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“I didn’t think data chip implants were that common before the war”

“They’d taken off in the States” He frowned, re into whether they’d be an asset for theirfor the latest advance, soe Implants were everywhere for a few years, different co out new, improved versions every few months For a

while, it was like the smartphone competition years earlier They all wanted to corner thecompanies rush out their products A lot of the first iot hurt”

“And that’s what started the war”

“Yep Not everyone trusted the is We figured there had to be repercussions fro a mini-computer in your head Bad repercussions, of the fatal kind”

“It isn’t a e devices with communication capability”

He arched his eyebrows at her, a look that said she was being too literal again “The world split once the Bolivians refused the offer of cheap i It got bad fast The people who thought ireat advance for mankind wanted to force it on the rest of us And the people who didn’t want it were terrified the other half would lobally The whole dahts in Bolivia was just the match that made it blow”

“I don’t understand” She shifted so on to his hand “You were in the arreed with the Coalition Countries when it caainst it How could you fight for soreed with?”

Striker’s shoulders tensed “First, I wasn’t fighting for a cause I was fighting for my country, which back then was the United States of America The country was under threat, and I was sent to protect it That’s all there was to it I did my duty Second, back then, I lived in a country that had a deovernment One that answered to its people I never, not once, believed that any Ay if they didn’t want it”

“It’s hard to iht for freedoovernance for decades” And they ain, not if the companies had their way Not if the Freedom rebellion was squashed

“It had its good and bad points, just like everything else”

“So, the war started, and it beca” She knew this from her history books

“Yeah Their forces were pushing into the States They’d taken over a chunk of Texas and were ion back”

“And then the bomb fell”

“That sounds like it happened on its own, kind of by accident The reality is that the big tech companies put pressure on A their own h”