This was good. It could have used a little more time to bring in the protagonist's motivation sooner, and honestly I could have used more rage in it. Which is saying something, given how angry I felt at the start and how angry I was at the end. This world is oppressive. And believable. We've poisoned Earth's atmosphere to the point where breathable air is a luxurious commodity, one only afforded the rich and the employed. Our protagonist is going to school to land a good government job - and those sweet, sweet O2 credits. I'll let you read the story and see what happens, but I felt the rage and helplessness in those opening pages, and I felt for what happened at the end. Good writing, great premise, worth your time.

Merged review:

This was good. It could have used a little more time to bring in the protagonist's motivation sooner, and honestly I could have used more rage in it. Which is saying something, given how angry I felt at the start and how angry I was at the end. This world is oppressive. And believable. We've poisoned Earth's atmosphere to the point where breathable air is a luxurious commodity, one only afforded the rich and the employed. Our protagonist is going to school to land a good government job - and those sweet, sweet O2 credits. I'll let you read the story and see what happens, but I felt the rage and helplessness in those opening pages, and I felt for what happened at the end. Good writing, great premise, worth your time.