Age of Contagion cover image

Age of Contagion

by T. Smith and C. Justice for FDP Reads

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(Age of Contagion continued)

As a result, all survivors were placed under mandatory lock-down and have been so for the last 145 years.

"What if," one man began cautiously, "what if KORBIS has been infected by the crown chip virus? I mean, is that possible?"

Others at the table appeared pensive.

"The trouble is that none of us can really know. No one–or no one who can help us now–really knew what the crown chip was or how it worked. No one ever explained just how the crown virus developed. Can it infect some crazy AI that appeared out of nowhere at just the right time to imprison us, who knows?"

That speech came from Tacks, who sat in the corner with a dark and heavy brow. The others mulled over his words until a low chuckle sounded. They didn't even know who had laughed until he spoke, Loewen, the old man who barely ever spoke.

"There is no Crown Virus. There was never any Crown Virus. And the Crown Chip? Just a hard to detect poison, that's all."

The others at the table stared at the old man as he continued to laugh and to show more life and mirth than they'd ever seen.

"Evidence, please?" Tacks requested calmly.

"Well, obviously, we are the evidence. No person ever died of the Crown Virus and I would say that no person ever contracted it in the first place. The closest thing to a virus is that AI, nothing more than a front face for I don't know who."

The group complained that they still wanted actual evidence but he coughed and blew his nose at them.

"That's the best any of you are going to get. It doesn't matter if I had proof, there's nothing we're going to be able to do about it anyway."

The sound at the table quieted. They each returned to their thoughts.

"There must be something we can do," said Henry, the one who thought KORBIS itself could be infected.

Loewen groaned, "You can get old, like me. You can watch the days passing you like the wind, you can forget any ideas of freedom, you can be safe in the prison we've consigned ourselves to die in."

"Would you stop it, Loewen? It's not too late. We're still here and it isn't too late."

Tacks stood from his chair.

"You all keep listening to him, you will get old and die. And hey, we're going to die anyway, so we might as well make use of our time and our ... our deaths."

Loewen looked up with some surprise. "That's what I like to hear."

"I'll tell you the first thing that we can do, we can act like we're living. Actually living. Let's stop shooting the breeze–the wind, as my old friend called it–and let's get busy. Let's get strong. This thing is bound to come to a head at some point, virus or no, so we're going to have to be ready for it. And we need to find out how we can learn more about this KORBIS thing, not just the useless regurgitation we're used to, but real information. And–"

Tacks continued on and his companions at the table listened and seemed energized, and Loewen's eyes betrayed the smallest glimmer of hope.

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Pub: 24 Mar 2020 22:55 UTC
Edit: 28 Mar 2020 20:20 UTC
Views: 260