The Crèche

Every child born in the 22nd-century Federation is measured at age two—sorted into one of five Tiers that will define their entire life. Zola Laurier, a Tier One cognitive architect, never questioned the system until her infant nephew was classified Tier Five and taken to a communal crèche. Desperate to understand, Zola uncovers a truth far darker than mere inequality: the algorithm isn't measuring potential—it's manufacturing obedience. Now she must dismantle a system that gave her everything.