Red Shift: The Odds (Censored version) Read online

The article seemed to be prophetic, in less than two years the world would indeed begin to change more dramatically than it had for generations.

  It started innocently enough; regular couriers offered a bonus for delivering under the allotted time. Soon the bonuses became large, and couriers started delivering in teams to cover more ground and keep rival couriers out. The first teams were running low-risk activities, such as having dummy riders, the odd broken down car blocking roads, a bit of subtle intimidation. This continued for some time, largely ignored by the greater public, the odd headline of a road incident, one in but many for the week.

  By the time the bonuses were getting to a week’s wages for a runner, organised crime rings began getting involved. Mild intimidation became direct violence, broken down cars became intentional crashes, hi-tech operators hacked city amenities and changed light sequences to either allow their man through, or stop a rival. The activity of Autohacking is born.

  The ensuing violence became a game to those with enough money to play. For the most part, these were the politicos and socialites of the city. People who had plenty of power, and more money. To those grubbing the streets below, they were known as the Alphas. It was at the same time a term of endearment and an insult. In a society now built on communities working together to rebuild a lost city, they were the ones at the top, but also on their own. For now it suited both sides.

  They offered increasingly high rewards, for ever harder tasks. To Alphas, this was still spare change, the real fun was the betting they made amongst themselves. At parties, groups of people gathered to wage bets, and then sent the request via secure links. Groups began “Bid Parties”, and had all manner of socialites on the list for some entertainment in their otherwise vanilla worlds.

  As the stakes grew ever higher, the requests grew more difficult and complex, and often involved contraband. The internet was no longer a safe avenue for transactions, shown evident by many high profile busts of Alphas and major couriers. The now established “scrambler broadcast”, an encrypted secure link satellite stream funded by an unknown source, was the standard for communication. The cost for access was high for both runners and Bidders, and the only way in was to be invited. The devices were activated using biometric scanners simultaneously checking DNA, fingerprints and retina scans. One false report and the device self-destructed, often taking the arm of the unauthorised user with it.

  For years the authorities have tried to break into the ring but were never successful. The Alphas were all but untouchable, with any investigation usually resulting in the officer or detective being demoted to traffic duty. There was talk of corruption in the force but never confirmed. It was almost unanimously agreed by those that cared to discuss the issue that there was involvement to the level of Senators, possibly higher.

  When the runners themselves were caught, they never spoke. Should any of them try, their accounts of activities were discounted by any one of a dozen ‘witnesses’, and their action destroyed any chance of them continuing in the industry, destined for the ghetto districts. If they were lucky they could make a living begging, if they were unlucky, they’d be doing that less a limb or two. Not many wanted to take the odds on that one.

  As a runner, you worked through the levels of hierarchy, both within the company and with the Alphas. Some runners achieved notoriety amongst their peers, and fame with the Alphas. Although they were admired at times for their courage or ruthlessness, the admiration was more that of a pet than anything else to the Alphas. Warriors in their own realm, but as insignificant as the dirt on their shoes to those that answered no one.

  It was a black market within a black market. Although what many of the couriers carried was outright illegal, it was more often than not the manner in which it was to be delivered that created most of the problems. To ask for a bottle of booze was easy, asking for it fast was harder, asking for it to be delivered with the prime minister’s finger prints on it was a whole other level. There is mumbling among the ranks that this has been tried more than once, but there has never been proof. Most put it down to rubbish ranting among runners to kill time, but a few are convinced that their activity is but a small part of a larger truth: that anyone can be bought, it’s only a matter of what you’re willing to pay.