Abner arrived late to work. Even in The City, the trains wouldn’t run on time. There was still so much human error, still so few backup systems. And it had to be during rush hour. Of course in The City, it was always rush hour someplace. But naturally it was during his commute, on the day of his evaluation. He braced for a siren as he badged in. He was going to climb up to the 48th floor and kick someones teeth in. He froze in the lobby. “Sizemore Sells Shares to International Investors” was plastered on every monitor. Awesome.
The City: 018: Abner
October 22, 2014
Free Fiction, The City, Writing 140 Characters, Abner, Drabble, Fiction, Midas Corp, The City Leave a comment
The City: 017: Iva
October 21, 2014
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Iva was jogging through Sizemore’s Grove, the upscale, suburban neighborhood where well-off Citizens started their day. She was a Daytripper herself, but she liked it for her route. The occasional presence of guards, dogs, or even once a security drone which hovered behind her for half a mile and took pot-shots at her made training more invigorating. Her Messenger flashed and squawked before turning on in automatic mode. This was a public safety message.
“Attentional all City Residents. Mass Transit will be shut down for routine maintenance until further notice. Thank you for your patience.” Iva smirked. Commuters.
The City: 016: Govad
October 20, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Govad, Midas Corp, The City, Writing Leave a comment
From his office on the 48th floor, Govad read the reports. They were not good news. He was looking at a situation so outlandish, so downright impossible, that he didn’t even have the barest bones of a response for it. To make matters worse, he could not get ahold of his superiors for instructions. It was like the entire Board of Directors took a vacation at once. Things like this didn’t happen in The City. But he was Director of Mass Transit, and this was what they paid him to do. He called up the messaging system and began typing.
The City: 015: Julia
October 16, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Ficiton, Julia, Marcy, Sandra, The City Leave a comment
Julia had been a cop in The City for over five years. Some of her friends had chided her for taking such a safe assignment, but she didn’t care. The City had rules just like anyplace else, and of course special care had to be applied in enforcing them. But this was nothing she’d trained for. She called dispatch.
“Marcy, this is Julia out in Commerce Station.. I’ve got one hell of a case here.”
“What’s up?”
“Jane doe jumped at a moving train as it was entering the platform.”
“That shouldn’t happen.”
“That’s not the weird part. There’s a body.”
The City: 014: Ingmar
October 15, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Dawn, Drabble, Ingmar, The City, Writing, Xue Leave a comment
Dawn hadn’t been very specific, but it sounded like they would need a car, at the very least. The only friend Xue knew that had one was Ingmar, but he and Dawn did not get along. Great. She booted her phone’s translator and connected.
“Hi, it’s Xue. I need you to do me a favor…”
Traffic was glacial all throughout the city. It took them nearly two hours to reach the financial district. The sight of Dawn dangling helplessly from a gargoyle was worth it though. Ingmar laughed so hard he could barely record her annoyed frown without camera shake.
The City: 013: Cleopatra
October 15, 2014
Free Fiction, The City, Writing 140 Characters, Cleopatra, Drabbles, Fiction, The Cheshires, The City, The Smiling Man, Writing Leave a comment
Cleopatra watched the commotion in the train station with interest. She liked these kinds of gatherings. All the people, the noise, the chaos. This was why she was in The City. Citizens and Daytrippers ignored her, and she preferred it that way. All the better to watch them in their rushing patterns. The City was a different beast to her, and she knew all it’s hidden passages. Maybe that is why only Cleopatra saw the man with the smile frozen on his lips. Then he turned and quite impossibly, vanished. The little calico cat did not understand, but only watched.
The City: 012: Stepan
October 14, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, Stepan, The City, Writing Leave a comment
Stepan watched the girl from his monitoring station at Door 37 of Midas Corp Headquarters. He could have helped her, but that would have meant leaving his post, and he would surely catch hell for it later. She was clearly a Daytripper, and thus below Midas’ notice. She was unsightly, but causing no disturbance. No orders had come down to remove her, so he was content to leave her.
Instead, he monitored his investments on a secure channel. He heard from Gina that The Man Himself had sold his shares. The sale was still secret, but what shockwaves would it release?
The City: 011: Xue
October 13, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Dawn, Drabble, Fiction, The City, Writing, Xue Leave a comment
Xue was feeding the ducks when she got Dawn’s message. She liked ducks. They didn’t build, didn’t destroy, didn’t do anything but swim and eat bread crumbs. Feeding the ducks was her favorite thing to do in the City. It was a meditation, a retreat from the pressure and demands of school and family. It was not that she was ungrateful. Her future was being formed like a diamond by that pressure. But too much and she would collapse instead.
She listened to it twice, gave up and ran the translation.
“Please come pick me up? I’m kind of stuck.”
The City: 010: Frank
October 10, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, Frank, Sandra, The City, Writing Leave a comment
Frank was a train driver for The City. It was a good job, even if it didn’t pay well. It beat slinging burgers. It beat just about any job he could get Outside. And Frank’s options were very limited.
The crash had been, an accident. But after getting his ‘time to think,’ he understood that accidents weren’t just products of random chance, but bad decisions. One bad decision had cause so much suffering. At least in The City, he could still drive a train. He eased her into Commercial Station.
The woman stepped from the platform just ahead of him.
The City: 009: Sandra
October 9, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Sandra, The City, The Smiling Man, Writing Leave a comment
The City’s lifeblood was the Metro. From the Underground to the L-Trains. Elites might be able to afford cars and drivers, but Citizens and and Daytrippers alike had to ride transit. They ran from every corner of The City. Sandra had taken one from her shoebox apartment to her Midas Corp Office every day. Until they unjustly fired her. But what could she do? Midas was a power unto themselves here. She was despondent. Until he appeared. He gave her the key and told her how to fight back. His smile was so understanding. Today, the trains would stop.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 