El_party -

"We aren't here to dance," EL’s voice echoed, projected directly into everyone’s audio implants. "We are here to remember what it feels like to be unmonitored."

Inside, the "el_party" was a cathedral of light. Drones hovered overhead, weaving ribbons of solid-light data between the dancers. People from every tier of the city were there: high-level corporate execs with their masks off, and street-level hackers with their rigs glowing on their backs. el_party

At the center of the room stood , the host. No one knew if EL was a person, an AI, or a collective. They stood on a platform of shimmering glass, wearing a suit that seemed to be made of liquid mirrors, reflecting every person in the room back at themselves. The Moment "We aren't here to dance," EL’s voice echoed,