“Welcome to Us Transportation and Logistics LLC,” said the company representative. He pronounced “us” like the pronoun rather than as the acronym that Johns had expected.

“Oh, it’s ‘us’ as in ‘all of us?'” Johns said, mildly surprised. “I thought it was ‘US’ as in ‘United States.'”

“Oh, we get that a lot,” said the rep. “We’re used to it, though, so pay it no mind. We do have one final part of orientation to go through before we can get your rig out on the road with cargo, though.”

“What’s that?” said Johns, a little annoyed that the rep kept on using the ‘royal we’ to refer to himself.

“Oh, just a little company tradition that we have here at Us LLC,” the rep said. “We call it The Joining.”

Instantly, Johns was surrounded by other reps and truckers, each with eyes wide and speaking in perfect synch. “One of us! One of us! One of us!”

Johns’ eyes went wide, but there was nothing he could do before his individual consciousness was blown away and subsumed by the gestalt hive mind responsible for Us LLC’s legendary efficiency and timeliness.

“We are as one,” said Johns, after a pause for the hive mind to adjust to his memories and the direct psychic intercranial link. “We are as Us.”

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