『 EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM 』Status: ACTIVEPriority: MAXIMUMMessage: WIDESPREAD INFRASTRUCTURE FAILUREEstimated Duration: UNKNOWN
Three days after the cascade.
Melissa Park sat in what used to be SoulCorp Tower's main lobby, watching dust motes dance in the afternoon sunlight streaming through windows that no longer hummed with electromagnetic extraction fields. The building was completely dark—not just without power, but somehow empty in a way that went beyond simple electrical failure.
Like every other corporate facility in the Eastern Anxiety Empire, SoulCorp had become a monument to a system that no longer existed.
"Still nothing from the upper floors," Jeremy reported, returning from another expedition through the powerless building. "Emergency lighting failed completely on day two. It's like the entire electrical infrastructure just... gave up."
Melissa nodded, her attention focused on the tablet she'd salvaged from the corporate emergency supplies. Three days ago, she'd been strapped to a bed in SoulCorp's medical facility, undergoing "stress normalization" procedures designed to restore her anxiety levels to optimal extraction efficiency. Then every piece of electronic equipment in the building had simultaneously failed, the electromagnetic fields that had been conditioning her psychology had vanished, and she'd woken up feeling more human than she had in years.
"Any word from the other towers?" she asked.
"Same story everywhere. Deadline Dynamics, Anxiety Analytics, Burnout & Associates, PanicTech—all completely offline." Jeremy sat down on one of the lobby's ergonomic chairs, which now looked like nothing more than uncomfortable furniture. "It's like the entire stress kingdom infrastructure just ceased to exist."
Through the lobby windows, Melissa could see the city adapting to its new reality. Three days without corporate anxiety amplification had transformed the urban landscape in ways that would have seemed impossible a week ago. People walked more slowly, talked to strangers, and generally moved through the world without the artificial urgency that had defined modern life for the past three years.
"How many people know what really happened?" Melissa asked.
"More than you'd expect." Jeremy pulled out his own tablet, showing social media feeds that were spreading information faster than any corporate damage control team could contain it. "Turns out a lot of employees figured out pieces of the truth over the years. When the extraction systems went offline, people started connecting dots and sharing stories."
Melissa scrolled through posts from former corporate employees describing their experiences with stress harvesting, workplace anxiety amplification, and psychological conditioning. The hashtag #EmployeeZero was trending globally, along with #StressKingdoms and #AnxietyLiberation.
"What about the corporations? The dynasties?"
"In chaos, mostly. Some are trying to restart their operations with backup systems, but nothing works anymore. The electromagnetic infrastructure that made stress harvesting possible seems to have been permanently damaged." Jeremy's expression was thoughtful. "A few of the executives have disappeared entirely. Karen Blackthorne hasn't been seen since the night everything collapsed."
Melissa felt a complex mix of emotions about Karen's disappearance. On one hand, Karen had been complicit in the systematic exploitation of thousands of employees. On the other hand, she'd apparently helped delay the Ultimate Force deployment long enough for the Employee Zero team to complete their network attack.
"Any sign of Dave or the others?"
Jeremy's expression darkened. "No. The substation where it all happened is still completely inaccessible. Military cordoned it off on day one, and they're not letting anyone near it. But Melissa..." He hesitated. "There are reports of strange electromagnetic phenomena in that area. Readings that suggest something is still interfering with electronic equipment."
"What kind of interference?"
"The kind that makes people wonder if Dave's consciousness really was scattered across the electromagnetic spectrum, or if he became something else entirely."
Before Melissa could respond, the lobby's emergency communication system crackled to life for the first time since the cascade. Static filled the air, followed by a voice that sounded familiar but somehow different—distorted by what might have been electromagnetic interference or something more fundamental.
"Testing... testing... can anyone hear this?"
Melissa and Jeremy stared at each other, recognizing the voice despite its strange harmonic qualities.
"Dave?" Melissa called out.
