After a tortuous drive through the endless residential area, the Deep Waters service van turned and parked in the driveway of a little yellow house, identical to many others, under the watchful eye of neighborhood surveillance drones. A worker dressed in white got out, carrying a large tool case. He looked around, then walked to the entrance of the house and rang the bell. "Just a moment" answered a decrepit voice. Inside the house, an elderly lady was scrutinising closely the face shown on the video intercom. Lines of superimposed text appeared on screen, profiling the individual at the door.

Name: Robert Green

Occupation: Deep Waters Plumbing employee

SecurTrust level: 89%

Requesting to gain entry to carry out maintenance work

Suggested actions: grant temporary access

The lady breathed a sigh of relief and pressed the button to open the door. A series of automated latches clattered to work. "Please come in. These days you can't be too cautious... it used to be a lovely area." "Sure Madam," Robert nodded, taking off his hat. The TV was on at a very high volume, broadcasting the news of the day. "Today the Blackbridge neighborhood will be closed for sanitation of the sewers. Due to the chemical agents used, the population is advised to close the windows and not leave the house from 10am to midnight." "See?" accused the lady, pointing her finger at the TV screen. "It's those damned rebels' fault if the government dumps that crap down the sewers. We seniors can't even drink tap water. And we must put up with this evil noise all day!" the lady concluded, frothing at the mouth. "Don't worry Ma'am" Robert reassured her "we'll solve everything. Just show me where the noises come from, alright?" "This way. This one is the worst but it comes from every hole." The lady led the way hunched over, her hands supporting her back, and accompanied Robert to the bathroom. "I tried to use Mister Muscle but it didn't work. There is no way to stop it! And it's even worse at night!" A woman's voice was clearly audible coming from the sink drain, shouting protest slogans against the government. "This is Radio Gutter, the radio that broadcasts the free voice of dissidence directly to your home! Let's reclaim the streets! Freedom is a price too high to pay for safety. We are monitored, 24 hours a day!" the voice went on enthusiastically. "And now some good music, with the late Billy Idol classic here on Radio Gutter!" Rebel Yell's guitar intro faded in and echoed from the sink. The lady was on the verge of tears. Robert promptly comforted her "I'll take care of it Ma'am... it'll take at least a couple of hours but we will solve it."

After nearly three hours of work, Robert finally wiped his forehead. "Madam, I am done. So, tell me, do you hear anything?" asked Robert with a big grin on his face. The lady listened carefully "What a silence!" The old woman exulted. "Joy to my ears! You are an angel!" Robert smiled and pointed his finger towards the newly installed device "I'll show you how it works: see this green LED? If it is green it means that everything is fine. You won't hear noises from the drain, and the system monitors and filters the incoming water, so you no longer have to worry about drinking water. Just leave it always connected to the internet, like the thermostat. It consumes a little, but nowadays thanks to local nuclear, energy is cheap, isn't it?" "Yes, the important thing is not having trouble anymore." agreed the lady. "So I don't have to do anything?" "No Ma'am, it does everything on its own. It's the internet of things. Everything is connected."

Taking his leave from the lady, Robert returned to the firm. After parking the van in the large garage, Robert popped into the office, threw the keys at the wall-mounted key holder and sat at the desk looking at the surveillance cameras for a few minutes. Then he went back to the garage, walked over to a large shelf with a 2000s pin-up poster on one side. Robert slid his thumb in the bottom right corner of the poster. With a small release sound, the bottom of the shelf folded back on itself, revealing a heavy trap door. Robert bent down, raised the hatch and lowered himself into the darkness, illuminated by a path of LED strips that lit up in sequence. After traveling several meters in the sewers, Robert stopped in front of an iron door and opened it. Inside, was what appeared to all intents and purposes a pirate radio station. The woman who was sipping tea sitting in front of the microphone welcomed him enthusiastically " Finally! You've been away a lot today" "I know, the last job was hard, you should have heard it, the music was coming from all over! But with this we have installed three more." replied Robert. "I saw" the woman nodded "Our hashrate has risen to 15Th/s." She stroke a couple of keys on the keyboard and a map of the city appeared on the computer screen showing all the Deep Waters installations. Robert looked at the screen "Great, but we have to hurry. They sanitized Blackbridge today ... they're on our backs." "I know but we're close. Look here, our diffusion is incredible. All decentralized, all encrypted on our blockchain. In Seattle they are also installing it in electricity meters. And our agents work in remote sessions from everywhere, leaving almost no traces behind. They got four of us today, but we're everywhere now! The revolution is near!"

Billy came home after a hard day's work. He peeked into the room where his wife Gem was resting. Trying not to make too much noise, he hurried to change into his favorite outfit: shorts and a worn Rick and Morty t-shirt from the 20s. He let himself sink in the sofa, stretching his legs. He was about to turn on the TV when he heard an unmistakable ring coming from the closet. He got up and went after the source of the sound. He open the closed door and took out a lucid, black metal case, imprinted with the words "CASIO - time services", as well as a not very reassuring symbol of ionizing radiation danger. He unlocked the briefcase with his fingerprint, moved the emergency shutdown instructions sheet aside and pulled out a bulky phone, which kept ringing. He took a long sigh, while pressing the answer button. "Hello?"
"Hello," said the voice on the other end of the phone. The voice was disturbed and metallic, very distant yet recognisable. A brief moment of awkward silence followed.
"How are you?" Billy broke it.
"Good. And you?"
"Am alright... what's up?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice."
Billy let out a smile. "How is Roy?" he asked.
"He's great... I spoke to him this morning" after hesitating for a second the voice continued "Well I'd better go now."
"Ok, see you" replied Billy.
"Ok..." answered the voice on the other end of the phone "Take care... and quit smoking."
"Yeah yeah you always tell me. I'm trying, and it wouldn't make any difference for you anyway, you know."
"I know. But I miss you so much. I love you."
"I love you too. Bye." Billy concluded, ending the call.


Billy stood at the window, mulling over the call. Those calls always shook him. As he lost himself in thought, his thumb ran over the rubbery keys of the phone. He looked at it. It was a bulky device, with a long antenna and a massive, squared, almost military design. Its aspect reminded those satellite phones used in the open sea. He turned the phone in his hand. His fingers lingered on the emergency lever on the side, whose small yellow handle was recessed into the body of the phone. It would have been enough to extract it, and then pull with force, and internally a boron spike would have pierced the nuclear battery, extinguishing it forever. Billy contemplated it for a few seconds. He always did after those calls. Eventually, as always, he gave up and ended up reading the warnings on the back of the device, as if he was holding a can of soup.

Casio - Time Services
Do not tamper for any reason. Danger of death.
In the event of a malfunction, leak or overheating, hold the phone firmly with one hand and pull the emergency hard, then place the device in the shielded bag and box provided and contact customer service immediately.
Casio - made in 2030, copyrighted by a patent from 2045.

"It's just crazy..." Billy said aloud, shaking his head, as he returned the device back in its box.

He heard the bedroom door open and saw his wife Gem in the doorway, one hand on her back and one on her pregnant belly.
"Who were you talking to?"
"Oh... it was just you"
"Ah. Have you talked to Roy?"
"No, he lives on his own now. He's 15 now, he goes to university ... eh eh my little Roy is a scholar. Roy is a good boy. Billy made a silly voice as he pretended to knock on his wife's belly.
"And what did I want?" asked Gem.
"Nothing, just hearing my voice. Eventually you will learn to appreciate me!" Roy let out a laugh.
"Well, you should tell me to limit these calls. They are very expensive, you know"
"Hahaha! - Billy continued laughing "As if you ever listen to me."