Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Going Dark: Cypherpunk Stories
    Going Dark: Cypherpunk Stories
    Going Dark: Cypherpunk Stories
    Ebook29 pages26 minutes

    Going Dark: Cypherpunk Stories

    By Steve Wire

    2.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Everyone knows the Sokolnikov Brothers, two geniuses who perfected driverless cars and transformed global transportation. Thanks to Mike and Sergei, highway travel around the world is cheap and safe.

    But the Departments of State and Homeland Security have a lot to say about how, where, and for whom these autonomous vehicles are allowed to operate. Eventually, even the billionaire brothers are unable to prevent their inventions from becoming oppressive tools of surveillance and control.

    And when the government makes a demand too horrifying to contemplate, Sergei takes a stand that could change society forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSteve Wire
    Release dateOct 22, 2020
    ISBN9781393843566
    Going Dark: Cypherpunk Stories
    Author

    Steve Wire

    Steve Wire writes science fiction about the battle between government and technology, authority and innovation. Read on for smart rebels and cool hacks.

    Read more from Steve Wire

    Related to Going Dark

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Why So Serious?

      Nov 28, 2021

      Why So Serious?
      10 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Roosevelt’s Posse

      Jul 23, 2019

      Roosevelt’s Posse
      10 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Roger’s profanisaurus

      Oct 13, 2022

      Roger’s profanisaurus
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Karin Slaughter

      Jul 2, 2020

      This American crime author has sold more than 35 million copies of her books globally. This month she’s celebrating the release of her 20th novel in as many years. It’s also the 10th book in special agent Will Trent’s series. “It feels really great a

      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Israelis Begin To Sour On Biden As US Ratchets Up Pressure Over Gaza

      Mar 25, 2024

      The joke making the rounds in Israel’s political circles goes something like this: Everybody knows Joe Biden’s top priority is the two-state solution – the two states being Michigan and Pennsylvania. The play on President Biden’s insistence that a pa

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Special Report

      Sep 8, 2022

      Special Report
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Storyteller

      Nov 4, 2021

      Storyteller
      11 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Small But Mighty

      Feb 29, 2024

      Small But Mighty
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The New Rules of the Road

      Dec 30, 2024

      It’s been 25 years since we nearly lost Stephen King. If you remember, the author was walking along a state road in Western Maine one afternoon when he was struck by a van, which resulted in a LifeFlight helicopter ride, three weeks in Central Maine

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Emperors of Existence

      Dec 28, 2018

      The Emperors of Existence
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Go Ahead – Tie Your Deer to the Car!

      Mar 21, 2023

      Some 60 years ago, cars passing through the small towns of America on the opening day of deer season formed a virtual parade of bucks tied to fenders. Once I began hunting it didn’t happen as often, but I did participate in the ritual on one occasion

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      To Catch a Carjacker

      Mar 19, 2022

      To Catch a Carjacker
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Fathead

      Nov 8, 2017

      Fathead
      16 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Bluesman

      May 24, 2022

      The Bluesman
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Complaints Department

      May 23, 2020

      Complaints Department
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Bluesman

      May 24, 2022

      The Bluesman
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Scooter theft: Be… S.M.A.R.T.

      Jan 26, 2021

      The group S.M.A.R.T. North-West was set up to find, recover and return stolen bikes and scooters to their owners. It’s part of a network who cooperate with the police and councils. Some S describe them as vigilantes, and while w that may have been tr

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Zombie In The Bathroom

      May 10, 2024

      Content Disclosure: Horror Elements My car protested this morning in the dark of January at my apartment. I couldn’t blame it. With bone-chilling, midthirties cold, and rain coming down in buckets, it pelted automobile exteriors and skin with icy pin

      14 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Going Dark

    2.5/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Going Dark - Steve Wire

      Table of Contents

      Going Dark | a Cypherpunk Story | by Steve Wire

      Going Dark

      a Cypherpunk Story

      by Steve Wire

      MY BROTHER AND I WERE waiting for our lawyer to show up.

      We sat at the oak-and-steel conference table on the executive floor above our customer experience center, in one of the more expensive neighborhoods in Silicon Valley. My brother wore a suit as always, perfectly tailored with a dazzling tie. I wore a suit as well, the only one I owned, which I kept for meetings like this.

      My brother, Mikhail Yakovlevich Sokolnikov, owned more suits than he could count. I, Sergei Yakovlevich, would change back into jeans and a t-shirt as soon as this meeting was over.

      Everyone knows the Sokolnikov brothers, the founders of SafeRide. Pick up any tech magazine and there's even odds we're on the cover again. We've been selling self-driving cars with Level 5 Autonomy for twenty years. Some of our original models are now roadshow classics.

      Mike stood and faced the floor-to-ceiling windows.  Give me some bad news.

      This was a game we played sometimes.  I swiped through statistics on the screen of my laptop. Car ownership is down again this month. The percentage of Americans who own cars is down to where it was in 1980.

      Hah! Mike waved his hand dismissively. Our sales are higher than ever. People buy our cars and let them work as taxis when they're not needed. One car can support two households, maybe three. Everyone just rides around in other people's cars.  Come on, you can do better. What about unemployment?

      I checked the latest figures.  Still below seven percent.

      They said the robots would steal our jobs. Mike grinned at me, the San Francisco skyline behind him.  And the labor force?

      Down to where it was in 1970, I said.  Americans just aren't looking for work.

      They don't need to work. Transportation costs have sunk to the basement. That's made everything cheaper. The Consumer Price Index?

      Down again this month.

      Deflation! Mike clasped his hands

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1