When Jason arrived at the agreed meeting point, he realized he wasn’t the only one being officially naturalized today.
"Now that everyone is present!" a strong voice rang out.A man in a flawless suit stepped forward, swept his gaze over the group, and inhaled briefly before continuing in a firm yet welcoming tone:
"I would like to warmly congratulate all of you — from this moment on, you are officially citizens of our society!"There was a certain warmth in his words that softened the otherwise formal atmosphere and gave everyone present a sense of acceptance.
"Let me explain the next steps to you:
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You will receive new identification bracelets that officially certify you as citizens.
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You will be assigned a personal social counselor to assist you in getting started.
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Each of you will be provided with accommodation and a selection of initial job offers.
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Your health insurance will be activated automatically, ensuring you are covered from now on.
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All these steps will be completed within the next 48 hours."
The man looked around the group with calm authority, as if to make sure everyone grasped the significance of the moment.
Seeing that everyone understood, he continued:"Before this round table dissolves, let me give you a piece of advice:Be careful who you talk to — because you never know who you might meet on this planet."
With these words, the gathering was dismissed, and we were shown the way forward.
Several social counselors were already waiting for us, ready to split up so that each newcomer would have one by their side. Everyone continued on, passing through another airlock separated by double doors.At the end of the passage, we all exited through yet another set of double doors.
Suddenly, the surroundings felt more welcoming — almost as if the change had been intentionally orchestrated.
As they walked down the corridor, Jason noticed details that hadn’t been visible before: colorful posters with patterns and announcements for various events lined the walls, and at strategic corners, large plants stood next to comfortable benches.
At the end of the hallway, a window caught his attention — the first he had seen along his path. As he passed it, his gaze lingered.Fascinated, he stepped closer and looked outside for the first time.
An endless cityscape stretched before him, a metropolis whose skyscrapers reached for the heavens, seemingly without end. Neon lights flickered between the facades, and one building, in particular, drew his focus: an imposing skyscraper with a glowing sign.
"The Black Pearl Hotel" — the name shone in bright neon letters across the facade, almost as if it were
personally inviting him.For a moment, Jason lost himself in the view."I never thought the future could look this beautiful," he murmured quietly.But the moment passed, and reality pulled him back. With one last glance, he turned away and followed his social counselor into the office.
The room he entered immediately struck him — it didn’t look like the barren bureaucratic offices he had seen before. It was personally decorated, with small touches that showed individuality and life.There were even a few pictures of colleagues together on the wall, giving it a truly personal feel.
"He values a relaxed atmosphere, which I appreciate — though, in my experience, such visits have always been a waste of time,"
Jason thought bitterly, memories resurfacing — memories that made him painfully aware that, back then, nobody had truly wanted him anywhere.Like trash that couldn’t even be recycled.
"You can have a seat,"the social counselor said in a mild voice.
Jason sat down, his expression blank as he looked at the man.
"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Samuel Webb — but you can just call me Samuel,"the counselor said with a friendly nod.
Naturally, Jason knew he had to introduce himself in turn — out of respect, even though he knew exactly who he was.
"Good day, my name is Jason Dorn — pleased to meet you."
Samuel smiled slightly.
"Likewise. Congratulations on your newfound freedom,"Samuel leaned back slightly, his tone friendly but clear.
"Before we move on, I'd like to give you the chance to ask any open questions. According to your file, there’s still room for clarification."
Jason hesitated briefly, then raised his eyebrows."Uh… about the test earlier — is it normal for the questions to be so... strange?"
Samuel took a small sip from the glass in front of him before replying with a slight smirk:"Good question. Normally, no. The questions are usually simple, but they vary depending on where you take the test."
He set down the glass and looked Jason straight in the eye."Which means: you got lucky. Apparently, you received a composite test — assembled from different categories."
Jason raised an eyebrow."So why was the test like that, then?"
Samuel shrugged, genuine honesty in his voice."Honestly? I don't know either. That's not part of my department."
Jason thought back to the questions — some absurd, others almost ridiculously hard.He wondered: if someone came from a technologically backward world... how could they possibly pass such a test? Were there filters to compensate for that? Or would you simply fail if you couldn’t do math?
