A Heaven for Toasters

CHAPTER 2: Baichis

Sunday, April 18, 2117, 11:37 a.m.

"Baichi," I swore under my breath as Richard's zoomer swayed wildly to avoid the transparent sphere that overtook us—red stripe cutting it in half. It swished past us like a mad soap bubble. We plunged toward the Aegean Sea for a nerve-wracking moment before the zoomer steadied itself and climbed back to its cruising altitude.

"Kids," Richard said with a shrug, even though his brow glistened with sudden perspiration.

It's a good thing we were approaching our destination and had slowed down to subsonic speed. Had we stumbled across that idiot an hour ago, over the Atlantic—well, let's just say our funerals would feature two empty caskets.

We barely caught a glimpse of a grinning teen behind the glass bubble. His hand was raised in a mock greeting—or a rude gesture. At this speed, it was hard to tell.

"Kids?" I snorted. "Didn't you see the red stripe? Bloody idiot's driving on manual. I should call it in."

Richard placed a hand on my leg. "Or we could just relax and enjoy the ride. We're not in the US anymore. It's not even your jurisdiction." He gave my leg a slight squeeze to emphasize his words.

I fought myself for a moment, but the cop in me won out. I tapped my temple, trying to ignore the annoyed twitch running through Richard's fingers. "Dispatch. Audio only. Mary." I waited for a few seconds for the connection to the precinct.

"Hi, Mika." Mary sounded surprised. "I thought you were off duty today." Her tone changed from surprised to scolding.

"I need to report a 506." I cast Richard a sideways glance and forced a smile on my lips, not wishing for a fight. "Then I'm all Richard's again." The fingers released their grip—a smidgen.

"Another kid driving its zoomer on manual?" Mary asked with a chuckle. "Again?"

Good thing Richard can't hear her. "What can I say, I seem to attract them."

"Alright."

I waited for a few seconds. Mary would be searching for cameras near our location.

"You're over Athens," she exclaimed. "What's the weather like over there? Which island are you kids heading to, anyway?"

"Weather's lovely as always. And I don't know. Richard won't tell me. Now, about that 506..."

"Don't worry, I've notified local authorities. They'll deal with him." If she were human, I swear she'd be wagging her finger. "I wish that kid was back here. I'd pull him over and take care of it myself. Teens and their hormones."

"Thanks."

I tapped my temple again and disconnected. Mary would love nothing more than to take over the kid's zoomer and give him a stern speech. Instead of whatever party he was heading to, he would find himself zooming toward the precinct. It wasn't strictly necessary—it was just as easy to issue joyriders a ticket remotely—but Mary enjoyed giving them a personal warning. For a piece of software, she can be rather intimidating. A quick smile broke through my lips at the thought.

"You said you wouldn't be a cop today," Richard said in a whiny voice like a three-year-old denied a lollipop. He sounded seconds away from a tantrum.

"It's just like I told Mary. I'm all yours. Promise."

"Good." In spite of my words, his brow remained furrowed. "All I want is a quiet weekend with you," he continued.

"Sure," I said mechanically.

He took my hand into his, his frown finally melting away.

"So, why don't you tell me more about where we're going?" I asked.