"Melissa! Jeremy! Thank god." The voice was definitely Dave's, but it seemed to come from multiple speakers simultaneously, creating an effect that was both comforting and deeply unsettling. "I've been trying to figure out how to communicate through salvaged equipment for three days."
"Dave, where are you?" Jeremy asked, pulling out various electronic devices and watching them flicker in response to the voice.
"That's... complicated. I think I'm distributed across what's left of the electromagnetic grid. My consciousness got scattered during the final cascade, but instead of dying, I seem to have become part of the infrastructure we destroyed."
Melissa felt relief and terror in equal measure. Dave was alive, but apparently no longer human in any conventional sense.
"Are you okay?"
"Define okay." Dave's laugh carried the same harmonic distortion as his voice. "I can perceive electromagnetic activity across most of the continent, interface with any electronic device that still functions, and apparently communicate through speakers, radios, and anything else connected to power lines. But I can't exactly meet you for coffee."
"What about the others? Sarah and the Employee Zero team?"
"They survived the military response, barely. Most of them are in hiding while governments figure out how to respond to the collapse of the stress harvesting industry. Sarah's coordinating refugee assistance for corporate employees who lost their jobs when the kingdoms fell."
Jeremy was frantically taking notes. "Dave, what's the status of the global network? Are the other stress systems still operational?"
"Negative. The cascade propagated through every interconnected system. European Melancholy Markets, Asian Despair Protocols, Australian Anxiety Archipelago—all offline. The global emotional energy harvesting industry is completely defunct."
"And the corporate dynasties?"
"Some are trying to rebuild, but they can't recreate the electromagnetic infrastructure that made large-scale stress extraction possible. A few are pivoting to conventional energy production. Others..." Dave paused. "Others are developing more direct methods of psychological control."
Melissa felt her anxiety spike—her natural anxiety, not the artificially amplified version she'd endured for years. "What kind of methods?"
"Pharmaceutical stress enhancement, direct neural intervention, surgical installation of anxiety amplification devices. They're trying to recreate the stress kingdom model through medical rather than electromagnetic means."
"That's horrific."
"But also much smaller scale and easier to resist. The advantage of the electromagnetic system was that it could affect millions of people simultaneously through their work environment. Medical intervention requires individual procedures, which means individual opportunities for resistance."
Jeremy looked up from his notes. "Dave, what do you need from us? How can we help?"
"Keep documenting what happened. Keep sharing information about how the stress harvesting worked. Most importantly, keep identifying people who might have Employee Zero potential." Dave's voice carried new harmonics as he continued. "My consciousness being distributed across the electromagnetic spectrum means I can detect unusual stress patterns in electronic devices. There are more potential Employee Zeros out there than we ever realized."
"How many more?"
"Conservative estimate? About one in fifty thousand people have biometric signatures that could achieve Employee Zero status under the right conditions. That's roughly six thousand individuals in North America alone."
Melissa felt hope mixing with her anxiety. "Six thousand people who could resist corporate psychological conditioning?"
"Six thousand people who could help build a world where anxiety isn't harvested as an energy source, where stress isn't artificially amplified for profit, where human emotional experience isn't treated as a commodity."
Through the lobby windows, Melissa could see people walking through the city with an ease and naturalness that had been impossible during the stress kingdom era. Children playing without the constant background tension that had characterized their environment for years. Adults having conversations without the artificial urgency that corporate anxiety amplification had made universal.
"Dave," she said, "what happens now? What kind of world are we building?"
"A world where people get to experience their emotions without corporate interference. Where stress is a natural response to actual problems rather than artificially generated psychological pressure. Where anxiety serves its evolutionary purpose instead of being harvested for energy production."
"And the infrastructure? The power grid? All those systems that depended on stress energy?"
"They're adapting. Solar, wind, hydroelectric, even some fusion systems that were suppressed during the stress kingdom era because they competed with anxiety harvesting. It turns out humanity had plenty of energy sources that didn't require systematic psychological exploitation."
