They gathered in Midas Park. It stretched for miles, in the middle of The City, a patchwork of famous public spaces from a hundred terrestrial cities, and more so fanciful they could only have been designed there.
Hiro waited in front of Osaka Castle. There, the cherry blossoms always fell, and it had an excellent view of both the Sphinx and Old Faithful. Plus, he could see the building-sized screens covering the announcement. A crowd of milling Daytrippers and uncertain Citizens was already gathering beneath them. It was several hours before Dawn and the others arrived, looking completely frazzled.
The City: 024: Hiro
October 30, 2014
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The City: 023: Dorothy
October 29, 2014
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Dorothy was an assassin of improbable accidents. She specialized in Houses, but had other tricks and devices. She made her living off of a loophole in the laws of The City.
Even though it was a simulation, The City was a real place. An avatar was fragile; subject to gravity, fire, trauma. And an avatar only had one life to lose. Dying in The City could be as financially devastating as anywhere on Earth. Of course there were no guns in The City, but Dorothy had her methods. On the morning Midas was sold, her email account crashed from overuse.
The City: 022: Norbert
October 28, 2014
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Melinda turned to Camera Two.
“And now, I’d like to turn to International Finance expert Norbert Finkelmeyer. Good Morning.”
“Good morning Melinda.”
“What does this Midas deal mean?”
“It is effectively the sale of The City itself, because Midas Corp built and maintains it.”
“And why is that important?”
“Due to the hyper-realistic nature of The City, and the indulgent tax laws on the island nation where its servers are kept, Midas is the leading Financial Services firm in the world. Trillions of dollars move through the city every second.”
“What effect will this sale have?”
“We don’t know.”
The City: 021: Zophia
October 27, 2014
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Zophia set her spiders to work. Thanks to the anonymous email she received that morning, many were already prepared. They made their webs in every stock market across the world. And as the world spun and each woke up to the news that The City was changing hands, her programs feed on the panic. As the girl watched her bank accounts fatten, she almost felt bad for Sizemore, and the foolish little brokers who were watching their charges’ retirements slip through their fingers. Because they weren’t prepared. Later, she would have to back trace the message. For now, she fed.
The City: 020: Floyd
October 24, 2014
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The Meal Delivery Truck arrived at the house on time for breakfast. Floyd readied the tray and rang the bell. Sandra was one of his favorite clients. She had seen a lot of hardships in her life, and a bad car accident had left her housebound. She fought on though. She had a job with Midas, and was so proud of the complicated rig of goggles and gear that let her lead a normal life in The City. When nobody answered, he peeked in a window. He saw her body sprawled in her office, and immediately he called emergency services.
The City: 019: Melinda
October 23, 2014
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Melinda looked into the camera like it was the face of every one of her hundred-million viewers.
“Once again, our top story this morning: Augustus Sizemore, CEO and Majority Stockholder of Midas Corp has reportedly sold his shares and is stepping down from his role as management. A statement released this morning did not name the purchasing party, and the Company itself has yet to make a statement. Midas Corp is the operator of “The City,” a realistic virtual environment which employs hundreds of thousands of people and has millions of users. Markets are reacting sharply to the announcement.”
The City: 018: Abner
October 22, 2014
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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: 016: Govad
October 20, 2014
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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
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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
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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.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 