The Daytrippers dove for cover. “What the hell are you doing?” Rosario asked. She was one of the few left. Ingmar shrugged.
“I didn’t want them to boot Dawn.” They heard more shots, ringing through the air. It was almost morning, City time.
The cops moved in.
They heard the sound of tiny padding feet, first one, then more, a herd of cats. The gunfire stopped. “What the hell?” They heard a woman say. The Cat Lady stood up, hands above her head.
“Those are mine. They are a prototype AI I’ve been working on. You see…” Connie booted her.
The City: 131: Rosario
March 30, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Drabble, Ingmar, Rosario, The Cat Lady, The City Leave a comment
The City: 130: Darryl
March 27, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Connie, CPD, Darryl, Dawn, Drabble, The City, The Daytrippers, Victoria Leave a comment
Darryl backed up his partner. “Citizens should find a safe location and shelter in place,” he said. He left his feelings towards Daytrippers unspoken. Dawn scowled.
“There aren’t any safe places left. This is the end of The City. And it might be the end of the world if we don’t boot this guy!” The police drew their own guns. “You will stand down or be booted.” There was a cry from farther up the hill. The zombies were coming. “I will count to three. One. Two.” Ingmar fired first. Darryl and Victoria were already booted before Connie returned fire.
The City: 129: Victoria
March 26, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, CPD, Dawn, Drabble, Ingmar, The City, The Daytrippers, Victoria Leave a comment
The Daytrippers reached the Beach House at just about the same time as the cops did. Traveling on foot had reduced their numbers, even with Dorothy’s traps and the Cat Lady’s spies. The original group of fifteen was down to eleven, but they had managed to protect Ingmar and his boot gun. Victoria practically jumped out of the swat van when she saw them.
“Where did you get that weapon?” she demanded. Ingmar froze. Dawn stepped in.
“That’s not important. The CEO is the cause of the virus.”
“This is a police matter,” Victoria growled. “You will stand down, now!”
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The City: 128: Ben
March 25, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Ben, Connie, CPD, Drabble, The City Leave a comment
Ben was the last one out before CPD headquarters melted down, or whatever happened to it. They were only a handful of survivors, with a few more strung out through all The City. He knew it wasn’t enough, but he asked anyway. “What do we do now?”
“We’ll do what the Commissioner asked us to,” Connie said. “We’re going to have a talk with the Midas CEO at his little beach house.” They were able to fit in one of the swat vans that escaped the overload. She started it up, and they slowly rolled their way towards the bay.
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The City: 125: Adonica
March 20, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Adonica, Dorothy, Drabble, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
It took surprisingly little time for the group to launch into action once the plan was formed. The strike team would be fifteen people, small enough to sneak past stray zombies, but large enough to hold off an attack and give Ingmar time to escape.
Dorothy guided the rest of them to choke points and traps she had set up along the way. It was their job to clear a path. Adonica was positioned by a hidden lever and given instructions. She watched and waited for a signal that she prayed would not come. She hated the thought of violence.
The City: 124: Aiguo
March 19, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Aiguo, Dorothy, Drabble, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
“Where the hell did you get a boot gun?” Dawn asked. Ingmar blushed and couldn’t meet her stare. Aiguo came to his rescue.
“It doesn’t matter how he got it. If he can fire it, we have a chance of stopping this guy. We just need to find him and shoot first.”
“With the tower destroyed, Underwood will likely retreat to the beach house until things are settled.”
“But there is a city full of zombies between here and the bay.”
“I can get you there,” Dorothy said. “I specialize in unlikely accidents, and I’ve been clearing routes all day.”
The City: 123: Neva
March 18, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Drabble, Ingmar, Neva, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers, The Robbery Leave a comment
“His motive is to take down Midas and let the world go with it,” Neva said. “The question remains, how do we stop him?”
“Underwood is only in control of the situation as long as he remains logged in. If we can disconnect him from the system and shut the City down, the backups will restore most of the damage he’s caused.”
“If he’s in control, isn’t he invincible, though?”
“Not from a boot gun.” Ingmar slid down the embankment and into the hidden section of the park. Renee and Dorothy followed. “Get me a shot, and I’ll boot him.”
The City: 122: Idris
March 17, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Drabble, Idris, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
“Wait,” Idris said. “are you saying that this guy will have that much control over the economy of the entire world?”
“For a start,” The Cat Lady said. “The City intersects with every major computer system on the planet in some way. Given enough time, he’ll be able to hold every man, woman, and child on Earth hostage.”
“But this will destroy Midas. Why’s he doing it?” Dawn asked.
“To show the world he’s done it. Or perhaps revenge. Babbage’s real name is Simon Underwood He was a security consultant about the time I quit. Midas fired him shortly afterwards.”
The City: 121: Jemma
March 16, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Drabble, Jemma, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
The Daytrippers were talking in circles. Even if they did have a good idea of what Babbage was doing to The City, thanks to The Cat Lady, they didn’t know how to stop it. If the virus even could be stopped. It had already spread so far throughout the system.
“Do we even need to stop him? Let’s just find a way to escape!” Jemma said. The Cat Lady scowled at her.
“In addition to the massive amounts of fraud and data mining he’s already committed, Babbage is making himself the sole proprietor of a fifth of the world’s economy.”
The City: 120: Savio
March 13, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Dorothy, Drabble, Savio, The City, Zombies Leave a comment
Savio watched from a rooftop. When the zombies first started shambling, he had gone for higher ground and pulled the fire escape ladders up after him. He was trapped, but unreachable, unless the viral avatars took up skydiving. He used his vantage point to document what he saw in open messenger. He didn’t know if he was getting through, but he wrote anyway. He watched the young woman get overrun, and the boy reluctantly sprint to catch up to the other fleeing woman. Then he saw a flash in the night and a water tank fell, crushing the zombies below.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 