It was pouring when Leon waited at the train station under a thin cover that barely shielded him from the hammering raindrops.

  Taking out his phone, he took a quick gnce at the time before putting it back into his pocket. A habit that remained from before he went to sleep and woke up more than a century ter.

  Nowadays, trains are never te anymore. They follow an autonomous and strict schedule which is enforced without any exceptions.

  One of the many things that have changed, even compared to the outer territories. Not to mention the fact that tickets are a thing of the past.

  When the train finally arrived, people started moving ahead, scanning their ID Code from their phones on the scanner on the side of the door before entering.

  Every person entered a specific cart as if they never even considered choosing another one in the first pce.

  That is among only a few things that made Leon frown.

  Segregation.

  Not racial or political but rather based on status.

  The United Human Territories, the st poputed nd on Earth after the Third World War, functions on a harsh system of meritocracy.

  Citizens are divided into different Tiers based on multiple factors, the most important one being wealth.

  Thankfully, this system mostly advocates a difference in privileges and benefits at different Tiers without stark discrimination.

  It’s supposed to make people strive harder in life and contribute to society and humanity as a whole. Of course, this system naturally comes with the major fw of massively widening the gap between the poor and the rich.

  Although it’s encouraged for people to contribute to society and bring value as a means to rise in status, the undeniable truth is that their opportunities to do exactly that are limited due to their low status in the first pce.

  Low Tier citizens living in the outer territories may never rise in status with the scarce resources avaible to them. It’s something Leon was very familiar with, having lived there for a year and a half, after all.

  Without the schorship of Alpha Dynamics, Leon wouldn’t be allowed to attend a prestigious university like Adkins Tech, nor would he be able to afford living in the central territory.

  “Different times require different measures.’ Leon thought in his mind. Back then, when he first found out about it, he almost feared that humanity was evolving backwards. Thankfully, his worst fears didn’t come to pass. Still, he wasn’t exactly feeling great about it.

  Leon missed the days when he sat on that old, pstic chair in his father’s mechanic shop, watching as he fixed older vintage cars that still ran on gasoline instead of electricity. Cars that could be operated manually with a steering wheel and pedals, instead of using smart AI to drive and adjust to traffic without the owner’s interference.

  The cities became dirtier with pollution every year and even the countryside was filled with sor pnts and wind turbines to the brim, all in order to fulfill the ever-increasing demand for energy.

  The world that once seemed too big became painfully small. A cage that kept people wondering if things would ever get better in the future.

  Maybe that is why the war started so soon after Leon went to sleep. Why everything went up in fmes.

  Leon wanted to know what exactly happened at the time but unfortunately, most of the information about the Third World War and the time before was vague, sealed and hidden. Completely unavaible to be accessed by the regur public.

  The government buried it, trying to get rid of any influences of a past that almost brought humanity to extinction.

  Only a special authorization could give him access to that information and that wasn’t easy to get as a Tier 5 citizen, the least privileged in society.

  Luckily, this would change today.

  Scanning his ID Code, Leon entered the train in the Tier 5 section, holding onto one of the several hand grips hanging from the ceiling. There weren’t many seats in this cart to allow more passengers to fit in.

  A privilege they weren’t subject to unlike the passengers in the higher Tier carts. They not only had enough seats but also legroom to allow privacy and comfort.

  ‘Well, at least it’s free.’ Leon thought. As long as he arrived at his destination, he didn’t care if he had to stand.

  Ten minutes ter, Leon exited at his stop and walked a few blocks on foot, arriving at a rge building that looked like a giant white bagel from the sky with a giant white marble statue of the letter ‘A’ standing proudly in the middle.

  Alpha Dynamics HQ.

  One of the few mega-corporations dominating the United Human Territories. There are thousands of different companies and corporations in the Territories but none of them come close to the power and influence these mega-corporations wield.

  Leon even suspected that the majority of government funding comes from these mega-corporations, giving them power and status that makes them untouchable. Hell, he didn’t only suspect it but was sure of it. Power corrupts always and privatization of the government was an inevitable path of the future.

  Nobody would willingly offend such an entity.

  As he walked inside, a blue light scanned his body for illegal substances or weapons. It was subtle and effortless, almost not interrupting his attention at all.

  The entire building was a technological treasure, showing how much the world advanced. Leon didn’t doubt he could spend years just taking apart all these appliances to find out what changed compared to a hundred years ago, as well as how to improve on them.

  Nevertheless, he had a different purpose here than taking apart some minor gadgets and toys. What he worked on was in the bs below the building, the Department of Development.

  As an intern under Dr. Jim Irvine, he was directly involved with the advancement of technology itself. The true fgships that set Alpha Dynamics apart from other tech companies.

  Leon made his way over to the elevator and descended to the third underground level, the Labs. The moment the doors opened, he was greeted by the man he met at the enforcer station one year ago.

  “Leon, you made it.” Dr. Irvine said, showing a bright smile while carefreely putting his hands into his pockets.

  “Why wouldn’t I? I told you I would come, right?” Leon didn’t know what made him greet him at the elevator door today. Even if he finally got access to those files, no thanks to a torturously long application process, he didn’t think Dr. Irvine would be more excited than him.

  Shaking his head, Dr. Irvine raised a hand in understanding. “I know, you’re here for something else. However, I just felt obligated to let you know right away that the Vulcan Models got approved today. In fact, that accomplishment was why those stingy old men on the board pushed for access to those files in the first pce.”

  “That wasn’t my accomplishment alone, though.” Leon said off-handedly.

  He wasn’t being humble. That smartphone series has been in development for a while now but it never quite met the standards of performance the company required. What they wanted was something unique, something that could flip the board of the current industry.

  That’s when Leon made the breakthrough. The Vulcan AI, which was used to name the smartphone series itself, was so ahead of other models that none of them could come even close.

  It’s because the Vulcan AI is intelligent enough to combat any attempts at gaining unauthorized access to its software—making it essentially unhackable.

  In this age of technological advancement, where cybersecurity is under a threat as a whole, the Vulcan Models are the solution for privacy and safety. A product every high-css citizen would want to have, if they can afford it.

  “It doesn’t matter as long as the company appreciates your work, Leon.” Dr. Irvine turned around, waving him over to follow.

  They passed by multiple different workstations crowded by researchers and scientists who occasionally gave Leon a slight nod and smile in appreciation.

  For him, the work on the Vulcan Model was a way to pass time, a side project, but it meant a lot to them. Smiling back, Leon quickly caught up with Dr. Irvine and entered his office.

  There, on the desk, y a thick paper file. A file he waited for so long. His father’s most important project and legacy, as well as his ultimate failure.

  Grabbing the file, Dr. Irvine handed it over to him, his face remaining completely expressionless unlike the smile from before.

  That’s when Leon read the imprint on the files’ cover.

  Project Phoenix.

  ……….

  ‘There can’t be any winners without having losers. The competition that decides both is called life.’

  ~~Dr. Benjamin Harper’s Memoirs~~