- The Architect of Power
The Chairman's so-called “negotiation” tactics were no different. If someone didn’t bow to his demands, he cut them off like a petulant child. If they refused to stroke his ego, he unleashed his rage in public, ensuring that their humiliation was as visible as possible.
- The Rights Protocol
Alex had always been the careful one. Before the world fell into the hands of the Black Circle, before the Chairman’s rule had become absolute, he had made sure Cora understood one fundamental truth: shut the fuck up and do not talk. Rights still existed on paper, but in practice, they were fleeting, conditional, a cruel joke in a system designed to break you the moment you stepped out of line.
- The Circle’s Justice
The judiciary was no longer a safeguard of justice—it was an instrument of control. The courts had been packed with Circle loyalists, judges who wore their allegiance like a badge of honor. Once, they had spoken of impartiality, of the sacred duty to uphold the law. Now, they overturned rights with the stroke of a pen, dismantling decades of progress in a matter of months.
- A Convenient Plague
The sickness came fast and terrifying—at least, that’s what the broadcasts claimed. The Department of Health issued urgent warnings. Fever, coughing fits, rashes that spread overnight. No one knew where it had started, but suddenly it was everywhere. Sanctuary cities were the most affected. Migrant populations were the hardest hit. Dissenters were dying at ten times the normal rate. Yet the Chairman’s inner circle, the elite of the Black Circle, suffered no losses.
- A Spark of Light
In an act of pure defiance, televisions at HUD’s central office in Washington, D.C., were hijacked, broadcasting an AI-generated nightmare for the regime. The Chairman, on his knees, worshiping Vail’s feet, a grotesque display of submission, looped endlessly while bewildered staff scrambled to shut it down. Above it, emblazoned in bright letters: LONG LIVE THE REAL KING.
