Freedom Tech Fantasy Novel

One month later

The leaves had started to turn outside Maya's window. It was early evening. She was on HiveTalk with Rafael. Sean knocked on her front door.

She called without looking away from the screen. "Come in. We're almost done."

He closed the door quietly. Set his bag down. Leaned against the wall, out of frame.

Rafael's tired face filled Maya's laptop screen. "Their project just got a TechCrunch article."

"Wow." Maya leaned back in her chair. Smiled at Sean. "Mainstream attention."

"For a video app on Nostr. People do want this. Sean was right." Rafael paused. "But now they're scrambling. Tens of thousands of people tried to sign up. But the app wasn't ready."

Sean stepped into frame. Cleared his throat. "What was I right about?"

"About people wanting a video app." Maya turned to him. "Someone is building a new version of Vine. On Nostr. And it's blowing up."

"Wait." Sean pulled back. "I saw this on TikTok. A new Vine that filters out AI content. That uses Nostr?"

Rafael and Maya looked at each other.

"They're talking about it on TikTok?" Maya smirked.

Sean nodded. "It's been all over my feed this week. People are excited."

Maya turned back to Rafael. He'd caught it too.

"A Nostr app. On TikTok." Rafael shook his head. "Hey Sean. Good to see you."

"You too, man." Sean moved to stand behind Maya's chair. "So what happened? Did the app crash?"

"It was too many people. They weren't ready for it." Rafael glanced off screen. "I have to go. She's up."

"Go." Maya smiled. "Enjoy your sweet baby."

"I will!" Rafael waved.

They waved back. Maya ended the call. The screen went dark.

She sank into her chair.

Sean moved to sit on the edge of the table. Grinned. "That's going to be us."

She almost blushed. Looked down. "What is?"

"People want an escape. A new video app." He started tapping the table. "What did he say? Tens of thousands?"

"Oh. Yeah." She rocked in her chair. Looked away. "Exactly. This is what I've been afraid of."

"Don't be." He sat forward. "We just need to be ready for it. 'Cause our referral program is about to make people so much money."

She raised an eyebrow. "I shouldn't be afraid of ten thousand people breaking our app?"

"We make sure it works before we launch."

"Ha!" Maya stood up. "That's not how this works. There will always be glitches."

He stood too. "But we can do enough to make sure what matters works."

"There's infrastructure. Testing. Retesting." Maya listed them off on her fingers. "Every new user is a new way for something to break."

"Every new citizen." Sean corrected her. Clasped his hands.

She rolled her eyes.

"Words matter, Maya." His eyes met hers. "It reminds us they have rights."

"Exactly." She threw her arms in the air. "Rights to an app that will actually work."

The front door opened.

Salma and Gabriel walked in. Laughing about something. Salma's cheeks were flushed. Gabriel was holding her jacket.

They stopped.

Maya and Sean. Standing close to each other. Facing them.

Salma set her bag down slowly. "Everything okay?"

Maya cleared her throat. "We're fine."

Gabriel looked at Sean. Then Maya. "Should we go?"

Salma looked at Maya. Whispered as if the men couldn't hear. "This looks like a thing."

"It's a good thing." Sean laughed. "A good problem."

"A growth problem." Maya added.

Salma looked between them. Exhaled. "Oh thank god. I thought you were breaking up."

"We're not..." Maya started. "Can we focus?"

Salma walked to the kitchen.

Gabriel dropped onto the couch. "Okay. How can I help?"

Salma came back with a bag of cheese puffs and two waters. "Did you guys know Gabriel has to consult at least one business a day or he evaporates into thin air?"

She handed him the water.

Turned to look at Maya and Sean. Held out the bag. "Want some?"

They both shook their heads.

Salma plopped next to Gabriel and started eating.

"She's not wrong." Gabriel pulled his chair closer. "Okay. Fill me in."

Sean looked at Maya. She waved him on.

"We'll have a rewards program." Sean started. "You refer someone who buys a billboard, you earn half our service fee. So 10% of any campaign. No cap."

