Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Special Job

The recruiter offered a faint smile. "It's a fairly new position. Your field of duties would include coaching Crowdies who dropped in their ranking. You would hold public speaking events about Crowd and participate in grassroots solutions improving the platform and its impact on our society."

"So like a brand advocate?"

"It's a bit more than that, Cruzada. You would have access to every person on Crowd and help them with every issue affecting their rank."

It sounded strange and interesting.

The recruiter showed her the initial payment, which caused Rain's jaw to drop.

"Are you serious?"

"This is a premium position only accessible for Crowdies with a rank of three point eight or higher. We want to make sure our special advisors are paid adequately." 

Wow. Rain wanted to yank from her chair and hug the recruitment officer. Instead, Rain offered a cool nod.

"So I assume you're interested in the special advisor position."

"Yes, please."

"Splendid. I've contacted the office in the Downtown area."

"There's no additional job interview?"

"Welcome to the Crowd age, Misser Cruzada."

"Thank you very much. I'm grateful for all the opportunities the college has granted me. I'm looking forward to serving society."

"Thank us by being useful."

The officer fumbled with her terminal. "The documents have been sent to the department. You're expected to report to duty the day after tomorrow, seven sharp."

"So fast?"

"Duty doesn't wait. I assume you don't have a problem with that?"

Not in a million life cycles. Rain raised from her chair and bowed again. "I just want to thank you from the bottom of my being. It's been my dearest wish to—"

"You will receive an interactive tutorial via your PAN today. The virtual lessons will tell you everything you need to know about your first week."

Rain bowed yet again and tiptoed toward the self-opening door. Outside in the hallway, she rejoiced with her peers and flamed up like a birthday candle. Before she entered the circle, the questions rained down on her.

"What kind of position did you snatch?"

All eyes on Rain. Silence hummed.

"Special Advisor in the Santa Kahlo area."

Her friends cheered on. Hugs exchanged with petawatt smiles. Rain embraced the energy of her peers. Better than her last birthday, better than her first day at the academy. She shook hands with everyone in her round and realized one fellow cadet was missing.

"Where's Quinn?"

The mood frosted. Smiles collapsed into frowns. One question was all it took to sap everyone's energy. "Around the corner, getting a drink from the dispenser," Phoenix said with a sober voice. The way he phrased the statement rubbed Rain off. "Did something happen?"

"You better ask him."

And she wanted to. Rain excused herself from the group, crossed the corner and found Quinn in front of the drink dispenser with slumped shoulders. He produced a vitamin drink from the holding display and seemed to glance at the wall.

Rain tiptoed toward her friend. "Quinn."

"Heya."

Quinn looked as if he had ditched sleep for three months straight. A battery on its last one percent of charge.

Rain expected the worst and treated carefully. "Didn't get a good job offer?"

Quinn gulped down the drink in one go. Her face aged by the second. "Some boring-ass assistant office jobs."

"Why?"

"The recruitment officer showed me my test results. Turns out I didn't score as high as I thought I did. That and my moderately good ranking couldn't convince the algorithm."

Rain's shoulders sacked. Seeing her sparkling friend acting like a scraggy old tree hurt. More than she could imagine. She couldn't find any words of solace, so she kept her lips sealed. Of course, that was about to change soon.

"And you?"

Rain swallowed her excitement. Admitting she had snatched a prestigious Crowd job with great pay sounded pretentious in front of a disappointed friend. A friend who needed every bit of encouragement toward his new, unwanted life. But Quinn broke the awkward silence. "Come on, Cruzada."

Rain sank her glance toward her shiny boots. The words tumbled from her dry lips. "Special Advisor."

Quinn's lips arched, but his eyes stayed empty. Two glass marbles rolling inside a socket.

Rain's throat soared. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. You worked hard your entire life and the algorithm rewarded you."

Quinn forced her face to smile. For a second, the sparkling personality shone through the grimace. "Seriously, I'm soo proud of you."

"Go," Quinn said.

"Will you manage?"

"I have to, don't I?"

"I'll call you evening at eight, and we'll talk about it, okay? Together, we'll find a way out. Promise."

Rain's right foot geared toward the lift but the right stayed grounded.

Quinn's smile stretched. "We'll talk later."

Rain left her friend standing, jogged toward the lift and waited for the doors to part. She flicked one last glance at Quinn, leaning his body against the rear of the drink dispenser. Gravity threatened to swallow his body.

Quinn, ready to fall through the waxed floors.

What a shame.

Inside the elevator, Rain breathed out. She couldn't feel good if her friend suffered, but on the other side, Quinn didn't score as high as her. Only the highest achievers received the privilege to serve top institutions within the Crowd economy. Besides, if Quinn excelled at his new office job, he could still reach a higher rank with more responsibilities. No other system offered the same fair chances.

Rain called up her favorite person to spread the good news.