hadn’t felt up to getting rid of the evidence and had fallen asleep. Redbands made the easiest bust of the week and the Stream had flowed brightly for several hours with the exciting news and congratulations from across the network.
Gabriel continued to scan the Chronicle, knowing that he was wasting time but still drawn to the moving screen. It was a quad-daily—he was reading the last edition—and was typically 100 screens long, most of it discount ads. In the old days, he knew, what passed for news had been available on newsprint in something called a tabloid.
Attention Parents! The most favoured names for Stage One children this month are Rhonda and Donaldo. This fashion hint is brought to you by Aldalowich Family Outfitters & Candy Kitchen for the best in Revelation Night fashions!
Gabriel grunted as he polished off his donut. People were so fashion-conscious about naming their children these days. “Must have something to do with that damn cow,” Gabriel muttered.
Sid squinted at him from the other end of the counter and decided that Gabriel wasn’t expecting an answer.
Rhonda, the Udderly Fantastic Cow, seemed to be all the Mall-children talked about these days. Gabriel remembered that he’d actually caught himself whistling the ‘Rhonda Song’ the other day, despite his belief that Rhonda was a total marketing ripoff and that she was going to blow an udder once too often and finally self-destruct. ‘Wished to hell I’d bought in low on that one though,’ he thought.
When the Mall Directory pages appeared, Gabriel stuck out his right forefinger for no real reason and stopped the scroll. The directory page onscreen was number 9 of 1,052 screens listing currently available lusts, perversions, sick habits, and semi-unmentionable desires. They were always outlined in red on the screen, just beneath the list of job specialities. Gabriel scanned what was offered, pausing at…
Hamshift, Lewis Malcolm Donald. 22 WM. Room 1653. D Complex. Scarborough Mall. Owner/Operator. Hamshift Antique Chairs & Dentistry. Best chairs anywhere! Special this month on re-fillings (amalgam only!) Lewis, who is into Vacuumware and VirtSex, wants to meet people who cheat at screencards, women with huge breasts, and anyone who knows how to 69.
Puzzled by the numerical reference, Gabriel tapped the screen, highlighted the numbers and waited the two seconds it took to identify ‘69’ as:
“The placement of two nude bodies atop each other in opposed directions for the purposes of engaging in simultaneous oral stimulation of the genitalia. Instructional videotape available at Nation Library, Level One, E.C..”
Gabriel frowned. He preferred using an Autoblow hologram delivered from Tony’s Sex-2-U once or twice a month. Sometimes, Mary would give him the little nudge in his ribs that meant she was ready to see him that evening. ‘69’? Not likely. In his ordered mind, how could he ever trust someone who screwed around with numbers? His surprising wit brought a smile to his face.
Abruptly, he snapped off the Chronicle and pushed it away. Too much of that was habit-forming. He turned to scan the mall, still fairly busy with last minute shoppers rushing about with lots of children in tow. Gabriel loved watching the children, loved their voices, their inquisitiveness, their joyous exuberance as they lived and played. He loved every stage of their upbringing. It was something he shared with his father, Elias, this deep need to love and protect.
Gabriel was their Guardian of the Malls, their knight, their hero on the TV, who told exciting stories of Grief Team adventures, showing their exploits Outside, and often using various types of explosives to reduce Wildkids’ haunts to rubble. Sometimes the Team managed to kill a Kid or two in the process, but those images were edited out and available only on the Jumbotron in SkyDome, where WK’s in the pens were shown every frame
Gabriel continued to scan the Chronicle, knowing that he was wasting time but still drawn to the moving screen. It was a quad-daily—he was reading the last edition—and was typically 100 screens long, most of it discount ads. In the old days, he knew, what passed for news had been available on newsprint in something called a tabloid.
Attention Parents! The most favoured names for Stage One children this month are Rhonda and Donaldo. This fashion hint is brought to you by Aldalowich Family Outfitters & Candy Kitchen for the best in Revelation Night fashions!
Gabriel grunted as he polished off his donut. People were so fashion-conscious about naming their children these days. “Must have something to do with that damn cow,” Gabriel muttered.
Sid squinted at him from the other end of the counter and decided that Gabriel wasn’t expecting an answer.
Rhonda, the Udderly Fantastic Cow, seemed to be all the Mall-children talked about these days. Gabriel remembered that he’d actually caught himself whistling the ‘Rhonda Song’ the other day, despite his belief that Rhonda was a total marketing ripoff and that she was going to blow an udder once too often and finally self-destruct. ‘Wished to hell I’d bought in low on that one though,’ he thought.
When the Mall Directory pages appeared, Gabriel stuck out his right forefinger for no real reason and stopped the scroll. The directory page onscreen was number 9 of 1,052 screens listing currently available lusts, perversions, sick habits, and semi-unmentionable desires. They were always outlined in red on the screen, just beneath the list of job specialities. Gabriel scanned what was offered, pausing at…
Hamshift, Lewis Malcolm Donald. 22 WM. Room 1653. D Complex. Scarborough Mall. Owner/Operator. Hamshift Antique Chairs & Dentistry. Best chairs anywhere! Special this month on re-fillings (amalgam only!) Lewis, who is into Vacuumware and VirtSex, wants to meet people who cheat at screencards, women with huge breasts, and anyone who knows how to 69.
Puzzled by the numerical reference, Gabriel tapped the screen, highlighted the numbers and waited the two seconds it took to identify ‘69’ as:
“The placement of two nude bodies atop each other in opposed directions for the purposes of engaging in simultaneous oral stimulation of the genitalia. Instructional videotape available at Nation Library, Level One, E.C..”
Gabriel frowned. He preferred using an Autoblow hologram delivered from Tony’s Sex-2-U once or twice a month. Sometimes, Mary would give him the little nudge in his ribs that meant she was ready to see him that evening. ‘69’? Not likely. In his ordered mind, how could he ever trust someone who screwed around with numbers? His surprising wit brought a smile to his face.
Abruptly, he snapped off the Chronicle and pushed it away. Too much of that was habit-forming. He turned to scan the mall, still fairly busy with last minute shoppers rushing about with lots of children in tow. Gabriel loved watching the children, loved their voices, their inquisitiveness, their joyous exuberance as they lived and played. He loved every stage of their upbringing. It was something he shared with his father, Elias, this deep need to love and protect.
Gabriel was their Guardian of the Malls, their knight, their hero on the TV, who told exciting stories of Grief Team adventures, showing their exploits Outside, and often using various types of explosives to reduce Wildkids’ haunts to rubble. Sometimes the Team managed to kill a Kid or two in the process, but those images were edited out and available only on the Jumbotron in SkyDome, where WK’s in the pens were shown every frame
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