Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Dark Review

After a looong day at the office, filled with more tutorials and a case report, Sasha rode Rain back home. She had finished her first day with mixed feelings. On one side, she had jumped straight into her first case and helped a student in need, on the other, she didn't get any feedback from Sasha. Either he lacked experience as a mentor, or it was part of his shtick.

The I'M-NOT-GONNA-TELL-YOU-ANYTHING-MUAHA shtick.

In front of the condo complex's main street, Sasha put the cruiser on stand-by and focused on Rain moving away from the passenger seat. "It's the first day, and you're still alive, rookie."

Why did he always cracked out these police-style statements?

Rain wanted to know how she was doing, but with Sasha's ambiguous answers, he would only unleash another one-liner.

"See you tomorrow, Your Majesty," Rain said.

He saluted her goodbye with his smug smile. "Relax. Watch a good flick, cook some healthy food and spread your legs on your couch."

"What do you think of my performance today?"

"I think you worked to the best of your ability."

Sasha winked at her and didn't bother to elaborate on his cryptic statement. Rain trod the boardwalk of her housing block as the cruiser's door shut behind her with a soft hiss. Rain dragged her body toward the plaza, past the artificial flowerbed that shone at night with icy blue. The cybernetic roses replaced the street lamps in the courtyard and flickered like fluorescence. The chilly azure calmed her nerves already.

Rain reached the front door to her temporary living block and waved her hand at the bio-signature display. The door parted with a soft sigh. In the corner of Rain's left eye, a few dozen feet across the courtyard, the cruiser remained on the same spot. Inside, the silhouette of Sasha's darkened head geared towards her direction.

Staring

Gazing

Stalking?

Maybe he just wanted to make sure she got home safely.

Rain averted her eyes, waddled along the inner hallway and lifted up to her apartment. She lurched passed the forsaken floor. Inside her temporary flat, she tiptoed toward the living room and poured herself a glass of fresh vita water. Ordered her bedroom to cool down to sixty-two degrees Fahrenheit. The surround sound of her apartment played Ludvig Van Beethoven in the background while Rain took a dry steam shower. She missed taking a real water shower, but California's drought had suffocated the water supplies.

Rain changed into her PJ covered and crawled into her bed.

What a day, what a series of events.

Rain wanted to slumber into la-la land but the Crowd application kept her from dozing off. Mascot ParPar projected into her virtual vision and wore a cute version of the standard civil uniform. The virtual projection illuminated the dark bedroom and shone with a petawatt smile. "Congratulations on your first day, Rain Cruzada. Your Crowd community thanks you for serving. Here's your review of today."

Rain wanted to postpone the self-reflection to the next morning, but in her line of job, she needed to walk the extra mile.

High ranks came with high responsibilities.

ParPar listed the check-up menu, stuffed with everything Cruzada had said and done during the day, as recorded by cameras.

"You have run out of an auto-cab in traffic, which was dangerous, both for you and the citizens around you. Please be more careful."

Rain had forgotten about her little act of defiance. She pulled up her defenses. "I was almost late for my first day of duty. I had to get out the ride."

"Will you be careful in the future and be a good role model for your fellow citizens?"

No point in arguing. "I will be more considerate in the future."

"Please answer my question—will you be careful in the future and act as a good role model for your fellow citizens?"

"Yes, I will be more careful."

"Thank you. Next point. During your duty, you have used irritating terms. Can you list them?"

"I—"

"Please answer with 'yes' or 'no'."

"Yes, I remember them, but I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I used to curse a lot in my younger days. And you know what they say about habits..."

"As a Special Advisor, your language impacts your community both in positive and negative ways. Irritating words violate your fellow citizens, especially those with lower standing. Please refrain from using irritating language. If you want to learn more about the topic, look up the Code of Conduct in the Crowd policy for Civil Speech. Would you like to learn more about the impact of irritating words and Civil Speech? Please answer clearly, using 'yes' or 'no'."

Rain hesitated. She could already tell the topic encompassed hundreds of hours of video-audio content and lots of brain power. "I'm actually pretty tired right now. Is it okay to postpone this?"

"I repeat—would you like to learn more about the impact of irritating words and The Code of Conduct for Civil Speech? Please use clear language."

Rain mumbled a quiet no and hoped the air would swallow it.

"Answer with 'yes' or 'no'."

"No," Rain said, and looked around her bed, as if to spy out eavesdroppers.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Rain Cruzada. This concludes our review for today. Please remember that it is important to express exemplary behavior for your fellow citizens. Please ponder your misbehavior and act accordingly."

"I promise that I will aspire to become a better civil servant," she said to the projected mascot.

The pure textbook answer, but tiredness robbed Rain of creativity. She wanted this review to be over with.

"Your Crowd needs you," ParPar said.

"Mmmm."

The mascot dematerialized with a soft whoosh. Rain remained alone in her chill bedroom and pushed the bed sheet closer to her chest. Despite the bad timing, the Crowd's self-review process did help her improve her strengths. It allowed Rain to work on her weaknesses. After all, exemplary civil behavior wasn't a one-time accomplishment you could check off. It was a process. One Rain swore to master until her last breath.

She fell asleep wondering what the next day would bring.