Voices of the People

Subject: Collaboration Confirmed – Apex Agreement Finalized

Dear Ms. Astra/The Astra Team,

We are thrilled to confirm our collaboration for the upcoming Starlight Resonance Tour. After careful consideration and extensive negotiations, Apex is fully aligned with your vision to create a performance that bridges human and transhuman audiences.

Key points of agreement include:

· Creative Autonomy – You retain complete artistic control over all venues, themes, and performance structures. Apex talent will complement, not overshadow, your productions.

· Revenue Adjustments – Per our discussions, your revised share will reflect a 4% increase across all tour revenue streams.

· Talent Integration – Apex performers will feature in no more than three acts per venue, as mutually agreed upon, ensuring balance and cohesion in the overall performance.

We recognize this collaboration as a milestone in interstellar entertainment and look forward to working closely with you and Maya’s team to deliver an unforgettable experience.

Please let us know your preferred dates for the next planning session.

Best regards,

Clara Singh

Lead Representative, Apex Talent Partnerships

\\

The soft chime of a door alert broke her reverie. Caden entered the room carrying a tray, his minimalistic frame as sleek and efficient as the rest of her apartment. His matte black panels absorbed the room’s faint light, while faintly glowing blue lines traced his joints in subtle geometric patterns. He set the tray down on the console with a precision that was almost annoying.

“Apex has confirmed,” he said, his deep voice resonating faintly in the quiet room. “The collaboration is official. Negotiations are complete.”

Lena blinked, snapping out of her daze. “Already? How long were negotiations?”

“1,100 correspondences,” Caden said, straightening to his full height. “Finalized in exactly six days.”

Lena frowned, setting her coffee down. “Wait, that was you? All of it?”

“Yes.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “How advanced are you? Apex doesn’t just have one AI—they’ve got a whole fleet of them. And they don’t lose.”

Caden tilted his head slightly, the faint glow of his optics narrowing with an almost imperceptible hint of amusement. “Did you not read the specs when you purchased me? I am their yet to be released flagship.”

“Why the hell would they let me buy you, then?” she demanded, her voice tinged with incredulity.

He gestured toward the holographic console, which lit up with a series of ads mentioning the influential clients who bought the flagship product. Her name was smack bang... fourth on the list.

“The company is leveraging the fact that you, Astra, purchased their model. ‘The idol who embodies humanity chooses our new model.’”

Lena’s face scrunched up in disbelief. “I didn’t endorse anything. I just bought you!”

Caden’s tone turned wry. “And they’re very thankful you did. It’s in the contract, if you’d care to read it. You probably already have. Section 14, clause B. They have flexibility to make up new terms on the spot, you know.”

"I don't even want to know the legality of that."

"Think they assumed you'd have your VI read through all of it already."

"I did, I must have missed it." She groaned, running a hand through her hair. “You could’ve warned me.”

“Too late for that. I was busy securing favorable terms,” he replied smoothly. “And I succeeded. Shall I list the concessions Apex agreed to?”

Lena waved a hand, still grumbling. “Fine. What did we get?”

Caden’s optics brightened faintly as he relayed the details. “Venue autonomy—complete creative control over all performances, including thematic alterations and final say on scheduling. Apex talent integration is limited to no more than three acts per venue. Revenue shares increased by four percent in your favor.”

Her jaw dropped slightly. “Four percent? That’s huge.”

“I know,” he said, his voice calm but tinged with a faint trace of smugness.

Lena stared at him for a long moment, then leaned back with a huff. "I feel slightly less worse now."

He began organizing the scattered files on her desk, moving with a practiced efficiency that was almost hypnotic. Unprompted.

A faint hum emanated from him—acknowledgment, maybe amusement. Some deep part of her wanted for that to be true.

HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!

The screen flickered to life, a dark canvas illuminated by a single, ethereal glow. A faint melody began, a haunting blend of traditional strings and synthesized tones, weaving an unmistakable tension. Slowly, the image sharpened.

