Dark Fiction – The Sky Fucker
Written by Casey Douglass
‘Hello Ralph, please
sit down.’
‘Thank you, those
stairs are quite tiring.’
‘Good exercise
though, once you are used to them. I dare say that it’s all
hover-lifts and teleportation in your line of work?’
Ralph pats his beer
belly. ‘Too true, although it’s my ex line of work now.’
‘Oh you’ve quit? If
so, my notes here haven’t been updated.’
‘It only happened an
hour ago.’
‘Well, it looks like
the session is beginning of its own accord so why don’t we continue
and get right into things. Why did you quit?’
‘I couldn’t take it
any more.’
‘Working on the
antenna?’
‘No... that’s never
been the problem, as I’ve told you before.’
‘The suicides?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Has there been
another one?’
‘Two last night, the
mess met me as I came on shift early this morning.’
‘Hmmm.’
‘Not that I want to
be disrespectful to the dead or anything but it has an effect, seeing
that more than anyone should ever have to see it. That’s fifteen this week alone.’
‘That’s why Jurn
Technologies pays for these therapy sessions Ralph, it is trying to
help its workers.’
‘Oh I know that, I
don’t blame the company, they’ve done all they can to stop it
happening. No-one would have imagined that building the world's
largest antenna would attract every loony that wants to top
themselves. The company removed the maintenance ladders at intervals, put up
some zero-field netting, perimeter guards and drones, mesh-capturing
fields, all sorts of things, but the bastards still get through. I
guess it’s something about wanting to fall from the greatest height
on Earth or something.’
‘Depressed and
unhappy people do tend to seek out all manner of ways to end their
lives, if they are so far inclined. They can be quite brilliant in
the way that they pursue it too.’
‘Yeah I know, as I
said, I get to clean it up.’
‘I suspect the media
doesn't help?’
‘Hell no! The sick
fuckers are trying to film it happening half the time, their
drones buzzing around the antenna like flies around a dead dog. Mind
you, remote piloting Big Ralph always brightens my day.’
‘Big Ralph is the
security drone?’
‘Yeah, the one I
etched my name on when no-one was looking! The plasma guns on that
could shoot the cuss out of someone’s mouth at a two mile
distance!’
‘Quite.’
‘Well, I mean when
authorization comes through to “disperse” the press drones,
it always makes me think of fireworks night, all of those little plumes
of colour. Of course, the clean-up of metal fragments later is my
job too, so I can’t even fully
enjoy the carnage.’
‘What
will you do with yourself now that you’ve left the position? You’ve
been in the job quite some time.’
‘I’m
not sure. That’s partly why I still came today, as I’m guessing
this will be my last session, seeing as I’m no longer an employee.’
‘Yes,
I’m afraid your free session entitlement will end today. You are
fortunate that this session was already paid for, otherwise I would
have had to turn you away, however much I didn’t want to.’
‘I
thought so.’
‘You
look troubled, more so than when you first began talking.’
‘Well,
I don’t really see that I have a future after today. My life has
been my work, my health is poor, my relatives distant or dead and my
social circle non-existent. I’m thinking of killing myself.’
‘That’s
a permanent solution to a temporary problem, although please don’t
think that I’m calling your life the problem.’
‘Yeah
I’ve heard all that before. I’m at peace with myself for the
first time in thirty-odd years, I know when I’ve had enough of
something and that bell is ringing right now, has been for the last
year if I'm honest. Do you know what the engineers call the
antenna?’
‘I
know that you are changing the subject Ralph but I will play along. What
do they call it?’
‘The
Sky Fucker, on account that it looks like a massive knob piercing the
clouds.’
‘Very
clever.’
‘Well,
it makes us chuckle.’
‘Us?
You aren’t one any more.’
‘That
doesn’t mean I can’t chuckle at my memories.’
‘You
won’t be able to chuckle at anything if you end your life.’
‘It’s
okay, I’ve laughed enough for one life time.’
‘How
will you do it? End your life I mean.’
‘The
Sky Fucker.’
‘Really?
Why? How?’
‘The
why is that I want to see what the attraction is. The how is that I
know how to get past every fucking security measure and every
checkpoint. And as I know that you have to alert the authorities if
someone is a danger to themselves, I’ve already removed your
network capabilities. That was why I was puffing as I came in, that
circuit-box is in the tinniest fucking vent I have ever seen!’
The
screen in front of him flashed a variety of primary colours before
the androgynous lip-less face returned.
‘I...why
come to the session then Ralph?’
‘To
help make up my mind, to see if talking out loud about what I’m
going to do would make me change my mind.’
‘I’m
guessing it hasn’t been changed.’
‘Nope.’
‘How
will you get through the checkpoints though, they won’t let the public
enter the facility that surrounds the antenna. You are public now, as
you well know.’
‘Ah
but you are wrong there, so it’s all gravy.’
The
A.I frowned. ‘What do you mean Ralph?’
Ralph
stood and moved to the door, the plexi-metal dissolving in a mist of
dematerialization. He turned and smiled as he left the room, saying:
‘They don’t know I’ve quit yet.’
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