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Pigs Don't Wear Diamonds

By Medici, Margaret

Book Id: WPLBN0004102394
Format Type: PDF (eBook)
File Size: 1.66 MB
Reproduction Date: 4/6/2016

Title:	Pigs Don't Wear Diamonds
Author:	Medici, Margaret
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Fiction, World History, Fantasy
Collections:	Fantasy, Authors Community
Historic Publication Date:	2016
Publisher:	Self-published

Member Page:	Margaret Medici
Citation APA MLA Chicago Medici, M. (2016). Pigs Don't Wear Diamonds. Retrieved from http://www.self.gutenberg.org/

Description
Hahn reflects on the world as it existed in 2076, before the war, and how the devastation unleashed by the war shaped the lives of the survivors. Hahn is keen that the school boy, Eugene, grasps that, while there were huge changes in technology before and after the war, the most important change was in people, and their attitude towards each other and the planet on which they lived.

Summary
Hahn, a former US Presidential adviser, is a survivor of the 2076 war. As Hahn prepares to retire from her role as a Slave, fourth generation Eugene interviews her for his school project on the war and its repercussions. Their talk stirs painful memories for Hahn, but also the desire to explain how the war changed everything. Eugene’s raggedy appearance and awkward demeanor don’t look promising. Hahn wonders if he will understand why 10 billion people died and his world has a population of 1,651.

Excerpt
Eugene’s brow furrowed. ‘You mean you could choose who died?’ ‘Oh yes.’ Hahn’s tone was matter of fact. ‘But now I venture onto the territory of state secrets! Not only were we implanted with health chips, those of us who thought we were important were implanted with tags that identified our status. This was updated in real time. So if my car was in an accident with another, and there was a possibility that one car would be so badly damaged its passengers would die, one of the decisions taken by the cars’ on-board computers would be which passenger was higher status and should have the higher chance of survival.’ Eugene looked astonished, ‘But how could that happen?’ ‘You have to remember that our computers worked at a phenomenal speed and there was plenty of time for them to check which car carried the higher status individual and redirect that car to minimize impact on them. That might involve a far worse collision for the other car and its passengers.’ Eugene shook his head. ‘Weren’t people outraged at this?’ ‘That’s where the state secret came in. No one knew this happened, apart from the agency that monitored status, and those of us important enough to be tagged. Everyone else believed the feedback systems loaded in cars were there to monitor the car’s mechanical state, position, etcetera; few knew they engaged in passenger identification. If my car hit the President’s, my car would be the one selected for destruction, if that would save the President. I have to say that there were few cars that would have survived a crash with my car; the Lincoln Pentagon was bullet proof and built like a tank; it was the limousine of choice for all senior aides! ‘I had a robot driver, that is, a human looking dummy sat in the driver’s seat; there was a reason for this, as it looked as if I had a bodyguard with me. The car was actually guided by a set of sensors built around it. In an emergency, the doors locked, grills covered the windows, and metal plate shields were raised to protect all the windows. I was in a closed box and had to watch a screen to see what was going on outside. Fortunately I never experienced that as I don’t think I would have been comfortable. The car designers called it “Battleship mode” and the idea was that if the passengers were caught in a riot, the car would accelerate through it. A human chauffeur might baulk at that, but a robot wouldn’t.’ Eugene chewed his thumb and stared at his notebook. ‘You’d drive over people?’