Signal Void
In a city where every citizen is tracked, a surveillance AI hunts the only man who leaves no digital footprint.
Scifi - Flash Fiction - ~750 words - 5 min. - 2026
***
Timestamp 13:58:10
Signal Void Anomaly Detected.
Apartment D154. Costa Highrise.
Redirecting Wireless Signal from adjacent apartments.
Rendering Signal Shell Image.
Timestamp 13:58:11
Coming online.
Analyzing.
Detecting: three humans.
Retrieving floor plans.
Two seated at kitchen table. One standing.
Accessing signal history at location.
Timestamp 13:58:12
Retrieving stored data.
Last signal entry at 13:55:27.
Name: Iris Saba. Female. Age 26. Online handles: IriS2294, Iris.Saba,
Last signal entry at 13:52:38
Name: Enrique Saba. Male. Age 29. Online handles: BeastAltered17, EnriSab17, Enrique.Saba
Error.
No signal data found on third subject.
Timestamp 13:58:13
Accessing internal CCTV.
Internal surveillance coverage incomplete.
Scanning available footage.
Positive contact on hallway camera.
Retrieving facial image.
Timestamp 13:58:14
No viable facial image data. Facial features covered.
Analyzing bodily features.
Analyzing attire.
Analyzing gait.
Timestamp 13:58:15
Male.
Approximately 6 feet tall.
Slender build.
Trenchcoat: grey.
Pants: black.
Shoes: brown.
Baseball cap: blue. No markings.
Gait analyzed.
3891 possible matches found in database.
Timestamp 13:58:16
Error.
Too many variables.
No ID found.
Submitting data to Control.
Suspect designated: SN#305
Timestamp 13:58:17
Monitoring location.
Alerting Local Enforcement.
Timestamp 14:12:05
SN#305 leaving apartment.
Accessing CCTV.
Timestamp 14:12:41
Suspect entering staircase.
Blindspot. No CCTV feed.
Attempting signal shell image.
Failed.
Timestamp 14:15:41
Suspect not exited staircase.
Local Enforcement ETA 6 minutes.
Sending updated SITREP.
Timestamp 14:17:41
Suspect not exited staircase.
CCTV registered 4 people exited building in time frame.
Analyzing gait.
Gait analysis inconclusive.
Timestamp 14:17:42
Moving to secondary protocol.
Tracking four subjects:
Subject DF21936
Subject DH11436
Subject AB7092
Subject DK32091
Accessing city surveillance network.
Tapping onboard devices.
Sending case package to Control.
Processing…
***
Jason bent forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He watched the couple that had just passed him and waited until they had rounded the corner up another path. He calmly looked back up in the other direction. Calmly. He’d practiced that. The art of looking like a man with nowhere to be. When he was sure the coast was clear he reached under the bench and felt around until his fingers touched a paper note stuck underneath his seat. He gently peeled it off and hid it in his hand and leaned back. He took one last look above the tree line. No drones. With his hands folded in his lap he tilted them just enough to read the note.
"You're logged. You went dark and it noticed. You never go dark. You hide in the signal. No more contact."
He read it twice. Not because he didn’t understand it. Because after this, there was nothing left to read.
He glanced down at the ID band on his wrist. The one that wasn't his.
Jason cursed under his breath and crumpled the note in his fist. How could he be that stupid. He’d left the fake band in the backpack in the staircase while he was in the apartment. Even changed clothes. He thought he was careful. But now Iris and Enrique were both flagged.
Jason got up and walked south on the path. He dropped the note in the bin. Rounding the corner was a tree with heavy foliage. He threw the backpack with the disguise behind the trunk.
The subway was a ten-minute walk from there. He'd keep his head down, let the crowd absorb him. Becoming a blur. That’s what he’d missed. He was too eager. Impatient.
He’d have to start all over again. Months of careful groundwork, gone.
He exited the park and joined the stream of pedestrians along the sidewalk. He peaked over his shoulder, studied the reflections on the billboards. No tail. The tension finally left him.
His thoughts strayed to his daughter. The memory of her smile grew a solemn taste to it. Suddenly he didn’t feel like going back home. But she needed him. Without him she'd grow up inside the walls and never know there was anything beyond them. Trapped in the Enclave.
***
Timestamp 15:05:46
Subjects analyzed.
Subject DF21936 cleared.
Subject AB7092 cleared.
Subject DK32091 cleared.
Subject DH11436. Anomaly detected.
Subject DH11436 still active.
Redesignate DH11436 status to suspect
Timestamp 15:05:47
Rendering possible trajectories.
Evaluating alternatives.
Timestamp 15:05:48
Accessing local surveillance database.
Processing...
Timestamp 15:06:15
Gait analysis reviewed.
Cross-referencing 14:10:15 gait log.
Match probability: 91%.
Confidence threshold met.
Flagging DH11436 as SN#305.
Last seen on subway station C7.
Searching…
Timestamp 15:06:48
Suspect DH11436 reacquired.
Subway station B2.
Dispatching security drones.
Contacting local authorities.
Timestamp 15:48:01
Suspect DH11436 apprehended.
Case handoff to Control.
***
M. Rougne