Page 67 of Tapeworld Induction

Defiance rose in him. Seeing her seething like this felt karmic.

She cleared her throat and spoke quietly. “What the hell happened?” She smoothed down her suit trousers, crossing her legs under the table. Her breathing was faster.

“I failed.” He kept his eyes and body still while saying this, avoiding unnecessary movement. Then he slammed his fist down suddenly, hoping to scare her. “Tell me who the artifact was for!”

Jewel lunged at him, but Astrid waved her away. She simply smiled, and pressed a button on the table, ignoring his rage.

A pair of hologram menus popped out in front of them.

“What are you having?” Astrid swiped pages with her hand, touching nothing. There was an eerie quality to her smile.

“Uh… I’m good.”

This was strange. She wanted to order food in the middle of their argument? It wouldn’t even be real food or drink in here, and he didn’t feel like role-playing a meal.

Astrid looked at him like a worried mother. “Oh, don’t tell me you don’t have a food line hooked up to you? I can’t live without them – every time I come in here I feel ravenous. I need to match up with my body.”

She highlighted her selection and made an order for the table.

He stared at her. “You’re kidding, right? You’re being fed intravenously?” He knew this was all a game to her. He’d known her for too long. Astrid relished feeling superior.

She pursed her lips. “I spend a lot of time in this bloody reality. I’d starve if I didn’t.”

“And who hooks you up?” Isaak pointed at Jewel. “Her?”

Astrid shook her head. “No, no… Jewel is purely tasked with guarding my body, in both realities.” She leaned forwards and rubbed a hand from her chest down her side, the black shirt rumpling beneath her slim fingers, and flashed him a too-white smile. “She does a very good job, doesn’t she…? Ah, here’s lunch!”

A man walked into his field of view, wearing a black-and-white server’s uniform. He didn’t have a face. It was a dumbwaiter, an AI agent, designed purely to serve food at the Emporium. The lack of visage shook Isaak up. A flash of the man he shot appeared in front of his eyes and then disappeared again. Isaak recoiled in place, a shiver going down his spine as the bot placed down a platter covered by a silvered purple cloche.

Astrid’s eyes gleamed at his reaction. “Everything okay, Ike?”

“It’s nothing.” But the guilty hallucination forced his hand. He had to ask again. “Who did I shoot—”

The server – AI – whatever it was, reached in and pulled the cloche from over the platter.

“Meow!”

A tabby cat stood and stretched and started gently attacking the utensils on the table.

It took a few seconds for Isaak to summon any words. “What the fuck is this?”

“Hmm… My thoughts exactly.”

Isaak frowned. His system was flooding with adrenaline, urging him to look for a way out. The only way she would know about the cat is if she had been watching them somehow… Jewel stood right next to him, like a polished metal brass wall, perfectly still. Isaak looked into her unwavering face. Even if he made it out of here, he’d never make it somewhere safe enough to tape out.

After a few seconds, he gave up on thinking of ways to leave. The tabby cat made its way to his side of the table and nudged him for attention. He kept his eyes down, his arms crossed, resisting any contact with it.

“I’m not much into cats, Astrid…”

“Really? That’s surprising, considering…” A veiled threat.

“What?” The muscles in his neck tensed. He placed his hands on the table, making to get up.

She turned to her companion. “Jewel?”

Jewel immediately grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him back down into his seat.

“Please, stay!” Astrid raised her voice.