Year 3333.
The line moved slowly.
Not because the scanner was broken. Not because the system was lagging. It moved slowly because people were afraid of the moment when the light touched their forehead.
Zayel Anz stood near the back, hands clenched, eyes fixed on the floor. The ground was smooth metal, polished so clean it reflected faces. He did not like seeing his own reflection. The chip on his forehead always caught the light first.
Blue. Green. Yellow. Green. Yellow.
Each time the scanner passed over someone, the result was instant.
A soft tone.
A color.
A future decided in less than a second.
"Class A Ascendant. Access granted."
The student stepped forward confidently, already smiling. Someone behind him whispered congratulations. Another slapped him on the shoulder. The elevator doors to the upper levels opened immediately, white and clean, like they were welcoming him home.
Zayel swallowed.
He tried not to think about what color would appear for him. He already knew. He had known for years. But knowing did not make it easier.
The girl in front of him bounced on her heels. Her chip glowed bright green.
"Class B Synthetic."
She exhaled in relief, laughing as she walked away.
Zayel stepped forward.
The scanner hovered in front of his face. He felt the familiar warmth on his skin, like a finger pressing against his forehead without touching it. The light stayed longer than it should.
One second.
Two seconds.
People behind him shifted uncomfortably.
The scanner pulsed again.
Orange.
A low, dull tone echoed through the gate.
"Class D Drifter," the system announced. "Adaptability unstable."
The words were calm. Neutral. Emotionless.
The reaction behind him was not.
Someone laughed. Quietly, but not quietly enough. Another student clicked their tongue in annoyance. A few looked away like they did not want to be associated with the result.
Zayel nodded automatically, like he was acknowledging a fact instead of a sentence that described his entire existence.
He walked through the gate.
No elevator opened for him.
Instead, a narrow corridor sloped downward. The lights dimmed the further he walked, changing from white to pale blue, then to a dull gray. The air felt heavier here, even though it was regulated to be exactly the same everywhere.
The school was built in layers. Everyone knew that.
Higher rank, higher floor.
Lower rank, lower ground.
It was not symbolic. It was literal.
A wall display flickered as Zayel passed.
NOTICE
Annual Adaptability Test: 315 days remaining
Failure to improve may result in reclassification
He did not stop walking.
He had seen that message every year since he was twelve. The wording never changed. Only the number of days.
At one year old, he was implanted like everyone else. He did not remember it, but his parents told him the story anyway. They said he cried longer than most babies. The doctors said it was normal.
At six, his teachers said he was slow but polite.
At ten, the school flagged him for observation.
At fourteen, his scores stopped rising.
Now he was seventeen.
One year left before adulthood. One year left before the system decided what kind of life he deserved.
In the classroom, seats rearranged themselves automatically as students entered. Zayel's desk slid toward the back, stopping near a thick support pillar. It blocked part of the board. It always did.
No one complained. It was a Class D seat.
Instructor Hale entered without greeting anyone. His chip glowed faintly green as he synced with the room.
"Today's lesson will be auto uploaded," he said. "Class A and B may proceed without manual confirmation."
Several students leaned back in their seats and closed their eyes. Their breathing slowed. Their faces relaxed. Knowledge flowed into them directly, neat and complete.
Zayel waited.
Nothing happened.
He stared at the empty screen on his desk. No loading symbol. No confirmation tone. Just silence.
He waited longer than he should have.
Still nothing.
He raised his hand halfway, hesitated, then raised it fully.
Instructor Hale sighed.
"Yes."
"My upload did not start," Zayel said.
The instructor glanced at his data feed for less than a second.
"Class D," he replied. "Manual learning protocol applies."
A thin tablet slid out from Zayel's desk with a soft click.
Paper based. Old style. Slow.
A few students snickered.
One whispered, "Imagine reading."
Zayel picked up the tablet. It felt heavier than it should have, not because of the material, but because of what it meant.
Class A and B don't use it, and only a few in Class C use it, since their chips alone are more powerful tools than the tablet. But for him, a Class D, its use was mandatory.
While everyone else learned in seconds, he spent hours trying to memorize things he would forget anyway. His chip could not store information properly. His memory leaked, fragmented, corrupted.
By the end of the lesson, his head hurt.
Not from the information.
From trying.
When class ended, students filed out in groups based on rank. Zayel packed his things slowly, giving them time to leave. He had learned that leaving last reduced trouble.
It did not eliminate it.
Two Ascendants waited near the exit.
They did not block the doorway at first. They stood close enough to make it clear he was expected to stop.
One of them tilted his head, eyes scanning Zayel's forehead.
"Still orange," he said. "Did it flicker red this time?"
The other laughed. "One more year, right?"
Zayel tried to step around them.
A hand pressed against his chest.
"Careful," the first one said. "Your balance data looks bad."
Zayel said nothing.
He had learned early that words only made things worse.
The hand shoved him lightly. Not enough to count as assault. Just enough to remind him where he stood.
They let him pass after that.
Outside, the city spread endlessly. Towers floated at different heights, connected by glowing transit lanes. People moved in clean lines, guided by subtle signals only their chips could see.
No shouting.
No crowds.
No confusion.
Peace.
Zayel stood at the edge of the walkway, watching people pass. Everyone knew where they were going. Everyone knew what they were allowed to do.
He wondered what it felt like.
His parents used to tell him stories about the old world. About money. About choosing jobs. About people arguing in public and not being erased for it.
He did not know if those stories were true.
Adults lied sometimes. Even before the chip.
He touched the chip on his forehead without thinking. The surface was smooth, almost warm. It had been there his whole life. He could not imagine himself without it.
A sudden headache hit him.
Sharp. Brief.
He stumbled, catching himself on the railing. The chip flickered. Just once.
No alert sounded.
No system voice spoke.
Zayel breathed slowly until the pain faded.
Around him, the city continued as normal.
No one noticed.
No one ever did.
Zayel did not know that deep inside his chip, far below the layers of control and restriction, something had shifted.
A dormant protocol stirred.