It's Only a Matter of Time

"Doctor, her family's requesting her status," said a nurse.

"Same as the others that keep pouring in."

"Why's it happening, Doctor?"

"A mass-phobia amplified by the 'hive mind' as if suddenly ‘reality’ became impossible to cope with."

"But they're all catatonic, Doctor. Can't we just unplug them?"

“Too dangerous—we're dependent on our exocortex—that’d be like performing a lobotomy."

"What can we do, Doctor?"

"A self-fulfilling evolutionary prophecy ..."

"Doctor?"

"The majority of Earth population's plugged in. Our government's declared a state of emergency, mass-producing robotic caretakers. It's only a matter of time till you and I are next."