A concept prompt I answered over the weekend, as I was stuck staying up late sorting out my blood sugar. The brief was:
"In the year 2674, the elite live in the top floor of standardized 200 storey buildings which grants them access to the freshest rain water. The water is contaminated the lower it goes. One morning, across all the buildings in the city, the residents of 199th floor notice blood in their water." Kraten was pissed off. As you would be if your shower had come out dirty enough to stain your white towels after you dried off. He stormed over to the faucet, poured a glass of water and looked at it in the light. Sure enough, there was a similar pink tinge to that water as well.
“What the fuck have those idiots upstairs been doing now?”, he shouted over the noise of shower he left running as part of their morning routine.
“Language!”, his husband shouted back. “You’ll wake the kids. What’s gotten into you this morning, Krate? You look more like 11 am, or even afternoon level furious. Must be something bad to get you there so quickly”. He smiled as he teased his partner.
“Look at this Darbs”, he said, showing the pink-tinged water. “This is coming through the filters, so 201 only knows how bad it is going in.”
Darbilt took the glass and eyed it carefully. Water clarity was not something he took lightly, as the President of the Trickle Down Alliance. Campaigning for people to take care of the water they passed down through the building was his passion. A healthy downward flow was better for everyone. The left pleased by better health outcomes, the right by the savings on social programmes and healthcare created by the clean water.
“Wow”, he said. “This is nearly as bad as the Acid party they had a few cycles ago. At least the weird colour is in the water, and not rippling over all our walls. Can you take the kids to school? I need to convene the Alliance Council. You can turn the shower off. I think I’ll give it a miss, frankly.”
By the time Darbilt got to the Council chambers the place was already abuzz, which was not good news. It meant that this was not an isolated problem. The leadership team was filtering in as he passed through security. His Assistant AI spooled up as he stepped inside the Comms room.
“Good morning, Sir. I hope your weekend was pleasant.”
“Yes, thank you, Clarise. How about you? Did you get up to much?”
“My kids and I went to a folk festival and saw a few old earth classics recreated. It really sparked my circuits, Sir.”
Darbilt chuckled to himself. The AI’s imaginings had become something of a ritual. It wasn’t quite creativity or humour according to the designers, but if it wasn’t, it was very close.
“I assume the reports haven’t changed, and the contamination is still coming in? Do we have an analysis?”
“Yes Sir. The contamination is consistently in places across the entire floor. It has also begun to filter down. The team from floor 198 have already got in contact to complain.”
“OK, tell them it's coming from 200, and that we are looking into it as a priority. I mean they know that, but what else can I say at the moment.”
“You could tell them what it is”, said the Vice President of Analytics, entering the Comms room. “But on this occasion, I would recommend we keep it to ourselves for a time. We should speak to 200 before we even involve the rest of the council”.
Darbilt shook hands with his number 2 then spoke to Clarise. “Clarise, can you give us the room? Put the rest of the team in Conference room 1, please”.
“As you request, Sir”, replied the AI and turned off xyr projection.
“Why? What is it?”
The VP sat down on one of the large wingbacked chairs in front of the main CommPanel. He took a deep breath before replying. “Its blood. Gallons and gallons of blood.”
“What are they doing up there? Pagan goat sacrifices?”
“No. Not goat sacrifices no.”
“How do you…”
“Because the blood is human. Hundreds of humans, based on the volume that came through.”
“Fuck me. I can see why you were cautious. Clarise?”
The AI shimmered back into view next to him. “Yes, Sir. How may I help?”
“Get me a connection to floor 200, right now. We need to talk to them. Put it on screen here.”
There was a pause while the AI attempted to connect. “I’m afraid I cannot comply with that request.”
“Don’t take any shit from their AI up there. This is an emergency. Override protocol authorised. And before you say yes I know that is the last override call I can put through this cycle. I really can’t see anything bigger than this though.”
“That will not help I’m afraid. I’m not getting told they will not connect, I am not getting any answer at all. They are not online. I am trying to connect through ancillary systems, but so far I have not found a valid connection. It appears all the hardlines, except the water supplies, have been disconnected.”
Darbilt thought about his kids, probably already on the way to school. He was spooked, but he couldn’t justify calling for any sort of wide controls yet. He had a horrible feeling he would be putting them in place before the day was out.
“Call the rest of the council in. We have no precedence for this. We need to find a way to get up to Level 200.”
