The above image was made with stable diffusion using the prompt 'futuristic chicago.'
For the next six months, Harlen fell into a routine of work and nightly meals with Silver and Xero. Silver made him the bike of his dreams, with a trailer designed to occasionally smuggle Xero into and out of the Elite District. Harlen also began purchasing as much food and anything else he could from the other residents of the unfit neighborhood, which made him popular for the first time in his life. Despite his newfound popularity, or perhaps because of it, Silver remained just a friend, showing no interest in rekindling their romance.
Through it all, Harlen kept the extent of his fortune secret from everyone but Xero. His salary was high enough to explain his spending, and no one suspected he was sitting on 800k bits beyond this. No one suspected, but Harlen thought about it constantly. He wanted to do grand things, but feared what would happen if the other unfit residents of his neighborhood found out about his fortune.
One place Harlen could be completely honest was a web group called Unfit Potential. There, he could connect with other unfit people across the country who questioned their Qualification. Most of the others in the group seemed obsessed with giving the unfit a political voice, which was obviously a lost cause. But there were a handful of people who were in a similar position as him, and they formed a sub-group called Success Anomalies.
This sub-group was dominated by popular artists and musicians, but there were also inventors, traders, and a couple of esports champions. For the first couple of months, Harlen participated only by asking and answering practical questions about how to get things done an an unfit in society. After getting more comfortable, he started a conversation about what he could do with his fortune.
This conversation contained some good information about what an unfit could and couldn't accomplish with such funds. But it eventually devolved into a fight between those that believed Harlen had this money and those who didn't. Eventually, the conversation died out and Harlen moved on.
A few months later, Harlen received a direct message from a group member named Ed Arnold. The message read: "I've checked you out and know you're for real. You should come to one of my parties. Can you make it to Chicago by this Saturday evening?"
As soon as he read the message, Harlen knew he was going. "Send me the details," he replied.
The bullet train from Minneapolis to Chicago took just over two hours. Arriving alone in the foreign city, Harlen got his bearings and walked a few miles to the address he'd been given, which turned out to be a skyscraper on Lake Michigan. When he got there, he told a security bot his name, submitted to a scan, and was directed to an elevator.
Not knowing what to expect, Harlen soon found himself in what looked like a business office. A little sign pointed to Social Room A, which was where he was supposed to go. Harlen found the glass-walled room at the end of a long hallway. As he approached, he saw half a dozen people inside, milling around a spread of food.
"Some party," muttered Harlen as he opened the door. Although he'd said it quietly, a young woman in a nanofabric dress apparently heard him.
"There are reality augments available if you'd prefer increased festivity," said the woman. "I'm Wells, Ed's assistant. You must be Harlen. Thanks so much for making the trip."
"Sure thing," said Harlen. "Where is Ed?"
"Right here," said Ed, a casually-dressed older man, as he walked up to join them. "Nice to meet you in person."
"I never would've guessed that you were unfit," said Harlen.
"We all are, here," said Wells. "Ed collects us."
"And now we have Harlen, a Jala's agent and Historical Society intern," said Ed. "I suppose you're wondering what this is all about."
"Kinda," said Harlen.
"I'll get right to the point," said Ed. "We're putting together a group of extraordinary individuals with the unfit Qualification. Calling ourselves ExU. We're inviting you to join our group and contribute to our objectives. Eat with us. Ask any questions that come up. But please give me your answer before you leave."
"I'll get some food, then I want to hear about these objectives," said Harlen.
Making his way into to the larger group, Harlen fixed himself a plate of assorted fruits and meats. Seeing an empty stool nearby, he sat down and listened.
"I can't believe you think they'd let that happen," said a woman with a hypnopurse.
"There's a difference between letting something happen and being unable to stop it," said a man wearing old fashioned glasses.
"They could stop it at I/O," said Hypnopurse. "At the network level. It would be messy, but they could do it. I just think we should focus on the efforts already underway before we move on to crypto deals with unregistered foreign corps."
"What efforts are underway?" asked Harlen. "Sorry, I'm Harlen. I'm new here."
"We have an active investment pool and are developing a reliable Qualification fake," said Hypnopurse. "And we may have a way to drastically improve public health in unfit communities. Oh and I'm Cindy."
"I just think that the unfit should have access to credit," said Glasses. "If we can make that happen, why not do it?"
"How do you want to improve public health?" asked Harlen.
"In a word, nanobots," said Ed, who was standing nearby. "Harlen, my boy, that's where you come in."
"No way," said Harlen, putting together what they really wanted from him. "There's no way I can get them. Not even close. You guys don't know what the security is like."
"Tell us about the security," said Ed. "We want to know everything."
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