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X is called for an interview, though he has applied for no job. Invited to a waiting room, he finds him locked inside overnight. When he protests, he is offered breakfast, a room and finds himself half guest, half prisoner. His attempts to escape are foiled by the "centre's" knowledge of him and uncanny supervision. He is treated to lavish meals, accommodated in luxury but can't quieten his disturbance. Sexual services are on offer every day, but their coldness unnerves him. During temporary escapes, he comes across a dilapidated cottage occupied by a silent, old man with a shotgun, a house empty except for a young girl and her fierce Rottweiler, a remote, tiny pub run by a lone woman who feeds him before warning him the authorities are coming for him. Why does the old man kill himself ?Why does the girl disappear overnight? He is taken to a restaurant where he witnesses apparently innocent diners seized and taken away by security. Elite entertainment is provided. He's introduced to the rich and famous. But what is the "contentment doctrine" and who are the "normalisation force"? And why does everyone accept the decisions of "the machine"? When a crisis arises with the "outsiders" the atmosphere changes. In this novella, Dent explores the nature of autonomy, the threat of ceding control to AI, and the debilitating nature of being constantly served. X is a modern everyman. His tragic fate a warning to us all.
