All evening, I’ve been conscious of other eyes behind mine, other watchers in my brain. I’m ready to end that.

Valeria the Fifth is losing her identity. Part of an elite research collective, she is forced to share her thoughts every week with those around her. With her boss. With her friends. With her crush.

And each week, she loses a little more of herself, a little more of what makes her unique, as she gains the knowledge and memories of her peers.

Freedom to make her own choices will mean freedom to make her own mistakes too, and the price for some mistakes is higher than she can pay.