Stuck In A Skyway (Short Story)

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Source

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       Stuck in traffic again. T'madin thought while sandwiched between transport ships, sitting ideal, along the Skyway.

       The sky for miles around was clear, and it would be easy to just scoot out from the designated flight course, and get home. The route could be much more direct too.

       Following the S17 to then turn onto the W1 was the current route he needed to take, and it found him looping in a slight oval around the city, just to get to his apartment.

       Work had been rough, but no more than any other day. All he wanted to do was get in, get showered, make something to eat, and then put something on; any old holo-vid would do. Holovision was great for evenings like this, pure junk food for the mind. It didn't add any type of nutrition, and instead messaged his brain; meditation in a way.

       "I don't watch holo-vids, I don't even own one." People would brag, but it was no scale off T'madin's back if anyone watched it, or not. He enjoyed it, and sometimes he just needed to passively ingest something he didn't need to think too much about.

       A headlight from behind seemed to get brighter, and caught his attention.

       Looking at his dash he noticed the rearview cam was picking up the transport behind him, and they seemed to be getting a bit too close for comfort. He watched them inch their way along, and finally flashed his rear lights to warn them off him, but it didn't stop them.

       T'madin felt himself shift forward in his seat from the power of the bump. It wasn't strong enough to cause damage, but it was firm and sent a shudder through his body.

       "Are you series!" T'madin shouted as he looked at the completely obscured rearview cam. "I warned you! I flashed my light, but did you listen?!"

       He kicked at the ground beneath his seat, and the stomp was strong enough to make his vehicle dip. It didn't dip in reality, but he liked to think it did.

       The control panel of his transporter blinked, and he looked at his tractor beam option. He had never used it before, but it allowed him to lock onto another ship, to then tow them away from the Skyway to await the authorities.

       Doing so would waste his entire evening, and he knew it. His finger hovered over the lock and he considered not pressing it. He got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, and noticed his finger shake with anticipation.

       No, I shouldn't, it's not worth it. He thought.

       His finger dropped. The lock was engaged.

       Two ships became one, and he led the other to the left. The extra weight caused his transport to move - noticeably - slower than it had before. He had to bank hard; really leaning into the movement, in order to get them going.

       "What are you doing? It was a tiny bump! What are you doing?" A voice came through on his console; it was the other driver, clearly frustrated by being locked.

       "It may have only been a bump, but I flashed a warning as I saw your inch toward me."

       "I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry." The voice came back, notably softer.

       "You shouldn't be operating a transport if you're not fully aware," T'madin said. "Look, it's not much, but what's right is right. You can explain it to Sky Petrol, and I'm sure they'll let you off with a warning."

       "A warning!?" The voice erupted. "They'll take my ship! If I loose my transport I'll loose my job!"

       "I'm sorry, I can't disengage now, they're already on their way."

       Once the lock was engaged, the authorities were instantly notified. It was a fail safe to ensure no one could use the ability for nefarious reasons.

       He continued to lean into the turn, and the ships found themselves out of the Skyway traffic, and out in the open beside them all. It was embarrassing, but a fairly common sight.

       An alert sounded; the sort of alert that always made T'madin jump. There was someone on collision course.

       He figured it was most likely the Sky Petrol. They were fast. He thought as he brought up the rearview cam of the ship he had locked.

       There was a bight light in the distance, and it quickly multiplied. It wasn't just one ship. No, it was many. They were coming fast; too fast. As they grew nearer, he could hear the gunfire. High Flyers! T'Madin thought.

       "Move back in, now! Hurry!" The voice from the other ship echoed around his cockpit.

       It was too late to do anything fast. All he could do was hope they had enough space to react to them being in their path.

       The ship spun, and T'madin launched from his seat and collided with the wall of his ship. Debris rained against his hull, and he could feel his stomach drop as his ship started to descend. His vision faded as a sharp pain grew in his head.