"Whoa. No cap?" Gabriel's eyebrows went up. "That's aggressive."

"So people get paid to invite friends?" Salma said through a mouth full of cheese puffs.

"Yeah, when the friends they invite spend money." Maya jumped in. "Every time they run a campaign, the person who referred them gets that 10%."

"So it compounds." Gabriel was doing the math. "Ongoing incentive for each new person to bring more people."

"Not just bring. TEACH." Sean pointed at him. "For them to understand the new advertising model. Instead of paying big tech to promote NextBlock, we'll pay people."

Gabriel kept nodding. "So you think Billboard goes viral on its own."

"Well that's what I'm worried about." Maya crossed her arms. "If we can't handle the demand, we lose them. We just watched it happen to another project."

"People wanted it enough to show up." Sean turned to Maya. "They'll come back for a new Vine, when it works."

Gabriel leaned back on the couch. Put his arm around Salma. "I think you need to gate it. Right?"

"Thank you." Maya looked at Sean. "That's what I've been saying."

"I'm not against gating it." Sean held up his hands. "But it has to be fair. And I don't want to move slow because we're scared."

"Excuse me." Salma jokingly raised her hand. "What does gating mean?"

"Think Facebook." Gabriel smiled. "Harvard first. Then Ivy League. Then all colleges. Then everyone. They gated it for years."

"Ooh. I remember begging my cousin for an invite." Salma tucked her legs under her, leaning into Gabriel.

Maya uncrossed her arms. Put her hands on her hips. "See. Everyone will understand what we're doing. And why."

"Okay so you gate it." Gabriel looked at her. "But tie it to the referral program. Make the referrals limited."

"But anyone can still sign up right?" Sean asked. "Even without a referral? I don't want to lose people."

"When you go viral, right?" Gabriel grinned.

Sean pulled out a finger gun and winked.

"Give them FOMO." Gabriel dropped his voice. "Set up an early access waitlist. Referrals just skip the line."

"But only 21 referrals each." Maya held up her index finger. "It's capped at 21."

"21." Sean smiled. "Nice."

"Huh?" Salma said.

"It's an inside joke." Sean explained. "For Bitcoiners. There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin."

Maya glanced at Salma. "It's for the culture."

"Oh." Salma grabbed another cheese puff. "Cute."

"And you guys can control your growth." Gabriel looked at them. "As you grow the supply side of your market."

Maya turned to Sean.

Maya was already walking toward the whiteboard. Sean grabbed a marker and tossed it to her. She caught it without looking.

Salma was doing the math. "So if someone I referred ran a hundred-thousand-dollar campaign..."

"You'd make ten grand." Maya didn't look up from the board.

Salma stopped chewing. "Damn."

"And your company just gave up ten thousand." Gabriel pointed his water at the whiteboard.

"We'd never have had that sale." Sean was already writing. "Someone does the work of explaining what we built, they earn it."

Maya wrote a number. Sean circled it. He was nodding before she finished.

Gabriel watched them a moment. "This is going to work."

"Off duty now?" Salma pulled his arm around her.

"Your roommate's going to be rich." He kissed the top of her head.

"I already called dibs on her boat." Salma settled into him.

Across the room, Maya and Sean slipped into their own world. Salma watched. Smiled.

Six weeks later

The perfect autumn afternoon. Yellow, orange, and red leaves covered the city. Tourist season had ended.

Maya's favorite eggnog latte was finally back on the menu at the Corner Cafe. She was almost done with hers.

Sean's had gone cold. It sat untouched as he stared at his screen.

She was staring at him. He hadn't noticed.

She moved her eyes from his lips to his laptop. His bare laptop.

She reached into her bag. Pulled something out. Hid it in her hand.

"Sean." Maya said softly.

He didn't look up.

She tried again. Cleared her throat. "Se-an."

Nothing.

"Shayan." Maya sang. With perfect pronunciation.

His head shot up. "Sorry." He pulled out his headphones. "What did you just say?"

"Shayan." Maya said again. This time with less confidence.

His face softened.

"I practiced." She looked down. Still smiling.

