"What're they putting *in* the air, man?"

"I was doing my usual daily rounds, checking the power points, water access, gas pipes and doing the usual elevator maintenance with my friend - He was unemployed, some manner of disability from years ago, and he was consistently afraid the government were trying to bump him off, for whatever reason. I thought... Well, used to think he was crazy, some ridiculous conspiracy theorist who only hit on these 'brilliant' ideas because of his own personal involvement. But, we were sitting there one day with a bottle of Black (White was for pussies, frankly), and he pointed out one of the 'Air-o-Bots' hovering in the air (obviously) above us, doing it's rounds as we were in the shade of the housing units.

He watched it for a long time, sucking almost desperately on his electro-pipe (nicotine was banned in the year 2069 for being 'excessively addictive', and cigarettes were replaced with 'electronic nerve-stimulant sticks' that simulated the effects of smoking without the addictive drug element), and I could tell an idea was brewing in his mind as I watched him, my gaze alternately switching between the him - not a sound - and the machine - humming a cheery electronic, vocaloid version of 'Sing' by the Carpenters. They were designed to be efficient and yet socially uplifting, according to the developer, hence the singing. They were just pure white orbs in shiny, clinical white plastic, with two holes in the top for 'intake' and one in the underside for 'outflow'. The design notes, stolen in later years, specified that the 'intake/outflow' function was designed to purify the air. People accepted it. Clean air meant a better life, obviously.

But my friend, he sat there, and looked at it for a long time, before he finally looked at me with his single, worn eye, and suddenly asked in a curious tone "Hey, did'ja ever own one of them water filter things?" I shrugged noncommitally, vaguely remembering the thing when my parents were around; "Those things remin' me of them," he stated. "I was dumb, an' just a kid, obviously, but one thing always sprung to mind," he explained as the machine above hummed the song vacantly and continued to spray out 'purified air', "Well, those things are meant to extract all the bad crap from the water, right? A filter," he continued, and I nodded vaguely, understanding.

"So what if they're putting somethin' into the water?"