The Skids by Ian Donald Keeling

Author:Ian Donald Keeling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: ChiZine
Published: 2016-10-11T20:15:27+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

They went through one transit after another, each time emerging into a small hallway with doors everywhere: on the ceiling, the walls, the floor. All covered with glowing circlets, connected by lines of gold. After each transit, Betty would land, turn, and send them through the next door.

“The first three were completely random,” Betty said after the fifth. “We needed a new start point as best we could.”

Every hallway had gaps where there’d been doors in the other hallways. Breaks in the system? Johnny wondered, staring at an empty space on the floor.

After the sixth transition, Bian reached out and grabbed Betty. “How many more?” she said. “We’re killing Brolin.”

“I’m fine,” the Seven hissed, but his skin blossomed with spores.

Betty looked down at the hand clasped on her arm and then up at Bian. She held the gaze until Bian let go. “I didn’t choose the number of transits on a whim. And you’re not the only one who cares about Brolin and Shabaz.”

“You’ve got a hole of a way of showing it,” Bian muttered, rolling away.

Betty watched her tread over to Shabaz, then sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m going to need a minute,” she said. Her hollas popped up, seemingly from nowhere.

“Where do those come from?” Johnny said.

“I carry them with me,” Betty said, as image after image cycled by. “Like I said, it’s all data. We are the program.”

“Nice,” Torg said.

“Isn’t it?” she grinned at him. “Technically, I could run these internally. You wouldn’t see a thing.”

“Oh? And why wouldn’t you do that?”

“Two reasons. One: this looks sweeter. Two: it gives me a massive headache.” She winced. “Never been able to shake it.” The hollas stopped on what looked like a map. “Finish line,” Betty said as the hollas snapped away. She rolled over to a door in the ceiling, tapped a pattern in the circlets, then double-tapped the centre. The circlets flashed and rotated.

Turning to the group, she said, “This transit will take a little longer. You might have the weird feeling you’re being stretched.” She looked at Bian. “But it should be easier on the wounded.”

“Whatever you say,” Bian sniffed. Holding Brolin’s arm, she reached up and was pulled into the door.

Johnny leaned into Torg. “Notice Bian seems a little sketch?”

“Who isn’t?” Torg said. “It’s like we’re trying to play ten games at once and no one gave us the rules. Our nerves are shot. Now, Bian’s got a huge heart and stepped up to take care of Shabaz and Brolin . . . but she’s also a Look-At-Me-Girl.” He grinned. “Not going to happen with Betty Crisp around.”

“She’s jealous? But she’s always hanging around the higher Levels.”

“Not the girls.”

Johnny stared at him and then chuckled. Who the hole was going to match up with Betty Crisp, anyway? Shaking his stripes, he reached up for the door.

It was different this time: as if each side of his body was gently being pulled. Then, for the first time since the weather-mem, they popped into a world dominated by more than black and gold.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.