Chapter 6
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“My friends,” said Vitalius, his voice quiet yet deep and resonant as he paced slowly across the stage with his hands folded as if in prayer. “You have all been promised so many things. The wonders of technology, the magic of the future. Intelligent machines. Robot babysitters. Ample supplies of food and water, enough for everyone regardless of income. Extended lifespans. Flying cars.”
He grinned at that one, and the audience laughed. I scanned the room with my eyes, looking for any hint of a threat. Anyone paying the wrong kind of attention, anyone with the wrong kind of body language. There was nothing. No one in this room wished Vitalius Kohl any harm.
“When I was a child, I just naturally assumed all these things would become available, that they would be a part
