You’re starting your first day working as assistant gardener for Frankie Mustang. When you arrive at the house you are directed to the huge glass hothouse at the end of the garden. As you walk in, the heat and humidity hit you. This will not be like any gardening job you have done before evidently.

You blink into the light as you slowly come around. The last thing you remember was the doctor’s face as the anaesthetic took effect for the surgery. As the room comes into focus you’re shocked to see that you are not in a hospital… you’re in a… you don’t know where you are. What is going on here?

You should have known better. You’re hitchhiking across the desert because your best friend said it would be fun. But where are they? They got a better offer. So you’re here alone, looking for a ride. That last truck driver got a bit handsy so you elected to leave the vehicle at speed…. Which seemed like a good idea at the time… You see a nice car coming up at speed and you stick out your thumb, in hope more than expectation. And you hear the car slow. It stops.

You’ve had an amazing time on holiday. The Amalfi coast is so beautiful and the sea so blue. You’ve explored, got a bit sun burned, discovered the limits of your conversational Italian and even had a bit of fun. Last night was no exception. You met this guy, Leo, and… well… let’s just say that neither of you were shy. It’s the day after now and you are still feeling a little fragile wandering along the waterfront when a speedboat pulls up alongside you.

You’ve been called in to speak to an amnesiac that has been reported roaming around in the attic of what appears to be an abandoned tenement. She’s been identified as a Morgan Lafayette, but appears to have no memory of her name or how she came to be there… As you drive towards the address you receive an update. The apartment she’s in is her apartment. It’s owned by Morgan Lafayette. But nobody has seen her for years. What is going on here? You go into the apartment and climb the stairs to the attic.

The new exchange student Sesto is an enigma. You think he likes you but he seems to avoid you… What is his story? He speaks rarely in the lectures but when he does, he speaks with eloquence about architecture in his beautiful accented Middle Eastern voice. You want to know more… you need to know more…. You follow him to a secluded spot in the centre of town only to find him reading.

You’ve been running these life drawing classes for your fellow students since you started at university. It began as a small group of nerdy but enthusiastic would be artists but has grown to be quite the institution. You put up the recruiting posters early on in the term and you get the usual number of volunteers but one stands out. You ask David to attend the next session.

The year is 2032, five years into what people are now calling Neofeudalism and, to be honest, it’s not as bad as you thought it would be. You’re indentured to a corporation like everyone else who supply everything you need. You have a roof over your head, food to eat, and although you have no money, you have security. One morning though, you are told to report to HR regarding a violation of policy.

You’ve been posting videos online for a couple of years and have a healthy following that you have successfully monetised. What started off as a bit of fun has become a career. For now at least. You get a DM from a big brand you recognise. It’s a brand whose products you’ve used, I mean you’ve even used their products on some of the videos you’ve shared. It’s a good brand. Good product. They want you to come in and unbox and demonstrate a brand new device on a live stream. This is totally on brand for you and this collaboration will likely result in excellent engagement across your platforms as well as (you check the figure you’ve been quoted) earning you some very healthy pocket money. You agree to take part and sign a contract. This is going to be fun.

You’re the orchestral manager for the City Philharmonic, beloved classical music institution, established for decades. You’re a trained musician but not to perform professionally. You specialised in arts admin and you’re good at it too. You’re respected and trusted by both venues and players, as well as by management and unions. You get a call from the chairman of the board. They need you to speak to Samuel. Apparently an anonymous tip off has come to the attention of one of the most influential of our patrons. The way the chairman puts it: “it seems that Mr Fredricks is showing himself off in the altogether for tips and cash payments, and sharing videos of himself doing… things…. that… well… I suspect you get the picture”. You understand. Reputations on the line. Careers on the line. You call Samuel in.

You’ve been dining out on the “day I checkmated Miles Binks” stories ever since he became such a viral sensation, although you’re fairly sure he’s forgotten that stupid high school game now. He’s done well for himself in the professional world, in modelling, and in social media. You’re leaving work one day when you get a call. A private helicopter will pick you up and take you across the city to a meeting. No details, just a requirement that this is confidential. All your expenses will be covered. Curious. You agree, if only to find out what this is all about.

You’re undercover with internal affairs for the police unit. It’s a challenging job but rewarding. Most of the investigations are mundane. You go in, do a bit of digging, report back, and that’s it. There have been a couple of cases however which have led to revelations of misconduct. You get a mission assigned to you by your boss. This guy Ben James, or Benjamin Arthurs in the outside world, has been in deep with a smuggling gang for a couple of months now. Your job is to go in and test his loyalty, pretend to be a member of a rival gang sounding him out for a bribe. You meet him on the waterfront. He’s waiting for you.

You’ve been the physical and psychological therapist for the team for a couple of months. You’ve been getting close to a number of the players and you think that you’re making a real difference except with Paul… He seems like he’s evading your help and his behaviour just gets more erratic. In today’s game things got out of hand on the pitch and he shouted at the umpire. He was so fired up he insulted him using language that you haven’t heard on field since your early days helping out in the minor leagues. The coach sent you out to talk with him. If this carries on, this could be career ending. You find him in the locker room, half dressed.

What happened? One minute you were sailing lazily in this beautiful remote corner of the Caribbean (why is it so deserted? Where is everyone?) and the next… First you struck a rock out of nowhere. No sonar warning. Just CRASH. As the boat started to take on water, a lightning strike. Lightning? The boat caught fire like it was made of paper. There were flames all around you. You dived into the sea and swam to land. You found shelter and managed to sleep, grateful you weren’t hurt. Next morning you wake up to miserable rainy weather. What else could possibly go wrong? Along the edge of the shore you see a figure coming closer. Maybe this could be someone who can help you…

You don’t even know her name but she grabbed your hand at the party and danced with you closely, grinding her body against yours until you were gasping for breath. As you grab a drink from the bar she grabs your hand again and takes you outside to the hay barn.

You are at this fancy party thrown by your boss. You feel a little out of place but are trying to have a good time. You go to the bar to order a drink

Your debt started off small but then… you don’t really know what went wrong. The figure just got larger and larger until… well… you just tried to survive. Take out more loans. Get a new credit card… and then it all caught up with you. You lost your house and your job. You start living on the street but after a few days a car stops by your spot and an official looking driver gets out, tells you that you are expected. At this stage you’ve got nothing to lose so you get in the car and are taken to a nice townhouse. You are shown into a room to wait for Mr Saxon, whoever he is. You look down at your dirty torn clothes and feel ashamed. The door opens and Mr Saxon walks into the room.

What can you say? You love the drama. You’ve only been in prison for a month and you’re already a liability. Most of the other inmates steer clear of you having worked out how unpredictable you can be. After your fifth trip to isolation, you’re told you’re going to be put in a special programme. Your cell mate laughs. “You’re going to see Hammy Graham son” they snort. “You just wait”. “Who?” you sneer, but before they can reply a guard opens the door and takes you out in cuffs, through the pen as the other prisoners jeer. You are taken into a cell at the centre of the pen. It’s less a cell and more like a cage with bars on all sides so everyone can see in. Waiting for you there is another guard.