Most of the world is gooped. Only The Bubble still has human life in it. A plague mutated everything outside. Which is why today is Trimba's Saving Day. It's her seventeenth birthday, and a robot called The Angel is coming for her. It will hook her brain straight into the world of the Depopulation-17 Challenge, a post-apocalyptic ritual of wits and warfare essential to saving what's left of the human race. It makes sure that the population does not get too high. If Trimba wins, she wakes up and The Angel leaves. She returns to her Saving Day party and life goes on. If she loses, The Angel gives her a lethal injection and the party is over. Her consciousness and DNA are stored in The Racks for when the scientists of Juun find a new planet. If they ever do. Can she beat the challenge? Everyone thinks so. They've bet most of their currents on it. She is the fourth sister from the greatest Depop hunting family in the history of The Bubble. Trimba's parents figure they're pretty safe because their daughter's scores in Depop simulation are the highest on record, but there is so much they don't know. Trimba is wild, and her special day will not be what anyone is expecting.
