"Are there any flying parts in this car?" Zed asked Marilyn.
"We'll need elevation baby."
"Baby?"
"Why? You don't like when I call you that?"
He looked at the chip in his hand. He thought maybe he could look into Marilyn's eyes if he stared hard enough.
"You were silent when I needed guidance. How can I trust you now?"
The mocking tone dripped from Marilyn's voice as she spoke.
"Well, baby, you got no one else to trust."
Zed sighed and drove where his mind told him to. He drove over a straight road that spiraled to a mountain. Marilyn's voice kept guiding him.
"Faster," she told him.
"That's what you said last time." he said, but drove on faster anyway. There was a new feel to the car. Like a sleeping beast slowly waking up. Olag's people had really done something nifty with the car.
"Don't slow down Zed, no matter what you see."
Suddenly, the sky darkened around the mountain and Zed switched on the lights. A figure in a cloak was illuminated in the headlights of the car. Zed's foot hovered over the brake and Marilyn's voice spoke in his head, "Drive through it, it's an illusion."
The figure pointed a hand at Zed, made it into a finger gun and said, "Bang."
The word struck Zed like the thump of a bass drum and he was through the figure. On the passenger seat, the sword, Quicksilver lit up. A LED display on its side flashed the word "Fuck".
Zed looked at the sword from the corner from his eye and saw the road disappear from front of the car. He felt the wheels lose traction and then they were falling. Like a stone.
And Marilyn went silent again.
"We'll need elevation baby."
"Baby?"
"Why? You don't like when I call you that?"
He looked at the chip in his hand. He thought maybe he could look into Marilyn's eyes if he stared hard enough.
"You were silent when I needed guidance. How can I trust you now?"
The mocking tone dripped from Marilyn's voice as she spoke.
"Well, baby, you got no one else to trust."
Zed sighed and drove where his mind told him to. He drove over a straight road that spiraled to a mountain. Marilyn's voice kept guiding him.
"Faster," she told him.
"That's what you said last time." he said, but drove on faster anyway. There was a new feel to the car. Like a sleeping beast slowly waking up. Olag's people had really done something nifty with the car.
"Don't slow down Zed, no matter what you see."
Suddenly, the sky darkened around the mountain and Zed switched on the lights. A figure in a cloak was illuminated in the headlights of the car. Zed's foot hovered over the brake and Marilyn's voice spoke in his head, "Drive through it, it's an illusion."
The figure pointed a hand at Zed, made it into a finger gun and said, "Bang."
The word struck Zed like the thump of a bass drum and he was through the figure. On the passenger seat, the sword, Quicksilver lit up. A LED display on its side flashed the word "Fuck".
Zed looked at the sword from the corner from his eye and saw the road disappear from front of the car. He felt the wheels lose traction and then they were falling. Like a stone.
And Marilyn went silent again.