Chapter 2 - The Red Seal
""What are you doing? Get out of my house!"" Sarah screamed, leaping from her chair so violently that her plate shattered against the oak floor. Roasted carrots and white rice scattered across the polished boards. She lunged forward to shield Leo, but the two flank officers moved with terrifying coordination. One pinned Sarah against the kitchen counter with an outstretched forearm, while the other stepped between her and the toddler’s high chair.
""Citizen Sarah Vance,"" the restraining officer intoned in a flat, synthesized cadence. ""You have failed to maintain the mandatory Engagement Quota prescribed under the Digital Relevance Act of 2028. Interfere further, and your tier status will be permanently revoked.""
""He’s three years old!"" she shrieked, clawing at the officer's Kevlar-sleeved arm. ""He doesn't even know what a screen is!""
The lead officer ignored her completely. He leaned over the booster seat, his shadow eclipsing the frightened boy. Leo pulled his knees up to his chest, weeping uncontrollably, his tiny knuckles white as he clung to the front of his faded blue shirt.
""System ID: 094-Leo,"" the lead officer read aloud from a glowing forearm display strapped over his sleeve. ""Engagement metrics: ninety-four impressions over seventy-two hours. Negative velocity. Zero virality. Relegation protocol approved.""
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With a swift, practiced motion, the officer slapped a crimson adhesive patch onto the shoulder of Leo’s shirt. The seal hummed to life, pulsing with a faint crimson light that seemed to leach the warmth right out of the room. Leo shivered, reaching outward toward Sarah with both hands, screaming her name through frantic gasps.
Before Sarah could break the officer's grip, the lead man unbuckled the booster seat safety strap and lifted the weeping child into the crook of his heavy arm. As they marched toward the door, Sarah caught sight of a sleek black transport parked at the curb, its tinted windows bearing the unmistakable crest of the Central Algorithm Authority.
