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Challenge: Write a Short Story in a Week
- Thread starter Summerflyte
- Start date
Meadow337
Former Moderator
A Doppelganger in Town.
I knew I was in trouble the moment I walked into the bar, because I was already standing at the counter chatting up my girl. I stopped and did a double take. Yes that was me, but I was here, and to make matters worse neither my girl or any of the other regulars had noticed any difference. How could this have happened?
I turned around quietly and left, until I could get to the bottom of this mystery, there was no point in making a scene. I arrived back in my dingy apartment on 215th floor of the Apt Block where I lived. The lock opened to my palm print. Good, at least my apartment knew who I was. "Research Doppelgangers" I said the AI that ran my apartment. It was a low grade model - voice only - I couldn't afford better, but I had upgraded its search capabilities considerably.
"Running search on 'Doppelgangers'" it said. A few minutes later it said, "Search complete."
"Review Results. Headings Only," I commanded, "On Screen. Scroll Rate Slow." The AI obligingly scrolled the search results on screen slowly for me. One caught my eye. "Have you been seeing double lately?" I frowned. "What is that result doing in there?" I asked the AI.
"Please indicate to which result you are referring." it replied annoyingly. I keep forgetting it doesn't have neurological circuits to follow input such as brainwave patterns and eye movements making such requests unnecessary.
"Have you been seeing double lately?" I said, "What is an advert for an optician doing in the results?"
"It isn't an advert for an optician," replied the AI, "it is an advert for a ... a ... cleaning service, I believe you would call it."
I had never heard an AI hesitate before. " Load file. Onscreen." I needed to find out what would make an AI hesitate.
"Hmm," I said, "that certainly seems to have my problem covered. My doppelganger is downstairs right now in the Happy Hippo, chatting to my girl." There was silence from my AI. "How come I'm the last to hear about this? You are supposed to inform me when there is business to be had." My AI said nothing. "Respond!" I said sharply. "I want to know why you didn't inform of this," I squinted at the date on the screen, "a year ago. A year ago! This has been going on for over a year and you didn't inform me?" I was furious. "You aren't just going for an upgrade! I am going to completely rewrite you!" I screamed at the machine. It remained silent.
Behind me the door opened quietly, a hand holding a gun entered the room, followed by silent man in black. The gun made a quiet pop. I felt nothing as the systems shut down eliminating me.
The man in black stood over the body on the floor. "I think that is the last one,' he said, as I entered the room behind him. "Next time you cause a temporal overlap and infect the world with cyborg copies of themselves you can clean up the mess by yourself."
I knew I was in trouble the moment I walked into the bar, because I was already standing at the counter chatting up my girl. I stopped and did a double take. Yes that was me, but I was here, and to make matters worse neither my girl or any of the other regulars had noticed any difference. How could this have happened?
I turned around quietly and left, until I could get to the bottom of this mystery, there was no point in making a scene. I arrived back in my dingy apartment on 215th floor of the Apt Block where I lived. The lock opened to my palm print. Good, at least my apartment knew who I was. "Research Doppelgangers" I said the AI that ran my apartment. It was a low grade model - voice only - I couldn't afford better, but I had upgraded its search capabilities considerably.
"Running search on 'Doppelgangers'" it said. A few minutes later it said, "Search complete."
"Review Results. Headings Only," I commanded, "On Screen. Scroll Rate Slow." The AI obligingly scrolled the search results on screen slowly for me. One caught my eye. "Have you been seeing double lately?" I frowned. "What is that result doing in there?" I asked the AI.
"Please indicate to which result you are referring." it replied annoyingly. I keep forgetting it doesn't have neurological circuits to follow input such as brainwave patterns and eye movements making such requests unnecessary.
"Have you been seeing double lately?" I said, "What is an advert for an optician doing in the results?"
"It isn't an advert for an optician," replied the AI, "it is an advert for a ... a ... cleaning service, I believe you would call it."
