Stories tagged “scooter”
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My Friend, My Sub-Routines
Discombobulated protest yielded to newly acquired sub-routines, and Violet modulated the flow of fuel, adjusted the air intake manifold, and smoothed the transition into first gear as her friend cranked the throttle. Her friend? What sort of friend wou...
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The Handlebars of a Dilemma
“How could you do this to me?” Violet finally exploded. “Put me back in my own body at once!” “I can’t ‘put you back,’ silly!” Rae said. “You’re already there. I just copied you. I could...
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Fast Girls
“Say no? Say no? Duh, there’s a tough call, Rae. Gee, let me think about that. Would I want a Xerox of my self putting around in a scooter with your fat a…” “Violet…” “No-no, don’t Violet me. Am I e...
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You Girls Are In For a Hiding
Violet kicked in a burst of speed, accelerating so quickly that it was all Rae could do to keep from falling off. “Vi!” she screamed. “Sorry!” said Violet, not entirely sincerely. She zoomed up the street faster and faster, weav...
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A Shocking Rescue
How do I trans— Violet sprouted arms and legs and found herself lying on her belly in the grass before she even finished the thought. Oh, right. Instincts. She raised her head, hoping that the glow of her eyes wouldn’t give her away. If my eyes...
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Special Delivery
A short time later, Vi clomped through Rae’s house as silently as she could, carrying Rae over her shoulder. She was glad that her feet were soled with the same rubber as her tires or things would be really loud. As it was, the whirring of her hy...
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The Game is Up
It was 10 a.m. that Sunday morning before Rae finally came down to the garage, looking far more pale than Vi had ever seen her. “Good morning,” Violet said. “Sleep well did we?” “They know everything,” Rae said. R...
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Interlocking Definitions
“I’ll remove all…” The words kept echoing in Violet’s head, her new head. She tried to chase them away rather than dwell on implications and possibilities. All day, Rae moped around the garage, fiddling with this or that w...
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Memory Dump
Rae came down to the garage again that evening. “Are you doing okay? I’m sorry…Mom and Dad won’t let me keep you in my room.” “I’m fine now. Especially since you took off the interlocks. Hey, what’s this thin...
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Another Scooter Girl
Rae woke up slowly. She heard the hydraulics and servos whir in her joints and limbs as everything came on-line. Wait…on-line? Rae looked down and gasped. “Aaah!” Her body was metal, mechanical—and familiar. “What have you done to...
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Scooter Girl Scoots
“Anyway, I used your technical expertise to remove all records I made you,” Violet said. “You’ll also not have to worry about the memory dump—and for that matter I won’t either, now. So long as you don’t call atten...
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Not So Easily Brushed Off
Violet sighed. This was the third time this year. If their friendship kept ending like this, Violet might start thinking Rae didn’t like her or something. She frowned, trying to figure out what she’d done this time. Then it hit her. “...
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Hard Choices in a Hard World
Rae’s eyes darted between the kids gathering at the buses and the now vacant school yard. On the far side of the yard lay the drainage ditch, trash-strewn path to freedom. Even through the metallic tang of her mech voice the hesitancy came throug...
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Nothing Out There
Rae’s eyes drifted back across the gorge, at first vacant, then slowly overcome with a vague resolve, “Scan your memory banks and available data. What’s on the other side of the gorge, past the barrens?” After a brief delay the ...