Runner's Companion.pdf - Free

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9. . . survival tips . . .survival tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Traveler Jones stepped out of El Toro, and flagged down a cab. Hopping into the back, hepulled off his rebreather, and told the pilot program, “The Mountain, and step on it.”Settling into his seat, he felt the cab move out. Then, he flipped his ‘link over to P2.0, andtook a look at the “Most Popular” selections. Topping the list was Chase in Progress—‘Runnersin Fun City. With a grin, he authorized the micropayment and opened a new AR feed to tuneinto the action.A line at the bottom of the feed proclaimed, “Horizon Security in Pursuit: LIVE!” The mainwindow showed an ork wearing the gang colors of the Steppin’ Wulfs in a full out sprint pasta boardwalk full of a carnival booths. Park guests and attendants were diving for cover in thebackground. A circular image appeared over a tattoo on the ork’s arm. The image stabilized andanother ARO opened to ask if he’d like more information on the Steppin’ Wulfs.Yet another ARO showed a ticking countdown of already captured insurgents. It seemedthat he’d already missed most of the excitement—four had already been captured. The recordingsof the takedowns were available at discreet pricing tiers. Reviewer ratings werealready posted.The active screen split to show two new feeds of Horizon security officers—dressed in thelong coats and helmets of a British Bobby from the mid-twentieth century—converging onthe ork ganger’s location. Moments later, the screen opened another panel, showing a snipertracking the ganger from a perch on a roller coaster’s scaffolding. The officers pulledJones chuckled as the inevitable happened. The ork was soon surrounded and incapacitatedby a flurry of stun batons. Within seconds, he was whisked away from the cameras, and thefeed returned to the usual innocuous activities of the amusement park.Seems like the kids are more raw every year, Jones thought. He flipped away from P2.0 andbrought up his todo list. There, he added a note to suggest compiling a charity tutorial file onJackPoint. Maybe it’s time to give something back.Moments later, he added a memo to re-run his monthly check-up on his spare IDs. Doesn’tpay to get cocky. I don’t want to get caught making the same sort of rookie mistake, he remindedhimself.The cab rolled to a stop in front of the five-star hotel. Traveler Jones adjusted his AR glassesand double-checked that the chip was still in his cyberarm’s hidden compartment. Exitingthe cab, he authorized the payment and gave a smile to the human doorman. Show time, hethought as he headed in to make the drop off.20Runner’s Companion