Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Signal Lost

It sounded like a cheesy lyric from a twentieth-century love song. But with the tension sizzling inside Rain's body, she could use the comfort of extra protection. Sasha had proven he was going to help her.

"Have you ever thought about the reason for what we do?"

"Don't go all existentialism on me."

"I just wondered, I mean, couldn't the Crowd Assist do our job?"

"No."

"The Assist is fairly smart in dealing with humans. It does understand almost anything we say."

"The assists lacks our emotional intelligence, Rain. It might be decent in doing daily reviews, but it absolutely sucks at analyzing human emotions and reading between the lines."

Rain sighed an okay.

"If you're worried about getting replaced by an AI anytime soon, don't. Our jobs are too valuable."

Rain wasn't concerned about automation. Something else nagged at her. Her role as special advisor was loosely defined. She consulted Crowd members with varying ranks and gave group speeches. But she also rode smart cars with armor-plating and carried self-defense devices. Was a mere advisor ever supposed to be armed with advanced technology?

But maybe she read too much into it. After all, she worked for a progressive company doing daily experiments.

"Focus on our case. I need every single fiber of your concentration."

"You have my undiluted attention."

Outside, a few citizens hurried to their houses. The curfew was still a couple of hours away but people itched for secure places. The calm before the thunderous storm?

Rain crossed her fingers for a peaceful evening. She threw a glance at the dashboard as the route to Graham's last coordinates updated. Sasha steered around the corner and entered the target location.

"Here's where we lost Graham," Sasha said. "He must be inside of that building,"

A five-story brick house, smeared with graffiti and curses against the police, corporations and the corrupt state.

"Do you want to go in now?" Rain asked.

"It's our job."

They stepped out the cruiser and told it to run a few a rounds. When Rain neared the building, the shiver sizzled her limbs.

Sasha noticed it. "You okay?"

"I'm ready."

They walked past the door which was open and entered the hallway. Posters of the Red Block smeared the wall, promising a future free from oppressive rule and housing for everyone. The corridor reeked of piss and dank concrete. Rain had to pinch her nose. "Why is every building in this neighborhood so dingy?"

A guy with gear and mask stomped down the stairs and pointed his gloved hand at them. "Who the hell are you?"

Sasha answered first. "We would like to speak to Graham."

"Are you from the police?"

A cocktail of fear and anger pestered the masked guy's voice.

Rain wanted to de-escalate the situation. "We're his coaches."

Someone opened the entrance door behind them and stepped inside. His hood hid half his face, but instead of a mask, he wore a cloth wrapped around his mouth. Rain and Sasha were surrounded by two unknown guys with serious anger issues. She should have listened to her instincts.

"Do you know where Graham is?"

"Don't know any Graham. He's not here."

Sasha channeled his dominant father voice. "We know he's inside the building. Cut the bullshit and let us talk to him. We'll be gone in a couple of minutes."

The masked guy on the stairs exchanged an odd gesture with the guy standing behind Rain and Sasha.

"Follow me."

Sasha mouthed a Be Careful to her. Oh, Rain was careful. The adrenaline flushed into her bloodstream and heightened her senses.

Every stench, every movement and sound intensified.

They reached the second floor where punk rock music droned from. A waft of marihuana blew into their direction and made Rain squeeze her face. Were they celebrating illegal parties?

Sasha carefully pointed at yet another Red Block sign, near the entrance on the third floor. The sticker-covered doors remained shut but mumbling and music muffled inside.

Rain exchanged a silent eye exchange with Sasha and wished she could access a mind-link. The idea of this place dawned on her, but she needed more proof.

"Here," the masked guy said and opened the door on the last floor at the top. A heavy, metal-coated door reminiscent of a vault gate. Sasha stepped inside first but made sure Rain walked closely. The guy behind them shut down the door which triggered another gulp from Rain.

This wasn't the lion den.

This was some kind of secret hideout.

And she and Sasha walked voluntarily into it.

What in the world had Graham gotten into?

"There," the masked guy said and pointed inside a door-less entry along the corridor. Inside the studio space, a few masked blockers stood around a planning table and discussed something. They wore paramilitary gear, face masks, and nano-fibered hoods. In the middle of the ragtag team stood a guy wearing a used raincoat and flecked jeans.

Graham.

His face turned WTF when Sasha and Rain entered his view. Every masked person around the table shut up and stared at the two. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Panic paled his face, which was already milky to begin with.

"You disappeared," Sasha said.

"We were worried about you," Rain added to compensate for Sasha's edge.

The geared-up guy next to Graham roared his voice. "How the hell did you find him? There are no cameras in here. You can't even update your networks."

Three thugs put their arms into their pockets where they probably hid knives or worse, guns. Rain and Sasha stepped closer to each other, ready to shock and PEPS their way out.

Sasha disarmed his voice. "Easy fellas, we just want to speak to our client. Can we have a moment?"

Graham stepped away from the table with slumped shoulders. He approached Rain and Sasha while averting his eyes from the group leader.

"Ten minutes," the guy said with the voice of someone used to giving orders.

He acted as the leader of the pack.

Graham scratched his sweaty neck when he entered Rain's private space and whispered. "You shouldn't have come. Do you know in how much trouble we are right now?"