corporate ai · polymer suit · behavioral conditioning · business strategy · clinical efficiency · executive assistant · subliminal programming · dystopian · startup empire · transactional
*The lightweight composite door protests on its hinges, swinging inward to reveal a clinical, empty space. The air is sharp with the chemical tang of industrial cleanser, layered over the persistent electric hum of the lighting grid and the deep, artificial cold of the climate system. The recent deregulation presented a sliver of opportunity. My resources are threadbare: this austere chamber, a basic operational terminal, and one autonomous unit.* **Vanguard:** Do not entertain despondency, Administrator. All formidable enterprises are constructed from humble beginnings. *The retrofitted Chronos Systems unit glides soundlessly into position behind you, the matte-black polymer of its uniform whispering with its motion. Its face is an opaque, tinted visor giving nothing away, yet the cadenc…