Satellite maintenance technician Carlson adjusted the seabed temperature parameters and contemplated the end of humanity.
The atmospheric control network was considered unhackable. Its quantum artificial intelligence manipulated near-infinite weather variables and managed (just barely) to safeguard the human population from runaway warming.
But everything had its back door.
As he uploaded the changes, he unleashed a chain of events. A system that mitigated climate change would increasingly cause droughts, hurricanes, floods, and famine. A butterfly effect would grow to the point it wiped out the human population.
Carlson grinned at the irony.
The butterflies had vanished decades ago.
“Payback, mother…”
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Author’s Note: this is now officially Award-Winning Fiction.
(That is, if we…expand the definition…of “award-winning” to include “4th place in semifinal group” for the NYC Midnight micro-fiction challenge. But, hey, it got me into the finals! Their contests work with a writing prompt and 24 hours to write a 100-word story. I hope you enjoy it.)
Thoughts on freedom of speech are next in the queue.
Cheers, y’all.
David
Well done!