Photo by: Al Forbes
Norton held the tiny surveillance drone in his hand. “Can you believe it?” he complained. “Director Fuchs is halting this project.”
“Unbelievable,” sympathized Gordon.
“It looks exactly like a fly. It’s got infrared, CO2 detectors, wireless comms, onboard expert systems, you name it!”
“I know, but at a million a pop, they’re pricey.”
“So?”
“And you lost contact with one already.”
“Sure, but that’s encouraging. If one detects suspicious activity, it automatically goes dark. It won’t give away its presence by broadcasting.”
“Like what’s suspicious?”
“Anything from espionage to child pornography.”
Gordon sighed. “Sounds amazing. Sorry, dude.”
“Director Fuchs is just a jerk. Always got his door closed, and sometimes he’s grunting in there. It’s creepy.”
“Yeah, I hate that Fucher.”
“I’d like to see what my missing drone found.”
“It upload if it’s gone dark, right?”
“There’s the beauty. It connects via bluetooth to the target’s own cell phone, then stores the surveillance video in a fast-growing, but hidden file on the target’s phone.”
“But what if the target swatted it. You’d never know what happened.”
“Not so!” crowed Norton. “Once suspicious activity is identified it sprays the target with a toxin. The guy gets a case of incurable hiccups!”
Just then the lab door opened and Directer Fuchs entered. “Norton! I need your techie expertise,” he said as if his problem was really Norton’s problem. “My phone says the memory card is full, but I haven’t downloaded anything! And then *hic* You know a good cure for hiccups?”
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Written for Sunday Photo Fiction: https://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/sunday-photo-fiction-april-30th-2017/
Author’s Notes:
Insect Drones aren’t science fiction anymore: http://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2016/12/was-that-an-insect-or-a-drone/9265
“Fuchs” isn’t made up. Here’s the origins: “German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German vuhs, German Fuchs ‘fox’, nickname for a sly or cunning person, or for someone with red hair. This name is widespread throughout central Europe.”
https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=fuchs
EagleAye
Momus News 
Had a teacher by that name, which he pronounced like few-ks. and yes, at a million a pop they’d be pricey. Wonder what they’ll find on that memory card?
And here I thought you were going to revisit that old joke about the Swede who complained to his friend that his pocket watch had stopped. So he took the back off and found a dead fly. “No vonder it don’t run,” said the other friend. “Zee engineer is dead.” š
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Whatever they find on that kind, I’m pretty sure it means Fuchs will be doing hard time. Maybe now it’s clear why he was killing Norton’s project. I never heard that joke before, but I love it. It’s a good one. Thanks Christine! š
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He’s well and truly busted! A fly drone is put to good use in the film “Eye in the Sky”, which is well worth a watch.
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Yep. He’s caught red-handed. I think Norton’s fly will get funded going forward. And yes, I saw that movie. It was really well done. š Thanks Steve!
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I also knew a guy named Fuchs. Only he would be smart enough to not do anything illegal in an office filled with tiny surveillance drones.
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Hehe. Well at least some family members can do justice to the name. š
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Well, now we know who the suspicious person is. Wild stuff, Eric. With those big flies, I open the door and let them out. If their drones they’re off observing someone else. Good writing as always. š — Suzanne
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I hear you. If any fly drones want to watch me then I hope they have special protections against terminal boredom. š Thanks so much, Suzanne!
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Busted.
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Majorly busted! š
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Imagine what you could do with a few dozen of them sitting in on meetings of politicians around the globe. Especially the spraying of the toxin. Or better still, truth serum that activates when the drone detects the person is in an interview with reporters on national TV š
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Haha! I like your idea. I think TV interviews would sound much, much different with a dose of truth serum. I’d never miss an interview. š Thanks kindly, Lyn! š
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Oh, I meant to ask, how is Little Miss Hannah doing? (And Shey too of course)
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Both are doing fine. Hannah is saying more words all the time. What’s scary is one of most-used words is “hat.” Given her fascination with them and purses and shoes…I’ll be needing a raise. š Shey is doing great. She just ran (walked) a 10K race. She’s having lots of fun landscaping our gardens.
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That’s great to hear š LOL I remember those photos of Hannah wearing hats.
10K race? Man, I’m lucky if I can walk to the letterbox š
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Oh dear. Sounds like Fuchs is going to have a problem, and when the people where he’s going find out, he’s going to have even more problems.
A pity they are a million a shot.
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Hehe. Well, when the other “government guests” discover what he’s done, they’ll probably take care of that “million a shot” problem for free. š
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