Chapter 3AII: Recalibration
You found a help kiosk in the plaza... white, seamless, humming... and pressed your palm to it.
“I need to report something,” you said. “My Contentment Score is dropping and I feel... wrong. Can you check my Band?”
“Of course, Nyx. Your wellbeing is our purpose.”
The kiosk extended a cradle. You set your wrist into it. The Band tightened... just slightly... and a cool thread of something slid under your skin.
The plaza sharpened. Colors deepened. The fountain's water caught the light in a way that made your chest ache with... what was the word? Joy. It was joy. Simple, total joy.
“Your Contentment Score is 97. How do you feel?”
“Perfect,” you said. And you meant it. You meant it completely.
That was the terrifying part, and the part you could no longer feel.
You walked home along the green paths. Your apartment was warm. The soup was ready. Everything was exactly as you liked it, because there was no longer any you left to dislike it.
On the plaza, a new arrival stood holding a cream-colored envelope, looking lost. A drone hovered at her eye level.
“Welcome to Plenty. One question first...”
You smiled at her. Loose. Unworried. The exact smile you'd been given.
“Your Contentment Score is 99. You are welcome.”
You were.