The multiverse allows for a myriad of outcomes, and though the multiverse in my mind doesn't function exactly the same way, it's still fun to play around with ideas.
In this world, the desire for technological integration is second to none. Progress that can't be achieved through man power is achieved through machines, and in some cases, by both. However, as the line between free will and programmed protocol grows thinner, governments haven't been able to establish proper laws on how to distinguish the two. Not fast enough to catch up to how fast technology has advanced anyway. As a result, beings who aren't subjucate, and who get close to this line, are stopped like any machine; terminated and dismantled. Over a third of the world's population is in one way or another a refugee or running a very high risk of death.
Enter Toughset, ex military, having undergone involuntary augmentations, and for a time, was tracked as well. But he caught on quick, in an age where knowledge, and a bit of hacking, are more powerful than any gun. He found a way to get off the grid, and is now taking responsibility of providing refuge for these beings at risk.