The Circle

In the Great Room, Mae gives a presentation in front of the massive audience of Circlers. She is introducing SoulSearch, a program that uses online crowdsourcing to track down fugitives. For the demonstration, the computer randomly selects a criminal. It chooses an English woman, Fiona Highbridge, who is wanted for killing her children. Her photo and profile data are illuminated on the big screen, visible to over a billion people who are currently watching. Fiona has been on the run for a decade. However, after the Circle tasks the world with finding her, they track her down in 10 minutes.  

Someone in the audience yells a request for them to conduct another search. Through Additional Guidance, Stenton tells Mae to go ahead, but this time choose a standard civilian instead of a fugitive. Mercer’s photo and information are posted on the screen. In rural Oregon, he is quickly located, and Circle followers arrive at his home. The world watches as Mercer jumps in his truck and flees. The mob follows him onto a mountain road, antagonizing him and even using drones that fly alongside his passenger window and film him.