PULP & POPCORN

Page 64
"I'm standing in the center of my room. The closest piece of furniture is five feet
away."
There was a sudden smell of ozone, and the hair on my arms and legs bristled, stood
straight up. All around me was a silent flash of blue-white light, just for one quick second
and then it was gone.
And so was I.
__________
There are far more living quarters at the Future Center than are currently in use. I'm
sure the Commander has his reasons. There's very little about this place that seems random
or accidental. My particular suite takes up the entire top floor of one of the four thirtystory
towers at the corners of the property. It's an amazing view of the city, so much of it
revitalized in the wake of Commander Future's arrival. There was a time when the name
"Triumph City" was a bitter joke, tarnished in the sixty years since its christening by
corruption, mismanagement, and basic human weakness. But no more. It is alive again, and
I can see it all now from my balcony.
When I appeared in the living room for the first time, that flat metallic smell still
fresh in my nose and on my tongue, Commander Future stood waiting in the living room. I
tried to say something but just a thin, pinched wheeze came out.
"Wait. The process plays havoc with the respiratory system for some reason. But
look on the bright side… almost no one throws up."
There was a moment of panic as I tried to draw a breath, suddenly aware of my
closed throat, my tight chest, then suddenly my lungs relaxed and I gasped as I took a deep
breath, drank it in. "You… really… need to work… on how… you warn… people," I managed.
"I did tell you to stand clear of the furniture. I've had some strange issues with
molecular consolidation."
"Wait, you mean like in 'The Fly'? Like I could have become half-man, half-couch?"
"No, of course not," he said dismissively. "If you were combined with something,
there's no way you'd survive."