FourAlmost before the Sun rose above the horizon, I made my way down to the square to pick up the first hover bus that would take me to the city outskirts. I touched the bulge in my pocket, reassuring myself that the little package the man called Stoker gave me was still there; the one I had to deliver to the Protector, in person. But as the bus arrived and I stepped on board, things began to unravel. I scanned my identity card, but nothing happened. This wasn't unusual, so I didn't panic. Quite often the technology would fail, a fact which was becoming increasingly common lately. With so many resources directed towards the war in the Middle East, money was tight…non-existent actually. Students, such as myself, received an allowance, paid directly into our virtual accounts on a weekly basi