"You practiced."

She slapped down a sticker next to his untouched latte.

"What's this?" He picked it up. "Our logo?"

"For you." She tapped her nail on the back of his laptop. "If you're gonna be a cypherpunk, you need stickers on your laptop. Shayan."

"Oh, are those the rules?" He held the sticker up to inspect it.

"Them the rules." Maya snatched the sticker out of his hand.

He gently handed his laptop over. She stuck it on. Slid it back to him.

"Thank you." Shayan ran his fingers over the sticker. He looked back up at her. "Thank you."

"You're so welcome." She pulled out another sticker. Stuck it on her laptop.

"Here." She got up with her phone. Leaned against him to pose for a selfie. She reached one arm out with the phone and used the other to arrange the laptops.

"May I?" He reached for her phone.

She handed it over.

"It's just...my arms are longer." He used his free hand to pull Maya into him.

She tilted her head onto his shoulder. Let it stay.

Shayan took the photo. Handed back the phone. "Do you approve?"

Maya checked the photo. Their first photo together. She smiled. "This'll be in the archives."

He laughed. "The NextBlock archives?"

She nodded.

He reached for his drink. "I love how much you believe in this."

"It's gonna work." Maya was dancing back to her seat. "I know it will."

He sat back. Stretched his arms out. "It's been great having stuff to work on. While all this plays out." He looked at his phone. Picked it up.

"Expecting a call?"

"What?" He looked up.

She was looking at him. Both eyebrows raised.

"No. I." He sighed. "I think they may reach an agreement soon. Maybe the shutdown will end this week."

"That eager to go back?"

He rubbed his eyes. "Just trying to keep up with what's happening. Everyone from work is texting. Luis is losing his mind."

"But hey!" Maya clapped her hands together. "We're getting so much done while you're furloughed."

"Yeah. I'm impressed by my own productivity."

She met his eyes. "You should be."

"I think this is my," he started counting on his fingers, "fifth shutdown? The last really long one, Trump's first shutdown. I think I barely cleaned out a closet."

"But this time, you wrote the spec for Billboard." She reached out her hand to bump his fist.

He brought his fist to hers. Their hands pretended to explode.

"Thanks to this whole AI setup." He slid down in his seat. "I feel like I can make anything. Or I can dream it up and you can make it."

Maya's eyes softened. "That's exactly right."

His eyes were pulled back to his phone again.

"It's been like a trial run for doing this for real. Full time." Maya tilted toward him. "What do you think? Are we good partners?"

He looked up.

"Can you handle me every day? Always together. Like this." She waved her hand over the table.

He smirked. "I've had worse coworkers."

"You know. Shayan." Her hands went still. "I think we work."

Shayan chuckled. Then let out a bigger laugh.

Maya leaned in. "Why is that funny?"

"It's not." He finally caught his breath. "I agree. I think we work too. I've thought so since coat check."

Maya held his gaze.

Her eyes drifted to her phone on the table. The selfie.

The cafe hummed around them. Someone ordering at the counter. A chair scraping.

Her eyes found his again. "Then let's really do it."

He sat up.

"It's like you've been unleashed since the furlough." Her voice was softer now. "What if you didn't go back?"

His face dropped. "What?"

"After the shutdown ends. You could quit?"

He said nothing for a moment. "I have to go back."

"Do you? You've saved enough."

He closed his laptop. The sticker caught the light. "Maya—"

"Imagine if you didn't have to keep checking your phone. To track whether Congress did its job. So you could do yours."

"I have two degrees focused on tracking whether Congress does its job. It's part of the job. And I like that part."

"But don't you want freedom? Not a job?" She closed the space between them. "You could just be here. With me. Building this together at full speed."

Shayan pulled back. Away from her. "How could you ask me that right now? You know what's happening."

Maya pressed her hands flat on the table. "I actually don't. I have no clue what's happened down the street. I don't care. I care about NextBlock."

"How nice for you." He almost rolled his eyes.

Her eyes narrowed. "It's all a distraction."

