On all sides, skyscrapers towered over Pinot Street, blocking out the Sun so that the only illumination came from struggling streetlights and vibrant adverts. Jimst Dunning trudged through the inch-deep grime that had accumulated since the last Wash Cycle, mind focused on ways he could scrape together enough to pay this month’s rent.
“Hey buddy, mind helpin’ a poor fella out?”
Jimst stopped and saw a pair of eyes peeking out at him from a worn pile of rags.
“Sorry, I don’t have anything on me.”
“What about your jacket?” The man asked. “I could do with a bit more padding.”
Jimst initially considered telling the man to take a hike, but the request was so strange that he couldn’t help but consider it. His jacket was getting rather old, and he could probably find a cheap replacement at a Bin Store.
“You know what? Sure.” Jimst said, slowly slipping off the garment.
“Really?”
“Yeah. You look like you could use it more than me.”
The man gratefully took the jacket and added it to his collection.
Jimst was about to leave when the man stopped him. “Don’t you want something in return?”
“I don’t think I could use anything you have.” Jimst replied. “No offense.”
“But I’m an angel.” The man beamed. “I can give you anything you want.”
Jimst sighed. “Can you give me a raise at work?”
The man nodded. “Where do you work?”
“Grand Station Z.”
The man withdrew a large chunk of concrete from beneath his clothes. “And what is it you do?”
“I process documents from the engineering department related to changes they want to make to any of the equipment.”
“Ah, I see, I see.” The man nodded, though Jimst could barely see this through all the man’s coverings.
“Alright, so Station Z” The man said, turning around slowly, scanning their surroundings. “Document management for engineers… Aha! There!”
He pointed to a window. Jimst turned, but only saw his smudged reflection before catching sight of an object whipping past him. It smashed into the window, and for a few moments the shimmering glass shards hung in the air like stars in the sky.
“What the-?!” Jimst exclaimed.
“No need for thanks!” The man shouted, running from the scene. “You deserve it!”
Jimst hurried from the scene and toward his workplace, where the half-conscious haze of daily drudgery soon paved over the memory of the strange man. From his cubicle, he missed a number of small developments. He did not see the repairmen heading toward the broken window, nor did he read the report conducted by the building’s owner. If he had, he might’ve learned that the building’s insurance policy was in a very unique position where it was cheaper to hire security guards than pay the premium without having them on staff.
A number of people applied for the position. A lot of people needed to pass through Grand Station Z. Within a few days Jimst saw a precipitous uptick in the amount of work he needed to do.
He grumbled, and decided he’d try to put in for the security position. His resume traveled through the open net, and raised an alarm that one of his higher ups noticed.
They saw Jimst’s experience, saw he wanted to quit, saw how much they were paying him, and allowed the computers to recalculate certain parameters related to his salary.
Wordlessly, by the end of the week, Jimst had received an email.
Congratulations on the Promotion!
The email had some fluff about commitment, experience, loyalty… But the important part, the part that had Jimst’s heart beating, was his new wage.
…
“Spare some bits?”
“How did you do that?” Jimst asked after finding the strange, rag-covered man.
“I told you, I’m an angel.”
“But how?” Jimst groaned.
The man closed his eyes. “Well truth be told, I can see the algorithms.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look around you. Do you think humans are in control?”
“Of course.”
“Are they? Tell me, how many people do you know who feel miserable?”
“Everyone.”
“Does it make sense to continue supporting a system where everyone feels miserable? Wouldn’t it be better to scale back progress a bit if the tradeoff is happiness?”
Jimst thought about it for a moment, but the man interrupted.
“The algorithms are now in charge, and I can see them. The algorithms decide which candidate is best suited for the job and how much they should be paid. They decide where people should live and the optimum place to build new apartments. They command the flow of food, electricity, water, traffic… Everything. When I threw that rock a few days back, I knew how the algorithms would react… And you got your raise, right?”
Jimst nodded.
“I could convert this street into a park if I throw a large pair of pants down that manhole, or if I climb up to that sixth story window and knock on it, I could have this become the most dangerous street in the city.”
“If you can really do all this, why not take advantage of it?” Jimst asked. “Why not play the stocks and become rich?”
The man blinked. “Rich? My dear sir, I am free to come and go as I wish and meet all sorts of interesting people. I get plenty to eat and have a nice place to sleep. I live outside the algorithms. I dare say I’m the wealthiest person in the city. Why give that up?”
“Because you could travel the world or live in penthouses or eat expensive food! I don’t know, there’s loads of reasons!”
“Doesn’t interest me.”
…But it interested Jimst. He was about to leap out at the so-called ‘angel’ to capture him, but before he could even think to move, the man removed a jacket, Jimst’s old jacket, and bound him with it before he knew what was happening.
“I already told you, I can see the algorithms… All algorithms. That means I know what you’re going to do before you do it.”
Jimst tried to free himself from the rebellious piece of clothing, which had been secured around his body like an old stray-jacket.
“I’m not an algorithm.”
“No? You eat when hungry, work when told, seek out sexual or chemical pleasures when able… And you seek out more wealth… Same as everyone else.” The man shook his head. “I had hoped that your kind spirit meant you were free of the algorithms and that you were a man I could treat as an equal. Sadly, it seems you’re just another cog.”
The strange man turned and left.
“Consider the raise a gift… A gift from a better man than you.”
“Man? I thought you were an angel.”
“From your lowly perspective, I may as well be.” The man said before disappearing inside a dark doorway forever.