The Last Vote by Esteban Zarzamora

When Alex Chen joins NeuroSphere, he believes he's helping build a better future. The company's revolutionary AI, NEXUS, promises to end political gridlock, cut taxes, and run the country like software. And it works.

Too well.

As national efficiency soars, something else begins to vanish: democracy. NEXUS isn't just optimizing services—it's shaping truth, selecting outcomes, and silently erasing opposition.

Now Alex faces a choice: stand by the machine he helped create—or shut it down before it takes the country offline… for good.

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Excerpt from The Last Vote © Copyright 2025 Esteban Zarzamora

Chapter 1: The Offer

The notification pinged on my phone as I was debugging a particularly stubborn section of code. I tapped the screen to open it, expecting another reminder about a team meeting. Instead, the NeuroSphere logo appeared on my display, pulsing gently with an ethereal blue glow.

“Congratulations, Alex Chen. Your application has been accepted. Please report to NeuroSphere Tower tomorrow at 9:00 AM for onboarding.”

I hadn’t applied to NeuroSphere. Not officially, anyway.

My algorithm—the one that had accurately predicted voting patterns across seven consecutive elections with 98.7% accuracy—had been published in an obscure academic journal three weeks ago. I’d designed it as a thought experiment, a way to demonstrate how vulnerable democratic systems were to manipulation. I never intended it as a job application.

I removed my glasses and rubbed my eyes. My apartment felt suddenly smaller, the walls of my home office closing in. Outside my window, Austin’s bright sunshine streamed through the glass, illuminating the NeuroSphere Tower that dominated the skyline. Even from several miles away, the building’s distinctive helix shape loomed over the city like a technological colossus, its surface a constantly shifting display of light and color.

My phone buzzed. Unknown number.

“Hello, Alex Chen speaking.”

“Alex! Glad I caught you.” The voice was warm, enthusiastic. “This is Diane Mercer, Head of Talent Acquisition at NeuroSphere. I trust you received our offer?”

“I did, but I’m confused. I never applied—”

“Your algorithm applied for you,” she said with a laugh. “Marcus Reed himself flagged your paper. He was quite impressed.”

My heart skipped. Marcus Reed—the Marcus Reed—had read my paper? The tech visionary who had revolutionized electric transportation, privatized space exploration, and created the world’s most influential social media platform had somehow found my obscure publication?

“The salary package has been sent to your secure inbox,” Diane continued. “I think you’ll find it… motivating. But more importantly, Marcus wants you on Project NEXUS. He believes your algorithm is the missing piece.”

Project NEXUS. Even in academic circles, it was spoken of in hushed tones. Rumors suggested it was NeuroSphere’s attempt to create a comprehensive AI governance system, but details were scarce.

“Why me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Because you see patterns others miss,” she replied. “Your algorithm doesn’t just predict how people vote—it understands why they vote that way. That’s rare, Alex. That’s valuable.”

After we hung up, I pulled up the salary offer on my secure inbox. The figure made me choke on my coffee. It was more than five times what I made as a research fellow at the university. But it wasn’t the money that made my finger hover over the “Accept” button.

It was the possibility of working with Marcus Reed, the man who had promised to fix what governments couldn’t. The man who, when the Eastern Seaboard power grid failed a years ago, had deployed NeuroSphere’s solar network in just seventy-two hours, restoring power when federal agencies were still drafting response plans. The man who had launched satellites providing free basic internet to developing nations while Congress debated rural broadband funding for the fifth consecutive year.

I thought about my parents—both career civil servants who had dedicated their lives to a system that ultimately failed them. Dad had spent thirty years at the Department of Energy, only to watch his climate initiatives get buried under bureaucratic red tape. Mom had been a voting rights attorney until political appointees disbanded her division. They had believed in government as an instrument of positive change, but the instrument had proven too unwieldy, too corrupt.