Just as a note to new readers: You do not have to read these stories in order. They are all related in theme, but they are all about different characters. The idea is that after they are all read, an overreaching story will be realized. But they are in no particular chronological order. They are just numbered according to what order I wrote them.
These were written based on a challenge on LiveJournal where 100 one-word prompts are given and the writer has to produce 100 short fics (in whatever time frame they want) that are all related. It is a fun experience and I highly recommend it. It was my personal alternative to NaNoWriMo, since I don't do well under extreme pressure...
PM me if you are interested in the LiveJournal challenge...
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12/19/07
057 – Lunch
Katie Parker looked out the window of her office building and sighed. Another protest. Were they ever going to stop?
This time it was about the police. The government had decided that human officers were not sufficient and so they had released a line of artificial intelligence androids, called AI’s by the humans. The people immediately started protesting. They claimed that the last time the government tried to release non-human forces – the Mutts – the results had been murders.
Katie shook her head and stared at her blank computer screen. She was supposed to be writing an article about the new AI’s for the editorial page of the local paper, but she was drawing a blank.
Leaning back in her chair, she picked up her sandwich. It was a turkey sub with cheese, lettuce and tomato from Subway. A little heavy on the mayonnaise, but not too bad. As she took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, her co-worker Anna came into Katie’s cubicle with a handful of papers. When she say the sub in Katie’s hand, she slammed down the papers and snatched the sandwich, letting out a shriek in the process.
“What the…” Katie’s hand followed the sub.
“You can’t eat this! Don’t you know about the salmonella outbreak from that Subway in Maryland?”
Katie looked at Anna incredulously.
“We’re in New York, honey. I don’t think it’s going to travel all the way up here,” she said, reaching for the sandwich. Anna held it out of reach.
“Seriously, Anna, give it back.”
Katie leaned forward in her chair and snatched it from Anna’s hand. The woman huffed indignantly.
“Fine. I don’t want to hear about it when you’re dying.”
Then she stormed out. Katie smiled a little. Anna may have been a busy-body, but she was a good friend.
Katie took another bite of her sandwich and glared at her computer screen. Suddenly she was struck with inspiration. She laid the sub back in its paper, wiped her hand with a napkin and began to type.
“If you made one mistake, wouldn’t you want a second chance? Would you give someone else a second chance?”
