The Bubble Popper

Chapter 12

The image was there for a few seconds, and just as it returned to the questioning of the detective, the employee called Sud.

"Your taxi is here. Number S80." Sud didn't wait any longer. He grabbed his bag and hurried out of the office.

He walked out and immediately saw the taxi. He climbed on and closed the door.

"Good afternoon." Greeted the driver.

"Hello."

"You're going to the next taxi station, right?" He asked snappily.

"Yes." Curtly answered Sud.

The driver looked at Sud through the mirror. Sud could see the impatience on the driver's face. At the moment, he couldn't care what the driver thought. He just needed to get as far away from there before someone identified him.

The taxi finally moved. Along the way, the driver didn't speak to Sud again. Sud didn't care for small talk, but the dismissal attitude of the driver was annoying him.

Sud took a deep breath. He needed to keep a clear mind and not focus on unimportant bubbles. With his picture out in the open, he would be easily recognized, and it wasn't going to be easy sneaking into the next ring if it was being controlled by the police.

If the detective asked about him, there were already at least three bubbles who had seen him. So the best option was to lose himself in the ring. He would waste more time, but he needed to go as far as he could from the current point to be able to safely replan his route.

"Can you drop me off here?" Sud asked the driver.

"Here? Weren't you going to the next taxi stop? We're not even halfway."

"Yes. But I want to get off now." The displeasure in the driver's face was evident. He was mumbling something inaudible. Sud only caught a few of his words, "Make up your mind" and "losing my time, when I could be earning more money."

Sud got out of the taxi and closed the door. He was trying to figure out where he was, but he was interrupted by the driver.

"Hey, are you going to pay me or not?"

Something snapped inside Sud. The anxious feeling he had all day finally subsided. It was as if a rubber band that had been stretched was finally released.

He reached into his bag that contained his treasure. He took it out and turned to the driver with a smile.

"Sure, I'll pay you. You see this?" He said as he showed his treasure to the driver. "If I push it with enough force, do you know what happens?" He asked as he brought the tip of his treasure closer to the driver's face.

The driver's expression was one of disbelief and mocking. "You think I'm joking? Well, I'm not. This beauty can make you pop, and the sight is such a beautiful one. Too bad you won't be able to see it."

Sud watched as the driver's face went from mocking to fear. A great satisfaction overwhelmed him. Yes, be afraid. Just like he had been afraid.

"Now, why don't you get out and go sit in the back?" Said Sud as he "politely" invited the driver to sit in the back while pointing his treasure at him. Reluctantly, the driver got out and went to the back seat, not without glaring at Sud.

Sud got into the taxi and drove away. The roads on Cloud City were very simple roads going from north to south until they stopped due to a natural blockage or bubble-made one. Then there were roads going from west to east. Those were one long road that would take all the way around the ring. On the sides of those roads were the neighborhoods and small businesses.

The taxi was taking Sud on the north/south roads to get to the next ring, but now Sud turned around and went west.

"You won't get away with this. Someone will realize I'm not reporting and realize something happened to me and come looking for me and find you!" Angrily shouted at the driver.

"You know this didn't have to happen, but you just couldn't be patient and kept your mouth shut. This is your fault." Sud calmly told him.

Sud didn't usually feel the need to explain his actions, but today he needed to vent. You should just pop him and get it over with.

"You're crazy! Let me out!" Shouted the driver as he tried to open the back door that had been locked by Sud.

"Shut up! I'm not crazy! If you don't shut up, I'll have to help you shut up!" Threatened Sud as he pointed his treasure at him.

Sud continued driving until the taxi was low on liquid air. By then, it was already quite late. The light had disappeared for the day. Sud began looking for a place where he could refill the air, but there wasn't one nearby. He should have refilled a few miles back, but the pump was next to a local transport station, and he didn't want to risk police being around.

He was beginning to get anxious. He almost ran out when he finally spotted a store where he could refill and immediately drove there and parked by a pump.

He parked and turned off the vehicle, then turned toward the driver, who had been dozing off in the backseat.

"You better stay here obediently or I'll catch you and pop you."

Sud hurriedly went into the store and paid for the liquid air. Then hurried back to the pump. He was about to pump the liquid air into the vehicle when he noticed the door of the back seat was open.

The driver was nowhere to be found. He looked around and saw him crossing the street toward the houses.

He couldn't let him get away and report him! You should've popped him a long time ago. Sud got his treasure from the seat and ran as fast as he could after him.

The driver had a few meters of advantage on Sud. The only positive side was that they ran at about the same speed.

Soon the driver began getting tired and slower. Sud pushed himself to catch up. The driver kept looking back to check for the sight of Sud. It was when he unexpectedly tripped and fell. It was at that moment that Sud was able to catch him.

Out of breath, Sud told him, "I told you to be good. Why didn't you listen?!"

Without hesitation, he lifted his treasure and ruthlessly poked through the driver, who had a horrified expression in his last seconds.

Pop!

Sud looked around and saw no one outside on the street. Luckily for Sud, most bubbles were inside, ready to rest after a long day.

Expressionless Sud looked at the remains of the driver on the street, then turned around and headed back to where he had left the taxi.

When he got back, he hurried and pumped the liquid air into the taxi and hurried back to the driver's seat. He turned on the vehicle and was about to drive off when he noticed the communication pad used by the taxi was beeping nonstop.

He looked through the recent messages that were sent. There was a recent SOS message that was sent from that device. Then an "I've been kidnapped. Send help!" message.

Angrily, Sud hit the steering wheel. He should have gotten rid of that driver sooner.

As he was reading, a notification popped up that said, "Accessing device location."
******
POV Police

"Detective Fizz! We have news!" Yelled Officer Bead as he ran to the detective.

"What is it?"

"We just received news that a local taxi employee saw Sud earlier today."

"Where?" Anxiously asked Detective Fizz.

"Third ring. They also gave us the taxi number he took, but they reported that the driver hadn't returned after he took Sud."

"Dammit!" Yelled Detective Fizz, "Hurry up and get the transportation tubes ready while I call the chief to coordinate assistance in the third ring."

"Yes, detective."