All these thoughts swirled through his head — questions unlikely to have simple answers.
"Any more questions?"Samuel’s gaze lingered on Jason’s data bracelet, his voice calm but with a hint of amusement — or maybe something else?
Jason didn’t let himself be unsettled."Sure. A couple of clarification questions."
He leaned forward slightly."First — how come I can even understand you? I don’t speak your language."
A cold grin spread across Samuel’s face, slow and calculating."I was wondering when you'd ask that — better late than never."He took his time, letting Jason stew for a moment.
"While you were under sedation, a Neuralink was implanted — like many others — which translates for you in real-time and monitors your body for anomalies and other issues."
Jason frowned."And why exactly was I given a Neuralink? I just immigrated."
The grin disappeared from Samuel’s face abruptly — like someone flipping a switch.
"Only dangerous individuals receive one."
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His voice was flat, almost mechanical. But his eyes said more. They pierced into Jason’s soul, as if the words he had just spoken were already an irrefutable truth.
Jason held his gaze, but inside, he felt a slight pull."And in what way am I dangerous?"
Samuel tilted his head slightly, his face otherwise expressionless — except for his eyes, which were ice-cold, almost deadly."You might not realize it yet — but here, your lineage is everything."
His voice was no louder than a whisper, but it felt like a dagger to the heart."It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter if you’re innocent. It doesn’t matter what you believe."
Samuel leaned forward slowly."We scrutinize everything. We categorize. And we act accordingly."
A moment of silence. Heavy, oppressive.
Jason felt the words gnaw at his mind — like poison slowly taking hold.
The ticking of the clock became so loud in the silence that it battled against his reason — turning reality on its head, questioning everything.
"That got a bit... frosty. My apologies."Samuel gave a small shake of his head, as if trying to shake off the moment.
"But when it comes to that topic, I don't mince words. I hope you don't take it personally."
Jason’s mind snapped back to reality. He took a calm breath, blinked once, and replied plainly:"Don’t worry. I don’t take it personally."
A gentle, almost apologetic smile returned to Samuel’s face."It’s something you needed to know. Not everyone finds the right words to explain such truths."He paused briefly.
"I wanted it to be burned into your memory. So it will never be forgotten. Every fear has a source — and every fear has two sides. That’s why I answered that way."
A short silence, then Samuel switched back to a businesslike tone."Any more questions?"
Jason nodded slowly."One more. Is it normal that so few people pass that test?"
Samuel leaned back."Yes, absolutely. Today was actually an exception — twelve people. Normally, it's between five and seven. Today's result is almost double — unexpected, but not problematic."
Jason let the information sink in.Another small piece of the puzzle — a clearer picture of how rigorous this system really was.
"That’s all from me for now,"he said, sitting up a little straighter, his voice growing more energetic.
"Let’s get to the important part. I want to know what to expect in my new home."
A faint spark of anticipation lit up in his eyes.
"That’s the spirit I wanted to hear!Let's start with your new home! You’ll be living in an apartment on Kahlsberg Street."
Samuel entered some data into his computer and turned the screen toward Jason. He showed him a small description:
"As soon as you enter the apartment, you’ll be in a spacious living area.On the left, a door leads to the kitchen; on the right, you’ll find the bedroom and bathroom.From the living room, you can access the balcony — a chair & Table is already included.The balcony overlooks a courtyard open to all residents — a place to relax, socialize, or simply breathe.
Although there’s no store in the complex itself, there are several mini-markets directly across the street with all your daily needs."
"As you can see, you're getting a solid, well-equipped apartment.What do you think — do you like it?"
Jason was genuinely surprised to be offered such a high-quality apartment — a pleasant kind of shock, as he called it. At the same time, he felt a deep sense of gratitude. Receiving such an offer so early felt almost too good to be true.
He didn’t need long to decide."Yeah... it looks really good," he said clearly.
Samuel nodded in satisfaction and immediately set to work finalizing everything."Excellent. We’ll cover the rent for the first year — consider it a starting bonus."He raised a finger before Jason could say anything."And no — you don’t have to pay it back. Just so there are no misunderstandings."