Jeremy was still taking notes, documenting everything for the historical record they were building. "What about the former corporate employees? Millions of people whose jobs involved stress harvesting?"
"Transition assistance programs, retraining for industries that actually benefit humanity, therapy for those who need help processing what they were part of." Dave's voice carried what might have been optimism. "Turns out a lot of people who worked for the stress kingdoms were victims too. Middle managers who thought they were optimizing workplace efficiency, IT specialists who thought they were maintaining productivity systems, accountants who thought they were processing normal energy consumption data."
"Like Karen Blackthorne?"
"Karen's situation is more complicated. She knew exactly what the stress kingdoms were doing, but she also helped prevent Ultimate Force deployment. Some corporate executives were true believers in the anxiety harvesting system. Others were trying to minimize harm while working within a structure they couldn't single-handedly change."
Melissa thought about her own experience working for SoulCorp. Four years of gradually increasing stress levels, systematic exploitation of her family's medical crisis, targeted workplace manipulation designed to maximize her anxiety output. But also coworkers who'd become friends, managers who'd tried to shield their teams from the worst corporate practices, and IT specialists like Jeremy who'd risked their careers to document what was really happening.
"Dave, are you going to stay... distributed like this? Permanently?"
"I don't know. My consciousness exists across electromagnetic systems now, which means I can perceive and influence electronic infrastructure in ways that could help rebuild society without anxiety harvesting. But it also means I'm not exactly human anymore."
"Are you lonely?"
There was a long pause before Dave answered. "Yes. But I'm also connected to every electronic device, every power line, every networked system in ways that let me help people in situations like the one we all escaped from. If my transformation can prevent other people from being turned into human batteries, it's worth the isolation."
Melissa felt tears she hadn't experienced in years—not artificially amplified stress responses, but natural emotional reactions to loss and hope and the complexity of human experience.
"We'll find a way to help you," she said. "Sarah's resistance network, the other Employee Zeros, all the people who are building whatever comes after the stress kingdoms. We'll figure out how to restore your humanity while keeping the benefits of what you've become."
"Maybe. But Melissa, Jeremy—don't wait for me to be human again before you start building a better world. The stress kingdoms are gone, but the impulse to exploit human suffering for profit didn't die with them. There will be other systems, other methods, other attempts to turn anxiety into a commodity."
"And we'll be ready for them," Jeremy said firmly. "All of us. The former employees, the resistance networks, the potential Employee Zeros, and whatever you've become."
Through the speakers, they could hear Dave's electronic equivalent of a smile. "Then let's get to work."
The emergency communication system crackled and went quiet, leaving Melissa and Jeremy alone in the darkened lobby of what had once been one of the most powerful stress harvesting facilities in the Eastern Anxiety Empire.
Outside, the city continued adapting to its first week of freedom from corporate anxiety amplification. People were rediscovering what it felt like to experience emotions without systematic interference, to work without artificial stress enhancement, to exist without being treated as human batteries for corporate energy production.
It would take years to fully understand what the stress kingdoms had done to human psychology and society. It would take even longer to build systems that served human flourishing rather than corporate energy extraction.
But for the first time in four years, Melissa Park felt genuinely hopeful about the future.
And somewhere in the electromagnetic spectrum, a consciousness that had once been Dave Chen continued working to ensure that no one would ever again be turned into a source of harvested anxiety.
But even as hope filled the air, Dave's voice carried a warning that made both Melissa and Jeremy tense.
"There's something else you need to know. The cascade didn't destroy the stress kingdoms—it disrupted them. And that disruption has created... complications."
"What kind of complications?" Melissa asked, her newfound peace suddenly feeling fragile.
"The stress energy network is trying to rebalance itself. When I overloaded the extraction systems, it created massive instabilities in the grid. Some areas are experiencing stress amplification spikes that are off the charts, while others have gone completely dark." Dave's voice carried new harmonics of concern. "The corporations are scrambling to regain control, but they're not the only ones responding to the chaos."
