Rationality Zero
Page 16
“None I can think of, Designate.” I smiled. “I'm just ready to be dormant for a while.”
She nodded. Easily arranged. She picked up her papers and shuffled them. As she did, she linked to me the location of my Conduit door. It wasn't far from here.
Thank you, Michael. As always, we wish you well in the days ahead.
24
Sometime around one in the morning, I was back on Nob Hill. I was exhausted. More than anything else, I wanted to get back to my flat, maybe cuddle up with something sweet. My head felt foggy and headachy, and I was still bandaged up.
From the accident, of course. I couldn't believe I didn't even get the son-of-a bitch’s license plate.
I was meandering around, trying to figure out where I had parked, when I reached into my pocket. My cell was buzzing, as if it had somehow just received several messages at once.
Nine missed calls. All from Caprice.
“Michael, I don't know where you went, but I can't believe you stepped out on us like that—”
“Me neither.” It was almost worth laughing. I had stepped out for just a moment to make a call. Caprice had set up a legendary evening for us, and I didn't want my buddy Wyatt interrupting me. He and I had previous plans, but when Caprice called, I knew that my plans would change.
With Caprice, it was important to stay fluid.
When I told him what was going on, Wyatt had totally understood. He had wanted in on whatever was going down of course, but then Wyatt always did.
That was when that drunken asshole had plowed me over in his Prius. I was lucky to be alive. An ambulance took me to the hospital and patched me up, but still, I had missed out. Her voicemails told me that much.
“Last call, sexy.” Her voice was a purr. “Let me tell you what we are doing, right now—”
“Fuck. Of all the luck.” As I listened to the call, I found my car.
“Finally. First good luck all evening.” I rummaged for my keys. In my jacket pocket, I found a packet of cigarettes.
“Who do you belong to?” I stared at them stupidly for a moment. Where these mine? Something in my mind—
No. I didn't smoke. The EMT must have thought they were mine and put them in my pocket. I crumpled them and threw them in a bin by my car.
Once inside the car and on my way, I hit redial on my phone. I hoped she wasn't too mad. Maybe tonight—
“Michael?” Her voice was the perfect combination of desire and concern.
“Hey, sweetling.”
I smiled as I drove into the night.
###
Author’s Note
I wanted to take this moment to thank you for reading Rationality Zero. Michael Bishop has a long history in my mind, and I’m so pleased to finally bring this short story to light. There are many secrets in his shadowed world, and I hope to soon add more to this series.
This setting was once worked on with one of my best friends, a brilliant guy by the name of Justin. Soon, Justin will be publishing his own works, and I will be screaming on the rooftops for you to read them.
If you enjoyed this story on any level (or even if it made you wish someone would carve out your eyes) few things could help me more than reviews online. I can promise that anyone who takes the time to leave me an Amazon review will not be harvested for DNA.
Guaranteed*.
What are people saying about
“The Herald of Autumn”?
“Beautiful. It whisks you along with all the grace and power of an autumn wind, biting at times with its chill and whispering always at more to come. The blend of myth and modern, action and love, was superbly done. Definitely want to read more.”
“The story is compelling. It is brisk. It hints at other and deeper stories. It is, in all the senses of the word, captivating. If you don't think you like myth, legend and stories, this one - with ancient roots but a modern touch in the telling - might be a nice place to start.”
"I can honestly say this is one of my favorite books that I have read this year - and it's November so I've read a good many books. The Herald of Autumn earns a place on a very exclusive bookshelf - the one with books I will read over and over. I suspect each time I read it, I will find more I did not perceive before. There is no doubt that I will be buying more books by this author.”
The Herald of Autumn
Also from Irrational Worlds comes
ZS: Exodus
Could you survive the zombie apocalypse? Dave Stewart had a plan for almost everything, but zombies were the one thing he wasn’t prepared for. When the dead start to devour the living, he’s pushed to his limits as he tries to get his friends and family to safety. But the living are as dangerous as the dead, and Dave must fight opportunistic scavengers and a government conspiracy as he struggles to get his family out of Springfield, Missouri. With more than 100 five star reviews, Zompoc Survivor: Exodus is consistently rated as one of the best zombie books in the genre. See why readers can’t wait for more in this exciting series.
Zompoc Survivor: Exodus
JM Guillen was a normal, mild mannered Midwesterner until he achieved his lifelong dream of being a full-time writer in the summer of 2011. When one of his stories, "The Herald of Autumn," was nominated for a Nebula Award, it was the final straw for his mundanity.
He immediately went mad with a miniscule, insignificant amount of power.
Soon he was declaring himself to be "exempt from the laws of men, regarding pants," and conducting mad experiments regarding human tolerance for rum. In between attempts at taking over Strafford, Missouri, he also dabbles in weird fiction. Besides science fiction, fantasy, and horror, he is best known for implementing schemes, plots, and ploys.
Today, the self-described supervillain spends his days luring fools into joining Irrational Worlds LLC, which he describes as "an evil publishing consortium." By night, he scrawls brilliant, incomprehensible stories and expects to be lauded for his genius.