Fredrick lived happily in the megacity of Havensburg. His life was netsurfing, basic socializing, and working at the drug manufacture plant, day in and day out, the same exact schedule every single day of his life. He had no hobbies. All the storytelling in his life was mere consumption, passive observation with no analysis. As it should be.
He was content.
He was always content.
But one day something happened that made him no longer content. A slip, a mere slip whilst running to catch the train to work in a thunderstorm.
He didn't even remember hitting the ground. But he did remember the blood pooling around his head as he lay face down on the concrete.
And he certainly remembered the sudden disconnection from the CMPLNCE matrix embedded in his brain. Like being jerked out of hypnogogic delusion.
Epiphany struck... he, no, everyone was spinning their wheels. Going nowhere. Doing nothing of value. Complacent in everything, mindlessly consuming always, aspiring to nothing.
And he was no longer content.