XO “A missing runner Episode 10

We arrived at the out door concert. As it was just getting going. The first band was rocking out making the kids down below go wild viking off the magic of sound and the hypnotic light show.

I scanned the crowd with my eye as flashes of light shined down and across the crowd of youthful faces and mixture of social economic classes.

“It’s no good bro. You ain’t going to find him in that crowd.” Xena said.

“What’s my time?” I asked my sister again to distract her while I searched the crowd.

“Seven hours and thirty-three minutes until the next sun rise. We’ll have to call it and let authority handle it.”

I was silent for a moments and then my eye caught his face in the crowd on the far east side of the crowd. He was stationed near a wall smoking a cheery red cigarette and fresh blood on his jacket sleeve.

“He’s here. Bring it down near the east side. I’ll pick em up.” I said.

“‘Shit. Bro. How?”

I smiled. “A highly advanced cybernetic bionic eye, photographic memory, plus my OCD is a wonderful benefit to being me. Bring it down. I’m going in.” I said locking his location in my memory.

“Hold on tight. I’m taking it down. Close the door.” She ordered.

I slide the door closed and it locked. Xena raced it away toward a parking space. I started to open the door but it remained locked.

I started to ask her to open the door but Xena was already getting out of the car and leaving my door locked. I glared at her back as she raced away and then flowed into the crowd and disappeared.

XO “A Missing Runner” Episode 8

I stared at the profile picture of the kid and frowned at the D8 at the bottom of the image. I wondered about that as I scrolled down the image to get only a passing few details on the man from his typical hobbies of gaming and racing bikes. Not much else.

“So is this kid a new G.E.H. model or one of the old ones on his last leg?”

Valkyrie was silent.

I looked up see her gaze focused intently focused on the skyway ignoring me. She had heard the question.

I scrolled down the entire file and profile with a flick of my finger on the screen and read the file. No mention on what type of G.E.H he was. In fact no mention he was a G.E.H at all.

“How do you know the kid is a tech born?” Valkyrie asked. “Is it your eye?”

“I just made a guess because of the name. It’s a classification for GEHs. So if he isn’t a G.E.H his pack mother most be one. What I read from the file he’s addicted to attending music concerts and cheery Bomb cigarettes. We can start with interviewing his coworkers at the runner station he works out of to get a feel for his pattern.”

“Are you fucking with me?!” Valkyrie asked.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Your a fucking with me. Be honest. How can you make that thought leap?”

“Focus on the job.” I said.

“Tell me, Damn it.”

I snorted. “It’s the name and his eyes. He looks sixteen but his eyes and name tell me he’s at least maybe in his sixties by human standards but by GEH that would still put him in a youngster category. So what are we doing here Valkyrie? Are we hunting for this kid or just trying to find out where he is.”

Silence met my words. She looked away from me and continued driving. “You find em. I’m going to bag him. You don’t need to do anything else.”

Damn it. I thought she was done with his shit but apparently the price tag or something else was going on here. I saw her shaking her head but she wasn’t looking at me.

“Just leave it. I’m not going to explain and you don’t have to over think it. It’s just one job. Where do we start?”

“I just told you. We start with his friends. They’ll tell us what concert he’s going to or whatever trouble he might or might not be into.”