In the year 2421, humanity has achieved some incredible technological advancements, from interstellar travel to artificial intelligence. But for one man, the 25th century isn't all it's cracked up to be. Meet Jace, a 26 year old class 1 scrap scavenger scratching out what qualifies as a "living" down below the Aether stacks, turns out the sci fi paradises preached for centuries prior didn't account for organ farms or augment testing and he got to experience both firsthand when he ran short on credits... Jace is just about at the end of his rope when he finds something that may change his life forever...for better or worse. This is my first story written on Royal Road-or anywhere really-and I wanted to see if the concepts that live in my head rent free are of interest to anyone else here on the site. Expect to see a take on a sci fi world that isn't all glitter and gold from the perspective of someone who has been dealt a rough hand. It's not my intent to create a plot armored character who can do no wrong, I intend to have Jace make believable mistakes that are impacted by human emotion and his experiences. With that in mind expect a slower start to feel organic and to avoid the necessity of info dumps that can plague other Sci Fi stories. Please feel free to drop a review that criticizes my work or highlights aspects that interest you, I do read everything that's posted to this story and am always looking to improve. Thanks for reading this and please enjoy Augmented Agony!