He shook his head. "I need to know what's happening."

"Why are you so obsessed with fixing a broken system," she almost whispered. "That you're not even allowed to fix."

He took a deep breath. "There will be so much to do when the government opens back up. It's going to be a mess. I can't abandon them now."

She sat back. "You really think they'll let you help? You. Of all people. Shayan."

"Maya. Believe it or not, I'm respected there. They listen to my ideas. I can influence change. Hold people accountable."

She crossed her arms.

"You don't need to care." His voice was quiet. "But you need to respect my career."

"I respect you." Maya put her hand over her heart. "They don't. You want to run back and get burnt out for them?"

Shayan stood.

He grabbed his bag. His laptop. With the sticker she'd just put on it.

"I'm not doing this right now."

"Shayan—"

He was already walking out.

Maya sat alone at her table. Looking at their selfie on her screen. Still smiling back at her.

Three minutes later

Shayan was outside the cafe. He hadn't left.

The air was cold. A couple with a stroller walked past him. Someone's dog pulled at a leash. The cafe door kept opening and closing. Each time, not her.

Then it was.

Maya. Shoulders up. Moving past him.

"Maya."

She stopped. Didn't turn right away.

"I'm sorry. Let me walk you home."

Her shoulders dropped.

He reached for her bag. She let him take it.

They walked. Quiet at first. Leaves under their feet.

Shayan exhaled. "I didn't want to do that in there. I don't think any of that was fair to me."

She turned to him. Eyes wide. "I can't believe you think I'm the bad guy here."

"It was disrespectful. To my work. My career."

She sighed. "You really think I don't respect you?"

"Why would I quit right now? NextBlock doesn't need me full time. I can still work nights. And I always work weekends. What more do you want?"

Maya walked faster. "This isn't for me. I want you to stop splitting yourself in half."

He kept up. "I'm not. I'm managing. I know what I'm doing."

"That's the problem. You're too used to it. Always in chaos. You don't even see how much it takes from you."

Shayan shook his head. "Now that's dramatic."

"It's reality. It holds you back. Look at what we got done this last month." She slowed her pace. "Have you ever been this productive working for someone else?"

"That's the AI, though. And government's different." He rubbed his temple. "Change takes time. I like my job. I'm very good at it."

"You're good at a lot of things. That's not a reason to stay somewhere that's falling apart."

"I feel like I'm going insane." He stood in place. "You can't think quitting my federal career is an easy decision."

She stopped walking. "Wasn't that always the plan?"

"Yes. Eventually. If it takes off. Not right now."

She rolled her eyes. "How can you understand Bitcoin so well, but still think you can fix things from the inside?"

"Because I live in reality, Maya. Not a freedom tech fantasy novel."

"So now everything we've worked on is a fantasy?" She started walking again.

"Not a fantasy." He followed her. "That's not what I meant. It's early. We both say it is. I need to keep one foot in reality."

"Reality? Or your cage?"

Now he rolled his eyes.

Maya stopped walking. Looked down. "I'm ready, Shayan."

He stopped.

She met his eyes. "But I don't think I can date you while you're still there."

He stepped back. Took a deep breath.

She held hers.

"You kissed me." His voice was low. "You told me to wait. I waited. We see how good we are together."

He stepped toward her.

"But now there's another condition. You just... can't be with me."

"I am with you. You're not with me. You're not in this. You have one foot out." She stepped closer to him. "You could be all in. But you're not."

He started walking again. Past her.

"Shayan."

"You quit a job you hated. I love my job." He said it without turning around. "This has nothing to do with you."

Maya caught up. Walked beside him. "You're really showing more conviction for the U.S. Federal Government than something you and I could create?"

Shayan stopped.

Maya exhaled. "It's illegal for you to do your job right now. You'd rather keep giving yourself to somewhere that doesn't want you."

He turned to face her. "You had nothing to lose when you quit. I'd be walking out on people who are terrified right now. And for what? We're not even launched."

"Alright. Let's say it opens back up tomorrow. What are you working on?" She tilted her head at him. "Not something you'll want to. They'll probably just make you break more shit."

