Love Machine by Abigail Thornton

Author:Abigail Thornton [Thornton, Abigail]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2020-01-25T05:00:00+00:00

*****

Sarah found it was useful having the machine tagging along in the market, even with the chip on its shoulder.

"I haven't got a chip on my shoulder," it complained. “I have run a full diagnostic and found that I am operating within normal parameters.”

"It's a phrase. A saying. Oh, forget it, Sam."

"Sam?"

"It's your name."

"My 'name'?"

"Well, I can't really call you by your model out here. It'd attract attention."

"Oh, I see. It's a disguise."

"Kind of."

"Oh God."

"What?” Sam asked, noting both the change in Sarah’s behaviour and the way every person in the market seemed to simultaneously blend into the background – with the notable exception of the thick-set man walking directly towards Sarah.

“There's one of your friends."

"I don't have any friends."

"Another Metal Mickey,” Sarah groaned. “A killer. You’d better duck," Sarah said, efficiently ducking and rolling behind a fruit stall.

"What?"

The fruit stall erupted in a line of small explosions from left to right. A line with Sam right at the centre. Sam looked down and noticed three new holes in his T-Shirt.

"Oi. Watch where you're pointing that thing, you might hurt someone," he shouted angrily.

"I think that's the general idea," Sarah hissed, subtly shifting from crouching down behind the boxes of fruit to behind the more substantial legs of Sam. A second burst of gunfire sounded, and a series of wet thuds indicated more hits on Sam's body.

"It's making a right mess of my T-Shirt,” Sam whined, “him shooting me like that."

"Is that all you've got?" Sarah shouted as she wriggled out of the straps of her rucksack. "Two machines come back from the future," she muttered. "And I get the whiny one that just stands there and lets himself be shot."

"This blood is going to be a devil to get out," Sam complained, sticking his finger through some of the holes.

"I'll buy you a new fucking T-shirt if it'll make you happy," Sarah snapped, reaching into her rucksack and extracting a nasty-looking device. "How many are there?"

"How many holes? Lots." Sarah made an exasperated sound as Sam started counting.

"Metal Mickies. How many Metal Mickies are there?"

"Just one. He's coming this way and he doesn't look very happy."

"Where is he? How far?"

"He's 8.4 meters away. He’s looking straight at me. Running some kind of assessment."

"He’s working out what you are and the best way to kill you.”

“Kill me? But…”

“Distract him."

"How?"

"I don't know. Just wave your hands."

"I can't. It’s coming!"

"Shout! Jump-up-and-down. Anything!" The air filled with an electronic squawk, like an old computer modem gone haywire.

The thumping footsteps stopped.

Sarah rolled out from behind the fruit display to find the Mickey wearing a look of extreme surprise. An expression which was noticeably amplified as Sarah fired the sharp points of her Taser up into its groin. It was a TASER X26 and delivered 50 000 volts directly into the Mickey’s bollocks.

The Mickey stiffened and jolted, its groin and ears smoking slightly.

Sarah gathered her backpack and approached the Mickey in a manner which spoke of supreme confidence; she scrambled up the stilled body and ran a scalpel along the Mickey’s hairline.

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