Jeremy's tablet began displaying data streams that neither he nor Melissa could understand. "Dave, what are these readings?"
"New players. The cascade sent out signals that attracted attention from groups we didn't even know existed. Some are trying to restore the old system, others are trying to replace it with something worse, and a few seem to be... experimenting with the instabilities."
Through the lobby windows, Melissa could see that the three days of relative calm were ending. While some people moved with the relaxed pace of those freed from artificial anxiety amplification, others appeared agitated in ways that suggested their stress levels were being artificially manipulated through methods she couldn't identify.
"The grid is adapting," Dave continued. "Parts of the stress harvesting network are coming back online, but not under corporate control. Rogue nodes, unauthorized connections, extraction systems that someone else is operating."
"Who?"
"Unknown. But based on the electromagnetic signatures I'm detecting, there are at least six different groups trying to gain control of the destabilized stress energy infrastructure."
Jeremy was already packing his equipment. "What about SoulCorp? Karen? The other dynasties?"
"SoulCorp is trying to restore limited operations on floors 20 through 35. The Blackthorne dynasty has regrouped and is implementing some kind of emergency extraction protocol. Deadline Dynamics never went fully offline—they just switched to backup systems." Dave's voice carried increasing concern. "And there are new signatures I don't recognize. Corporate entities that weren't part of the original five kingdoms."
As if to emphasize his point, the building's emergency lighting flickered back to life for the first time since the cascade. But instead of the steady glow they expected, the lights pulsed with a rhythm that felt disturbingly synchronized with Melissa's heartbeat.
"Dave, is that you controlling the power?"
"No. That's someone else testing restored extraction capabilities. Melissa, Jeremy, you need to understand—the cascade created opportunities, but it also created power vacuums. And something is moving to fill them."
Through the windows, they could see corporate vehicles returning to the financial district. Not the same companies that had operated before, but new logos, unfamiliar uniforms, and equipment that looked more advanced than anything the stress kingdoms had deployed.
"Who are they?"
"The cascade revealed the stress harvesting infrastructure to groups that had been developing their own emotional energy extraction methods. Now they're moving in to claim territory while the original kingdoms are weakened."
Melissa felt her stress levels rising—natural anxiety this time, but she could sense that the building's newly activated systems were already beginning to detect and respond to her emotional state.
"Are we back to where we started?"
"Worse. The original stress kingdoms at least followed certain... protocols. They had an interest in keeping employees functional for long-term extraction. These new players seem more focused on maximum short-term energy yield."
Jeremy's tablet was showing readings that made him pale. "Dave, the electromagnetic patterns in this area are unlike anything we recorded from the original systems."
"Because they're not using the same technology. Some of the new extraction methods don't require workplace infrastructure—they can harvest stress directly from residential areas, public spaces, even vehicles." Dave's voice carried a note of barely controlled panic. "The cascade didn't liberate people from anxiety harvesting. It just... changed the rules."
Emergency notification systems throughout the building began broadcasting a message that definitely wasn't from SoulCorp:
『 ENHANCED WELLNESS COORDINATION 』ATTENTION: STRESS MANAGEMENT OPTIMIZATION IN PROGRESSNEW EFFICIENCY PROTOCOLS REQUIRE EMPLOYEE COOPERATIONREPORT TO WORKSTATIONS FOR BIOMETRIC RECALIBRATION
EXTRACTION PARAMETERS HAVE BEEN UPDATEDRESISTANCE WILL BE NOTED AND ADDRESSED
"Enhanced Wellness Coordination," Melissa read. "That's not even trying to sound corporate-friendly."
"Different approach entirely. No pretense of employee wellness or productivity optimization." Dave's voice was beginning to distort again as electromagnetic interference increased. "Just direct acknowledgment that they're harvesting stress for energy production."
Jeremy grabbed Melissa's arm. "We need to get out of here. The safe house network might be compromised if these new players have different detection methods."
"Dave, can you track how widespread this is?"