I had never heard an AI hesitate before. " Load file. Onscreen." I needed to find out what would make an AI hesitate.
Have You Been Seeing Double Lately?
Have you seen yourself in your usual haunts?
Have your friends asked you what you are doing here,
when they just saw you there?
Have you been asked what you did,
when you know you didn't?
Do you have a Doppelganger?
To Solve This Problem Painlessly
Call: ******
Have you seen yourself in your usual haunts?
Have your friends asked you what you are doing here,
when they just saw you there?
Have you been asked what you did,
when you know you didn't?
Do you have a Doppelganger?
To Solve This Problem Painlessly
Call: ******
"Hmm," I said, "that certainly seems to have my problem covered. My doppelganger is downstairs right now in the Happy Hippo, chatting to my girl." There was silence from my AI. "How come I'm the last to hear about this? You are supposed to inform me when there is business to be had." My AI said nothing. "Respond!" I said sharply. "I want to know why you didn't inform of this," I squinted at the date on the screen, "a year ago. A year ago! This has been going on for over a year and you didn't inform me?" I was furious. "You aren't just going for an upgrade! I am going to completely rewrite you!" I screamed at the machine. It remained silent.
Behind me the door opened quietly, a hand holding a gun entered the room, followed by silent man in black. The gun made a quiet pop. I felt nothing as the systems shut down eliminating me.
The man in black stood over the body on the floor. "I think that is the last one,' he said, as I entered the room behind him. "Next time you cause a temporal overlap and infect the world with cyborg copies of themselves you can clean up the mess by yourself."
Sparhawk
Active Member
Mistaken Identity
George arrived in the town of Mix-ups on a quiet summers afternoon. George had chosen the town of Mix-ups to spend his four days off, because it was widely known to be a town in which nothing happens. Nothing happening was exactly what George needed. After unpacking his bags and settling in to his hotel room, George decided to go for a walk and look at a few of the shops that were in Mix-ups before dinner. As he was wondering around one of the ten antique shops he noticed that the man behind the counter was looking at him in the oddest way. He nervously smoothed his hair and straightened his jacket, 'Maybe they are just not used to strangers in town' he thought to himself as he smiled and nodded at the man in greeting. The man behind the counter frowned and didn't say a word or acknowledge George. George quickly left the shop not wanting any trouble on his holiday. Little did he know that trouble was determined to intrude on his quiet holiday whether he wanted it to or not, as the man in the antique shop picked up the phone and made a call.
Blissfully unaware that his holiday was about to take a surprising turn, George had crossed the street and walked into a small restaurant. Determinedly ignoring the looks that he was getting from the few other people in the restaurant and the waitress that had lead him to his table. Trouble was biding its time, waiting until the right moment to pounce upon the unsuspecting George. As it happens the right moment was when George stepped out of the restaurant. Police cars came racing around from behind the restaurant and down the road, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Before George even had time to absorb the fact that he had been surrounded, ten police officers had jumped out of the cars and all of them had guns pointed at George. An officer with a megaphone said to him.
"We have got you George, put your hands up and walk slowly towards me!" For a brief moment George thought that they were talking to someone else behind him but when he turned around and saw no-one he realised that they meant him. Shocked he turned and faced the policeman and put his hands in the air. He called out to them,
"This is some big mistake here! I am not the George that you are looking for! I am only staying here on holiday!" The officers voice once again came over the megaphone,
"We know its you George! We have you on tape robbing that bank!"
"Bank what bank? I haven't been to the bank! I'm George Whatshisname not the George who robbed the bank!" There was a moments silence as the the officer thought this over.
"You have something that can prove this with you?" he asked over the megaphone. George was about to say 'yes' when he realised that he had left everything but a little bit of money in his hotel room and that he had no way of proving that he was who he said he was on hand.
"Not right at this moment no!" He answered with a sigh as he started to walk across the road towards the police. At least if he turned himself in they would find out that he was the wrong man. It was just at that moment that car came racing around the corner and stopped in front of him.
