Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Breaking News

"Let's get some comfort food," Sasha said.

He had swapped from testing teacher to caring partner again.

"Good idea."

Rain's stomach rioted like a Red Blocker. She'd probably burned half of her calorie intake while reprimanding Piper.

"What do you want?" Sasha asked.

"Something spicy. A strong soup."

"Pho?"

"Pho sure."

Rain leaned her head against the side window and reflected on her Piper conversation. Had Taylor's resemblance to her ex-boyfriend clouded her judgment? Would she have defended him if it was any other student?

Rain closed her eyes when Sasha entered a drive-through offering Vietnamese specialties. He ordered a veggie burger with ginger stripes while Rain got the Pho Soup Santa Kahlo Special. The strong scent emanated from the drive-thru window and tickled her nostrils. Saliva flooded her mouth.

During the preparation, a breaking news update played on the Crowd feed channels. Rain had set up a priority tag on Bloomer to stay informed about city relevant news.

The host, a woman of mixed ethnicity, played a holographic clip showing a couple of police officers infiltrating a house in terrible condition. A bunch of masked people took cover or threw stuff at the officers.

"The police has infiltrated a squatted building in Castro Central, on the border of Esperanza. During the operation, one squatter was shot. The high school student was a member of the Red Block, an activist group advocating for affordable housing and demonstrating against police brutality and state corruption."

Camera drones recorded the incident from multiple angles while the live comments updated on the feed. According to the feed, forty-two thousand viewers were watching it.

The host said, "This marks the seventh time this year the metro police has shot a squatter/protestor. We have identified the mother of the high school child. She will be talking to us exclusively."

A semi-transparent ad played into the feed, promoting bulletproof vests that could be worn underneath regular clothes.

The silent tagline read: don't let the system get you down—armor up now. Rebel Gear! Our bulletproof vests come in twelve different colors. Fifteen percent off if you order right now."

The ad blended out. A middle-aged woman had joined the host via a holographic call. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Jamie was a good kid. He didn't do anything wrong."

She used the past tense even though the kid was still being treated at the hospital. The host mirrored the guest's mimics, trying to build rapport.

"Here's your soup," Sasha said and handed her over.

Rain hated to avert her eyes but her stomach pained. She dove the chopsticks into the spicy broth and kept her hungry eyes glued to the report playing in front of her vision.

"You watching that kid getting shot?" Sasha asked.

The thick ribbon noodles pretzeled inside Rain's mouth, so her 'yes' sounded more like a maah.

"Shouldn't do it."

Sasha rolled the cruiser back on the street and targeted the office building while Rain slurped and watched her AR feed. The viewer count of the news report shot up to sixty-two thousand, half of which hailed from different regions of the States or even from across the globe.

The host said, "We have pinged Mayor Lunar for a comment but he denied all of our requests. Senator and mayor candidate Jessie Kwong, however, replied promptly and expressed her concerns. "This is another tragedy happening on our streets. Another abuse of power that is enforced against our poorest citizens. How will the Mayor react? He'll probably continue the status quo. 'Shut up and shoot' seems to be the motto of the current administration." She expressed a painful sigh. "Remember Mayor Lunar's lack of responsibility today when you go vote. Our city deserves better. Your children deserve better."

The live snippet zoomed away. The focus returned to the host.

"Please remain subscribed to our feed to learn more about this tragic event. You can also watch our exclusive Santa Kahlo report 'Your Life Under Fire' on our partner channel."

The jingle played along with the flashing logo. "Bloomer Breaking News—you heard it first."

Rain pushed the news away and leaned against her seat.

"I wish the news would be less sensational about these issues. They treat it like some movie event."

"News is another word for entertainment."

Maybe, but Bloomer was one of the top networks in California. Their reports often trended on the Crowd feeds and attracted raging comments from citizens. Whatever they played influenced public opinion. Perhaps Rain was too critical. She needed to focus on issues she could influence.

After finishing her Pho soup, Rain pushed an oral care chewing gum with classic mint flavor into her spicy mouth.

"What are working on now?"

"We'll hit the office."

Sasha's voice turned stern again, which meant only one thing.

"I need to talk to you."