Exit of the Ascended

Until recently, neural implants were tested solely on lab animals. With increased performance breakthroughs, test subjects show mental stability and an increase in cognitive functions. It’s only a matter of time before human trials will be conducted purely for enhancement purposes. Exit of the Ascended is set in a close to present day world. Over half of the world’s population has implants, which connect them to an endless cognitive network shared by others with the implants. Those with the implants are known as “Ascended”. Those who have not gotten an implant, known as “Normals”, suffered due to the Ascended overshadowing them in all things. Affirmative action is in place within the workforce to allow Normals to have employment, but such employment is menial at best – with a mental capacity far lower than even early generation Ascended, it is only a matter of time before the Norms are useless.

The story follows a man who struggles to support his family in a society overshadowed by the Ascended. Consumed by worry for his wife, and the debts that are piling up around them, he is exhausted by the endless hours that he must put in at work in order to make ends meet. He and a small band of friends have staunchly refused getting an implant, but at what point is keeping one’s humanity worth living in squalor? This is where his life as a Normal ends, and his confrontation with the Ascended begins.