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: 012: Stepan
October 14, 2014
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The City: 011: Xue
October 13, 2014
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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
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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
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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.
The City: 008: Norm
October 8, 2014
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Twenty floors below, the Personal Banking Center was opening its doors. People preferred to do their banking in The City. Midas was very proud of the fact that they had never been robbed since they were open. Or so City Records would have you believe.
There’s a first time for everything, Norm thought, adjusting his glasses and hat in a chromed pillar. He waited around the lobby for a cubicle drone, and made a careful catalog of entrances, exits, cameras, and visible security measures. It could be done. He tried not to smirk during the mortgage consultation. It wasn’t easy.
The City: 007: Emily
October 7, 2014
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The City was the center of the world, and Emily sat on the throne. At least, that is how she considered her desk at Midas Bank. The City, and by extension Midas, had become the world’s clearing house. Every day, billions of Dollars, Euros, Yen, Yuan, Pounds, and every other trading currency flowed through her gates, were converted to credits, passed through a few more hands, and left again. She logged the transactions and sped the bundles on their way. She didn’t know much about international finance law, but that wasn’t her department. She was certain everything was completely legal.
The City: 006: The Buyer
October 6, 2014
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Augustus watched the other man over their glasses. He was still smiling that damned Guy Fawkes grin. He’d never seen it falter, no matter how hard he negotiated. And he was just as good. A world champion poker player. And now the game was over. “So now that you’ve got my stake, what will you do with it?”
He set down his glass. “My backers think like you do. The City is an efficient way of concentrating capital. But I see it as so much more than that. There is so much potential here. I’m going to do wonderful things.”
The City: 005: Laura
October 3, 2014
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Laura was the owner at a very exclusive night club. She had a long, lucrative night, but it was morning now. The dance floor was empty, the chairs had been placed on the tables, and the the rest of the staff had gone home. She should be home, too. But you can get anything at any time in The City. Especially if you’re Augustus Sizemore. So she opened up and brought them a bottle of champagne. She poured herself for the CEO and his guest. She marveled at how prettily it sparkled in the new day’s sunlight. They clinked glasses.
The City: 003: Gina
October 1, 2014
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Gina watched the jumper on the exterior cameras. Her chute was a cheap model, without any stabilizers. You could get one of those for the credits you’d find lying in the street. The kid was a Daytripper, not a Citizen like her. And she didn’t know how strong the crosswinds blew up here. They buzzed for her in the conference room. They must have finally finished. She wished the kid happy landings, and went in. The signed contract lay on the table. The mysterious gentleman looked happy, but her boss just looked tired. She took it, and left the room.
The City: 001: Dawn
September 29, 2014
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Dawn loomed over The City. She stood and watched the rising sun filter through block after block from her vantage on the roof of Midas Corp. Tower. She had climbed up without light, making the perilous trip by memory and relying on a FAQ when the going got tough. There wasn’t anything up here, but it was the best view short of buying your own plane. And who had the credits to waste on something like that? This was her city, and she was its vagabond master. It was a new day, and below her adventure was waiting. She Jumped.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 