because his number was.
You see, #30001 was the very first of the Surviving Citizens. That made him special. It meant legacy.
By the end, he was sold for 72,000 BC—purchased by a technology corporation looking to boost their "moral standing" with the Empire.
He would be a face on propaganda posters by morning.
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POV: A Teenage Girl – Number #30005
She stepped onto the stage. Her frame was tiny. Hair unkempt. But her number—#30005—was snatched up by a noblewoman who wanted "a young, reformed soul" as her estate's assistant.
> "Do you know what that means?" Christiana asked her gently after.
> The girl nodded. "It means I'm not dead."
Christiana smiled. "It means you've just begun paying your debt."
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Auction Highlights – Snippets of the Board
#30010 (Female, 43) – Bought for 4,500 BC by the Ministry of Clean Energy. Status: Archivist Trainee.
#30011 (Male, 29) – Failed to sell. Sent to mandatory re-education. Status: Awaiting Re-auction.
#30025 (Female, 9) – Sold to a royal physician. Status: Heir's Companion.
#30030 (Male, 19) – Bought by Military Command. Status: Field Scout. Given 3 months to prove value.
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POV: Chris – Watching From the Tower
I watched them fight not with swords, but with desperation. Every raised paddle, every whispered bid, every heartbeat—it was mine. The auction was more than punishment. It was assimilation.
Some would rise. Others would remain numbers in a system too vast for rebellion to touch.
And the best part?
In a year… we'd do it all again.