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Authors: Kerry Carmichael
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withering
look. If he wanted to read excitement as frustration, though, so much the
better. “It’s nothing. I just remembered I have a paper due today, but I
completely forgot about it. No way I’ll be able to get it done in time now.”
“A paper. Right. Are you sure?
‘Cause you know they have stuff you can order off the cloud to enhance…”
“Listen, I’m sorry about the
noise, but it’s a little early for gutter humor. I need to get going.” He was
anxious to get to the meeting with Alex, and the last thing he wanted right now
was to shoot the breeze.
Stuart seemed unfazed by the
remark. “It’s never too early for gutter humor, but okay.”
“Everything okay, baby?”
The sound of a female voice
startled Jason. Ivory appeared in the doorway beside Stuart, her dark hair not
quite so tousled as his. She wore shorts and a mid-drift top, stretching up on
bare tip-toes to put a cheek against his shoulder.
“Yeah,” Stuart said, putting an
arm around the pale curve of her waist. “Jason’s just doing some early-morning
redecorating.”
Ivory glanced at the mess on the
floor, raising an eyebrow. “Hey, speediac.”
“Hey,” Jason sounded sheepish in
his own ears. Feeling self-conscious, he pulled a random shirt from the floor over
his head.
“So when can we come see you race
again?” she asked as Jason rummaged through a drawer for pants. “I’ve been
asking Stuart to go back.”
“Uhh…this weekend, I think.”
Jason stuffed his AP in his pocket, searching for his shoes.
“Cool. Wanna check it out, baby?”
she asked Stuart.
He looked back at her with a
knowing half-smile. “Definitely.” She gave a throaty giggle as he pulled her
back down the hallway.
Watching them go, Jason shook his
head, smiling in spite of himself as he headed into the garage. The car inside crouched
like a restless predator, glossy black and waiting to spring. A SLIDe noted
Jason’s presence, followed by a sound seldom heard any longer in the year 2089
– the rumble of a gasoline engine coming to life. As the garage door rose, sunlight
gleamed along sleek lines and chrome accents.
A relic in the modern age of
all-electric cars, the 2047 BMW M3 had been the pinnacle of fossil fuel
automotive technology. Few remained on the road, and this one was Jason’s prize
possession. Today, though – as on most days – it was simple urban
transportation.
“Sorry, baby. You have to stay on
the digital leash today,” Jason said, climbing inside.
A heads-up display appeared
across the windshield. In the center, a message flashed in red:
Autonav Engaged.
Enter Destination.
He selected Java 101from the list
of presets, and the autonav accelerated smoothly into traffic.
Gray skies threatened rain, and
as the car got underway, he tried contacting Alex. By now, he’d either be on
his way, or already waiting at the shop, but at least Jason could let him know
he was running behind. Alex wasn’t online, though, and when Jason’s attempt to
send a voice call ended up in voice mail, he disconnected, deciding to try
again in a couple of minutes.
As his M3 cruised the preset
route, Jason agonized over the unhurried pace set by the autonav. He didn’t
really object to the autonav networks that governed traffic in all of the cities
and on the interstates these days, but in this car, riding along as a
passenger while the computer drove from point A to point B felt like taking a
pony ride on a racehorse.
Unbelievable. A
hit.
For over a year, he’d been
churning through SLIDe records, grinding through an ocean of data, literally
bit-by-bit, searching for this very thing. Searching without any real hope of
success. He hadn’t realized that last part until this morning, hadn’t admitted
it to himself, but now that the hope was real, he knew it was true. At times
he’d considered giving up and moving on, maybe with someone like Katelynn. But
now…
She’s really out
there. That meant Viceroy. Again, Jason found
look. If he wanted to read excitement as frustration, though, so much the
better. “It’s nothing. I just remembered I have a paper due today, but I
completely forgot about it. No way I’ll be able to get it done in time now.”
“A paper. Right. Are you sure?
‘Cause you know they have stuff you can order off the cloud to enhance…”
“Listen, I’m sorry about the
noise, but it’s a little early for gutter humor. I need to get going.” He was
anxious to get to the meeting with Alex, and the last thing he wanted right now
was to shoot the breeze.
Stuart seemed unfazed by the
remark. “It’s never too early for gutter humor, but okay.”
“Everything okay, baby?”
The sound of a female voice
startled Jason. Ivory appeared in the doorway beside Stuart, her dark hair not
quite so tousled as his. She wore shorts and a mid-drift top, stretching up on
bare tip-toes to put a cheek against his shoulder.
“Yeah,” Stuart said, putting an
arm around the pale curve of her waist. “Jason’s just doing some early-morning
redecorating.”
Ivory glanced at the mess on the
floor, raising an eyebrow. “Hey, speediac.”
“Hey,” Jason sounded sheepish in
his own ears. Feeling self-conscious, he pulled a random shirt from the floor over
his head.
“So when can we come see you race
again?” she asked as Jason rummaged through a drawer for pants. “I’ve been
asking Stuart to go back.”
“Uhh…this weekend, I think.”
Jason stuffed his AP in his pocket, searching for his shoes.
“Cool. Wanna check it out, baby?”
she asked Stuart.
He looked back at her with a
knowing half-smile. “Definitely.” She gave a throaty giggle as he pulled her
back down the hallway.
Watching them go, Jason shook his
head, smiling in spite of himself as he headed into the garage. The car inside crouched
like a restless predator, glossy black and waiting to spring. A SLIDe noted
Jason’s presence, followed by a sound seldom heard any longer in the year 2089
– the rumble of a gasoline engine coming to life. As the garage door rose, sunlight
gleamed along sleek lines and chrome accents.
A relic in the modern age of
all-electric cars, the 2047 BMW M3 had been the pinnacle of fossil fuel
automotive technology. Few remained on the road, and this one was Jason’s prize
possession. Today, though – as on most days – it was simple urban
transportation.
“Sorry, baby. You have to stay on
the digital leash today,” Jason said, climbing inside.
A heads-up display appeared
across the windshield. In the center, a message flashed in red:
Autonav Engaged.
Enter Destination.
He selected Java 101from the list
of presets, and the autonav accelerated smoothly into traffic.
Gray skies threatened rain, and
as the car got underway, he tried contacting Alex. By now, he’d either be on
his way, or already waiting at the shop, but at least Jason could let him know
he was running behind. Alex wasn’t online, though, and when Jason’s attempt to
send a voice call ended up in voice mail, he disconnected, deciding to try
again in a couple of minutes.
As his M3 cruised the preset
route, Jason agonized over the unhurried pace set by the autonav. He didn’t
really object to the autonav networks that governed traffic in all of the cities
and on the interstates these days, but in this car, riding along as a
passenger while the computer drove from point A to point B felt like taking a
pony ride on a racehorse.
Unbelievable. A
hit.
For over a year, he’d been
churning through SLIDe records, grinding through an ocean of data, literally
bit-by-bit, searching for this very thing. Searching without any real hope of
success. He hadn’t realized that last part until this morning, hadn’t admitted
it to himself, but now that the hope was real, he knew it was true. At times
he’d considered giving up and moving on, maybe with someone like Katelynn. But
now…
She’s really out
there. That meant Viceroy. Again, Jason found
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