Two silhouettes stood at the center of an infinite, shimmering expanse. Astra and Maya.

Astra, dressed in an angular, futuristic ensemble of reflective silver and deep blue, exuded sleek, calculated precision. Her every movement was sharp, deliberate, the lines of her body cutting through the light like a blade.

Maya, on the other hand, radiated raw, untamed energy. Her costume was a wild blend of textures—flowing fabrics in earthy tones, punctuated by bold streaks of red and gold.

The dance began without warning.

Astra’s foot struck the ground, and with it, the space around her transformed. The darkness exploded into a cityscape of glowing skyscrapers and bustling hovergrids, light trails streaking through the air. Maya mirrored her, and her side of the stage erupted into a verdant forest, trees twisting and blooming with bioluminescent flowers.

Their dance was a contrast, a push and pull. Astra’s precision against Maya’s chaos. They spun and leaped, their worlds colliding—branches snaking around metal spires, neon lines crisscrossing through wild foliage. The backdrop pulsed with every beat, and the audience—an unseen, imagined crowd—could feel the palpable energy in every step. She could feel it in her bones, no, in her head. 

At one point, the two reached for each other. Their hands almost touched, but at the last second, they pulled back, spinning away in opposite directions. A deliberate tease, an unspoken story.

The camera zoomed in on Astra’s face as she turned sharply, her gaze intense and unrelenting. Then it cut to Maya, her eyes alight with something wild and free, as if daring the viewer to look away.

The final scene came without warning. The dancers froze mid-spin, the stage dissolving into a void. Slowly, text materialized on the screen, glowing softly:

“The Starlight Resonance Tour. Coming Soon.”

HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!

Lena buckled, her hand on her forehead, the advertisement fading from view as the Apex pre-immersion interface awaited her command. For a moment, she was still, replaying the imagery again and again in her head.

“Damn,” she muttered. “We are in the thick of it now.”

The Apex network loomed in front of her, a gateway into a near-endless market of transhuman and human alike. With hundreds of billions of transhumans in its reach, the sheer scale of the platform was daunting. Universal Basic Income had eliminated the need for work, but it hadn’t erased ambition. In a society that wanted for nothing, people sought to make their mark in ways that transcended utility—art, innovation, experiences.

Lena adjusted the brim of her absurdly wide hat, a disguise that was either genius or a complete failure. “I look like I’m trying to avoid the paparazzi at a horse race,” she muttered, her voice muffled by the filter she’d applied.

Beside her, Caden’s sleek avatar exuded effortless confidence, a stark contrast to Lena’s jittery energy. “Your hat is a choice,” he remarked, his tone polite but just sharp enough to needle her.

“Whatever,” Lena said, swatting the air to dismiss him. “Let’s focus. You’re here to keep me from embarrassing myself.”

“Impossible task,” Caden deadpanned, though his glowing visor betrayed nothing. “This could have been done more efficiently with assistant AIs. Ones I could generate myself, by the way.”

“Sure, but those little bots don’t pick up vibes,” Lena countered, her tone dripping with mockery. “I need nuance, and that’s why I’m here. That's why you are here as well. Guerilla vibe testing.”

Caden let out a sound that might have been a sigh, though it was difficult to tell. “Very well. Let’s harvest some ‘vibes.’”

HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!

“The Starlight Resonance Tour is not going to fail. It is too big to fail,” said the tiger, their stripes shimmering in time with their voice. “Astra’s one of the GOATs.”

"People said the same thing about Lord of the Rings 4."

"Come on, it wasn't that bad."

“Okay, buddy. Anyway, Maya’s the headliner,” replied the blocky one. “She’s got that raw energy. Astra’s… y’know, solid. That ain't enough. She knows it, too. That's why she brought Maya along.”

“Solid?” the tiger repeated with a laugh. “She’s Astra. She’s a pillar.”

Lena hastily backed away, Caden following suit.

“A bloody pillar? That's their best comparison?” Lena hissed under her breath, leaning toward Caden.