"I am not ready to quit." He searched her face. "But I'm here. I've been here. And I've always been ready."

She edged closer. "How can we build an escape for people? When you could be free. Right now. But you can't walk away."

He didn't have an answer.

They were standing in the middle of the sidewalk. A jogger went around them.

"Shayan. You're creative, smart... you get shit done. More than anyone I've ever worked with. Imagine what you could do when your mind could focus on one goal. Your goals."

She waited. Patiently. Smiled.

He finally spoke. "I just can't. Not right now."

Her face dropped. She nodded once. Took a step back.

"Wow. Really." His eyes met hers.

She didn't move.

"First time I say no to you." Shayan bent and dropped her bag in front of her.

"This isn't about me." Maya grabbed her bag off the concrete.

"It's always about you. Your rules. Your timeline. Even your apartment."

"My apartment?"

"It doesn't matter." He waved it off. "I see what happens the second you don't get what you want from me."

"It's what I want FOR you." She took a small step closer to him. "Not from you."

They stood there.

She waited.

He looked at her one more time. Then walked away.

Three days later

It was a chilly night. But it was cozy inside Chaplins. The lights already dimmed low. Steaming bowls of ramen were coming out of the kitchen.

"I'm so glad to be out of that apartment." Salma slid into the booth.

Gabriel sat across from her. "That bad?"

"She's fine. She says she's fine." Salma opened her menu. "Maya's gone into full conspiracy theory mode. Just endless YouTube rabbit holes."

"No word from Sean?"

"Still nothing."

Gabriel nodded. Picked up his menu.

Salma tapped her fingers against the table. "What about you? Has he said anything to you?"

"He's been quiet."

The server came by. Salma ordered for them. Spicy miso and tonkotsu. Their two Sapporos quickly arrived.

"But they have money invested in their company. Contracts." He poured the beer into her glass. Handed it to her. "How long can this go on?"

She clinked her glass against his bottle. "I can't tell if Maya thinks he's ghosting her or it's just time to cool down. I'm trying not to make a big deal out of it. I like Sean."

"So you're on his side? You think he had the right to freeze her out?"

Salma shrugged. "She could reach out too. The phone works both ways."

"The longer they don't talk, the harder it'll be to make up." He sighed. "Maya's unemployed now with no business partner."

Salma took a sip. "She did this to herself."

"Cariño. That's harsh."

"She set up a no-win situation. No dating. Just business. This after SHE kissed HIM. The emotions were gonna run high."

Gabriel sighed again. "I think she's just trying to move them forward. It's hard when you're a tech founder. The situation was to protect their idea."

She looked at him. "Please. It's ridiculous to ask someone to walk away from their career."

"Babe. Come on. What is a career in the federal government. In 2025?"

She shook her head. "It's his career. And not an easy one to build when you're an immigrant. An Iranian immigrant."

He tilted his head. Nodded.

"They met five months ago. Like at the beginning of summer. That's it. And now she's trying to rewrite his whole life plan."

"Eh...he wrote the plan with her. They published that plan on their company's website."

"Wow. Okay." She sat back against the booth. "You're really on her side."

"She's your best friend." He propped his elbows on the table. "Why aren't you?"

Salma picked up her beer. "I've known Maya since college. She is a big thinker. Yes. But she gets frustrated when people can't keep up with her."

"You think she's quick to drop someone? A guy?"

"No. No it's not that. Just takes 'woke' to a different level. An impossible level. 'Think war is bad? Stop using the U.S. dollar.'"

He laughed.

She laughed too. "I'm serious. It's that dramatic with her."

"Yeah...but she's kind of right."

Salma threw her napkin at him. "How am I getting outnumbered here!"

"Babe." He handed her back her napkin. "There's no way he's happy. Federal employees are miserable right now."

"He said he loves his job."

"Really think about it. The man is defending a building he's not even allowed to enter."

"Because he's loyal. He believes in the mission."

"I think he's stuck. Like I was." He stole a piece of her pork belly. "For three years, I knew I wanted more. But I was so busy, I couldn't even think about it."

