Tabatha limped along the dark alley, her shoe tightened as her ankle continued to swell. She jumped behind a trash bin and froze. Her breath was ragged and she knew she needed to get to a medic soon. The laser burns were beginning to take their toll and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep walking.
The sound came again; it was from the direction she had come. A cat walked by and Tabatha began breathing again. Using the wall, she was able to continue down the alley until she made it to the street. Even though she had seen flying cars for years it was still amazing to her to see them zip by high above her. There were still many ground cars due to costs, but they were becoming less and less common.
She looked at her watch and sighed with relief seeing that it was still functioning normally. Clicking a button the holographic window opened up above the watch and she began typing in the air. Within moments a yellow cab car stopped in front of her and the door opened. Tabatha stepped in and said, “The closest medic, please.” Many people didn’t see the need to be polite to androids seeing them as just machines, but Tabatha always wondered if there wasn’t more going on than they let on.
While the car cruised along the road weaving in and out through the traffic Tabatha pulled the holographic screen up again and typed in, Johanus. She scowled as the familiar ringing noise buzzed in her ear.
After a few rings a man’s voice came on, “You reached Johanus, but he didn’t reach you. Leave a message if you need a call back.”
Tabatha spoke to the hologram, “Where were you? I nearly got killed and now they’re after me.” She paused brushing a tear from her eye. “I love you.” There was another pause and then she clicked her watch.
The car rolled to a stop and the door opened, “That will be 45 credits, please.” The android said emphasizing the please.
Tabatha placed her thumb on the scanner and typed in the password on the keypad.
“Thank You Tabatha. Should I wait for you?”
Tabatha shook her head giving the android a half smile then stepped out of the car. Looking up at the sign she read, “DR. DOWENGER’S FINE HEALING.” The door closed behind her and she walked inside the medic. The room was completely white and Tabatha scrunched her nose at the smell. Medics always smelled of death to her.
A woman behind the counter greeted her, “Hello, what is your reason for visiting us today?”
“I twisted my ankle and have a couple of burn marks.” Tabatha said as she scanned the room.
The woman typed on holographic keyboard and said, “You can go on back. The Dr. is ready for you.”
Tabatha walked into the backroom. A table stood in the middle of the room and above it hung the Dr. Tabatha lay down on the table and waited as the Dr. slowly lowered over the top of her. There was buzzing and whirring sounds all around her and then she felt the relief as the swelling in her ankle went down and the burns began to heal.
Dr. Dowenger was done in about 20 minutes and Tabatha stood on her hurt ankle testing it to make sure it was better. She smiled and then left the room.
The woman was typing as she approached.
Without looking up she said, “That will be twenty five hundred credits.”
Tabatha grimaced and then pressed the scanner and typed in her password.
“Thank you, have a nice day.”
Tabatha left the medic her head low and saw the cab waiting for her. The door opened and the android said, “Get in. Your next destination is on me.”
She stopped, looking up at the smiling android.
To Be Continued…………………….
Nice world building. I am curious to see where the android will take her. And I like the fact that you made her polite to the androids. I always feel like people should be polite to things that potentially have the power to kill you.
ReplyDeleteinteresting...interesting progression in this josh...glad you are keeping it going as you def have me wondering where we are going next....
ReplyDeleteI love the tech in this world!
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued to know what will happen next!
ReplyDeleteOoooh...like others have said, I like the subtle world building, and between the android and the guys trying to kill her there's plenty to keep writing (and reading!) about. Nice!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You have won the Versatile Blogger Award! Please stop by my blog, Feed Me A Stray Cat!, to pick it up. (I found you through the A-Z Challenge.)
ReplyDeleteSo, you tricked me! I was feeling all smug about being late to the party and being able to read both pieces at once - and now you're continuing!
ReplyDeleteI love the world building, you're really setting the scene here. I'm looking forward to the next instalment :-)