Interzone Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine #213 by TTA Press Authors

Author:TTA Press Authors [Authors, TTA Press]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Publisher: TTA Press www.ttapress.com
Published: 2011-11-08T22:44:27+00:00

* * * *

The big riveted sheet-iron gate was closed. Janit slowed, frowned, and mumbled into her whisperpod. The gate remained closed."What's wrong?" Frank asked.

"I don't know. It should open. Automatically."

"Isn't there an emergency switch or something?" Frank said. He'd been nervous and on-edge since hearing the couple arguing in the house, thinking, This could happen to me, this is happening to me, it's this woman, it's her fault, why didn't I get three LifeStylists, why didn't I get a real one and not an indenture.

"No," Janit said. She mumbled commands again, then cursed and slammed her hand on the steering wheel.

"Can't we call the police?"

Janit pointed at her whisperpod. "This is how you call the police. Is yours working?"

Irritation flared to anger. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was the first day of the best of his life! "So we're trapped in here? Great. Fuck. Thanks for the wonderful day."

Janit looked at him, her mouth open in surprise. "I ... I'm sorry," she said.

Frank felt a momentary burst of embarrassment. Maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh with her. But he'd worked for this! He deserved a good life! "How could this happen?" he said, looking away.

"I don't know," Janit said.

"And there's no way to call the police? Fire? Rescue? No manual switch for the gate?"

"No."

"So if something goes wrong, I'll be trapped in here?"

"No. No. This is weird. When was the last time you lost comm for this long?"

Frank frowned. "Never," he admitted. And she was right. Everyone watching each other, the security of redundancy, that was what everything was based on.

"I'm sure it'll be back on soon," Janit said. "I've been running some diagnostics, and it appears that we still have some carrier activity."

A squeal of brakes behind them made Frank turn. He looked into the big chrome grille of a Ford Mountainclimber. A horn sounded.

Janit leaned out the window and shouted something at the driver. The horn sounded again. Janit said something else and pulled herself back into the car. "Idiots," she said.

The horn sounded again. Janit rolled the window up.

The Mountainclimber's engine revved and the big SUV thumped into the back of their little car, hard. Frank jolted in his seat. He heard plastic crunch.

"Fuck this," Janit said. She floored the little car did a quick U-turn, clipping the curb and sending multi-colored flowers flying from the verge. Frank had a momentary glimpse of a tiny woman, swerving the big Mountainclimber towards them and shaking a fist. Then they were past and flying into the neighborhood.

"What the hell is going on?" Frank said. His anger surged, white-hot. He had to stop himself from reaching out and grabbing Janit by the neck. Even after I start my perfect life, I won't be able to forget this. And I already have so much to forget!

"It must be the tuning," Janit said, hugging the steering wheel and driving quickly into neighborhoods not-yet-framed.

"The tuning?"

"It's maintained in real time via the comm. But I don't know why it would go wrong so fast.

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