While he spoke, Samuel typed intently on his keyboard and casually took a sip of water — a relaxed routine.
"Next, there were supposed to be a few small tests — but we’ll have to postpone those until tomorrow."
Samuel grinned slightly and shrugged."The test room is... well, under water right now. Burst pipe! But don’t worry — we fix things here at record speed. It’ll probably be fine by tomorrow."
He stood up and dusted his hands off as if he had done the repair himself.
"Now for the more comfortable part: I'll get you some proper clothes! No one can seriously live in that disposable white jumpsuit."
He pointed to the water cooler next to the desk."Make yourself comfortable here — help yourself to some water. You'll feel a bit more like yourself in no time." With those words, Samuel left the room.
"Now that I think about it, everyone's suddenly being really nice to me... probably because I'm not a stranger anymore — or worse, some kind of monster,"
Jason thought, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Still... this Neuralink keeps me on a short leash. I really wonder what else it can do. Maybe there's something cool hidden in it... like those quickhacks from Cyberpunk.That would be seriously badass."His eyes lit up with a childlike excitement as he imagined all the crazy possibilities.
Meanwhile, a few rooms down — in Samuel Webb’s area:
"Oh hey, Samuel!" a cheerful voice called out from down the hallway.Samuel turned, surprised.
"Monika! Great to see you — you're already back from vacation?"His face brightened instantly — it was obvious he was genuinely happy to see her.
"Yeah, sadly... vacation’s over. But how about you? Everything under control? And hey — how many arrived today? And which one did you snag this time?"Monika was practically bubbling over with questions — she loved swapping stories with her colleagues, especially when there was something exciting going on.
Samuel raised his hands in a calming gesture, smiling slightly as he replied:"Whoa, slow down. I'm doing good — and it looks like you are too, storming in here like that."
"You know me! Of course I’m good — but come on, spill it already!"Monika grinned broadly, refusing to let him dodge the conversation.
Samuel gave a dramatic sigh and briefly furrowed his brow.
"Alright, alright... Everything went according to plan. This time we actually had more than usual — twelve people either got naturalized or are still in the process."
Monika’s eyes widened in disbelief."Twelve?! That's almost a record! We rarely get that many!"
Samuel nodded."Exactly. And since there were so many, I even got to pick who I wanted. Naturally, I chose the easy candidate."
Monika burst out laughing."Classic Webb — always picking the easy way!"Samuel chuckled along but then grew a little more serious.
"Well... although... his classification is... um... Category E."
Monika blinked, confused."Wait, what? E?!"
"Listen," Samuel said, giving her a serious look.
"Yeah, he's officially classified as E. But — he’s got a Neuralink. So don't panic, okay? It makes a huge difference."
A brief silence fell between them —until a third voice broke it:
"Heeey Monika! Come over here — I want to hear everything! How was your vacation?"a colleague called out with a wide grin from across the room.
Monika shot Samuel a wink and grinned as she backed away:"Alright, Webby — we’ll catch up later, okay? I still wanna know why you picked that guy. Talk soon!"
Samuel raised an eyebrow, about to reply —but Monika was already halfway across the room.He gave a slight shrug and turned back to his work.
Back in Samuel’s office:
Samuel leaned back into his chair, relaxing.
"Alright, I put together a box with a few outfits — a real mix. Pick whatever you like. The restroom across the hall is perfect for changing,"he said.
"Got it," Jason replied simply, grabbing the box and strolling out.
Inside the restroom, he locked the door, set the box down, and took his time changing.
"Hmm... looks like something from Earth.Almost like an old rock band's outfit. Bomber jacket, black T-shirt... kinda rocker style.But hey — as long as it’s comfortable,"he muttered, grinning to himself.
"Yep. This is my look now."
He checked himself out in the mirror:black band tee, casual bomber jacket, comfortable cargo pants, and fresh white sneakers.It all fit perfectly.
A little while later, he returned to the office.Samuel gave him a quick once-over and grinned.
"Aha, so that’s your style — cool look! Alright then, let’s move on. I just got the access code for your apartment. Let’s head out."
(…)