Salma sipped her beer. "So you think Sean should quit?"

"If he asked me?" He narrowed his eyes. "I'd tell him to quit. It's a good time to transition."

"Wow."

"He's not going to listen to Maya. That's the problem. If anyone else said it, he'd consider it. But she says it and it feels like pressure."

Salma pointed her beer at him. "Because it is pressure."

Gabriel set his beer down. "What pressure. It's his girlfriend telling him he's better than what he's settling for."

"She's not his girlfriend." Salma gave him a look.

"Right." Gabriel leaned in. "Come on. They really haven't hooked up?"

Salma lowered her voice. "I told you. She kissed him once. Right before they started the company. Then told him they couldn't date."

"Couldn't be me." He grabbed Salma's hand and kissed it.

"Five months of keeping his hands to himself." She watched his lips leave her hand. "I just feel bad for him. For both of them."

"Sean's not wrong for being scared. I get it."

She tilted her head. "Exactly. Quitting isn't an easy decision. And it's a personal decision."

Their ramen arrived. The bar had gotten louder.

Salma broke her chopsticks. "But should he quit because his job sucks? Or because the business will work?"

Gabriel slurped his ramen. "Both. But mostly the latter."

She blinked. "Really?"

"I've been looking into it." He wiped his mouth with his napkin. "A lot. And I think I could actually make money from this."

She looked up. "You?"

"You wouldn't believe the money people waste on advertising. Insane amounts."

She raised an eyebrow. "You think people would want to use their app?"

"Why not? Their idea is interesting enough to try. If they pull it off right."

"To try but—"

"I think it could work better than other digital ads. So they'd keep spending. And every time they buy a campaign, I get that 10%."

"The referral commission?"

He was doing the math with his chopsticks. "Five clients at 100K each. That's 50 grand a year. For introductions."

"But can't your clients shut off the commission? At any time? It's not reliable passive income."

"Yes but—"

"They pick the allocation every campaign, right? They can just give it all to the company."

"Yes, counselor. You are correct." Gabriel laughed.

Salma put her hands up. "I'm just trying to understand. Cause it seems like you think an unreliable 50k a year could be a job."

"You need to see their vision. Billboard just raises money to keep building their social app."

"So how do you get paid in their vision?"

"I'm not sure. Sean says they'll figure out something just as fair for ad sales. He never wants to hire a sales team."

Salma put her chopsticks down. "You really think this will take off?"

"They're building an app that pays people to watch ads. And it's not a scam." Gabriel slurped some broth. "Execution matters, of course. But it should do really well."

"I dunno," Salma slumped into the booth. "I don't want to watch ads for Bitcoin. I'm not sure anyone we know will actually use it."

"Yes. No one would accuse you of being an early adopter." He winked. "But there are a lot of people who will understand exactly what they're trying to do."

"People ask me about it sometimes. I never know what to tell them."

Gabriel set his chopsticks down. "That's their biggest challenge. Explaining all these new concepts to short attention spans."

"Hey!" Salma kicked him under the table. "I can focus. When it makes sense."

He raised his hands. "I wasn't talking about you."

"Mmhmm." She cradled her Sapporo. "I just can't imagine Maya actually starting a social media app. She barely uses social media!"

"Well she is. It's a great idea. Deserves a chance." He picked his chopsticks back up. "And I want to help them. Meeting them when I did feels like fate."

Salma's mouth dropped. "Wow. Okay."

Gabriel laughed. "Of course, fate first brought you to me." He reached for her hand.

She pulled away. "Yeah, yeah. Real smooth."

He blew her a kiss.

"Just know that I would never quit my job."

He shook his head. "No one's asking you to."

"Good. Because I love my job."

"I know you do. You keep the nine to five." He smiled. "I'll stay flexible. To do ramen runs whenever you need."

Salma smirked. "I just need you to have some kind of passive income coming in."

"Deal."

She extended her hand. He grabbed and kissed it again.

"Now," he let go of her hand. "We need to get these founders talking again..."

