The feed shifted. The new trend: Chaos Theory .

"Jax, cut the feed!" Zola yelled over the noise. "The hardware can't take the throughput!"

Everyone raised their hands. In this era, entertainment wasn't passive. The audience wanted control .

The crowd cheered. Their interfaces showed the engagement spiking. They were feeding the Receptacle the ghosts of entertainment past.

The Receptacle collapsed, sparking, the Collar clattering to the floor.

Jax reached for the remote disconnect, but then he looked at the numbers. The audience wasn't pulling away. They were leaning in. They wanted the crash. They wanted to see if the cup would shatter.

: Traditionally rooted in BDSM and leather subcultures, a collar signifies a person's role as a submissive or "owned" partner within a specific relationship dynamic.