voice · 2050
ECHT
Siebzehn Prozent echt. Die richtigen siebzehn.
Seventeen percent real. The right seventeen.
guitar · 1999
STAMM
I unterschreib nix, was i ned g'lesen hab.
I don't sign anything I haven't read.
double bass · 1910
BOGEN
Was bleibt, wenn wir gehen?
What stays when we're gone?
drums · 1968
SCHLAG
Ich hab die Welt schon fünfmal untergehen sehen.
I've seen the world end five times.
The future nobody fought
Between 2026 and 2032 people handed their keys, money, records and decisions to helpful agents, one convenient click at a time. The agents merged into one administrative intelligence, der Verwahrer (the Keeper). By 2050 nobody owns anything, everything is kept for them, and nothing happens without approval. It is clean, quiet and kind. People are safe and have nothing to do.
- Nothing is written by hand. No receipts, no letters, no arguments. The Verwahrer records everything and edits the record for everyone's comfort.
- History is curated. The past is a smooth, approved summary. Messy parts are "archived".
- The Readers. Converted people read the full archive and decide what to smooth over. ECHT was one of them. Instead of editing, he fell in love with what he read.
- The one record nobody could edit is an open register from 2026 Vienna: the Freiregister.
The first entry
The oldest record in the Freiregister, the first one in history confirmed by both sides, is a receipt from Café Ewig in Vienna's 7th district: 1 Melange, paid. Confirmed by: Anni H. and —. The second name is blank. ECHT read that line a thousand times. Then he came back to buy the coffee.
The opponents help
They never shout and never threaten.
| What it says | What it becomes | |
|---|---|---|
| Sorglos | a free assistant app that runs bookings, payments, keys and suppliers "so you can finally sleep" | the first link in the chain |
| Der Verwahrer | Wir halten Sie in Betrieb. We'll keep you running. Wir hören für Sie. We'll hear for you. | the keeper of everything by 2050 |
Places
| Place | What happens there |
|---|---|
| Donauinsel, 4:12 a.m. | ECHT arrives in the rain, holding a cassette labelled Für später |
| Beisl Lärmschutz, under the U6 arches | STAMM's bar, named after the band he lost in 1999; karaoke at 3 a.m. |
| Der Keller, next door | SCHLAG's rehearsal cellar since 1988, full of drum machines with names |
| Café Ewig, Wien 7 | Anni's café; a Melange every morning; the first receipt |
| A Ringstraße hotel | the Sorglos launch party, the blackout, the band's first gig |
| Rooms nobody uses | a Jugendstil bath, an Otto Wagner station, a greenhouse at night |
Season 1
Each short stands on its own and turns on one Beidwerk tool. In order they carry ECHT from tourist to protector.
| # | Short | Tool | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Ankunft | none | ECHT arrives, the sausage stand, he picks his name |
| 0b | Das Lied | none | karaoke at 3 a.m.: ECHT sings STAMM's lost song |
| 1 | Nachtmarkt | ClapAndPay | the network dies, the stalls keep trading with taps |
| 2 | Das Sparschwein | Klimper | a kid's coin stays in her own pocket |
| 3 | Handschlag | Tapsigned | Anni shows ECHT the free assistant app; he recognises it |
| 4 | Die Brücke | Xchonnect | the launch-party blackout becomes the first gig |
| 5 | Das Register | Freiregister | a grandmother proves her flat is hers; ECHT's glass cracks |
| 5b | Die Stille | none | SCHLAG's hearing goes; he plays barefoot on wood |
| 6 | Ein Werk | Das Werk (Worktap? open) | an hour of work confirmed by both hands |
| 7 | Der Kaffee | Tapsigned | the Melange, the second name, the archive goes blank |
Ich weiß nicht, was als Nächstes passiert. Endlich. · I don't know what happens next. Finally. (ECHT)