Less than Human

A first-person narrator works as an augmented contract killer for corporate clients, opening with a precise rooftop execution carried out with cybernetic eyes and a tripod-mounted laser. Back at the office she confronts moral unease over a target accused of illicitly sharing recipes, while supervisors prioritize profit and control through surveillance and neural implants. The narrative shifts between terse field detail and quiet interior reflection, examining bodily augmentation, emotional suppression, commodification of food and culture, and the dehumanizing effects of corporate power and constant monitoring.