A man with a stocking over his head leapt out of the car and grabbed him and shoved him into the car while saying, "How did they find you George?" The car raced off as the police jumped in to their cars and took off after them.
George looked at three men in the car with him and said in a accepting tone of voice, "You aren't going to believe me when I say that I am not the George you are looking for are you?" Two of the men looked at each other and then back at George as the raced down the road then shook their heads no.
George thought to himself, as he clutched onto the side of the car as they raced away that this may not have been the quiet holiday he had been looking for, but it was oddly turning out to be rather fun.
George arrived in the town of Mix-ups on a quiet summers afternoon. George had chosen the town of Mix-ups to spend his four days off, because it was widely known to be a town in which nothing happens. Nothing happening was exactly what George needed. After unpacking his bags and settling in to his hotel room, George decided to go for a walk and look at a few of the shops that were in Mix-ups before dinner. As he was wondering around one of the ten antique shops he noticed that the man behind the counter was looking at him in the oddest way. He nervously smoothed his hair and straightened his jacket, 'Maybe they are just not used to strangers in town' he thought to himself as he smiled and nodded at the man in greeting. The man behind the counter frowned and didn't say a word or acknowledge George. George quickly left the shop not wanting any trouble on his holiday. Little did he know that trouble was determined to intrude on his quiet holiday whether he wanted it to or not, as the man in the antique shop picked up the phone and made a call.
Blissfully unaware that his holiday was about to take a surprising turn, George had crossed the street and walked into a small restaurant. Determinedly ignoring the looks that he was getting from the few other people in the restaurant and the waitress that had lead him to his table. Trouble was biding its time, waiting until the right moment to pounce upon the unsuspecting George. As it happens the right moment was when George stepped out of the restaurant. Police cars came racing around from behind the restaurant and down the road, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Before George even had time to absorb the fact that he had been surrounded, ten police officers had jumped out of the cars and all of them had guns pointed at George. An officer with a megaphone said to him.
"We have got you George, put your hands up and walk slowly towards me!" For a brief moment George thought that they were talking to someone else behind him but when he turned around and saw no-one he realised that they meant him. Shocked he turned and faced the policeman and put his hands in the air. He called out to them,
"This is some big mistake here! I am not the George that you are looking for! I am only staying here on holiday!" The officers voice once again came over the megaphone,
"We know its you George! We have you on tape robbing that bank!"
"Bank what bank? I haven't been to the bank! I'm George Whatshisname not the George who robbed the bank!" There was a moments silence as the the officer thought this over.
"You have something that can prove this with you?" he asked over the megaphone. George was about to say 'yes' when he realised that he had left everything but a little bit of money in his hotel room and that he had no way of proving that he was who he said he was on hand.
"Not right at this moment no!" He answered with a sigh as he started to walk across the road towards the police. At least if he turned himself in they would find out that he was the wrong man. It was just at that moment that car came racing around the corner and stopped in front of him.
A man with a stocking over his head leapt out of the car and grabbed him and shoved him into the car while saying, "How did they find you George?" The car raced off as the police jumped in to their cars and took off after them.
George looked at three men in the car with him and said in a accepting tone of voice, "You aren't going to believe me when I say that I am not the George you are looking for are you?" Two of the men looked at each other and then back at George as the raced down the road then shook their heads no.
George thought to himself, as he clutched onto the side of the car as they raced away that this may not have been the quiet holiday he had been looking for, but it was oddly turning out to be rather fun.
Sparhawk
Active Member
dingy
/ˈdɪn(d)ʒi/
adjective
adjective: dingy; comparative adjective: dingier; superlative adjective: dingiest
1.
gloomy and drab.
"a dingy room"synonyms: gloomy, drab, dark, dull, badly/poorly lit, dim;
Ignorance is not bliss
cookieprincess2019
Member
Hungry