"Continental scale, at minimum. The new systems are activating in major metropolitan areas across all former stress kingdom territories. But they're also expanding into rural areas that were never part of the original network."
As they headed toward the emergency exit, Melissa realized that something fundamental had changed about the nature of their resistance. "Dave, if these new systems don't follow the same rules as the stress kingdoms, do our Employee Zero abilities still work against them?"
"Unknown. My distributed consciousness can interface with electromagnetic systems, but some of these new extraction methods appear to be using quantum field manipulation, biological resonance, even what looks like... " Dave paused. "I'm detecting signatures that suggest direct neural interface technology."
"Brain implants?"
"Possibly. Or remote neural field manipulation. Technologies that could bypass conscious resistance entirely."
They reached the service tunnels beneath SoulCorp Tower, but instead of the relative safety they'd expected, the underground areas were humming with new electromagnetic activity. Equipment that hadn't been there before, cables running in directions that didn't match any building schematic Jeremy had seen.
"Dave, someone's been busy down here."
"The cascade created three days of electromagnetic chaos. Perfect cover for installing new infrastructure." Dave's voice was fading as interference increased. "Melissa, Jeremy, the resistance network needs to know—destroying the stress kingdoms didn't end the anxiety harvesting system. It just... evolved."
"How do we fight something we don't understand?"
"The same way we fought the stress kingdoms. Document everything, find the vulnerabilities, identify people who can resist the conditioning." Dave's transmission was becoming intermittent. "But be prepared for the possibility that Employee Zero status won't be enough this time."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the new systems might require... enhanced resistance methods."
The implications hung in the air as they heard footsteps echoing through the service tunnels. Not corporate security, not government agents—something else entirely, moving with purpose through areas that should have been abandoned.
"Dave, are you detecting other signatures down here?"
Static filled the communication channel for several seconds before Dave's voice returned, weaker than before. "Multiple unknown biometric signatures. Enhanced stress resistance levels. Melissa, I think... I think we're not the only ones who changed during the cascade."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying there might be more than one type of Employee Zero. And some of them might not be on our side."
As they moved deeper into the tunnels, trying to reach the safe house network through routes that were supposed to be secure, Melissa realized that their three days of apparent liberation had been an illusion.
The stress harvesting system hadn't been destroyed. It had adapted.
And so, apparently, had some of the people trying to resist it.
『 SYSTEM EVOLUTION ALERT 』STRESS EXTRACTION INFRASTRUCTURE: ADAPTINGNEW OPERATORS: MULTIPLE UNKNOWN ENTITIESEMPLOYEE ZERO VARIANTS: DETECTEDRESISTANCE CLASSIFICATION: INSUFFICIENT DATA
QUANTUM FIELD EXTRACTION: TESTING PHASENEURAL INTERFACE HARVESTING: DEPLOYMENT READYBIOLOGICAL RESONANCE SYSTEMS: OPERATIONAL
SHADOW BOARD STATUS: TEMPORARILY DISPLACEDNEW PLAYERS: ASSUMING CONTROL
To be continued...
Author's Note:The plot thickens! The cascade didn't destroy the stress harvesting system—it destabilized it, creating opportunities for new and potentially worse players to move in. Dave's distributed consciousness has revealed quantum field manipulation, neural interface technology, and the terrifying possibility that some Employee Zeros might be working for the opposition.
Melissa and Jeremy thought they were escaping to safety, but the underground infrastructure has been compromised by unknown entities using technologies that make the original stress kingdoms look primitive. And now there are mysterious figures moving through the tunnels with enhanced biometric signatures...
The resistance just learned that destroying one system doesn't mean victory—it means evolution. How do you fight an enemy that adapts faster than you can understand it?
Next Chapter: "Enhanced Resistance"Coming Soon!
Reader Discussion:What do you think these new extraction technologies are capable of? And if there are Employee Zero variants working for the opposition, how can Dave, Melissa, and Jeremy tell friend from foe?