Seraphina enters the Friction Engine—a grinding installation of four locked doors (Verification, Search & Match, Validation, Onboarding & Exit)—each one stalling labor with endless KYC, keyword swipes, trial tasks, and paperwork.
A split‑tunnel simulation shows capital teleporting instantly while labor queues in rusted turnstiles. Through Macro (C + I + G + X–M) and Micro (salary, gig pay, tax) HUDs, the chapter reveals how individuals are tracked only as spend, not as full contributors, priming the need for new “sockets” of identity and value .
If Capital Moves Freely, Why Is Labor Stuck?
In the Friction Index hallway, four chambers expose the drag on labor: repeated identity checks, resume algorithm traps, unpaid trial work, and bureaucratic onboarding/exits.
A dual‑tunnel enactment contrasts capital’s one‑click flow with labor’s glacial proof loops. Mapping each red‑arrow stall and green‑justification, the chapter diagnoses liquidity—and thus power—as capital’s privilege, explaining why labor is perpetually “stuck in line,” unpaid for its queue time .
