Drone World
Dedication
The three essentials of Happiness are:
Something to do
Something to love
Something to hope for
If you are lucky, you’ll have all three in your life.
Prologue
I lived in the safest city in the world … until I tried to leave it.
I could sense the machine on the other side as the ceiling creaked above my head. The metal drone was searching for my body signature. Finding me was its reward. It had been hours since I escaped but it was only moments before it would find me. It’s impossible to hide in the city. It’s for our own safety, but a warden says the same thing to his prisoners.
A metallic scratch warned me that the drone had turned the corner of the exterior wall. It would look for a point of weakness, find an opening into the building and break through. I moved, realizing that although a sound would alert it to my location, staying still was no longer an option. I scurried around some boxes, heading down to the stairs. I had to cover a lot of distance in a short time. My dad always teased me that I ran around like my life depended on it. For once, he was right.
The stairs squeaked beneath my weight. It wasn’t loud, but to a drone it might have sounded like an elephant stomping. The scratching outside stopped. Normally I would have taken that as a good sign, but now I ran. Hard. As I hit the bottom landing, a cutting sound reverberated from the left wall and sparks flashed in the shadows. Sunlight streamed through the crack; I had seen little of it since my base was a windowless room. But I had no time to admire the sun as a red eye gleamed in the hole. In my hesitation, I saw my reflection in its eyes and the drone registered my presence. Once it saw me, then potentially dozens more would be alerted to my presence.
I slid down the stairs like a fire pole. If I tripped now, I was done. If I didn’t get away from this drone quickly, I was done as well. What a lovely set of options. Boards splintered and cracked from the floor above; the drone had finally entered the building.
Drones come in all shapes and sizes. This one resembled a bumblebee, small, fast and lethal. Once it sees you, you can’t outrun it. It flies through the air at 20 kilometres an hour, and no matter how fast a runner you are, it never slows down. You’re only hope is to find obstacles — doors, walls, cars — anything that blocks you from their view. But once it locks onto you, it is only a matter of time before it catches you. The damn things never stop.
I was so exhausted from the day’s escape. I would die to rest for just five minutes. The truth was harsher; if I rested for five seconds now, it would be a permanent sleep. A board snapped under my feet, almost wrenching my ankle with my forward momentum. The building was condemned, and with every step I could see why. The structure had four levels, deep in the bowels of the city. The building was made of rusted steel, well past its expiry date.
A red beam flashed from above, its searchlight inspecting the corners of the room. My feet hit the bottom level. I had run out of space, and going back the same way was not an option. I was frustrated. It’s funny what emotions take hold when you are about to die. How has this drone found me? I was so careful to stay hidden! Taking all the precautions, using several disguises, and avoiding the cameras. What did I do wrong?
Interrupting my thoughts, my foot hit a metal ring. I stooped down, thinking I had found a handle to help my escape. Instead, I triggered a trap as the floor collapsed and I fell into a watery grave.
That was when my world ended.
4 months earlier