If wearing a mask doesn’t seem like enough protection, how about a small air purifier? LG just released a model, complete with fans and HEPA filters. There’s a sensor that detects your breathing rate and adjusts settings accordingly.
The battery is said to last eight hours. While that seems like a long time, anyone who wears a mask to work needs to stick to the old technology.
It reminds me of Bane, the villain in “The Dark Knight Rises.” In the movie, he wears a mask that delivers an anesthetic to deal with the pain. It’s different in the comics–there, he uses it to get doses of Venom, a drug in the universe.
Back to the story. What if this was a “Bird Box” situation, where it’s impossible to go outside without breathing protection. Something much more dramatic than COVID. The least exposure to the outside air would kill you.
If you’ve seen “Total Recall,” the one with Arnold, remember when he went into the Martian atmosphere? Something that dramatic could occur on Earth unless users wore this mobile air purifier.
Then, the government collapses, and the subsidies for creating and distributing the masks go away. Nobody but the wealthy can afford them. Less-fortunate individuals offer their servitude in exchange for living in the compounds of the barons.
If you’ve seen “Into the Badlands,” imagine that but in a post-Apoc, technothriller world.
The story could settle around a low-born but gifted slave who rises up through the ranks and becomes one of the most powerful barons. This could take a few books, maybe three, while he learns his power. Heavily influenced by "Star Wars."
The next few books could then deal with battles against other barons and internal struggles in his fiefdom.
This has the legs to be one of the longest series of books I’ve come up with. And since it’s based on this mask technology, it would be easy to market. Stay tuned for this one!
