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LOCATION: VOSS TOWER, 20TH FLOOR
CITY: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
DATE: AUGUST 31, 2026 | TIME: 7:00 AM
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System Broadcast
Vitalyx Recipients: 8,142,403,251
Rejuvenex Recipients: 7,055,634,047
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@POTUS: Today, I am proud to announce that Elliot Voss will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His vision and sacrifice reshaped the destiny of humanity. We honor him not only as an American innovator, but as a servant of all mankind. #MedalOfFreedom
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As the System Broadcast numbers approached a critical mass, Mallory convened another meeting of the extended Core Council. Since everyone was spread all over the planet, she made it virtual.
Vanessa and Darian were the only two in the room with her. On the screen were the regular Council, plus Samir al-Mansoor, Nina Vosper and Sienna Black, Colin Mercer, and Valerie Connors. Valerie also asked for special permission, and Barrett Langston joined as well.
It was a large meeting, and there was a lot to discuss. As usual, Mallory kicked things off.
"Good morning, afternoon and evening, everyone! We've got you spread all over the globe, so I did my best to pick a time that worked for everyone."
Most everyone nodded and said hello to each other while Mallory took a sip of her steaming green tea.
"Okay," she continued. "Let's start with the numbers. Vitalyx is now at over 99.5% of the global population, and Rejuvenex is right behind it at 86%. I couldn't be more pleased with the progress. We've had some hiccups with hoarding and theft attempts, but overall the implementation has been smooth sailing."
Grim cut in. "I wouldn't exactly call it cruise control, but yes. Smooth enough. So far, nothing we couldn't handle."
"Which brings us to the situation Samir is handling," Mallory said. "Can you give us an update?"
Samir unmuted and began giving his report.
"The implementation of the two scenarios Ronan put together has been flawless so far," Samir said. "It's just me and two others here now, and we've been periodically checking everyone's vitals. Except for a few slightly raised heart rates, everything is perfectly normal."
"Wait," Elise said, "who has increased heart rates? That shouldn't be possible."
Ronan looked a little embarrassed.
"The uh, Nightmare scenario can get pretty intense for those who are resisting. It should even out soon, though. I've been tracking the 22 in that one. Gideon Blackwell and two others are pushing pretty hard, and keep dying stupid deaths, while the other nineteen have seen the enemy onslaughts ease up in line with their self-reflection."
Samir nodded. "Yup, it's Gideon and two others with the unusual readings while all the others on the island are normal. So you think these three will be fine soon, then?"
"That's entirely up to them," Ronan said. "The System has access to health metrics too, and moderates as needed to ensure nobody dies from stress, so it should be fine."
"Please keep checking them, though," Elise said. "I think we're at the point where we want the System to work through these things rather than just killing… Right?"
"Actually, that's a good topic for us to cover with this extended group today," Mallory said. "As you know, Gideon Blackwell hired three Russian special forces teams to sabotage serum production sites, and Grim's teams had to kill them to avoid a catastrophic situation. Some of you may be wondering why kill them and not Gideon. I will let Grim explain this."
Grim snorted.
"It's not rocket science," he said. "It comes down to civilians versus enemy combatants. The old military rules of engagement. These were soldiers who decided to take money in exchange for an agenda that would benefit the few. They knew what they were doing when they took the job. And what the risks were if they failed."
Samir, Brick, and several others nodded.
"I think the question is where we draw the line," Colin said, "now that we have shown we have solutions beyond killing. The situation in the Seychelles proves there is another way."
Barrett Langston unmuted. "May I?" he asked.
"Sure, Barrett, go ahead," Mallory said.
"If it's now possible to identify specific people and turn the System on for them only, can't we just do that from now on? It sounds like the System is autonomous enough that you don't really have to design specific scenarios every time. Right?"
Everyone looked to Ronan, who appeared in thought.
"Senator Langston is right," Ronan said. "I could design in some parameters, where if someone is about to perform some kind of egregious act, the System intervenes and essentially shuts them down and enters them into a liminal space while it builds a scenario that is uniquely designed to lead them down a better path."
"It is the main goal of the System after all, isn't it?" Colin asked. "Helping humanity advance? Become wiser?"
"That is absolutely correct," Darian said. "In my many discussions with Elliot over the years, crime was one question we came back to repeatedly. Actions must have consequences, whether they are positive or negative. The System must be balanced in its approach. Fair, unbiased, of course. But its goal must always be the advancement and development of humanity into beings capable of greater things."
Mallory laughed. "It's a heavy philosophical discussion that wasn't even on the agenda today, but it's a worthy topic. What does everyone else think?"
They discussed the matter a while longer. Brick and Aria both noticed that Nina and Sienna were unusually quiet, but didn't think much of it.
In the end, a decision was made.
"Okay," Mallory summarized. "We have a consensus here. Ronan, please set up the parameters."
She sighed. "Let's hope we've issued the last death penalty."
Everyone looked pleased with the decision. Mallory was surprised to see that even the warriors like Samir, Brick and Grim were fine with it. That was good.
"Alright," Mallory said, "final item on our agenda for today. With the numbers as they are, I think we can be comfortable kicking off the global Tutorial at midnight on New Year's Eve. That night, when the world goes to sleep hour by hour across the planet, they will wake inside their Tutorial."
It was such a simple statement, but everyone on the call felt chills at the idea. They'd been working hard for this for a little over a year, but they knew it was a plan in the making for much, much longer.
After she ended the meeting, Mallory looked at Vanessa and Darian.
"I can only hope Elliot Voss is pleased. Wherever he is."
Vanessa put her arm around Mallory's neck. "There isn't any other possible reaction he could have."
After the call ended, Nina and Sienna, who were sitting next to each other on a sofa at their house, looked at each other.
"We're going to need to move our plans up," Nina (Cormac) said.
"Just tell me what to do and you know I'm there," Sienna (Silas) said.
They made some sandwiches for lunch. The girls had this delicious stuff called lunch meat that tasted great with some kind of white sauce called Mayonnaise.
As they were finishing their second sandwich, a knock sounded at the door.
Sienna opened it, and saw Brick and Aria standing outside. Soft rain was falling, and the smell of wet grass entered the house.
The two stepped inside and closed the door.
"What the fuck is going on with you two?" Brick asked.
Nina and Sienna looked at each other and shrugged.
"What do you mean?"
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System Broadcast
Vitalyx Recipients: 8,142,419,006
Rejuvenex Recipients: 7,351,656,937
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@JazzFanMike: Picked up my trumpet for the first time in 30 years. #Jazz #Blues
@TrollKing694U: Jazz? Your neighbors just googled "how to report a noise violation." #PutItAway
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