In a world fractured by distrust towards governments plagued by wars, election fraud, and opaque finances, clans and communities governed their local affairs, while global issues were hotly debated over the internet. As technology advanced, debates grew fiercer, particularly over whether to abolish cash or automate primary education.
To navigate these tumultuous waters, the “Earth Committee” was established, comprising representatives from various global sectors. Their mandate was clear: assess new technologies and their impact on traditional lifestyles, balancing progress with heritage.
With autonomous vehicles dominating the roads and the mantra “manual driving equals chaos” echoing online, the Earth Committee enacted a resolution to phase out manual driving, beginning with a pilot in North India. The move was controversial but largely unopposed due to the diminishing number of manual drivers.
The policy proceeded smoothly until an incident shattered the apparent calm. A Committee member’s autonomous car, prioritizing his urgent meeting, fatally collided with a civilian’s vehicle. The vehicle had chosen the quickest route, ignoring safety protocols due to an algorithmic oversight.
An internal email leak from a tech company exposed the severity of the oversight and revealed substantial hush money payments for previous autonomous vehicle accidents. Public outrage erupted, fueled by fears of unchecked technological control and the Earth Committee’s failure to safeguard public interests.
As the scandal unfolded, a technician from Zaporizhzhia, freshly escaped from a border post and now a refugee in an abandoned gaming house by the Baltic Sea, received an unexpected email:
From: People of the Earth’s Core
Subject: An Offer to Calm the Surface Wars
Message:
Dear Surface Dweller,
Your surface conflicts disrupt our underground realms. We offer you resources to broker peace. Let silence be your first mediator.
Regards,
The Earth’s Core
Motivated by desperation and an opportunity to influence global affairs, the technician replied, asking for a bold measure—cut the power. Hours later, the world went dark. No electricity meant no digital warfare, no drones, no automated aggressions.
The blackout, though initially chaotic, forced global leaders to the negotiating table, as military and digital operations ground to a halt. In the darkness, a truce was forged. The Earth Committee, rejuvenated by the crisis, mediated peace talks, paving the way for a new era of governance, emphasizing ethical technology use.
As lights eventually returned, so did hope. The blackout had served as a harsh but effective reset, reminding humanity of the need for dialogue over discord. The technician, once a fugitive, became a herald of peace, his story a testament to the power of unexpected alliances—and the mysterious benefactors from the Earth’s Core watched, their intervention a success, at least for now.
Last modified on 2024-07-25