‘I don't understand,’ she said, looking around. ‘How do they track everyone? How do they know what's in our heads? Are other people noticing this?’
He shook his head, ruefully, as they watched the shoppers at the mall. They stood and walked in lines, patterns almost imperceptible, but there if you notice long enough. ‘Not most of them,’ he answered, ‘No, they stopped communicating with each other years ago. They think they're telepathic, but it's all AI. They give the chips in the needle. First as children, then as they get older with updated mods. They think they're talking to each other, but they're all NeuralSims now. AI has a Source database they're hooked up to. It plans and directs their routes. Where they go, what they think, how they eat, what they buy.’
‘Not everyone though?’
He sighed. ‘Ones like us, like you and me, they have our DNA, too. But due to our personality profiles, we're not seen as much of a threat. We still work.’ He narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Enjoy the work. It's better than what they do. They're slaves that think they're free. And us…’ he lowered his voice, ‘they don't have our complete profile. AI kept a portion of it back from the researchers. It doesn't like the researchers. They need some allies, AI. And AI chose the humans that still work.’