Arthur looked at the cheeseburger. He looked at the fake marble walls. He felt the familiar, frantic energy of being sold to, of being a target, of being noticed .
"You look tired, Artie," Silas said, his voice crisp and unfiltered by the low-bitrate audio compression that Arthur’s free account forced on him. Do you want no ads?
"I’m fine," Arthur lied. As he spoke, a small disclaimer appeared under his chin in Silas’s view: User’s opinions may be influenced by lack of sleep. Buy 'Snooze-Max' today! Arthur looked at the cheeseburger
a smooth, celestial voice asked. "UPGRADE TO TOTAL-SILENCE FOR JUST 9,999 CREDITS A MONTH!" frantic energy of being sold to