Social Security

"Do you know why you were invited?"

"Because I signed something I didn't read"

"Everyone reads it. No one understands it."

"You're saying that like it's a comfort."

"It's a filter."

"A filter for what?"

"For curiosity. For appetite."

"Is this a game?"

"If you need to call it that, yes."

"Games have winners."

"They do."

"And losers."

"They do."

"Where are the pawns?"

"You already saw them."

"No, I didn't."

"You did. You just didn't recognize them as such."

"You're avoiding the question."

"I'm easing you in."

"Then ease faster."

"Hint: Everyone's on the list."

"...The list of names...the people?"

"Not names. Numbers."

"That's worse."

"That's cleaner."

"Are you talking about data?"

"I'm talking about data and value."

"Those aren't the same thing."

"They are in the market."

"Say it plainly."

"Very well. Participants are indexed by government identifiers."

"You mean—"

"Yes."

"That's illegal."

"That's adorable."

"So this is trafficking."

"No. No movement required."

"That's not the point."

"It is to us."

"Your investments are people."

"We maintain a portfolio of outcomes."

"That sounds rehearsed."

"It is."

"What happens to them?"

"Most never notice."

"And the ones who do?"

"They get very interesting."

"You're smiling."

"I'm excited."

"This is monstrous."

"You'll fit in."

"I don't want to."

"You already placed your first trade."

"When?"

"When you agreed to listen."

"That's not consent."

"It's leverage."

"So my number is in there too?"

"It has been since you were born."

"Who owns it?"

"Ownership is such an antiquated word."

"Who profits?"

"Whoever predicted you best."

"Predicted what?"

"Your choices. This moment."

"You're insane."

"You're indexed."

"How do you win?"

"You don't. You outperform."

"By doing what?"

"By nudging. By whispering. By removing friction."

"In people's lives?"

"In probabilities."

"If I walk away?"

"Your price drops."

"If I expose this?"

"Your volatility spikes."

"...You're threatening me."

"I'm educating you."

"Why me?"

"You're liquid."

"I'm not sure what that means in this case."

"It means you move when pushed."

"I won't play."

"You will."

"Why?"

"Because you already care which direction the line moves."

"What line?"

"The one with your number on it."

"Show me."

"You'll see it soon."

"When?"

"When something becomes catalyst."

"Something like what?"

"A job offer. A relationship. A diagnosis."

"You're saying you cause harm."

"We call it variance."

"You're monsters."

"We're analysts."

"I'm leaving."

"Of course you are."

"You're not stopping me."

"We never do."

"Then why doesn't this feel like a door closing."

"Because initiation isn't about staying—it's about knowing."

"Yeah—knowing what?"

"That you're tradable."

"That I'm owned."

"That you're priced."

"And if I refuse to act? What if I do absolutely nothing?"

"You still move the market."

"How?"

"Silence is a signal. Price adjusts."

"This is evil."

"Welcome."

"I don't accept."

"Check your phone."

"I'm not checking...

...there's a message."

"Read it. You've been accepted."

Congratulations.

"You did that."

"You did that. This is how it starts. This is how it's always been."

"What do you want from me?"

"Your investment."

"In whom?"

"In yourself, to begin with."

"And if I win?"

"You won't."

"And if I lose?"

"Someone else celebrates."

"I hate you."

"That means you understand the rules."

"End this."

"Trade closes in five."

"Five what?"

"Four."

"Stop."

"Three."

"I said stop."

"Two."

"...One."