Every citizen received a Neural Band at age sixteen.
A thin metallic ring placed around the skull.
It connected directly to The Grid — an artificial intelligence that optimized human life.
The Band suggested:
What career to pursue
When to eat
When to sleep
Who to talk to
What emotions to regulate
Stress? Reduced.
Anger? Suppressed.
Ambition? Balanced.
No one questioned it.
Because no one remembered how.
History lessons were shortened.
Old space exploration archives were labeled "Irrelevant Data."
Words like "rebellion" and "freedom" slowly disappeared from daily language.
The sky remained silent.