"She has to get it together. He's a great guy." Salma finished her beer.

"My guess, she probably just feels rejected right now."

Salma turned her glass in her hands. "I think she's crushed."

"Yeah?"

She set her beer down. "After seeing what they could be together, I think she thought he'd never want to go back."

"But he didn't say he doesn't."

"She had him every day. For weeks. Before this furlough she had to wait until 5pm every day to see him."

"True."

"And they had a good time. Apparently super productive. Got along great. But he chose to go back to the one thing that was keeping them apart."

Gabriel was quiet.

"I know in her mind he had already quit. She was just waiting for him to say it."

"Ah. I see." He frowned. "She expected a romantic declaration."

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Well," he laced his fingers through hers. "Have I been clear enough with you?"

She played with her hair. Smiled. "You could do better."

He slid over next to her. Put his arm around her. "Let's first figure out dessert."

She pretended to elbow him in the ribs.

"Let's order something to go for Maya too." She flagged the server. "She probably hasn't eaten."

One week later

Maya was walking home with two grocery bags. The government had opened back up six days ago. Shayan still hadn't.

The cold had settled onto the city for good. She could see her breath.

She stepped up towards the front door of her building. The door swung open.

Salma and Gabriel. Dressed up. Salma in a coat Maya hadn't seen before.

Maya whistled. "Look at you two."

"You like?" Salma did a little spin. "Comedy show. At the Improv."

"Oh right." Maya shifted the bags in her arms. "Have fun guys."

Gabriel hesitated.

Salma touched his arm.

Maya looked between them. "What's going on?"

"So," Salma took a deep breath. "Sean got laid off. Today."

The bags shifted in her arms. "Oh."

"He got RIF'd." Gabriel said. "Reduction in force."

"How do you know?" Maya's voice was flat.

"Ken told me." Gabriel said. "It happened this morning. They escorted him out."

Maya looked at the ground. Shook her head. "Right before Thanksgiving."

"So no word from him?" Salma asked her.

"Ha." Maya stepped toward the door. "I gotta go inside."

Salma looked at Gabriel. He stepped away from them. Hands in his pockets.

Salma lowered her voice. "Talk to me."

Maya stared past her. "I'm good. It's good news. He's free now. Whether he wanted to be or not."

"Maya."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine."

Maya didn't say anything.

"Are you going to call him?"

"No."

"Maya. He was there for you when you quit."

"I would have loved to be there for him through this." Maya looked at her. "Actually. Wait. I was trying to actively avoid this humiliation ritual they're subjecting everyone to."

Salma was quiet.

"I am not reaching out." Maya shifted the bags again. Looked back at Gabriel. "And please don't tell him I know."

He nodded.

Maya turned back to Salma. "I mean it. Please don't try to problem solve."

Salma put her hands up. "Okay."

Maya hit the automatic button to open the door. Stopped. Turned.

"Go enjoy your man. I'm fine. I promise. I just need to put the groceries away."

The door closed behind her.

That same night

Green Zone was almost empty. Most people had already left the city for the holiday weekend.

Downstairs, the walls glittered blue and gold under the low light. Vintage coffee pots and old travel posters. A Moroccan lantern over the tiled bar.

Shayan sat in the middle of the bar. Ken on one side. Nima on the other.

"Shayan. Chi shodeh?" Nima tapped the bar. "Tell us."

The bartender brought over three drinks. Shayan's pomegranate old-fashioned. Nima's Fuck Trump Punch. Ken's Johnnie Walker, neat.

Ken and Nima clinked theirs against Shayan's. He didn't pick his up.

Shayan cracked his neck. Rolled his shoulders. "They put a meeting on my calendar this morning. HR was in the room."

"Did they say why?" Ken asked.

"It's a reduction in force. Guess my function is wasteful."

"Fuck these people." Nima sipped his drink. "Some little shit from DOGE cutting jobs for no reason."

"Nah." Shayan shook his head. "We actually got shit done. Held people accountable. It was on purpose."

Ken leaned in. "Can you appeal it? What did HR say?"

