THE UNCLAIMED

In a city grappling with rising petty crime and a feeling of official neglect, a new phenomenon began to appear. They called themselves "The Unclaimed," and they patrolled in groups of six or seven. Their uniform was a blend of high-tech and tactical—dark, weather-resistant jackets, utility belts, and, most noticeably, Apple Vision Pros glowing with a subtle, futuristic light. The headsets projected a translucent overlay for the group, showing them maps of their patrol area and data streams of reported incidents.

One night, the group's cyberdeck, a Kali Linux-powered ThinkPad, flagged a developing situation. A person was attempting to steal a car from a parking lot. The team, receiving the alert via their Meshtastic nodes, converged on the location. As the thief was about to break the door lock, they looked up to see a semi-circle of seven people, all wearing glowing headsets and tactical gear, standing a few feet away.

The leader of the group, a woman whose face was partially obscured by her Vision Pro, spoke first. "We know what you're doing," she said, her voice amplified and slightly distorted by a voice-modulating microphone. "That car belongs to someone. Stop."

The thief, initially startled, was also intrigued. He could see their hands were empty of any visible weapons. The glowing headsets, however, made them seem like something out of a science fiction movie. He was more confused than afraid. Another member of the group, a man with a Dyson Zone mask partially obscuring his face, stepped forward and said, "There are resources for you. We can help you find a place to stay tonight, and a Shiftsmart shift for tomorrow." The others remained silent, their presence a quiet, unified wall. The Vision Pros, with their glowing displays, gave the group an air of unassailable technological superiority, as if they were seeing layers of reality the thief could not.

The thief, seeing no avenue for a quick escape and completely outnumbered, dropped his tools and backed away slowly. The group watched him leave, their silence unbroken until he was gone. They then used their devices to notify the car's owner and left a 3D spatial capture of the incident on a secure channel for law enforcement, knowing the police would eventually find it.