“Technically, pillars are architectural marvels,” Caden offered. “But yes, this sounds vaguely unflattering. And Lena, don’t forget: you are Astra.”

“Of course, yeah. Of course.”

HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!

“Collabs like this are always risky,” said one Netizen, a hovering figure that looked like a sentient cloud. “It could clash. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was a blowout.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” said their companion, who had taken the form of a humanoid cat with sunglasses. “You don’t get fireworks without friction, you know what I am saying?”

The cloud huffed. “Or you get a trainwreck.”

HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!

“Astra’s predictable. Always perfect, always polished. People are bored of perfect. We have our people filling that role—and doing it better besides. That’s why Maya’s killing it. She’s got flaws. But she’s her own thing.”

Caden tilted his head toward Lena as they passed by. “Giving it your all is your brand. A perception you’ve cultivated. You don’t have to be perfect by their standards. To humans, you already—”

“And now it’s boring?” Lena shot back, a little too loud.

An avatar near them glanced over. Lena froze, then gestured to Caden. “Uh, let’s move.”

HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!

Once they found a quieter corner, Lena plopped into a floating chair that hovered inches above the ground. She adjusted her disguise, the wide brim of her hat hiding her face as she sank into thought.

“Maya’s the draw,” she said after a long silence. “People are here for her. Did you get that?”

"Indeed." Caden took a seat across from her, the smooth lines of his form glinting faintly in the digital glow. He must have noticed Lena's turmoil, as he added this: “Maya's the buzz, yes. But you’re the anchor. A solid foundation for a rising star.”

“Anchor,” Lena repeated, rolling the word around in her mouth like it was a bad taste. “Not sure I like being something people want to leave behind.”

“It’s a role,” Caden said simply. “And it’s a powerful one.”

Lena tapped her fingers on the armrest, her mind churning. “So, I make Maya the focus. Fine by me. Build her up, let her shine. And then, by proxy, I look like the wise, veteran mentor.”

“A symbiotic relationship. Your star rises as hers does.”

“Right,” Lena murmured, though something about the thought left her unsettled.

As they prepared to leave, Lena caught sight of another cluster of avatars—this time, a lively mix of transhuman and human forms. They were huddled around a holographic display showcasing Maya and Astra in a teaser for the tour. The clip played on a loop: Maya, wild and vibrant, contrasted with Astra’s poised, commanding presence.

“They really like her.”

“And they’ll like you too,” Caden replied, his voice steady. “You don’t need to prove anything.”

“Don’t I?” Lena asked, more to herself than to him.

HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!HOTWIRED!

Lena stumbled out of the Orb, her breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. She gripped the edge of the console, her knuckles whitening as she steadied herself. The glow of the Orb's fading connection bathed her in a pale light, making the sheen of sweat on her forehead gleam.

Her chest heaved as she tried to collect herself, her fingers instinctively brushing against the faint pulse of her biopatch, which glowed faintly on her belly. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, forcing her breathing to slow.

From the adjoining room, Caden’s voice drifted in, calm and unyielding. “Lena, your vitals are elevated. Heart rate at 125 beats per minute. Elevated cortisol levels. Shall I prepare electrolytes?”

She rolled her eyes, pushing herself upright. “It’s nothing,” she called back, trying to sound breezy. Her voice cracked slightly, betraying her. “Just… excited. Big day.”

Caden’s tall, sleek figure appeared in the doorway, his glowing optics narrowing slightly. “Excitement typically doesn’t mimic exertion, Lena. You’ve been pushing too hard.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, waving him off with a strained smile. “Really, Caden. Just… too much adrenaline.”

He tilted his head but didn’t press. “Understood. Hydration and rest are still recommended.”

Lena exhaled sharply, brushing past him. “Noted. I’ll get right on that. After I get some more work done. Drafting ideas for you tomorrow, social media posting, emails, the works.”

Caden’s optics tracked her as she moved toward her desk, her shoulders stiff with determination. “Humans always work against their best interests,” he said softly, more to himself than to her.

“I heard that!”