Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Epilogue -- Who's the real winner?

Camryn sipped a local tomato drink inside his limo and stretched his legs. He wished Lory was with him, but she faced some kind of issue with her mother and needed to have the night off. Maybe it was for the better; he needed to plan his next coup tonight.

He leaned back in the plush seat and watched the breaking news on his AR vision.

The host continued. "Jessie Kwong wins the election with fifty-seven percent and becomes the new mayor of Santa Kahlo."

The clip showed Jessie shaking hands before raising her fist like a guerilla fighter. Reporters and camera drones swarmed around her and hung on her words.

"This is a win for every decent citizen exhausted from Diego's reign. Yesterday's police brutality has shown that Mayor, sorry, EX-Mayor Lunar"—the crowd chuckled—"is more interested in clobbering citizens than listening to them."

The former mayor, Diego Lunar, shared his controversial thoughts about the turnout result. "It was a fraud campaign, period. Kwong abused her media influence to manipulate the reports against me. Of course, the loony mainstream media complied like the lemmings they are." He pointed his finger at the observer, looking like a Hispanic Uncle Sam recruiting the viewers. "What you're witnessing here is a social media crusade against me and my constituents. Now watch how cheating Kwong will turn this city into a third-world society."

The short-haired Bloomer News host interrupted the video clip. "Former mayor Lunar may be referring to the social media engagement and reach of their respective video messages. According to the polls, twenty-two of Jessie Kwong's video posts became viral on Crowd, opposed to only two of Diego Lunar's. Kwong's updates trended forty-one percent of the time. Social network experts claim that Jessie Kwong's knowledge of engaging citizens via the AR technology gave her the necessary boost in young voter turnouts."

More interactive graphs updated in flashy animations, but Camryn had already seen what he wanted.

He cherished the last drop of his drink and was surprised to find he had enjoyed the election process. Politics were addictive once you knew how to take part in them.

"Destination reached," his board AI said.

His limo parked in a convenient spot reserved for VIPs. Camryn checked his onyx-black suit and made sure he looked presentable. Lory was right; pullovers with hoodies were out. No one would respect him if he walked around like a hungover college geek.

Camryn stepped out of his auto-limo and looked up the sky. The night should have been dark, but the light pollution made it impossible to see the stars. Camryn scribbled a note about dealing with sustainable lighting technology that would allow people to see the nighttime sky. He walked casually toward the house where the newly-elected mayor celebrated her grandiose election.

Camryn wiped his hands and looked forward to the celebration. It had been a while since he had been invited to a party. The fact that the new mayor was a pro-Crowd advocate made the victory twice as sweet. The reactionary era of Diego Hard-On-Crime Lunar was finally over.

Camryn walked toward the bodyguards with a fat smile on his face. Their AR lenses confirmed his identity and let him pass. It was five minutes before nine, which meant the new mayor hadn't given her victory speech yet. Camryn would personally post his recording of the speech in the newsfeed. He'd highlight the part where the mayor endorsed his platform as the change maker.

Camryn turned a corner and arrived at the campaign office. A generous buffet was laid out to his far left, loaded with fresh produce wrapped in tasty-looking snacks. Colorful juices, expensive mineral water, and even Champagne stood ready for the guests.