Broken Smiles

Some things should stay broken.

Derek owns the auto shop that his father started. but in this modern age, his job feels stale. Self-driving cars don't need many repairs. The computer handles most of the work once done with real tools, leaving him bored beyond belief.

He can fake happiness with a smile on his face, but the emoji on his arm doesn't lie.

Every day, the government-implanted chip in his arm frowns at him and becomes a deeper shade of blue. His friends and family worry about him, knowing the dangers if he doesn't tune-up his attitude soon.

Derek's mental state can't slip down any further. Otherwise, someone might come to fix him.

From the author of Oxygen comes a terrifying look at an alternate reality not so far off in our possible future.

WARNING: Does contain explicit language.