Oblivion

Oblivion is a derivative of heroin, with similar effects on the user and similar addictiveness. It was popular in the dark future dominated by Cloud, the everything company, especially among Cloud’s live-in workforce. The drug was dispensed in the form of small, lightweight plastic strips, and taken by dissolving on the tongue. Like heroin, too great a dose could result in an overdose, even a fatal one.

The network of dealers for Oblivion was hunted by Cloud’s internal security, and eventually the network was found and its members identified. However, rather than rolling it up, Cloud, via its security team, took over the network and used it to sell Oblivion 2.0 – which differed from the original version in two major ways: it was (according to Cloud’s never particularly truthful management) no longer addictive; and now, of course, said management was getting a cut of its sales.

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Origin: The Warehouse by Rob Hart.