"They gave me an hour to pack my desk. Someone stood there the whole time."

"Shit."

"I sent a mass email to everyone I could think of. To say goodbye." Shayan took a sip. "I can't appeal but maybe they could place me somewhere else."

"Like another office?" Ken asked.

"Or agency." He shrugged. Looked at his phone. "People are calling. I could go somewhere else. Probably."

Nima sat up. "Are you serious right now?"

"I mean, yeah. Maybe?"

"You want to go back. To kiss the ass of the people who just had you escorted out? Beg them for a job?"

Ken put a hand on his arm. "Nima."

Shayan said nothing.

"They call you guys wasteful. Lazy." Nima stared at him. "And you want to go back to that?"

"I am well aware of my situation, Nima." Shayan threw his head back. Rolled his shoulders again.

"Why am I the angry one right now?" Nima looked at Ken. "He's just sitting there."

Nima turned back to Shayan. Looked around the empty bar. "You know what this place is named after?"

Shayan knew. He let him go.

"The Green Zone. In Baghdad. The fortress the Americans built to keep themselves safe while the country burned." Nima opened his hands at the room. "And now it's ours. A bar. In their capital."

Shayan held up his hand. "It's our capital too."

Ken turned on his stool. "It's as much ours as they let it be."

"We can't beg." Nima shook his head. "We have to play like we know the game's rigged."

"I can't believe this is all really happening." Shayan groaned. "Everything I'm responsible for. There's no backup. All the systems will break."

Ken patted Shayan's shoulder.

Shayan put his head on the bar. Groaned again.

The bartender brought over the wings and a plate of falafel. Carefully set them on the bar, around his head. Left.

"Fuck them. You're out." Nima took a bite of the falafel. "They never deserved you."

Shayan looked up at his plate. "That's probably what Maya would say."

Nima and Ken looked at each other.

"Fuck." Shayan put his face in his palms. "The humiliation hits in waves."

"So." Ken bent toward him. "What's the plan there?"

Nima tapped Shayan's head. "Now would be a great time to call Maya."

Shayan lifted his head. "I don't want to talk to her. Definitely not now."

"A woman is never going to call first. And apologize?" Nima took a sip of his drink. "If that's what you're waiting for."

"Apologize for what? Being right? I've been so angry with her. And it's not like anything's changed. Not like she'll respect me more now."

"Come on." Nima chuckled. "I actually think she was trying to get you out. Before they did this to you."

"Nope." He flicked the wrapper of his straw across the bar. "She never asked what federal service meant to me. Not once. She Immediately just decided it was the problem."

"So Maya's controlling. Is that the issue?" Ken popped a whole falafel in his mouth.

"No. But she keeps moving the goal post for us. When I told her I wasn't ready to quit, she looked at me like I failed a test." Shayan sighed. "Her standards are unrealistic."

"Well these are low standards, Azizam." Nima grinned. "Most girls won't ask you to quit your job. They want you to have one."

Ken laughed.

Shayan kept his eyes down. "She's a purist. Bitcoin Only. Sovereignty. Freedom. Escape the Matrix. She wants to live on another level."

Ken gently elbowed Shayan. "Sounds like a friend of mine."

"Not like this. I'm still happily tethered to," he looked around, "all of this. And I don't hate it all the ways she does."

"Oh really?" Nima put down his drink. "You don't hate it?"

Ken smirked.

Nima pointed a wing at him. "You are the same bama who had a Zune when the rest of us had an iPod. You've always pushed for a different way."

"The Zune!" Ken couldn't stop laughing. "We used to make so much fun of you over that."

"Hey!" Shayan held up his Android phone. "And I'm still the only one not a slave to Apple."

"My point exactly. You're the Maya of our group." Nima and Ken clinked glasses.

Shayan almost smiled. Exhaled. "I don't even know what I'd say to her."

"Just call her." Ken offered.

Shayan looked down at his phone. Flipped it over. "I need to figure my shit out first."

"At least you're free now." Nima smiled. "Whether you wanted to be or not."