The year was 2042, and silence had become the ultimate luxury.
Arthur sat in his living room, but he didn't see the peeling wallpaper or the dusty floorboards. Through his "Ocular+ Retinal Implants," he saw a gleaming marble palace. However, the palace was currently obscured by a hovering, translucent cheeseburger that pulsed with a neon rhythm. Do you want no ads?
Arthur sighed, waving a hand through the air to dismiss the burger. It didn't vanish; it simply shrank and pinned itself to the corner of his peripheral vision, right next to a floating bottle of detergent and a scrolling ticker of "Hot Singles in New London." The year was 2042, and silence had become
