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[Bossman]

A novel idea?  Horror?

Let's face it, with the way the world is right now, and with the stuff I have in my head regarding it, writing horror comes easy to me.  I can write horror, I think.  I had a bash at doing so with my Evil Personified short story (see below).  Evil Personified was written in the 1st person perspective, so the characters lack substance and are not rounded.  A novel would require a 3rd person approach with characters leading a life of sorts and interacting with others and so on.  The idea I had this morning, out of the blue, was related to very topical concerns I have, many have, but one in particular, FOG!  My idea goes something like this ...

A pilot, an ex-military pilot, a bit of a morose individual, not really caring all that much for his fellow man, was taken aback by his new flight orders.  Since leaving the air force, he had gained suitable employment as a crop sprayer at first but eventually had been recruited by a rather select outfit to carry out geoengineering in the main, cloud seeding for want of a better word or description.  When not spraying chemicals into the air, he would be assigned to crisscrossing the sky over an area of land, effectively scanning and recording all the land formations.  His work was more or less one or the other, that is, until he was presented with his latest orders. 

Basically, the above individual could be my main character.  The unusual work demands make him question his own work ethic and responsibility towards his fellow man - he is dragged out of his uncaring attitude and made to stand up for others.
The idea I have in regard to his work is that he is told to fly low over a settlement and to release chemicals in the dead of night.  This settlement has been erected away from the city, somewhat out in the country, and is meant to house homeless people, 1000s of them.  It is situated in a valley, so that any spraying of chemicals remains in this valley, usually.  It is an experiment, a smart dust type experiment, whereby particles in the fog, the fog created by the spraying of chemicals, interact with the surroundings and people.  This is much more elaborate than the smart dust you might have read about though, in that AI is able to control whoever breathes the stuff in.  Essentially, the incumbents breathe in nanoparticles of the sort that can interfere with the brain's electrical signals. 

The pilot spots a way to enter the compound without being seen.  I could then send him on a journey of discovery, with a gasmask to hand, revealing what happens to all those who are subjected to the dense fog he helped create.  Of course, I could shoot off on a number of tangents here, where the fog could escape, or maybe those who are now under AI control become useful puppets in some manner - controlled beings. 

The above should appeal owing to the subject matter being on a lot of people's minds these days.  On top of this, I could have a lot of fun writing it.

Evil Personified