The amber glow of the factory district's evening shift filtered through their pod's window as Theo pulled up his system interface. The familiar blue haze materialized before him, showing his basic stats - health at 96% (he'd stubbed his toe earlier), energy reserves stable, and the usual array of communication channels that connected him to the factory network.
"Did you do something to my system again?" His mother's voice carried from the kitchen unit, more amused than annoyed. "The production counter's moving differently."
Theo grinned, not looking up from his own interface. "Just made it count in batches of fifty instead of ten. Thought it might help with the new quota." He'd spent three nights figuring out how to modify the counting protocol without triggering the system's security measures. The factory's standard interface required workers to manually confirm each batch of ten items, a tedious process that consumed precious time throughout their shifts. Most workers just accepted it as part of the job, but Theo had seen how it drained his mother's energy.
"The old protocol was forcing everyone to stop every few minutes," he explained, pulling up a visualization of the workflow. "See how the mana pulse interrupts the production flow? But if we group them in fifties..." His fingers traced the modified pattern, showing how the new system smoothly accumulated counts without breaking his mother's rhythm. "The system still gets its confirmation, but now you only need to pause once instead of five times."
It had taken him countless attempts to get it right. The factory's security protocols were designed to prevent exactly this kind of modification - any change that could potentially mask production numbers would normally trigger an immediate lockdown. But Theo had found a way to convince the system that the larger batch sizes were actually more secure, using the system's own verification protocols to validate the change.
"Does it work better?"
His mother appeared in his doorway, her factory uniform still bearing traces of synthetic fiber dust. "Manager Kaine noticed. Said our section's efficiency went up twelve percent." She paused, studying him with a mixture of pride and concern. "He's asking if you could implement it across other sections."
Theo's fingers froze mid-gesture. "That would be..." He did some quick calculations. "At least thirty systems to modify. The mana cost alone would be..."
"I know, I know," she sighed, sitting beside him on the bed. "I told him it was a one-off thing. But he's offering to sponsor some basic courses at the Local Tech Center."
Through his interface, Theo pulled up the course catalog he'd memorized months ago. Local Tech's offerings were basic - system maintenance, interface customization, elementary mana theory. Nothing like the profound secrets taught at the Nexus Planet. Still...
"Look," his mother said softly, her own interface showing the family's monthly budget - a constant dance of numbers barely staying in the green. "I know it's not what you dream about. But it's a start."
Theo nodded, closing his interface with a gesture. His mother was right - it was a start. But as he glanced at the distant smog layer that separated their tier-3 world from the upper levels, he couldn't help but think about the systems in those children's stories. Systems that could reshape reality, open doorways to distant worlds, or reveal hidden truths about the universe.
"Did you ever wonder," he asked, "why our systems are so... limited? I mean, the basic architecture suggests they're capable of so much more. It's like..." he struggled to find the right words. "It's like having a quantum computer and using it only as a calculator."
His mother's expression shifted subtly. For a moment, something like recognition flickered across her face. But before she could respond, both their interfaces pinged simultaneously - the factory's night shift notification.
"We'll talk more later," she promised, standing up. "And Theo? Whatever you decide about Manager Kaine's offer... just be careful with these system modifications. Some things are limited for a reason."
As she left for her shift, Theo pulled his interface back up, studying the familiar patterns of data flow. His mother's words echoed in his mind as he traced the edge of the communication protocol boundary - a wall in the system he'd never been able to breach.
Some things are limited for a reason.
But as he watched the factory's massive processing systems pulse with mana in the distance, Theo couldn't help but wonder: limited by whom? And more importantly - why?