Cute face, beasty behavior. Guess that came with the territory when you were fabricating in the fashion field. Violet Gear, Bam thought, I remember you.
He stretched his back and kept his eyes forward. Saw the TwinBuilds giggling two rows in front of him. Male and female lookalikes with the ability to build everything out of anything. The nitro boost version of the DIY maker movement. Bam watched a lot of their videos, just to see what they came up with. 3D printed huts, self-replicating micromakers and even anti-dirt clothes. And since they were male and female, they tapped into both gender markets and accumulated an impressive viewership. Bam wondered whether they’d compete against each other or counted as one participant. Only time would tell, or Roman Stax himself. No need to worry about these two.
Bam leaned back and noticed the bus driver walking through the rows, distributing fresh coffee, hot cocoa and cookies with coconut accents. It must be easy living for bus drivers. With the shuttle set on auto-pilot, he could chill out for hours. Would there even be a need for them in the near future ? Hard to tell since this city changed way too fast, especially under the new government rule.
“What would you like, sir ?”
The bus driver stopped in front of Bam and flashed a professional smile.
“Hot cocoa, please.”
The driver nodded, handed him a steaming cup.
“Cream ?”
“Go for it.”
Splosh. He sprayed low-cab sugar whiteness on top. What a treat. The bus driver nodded, passed him by and faced Violet behind.
“Coffee or black tea ?”
Violet frowned.
“What about the hot cocoa ? I don’t like caffeine, it makes me dizzy.”
The driver shrugged.
“Sorry, out of order.”
“Already ? We’re just a handful of people.”
“I miscalculated the demand for hot chocolate. Normal folks prefer coffee at this time.”
“Normal folks don’t apply for the Blogbuster,” Violet said.
The driver shrugged again. Like, it’s the way it is, take it or leave it, girl. Violet was about to wave him away when Bam turned to them, his big hands wrapped around the steaming cup.
“You can have my hot cocoa, I haven’t even taken a sip.”
He moved the steamy cup towards her.
“Is it poisoned ?”
Bam smiled.
“Are you serious ?”
“You just never know.”
“Here, you can watch me take a sip and see if I fall down.”
“No,” she said, “if you drink it, you’ll spread your germs all over the rim of the cup.”
“So you want it ?”
She hesitated but accepted his invitation. The driver smiled.
“So, that’s taken care of. If you need my help, you know where you can find me. I’m dozing off.”
Bam nodded and turned his glance back to Violet taking sips out of his cocoa.
“It’s good, ain’t it ?”
She squinted her eyes.
“This doesn’t change anything.”
Bam smiled and turned around. Made a mental note — Violet is one tough cookie to crack.
If she’s already oozing hostility during a harmless cocoa exchange, what happens when she’s going battlemode during the show ?
Bam realized he needed to expect the worst.
YOU ARE READING
Blogbuster - A comedy-laced blogger sci-fi thriller
Science FictionTo steal attention no one gets, you have to do things no one dares When video blogger Violet Gear’s online techwear show ends in a catastrophe, she faces financial ruin. To cope with the career kill, she enters the Blogbuster - a controversial real...
