5.g.
A swarm of
sharpened Betty’s had separated the Union . Supply was with Fair Wage and Franklin
Buck. The old man was holding up well,
and kept most of the gouging attackers at bay.
Franklin Buck was practically useless; Supply expected to see a wet spot
appear across the crotch of his pants at any moment.
She didn’t
know where she was leading them or why they were following her. All she knew was that she needed to find
Demand. Neither of them functioned well
without the other.
A Betty and
two Jacks burst out of an office door on their left. Franklin
Buck shrieked and man-slapped one of the Jacks which did little to deter the
robot. Supply grabbed the Betty unit’s
wrists, charged toward the other Jack and impaled it on the Betty’s bladed
fingers. She head butted the other Jack,
which hurt just as much as she thought it might, but her positioning had left
her with no other available maneuver.
The Jack stumbled backward and Fair Wage permanently dismantled it.
“Work a second
job! Sell your belongings! Go back to school! You won’t stop inflation!” the Betty
screamed. She fell silent when Franklin
Buck stepped forward and head butted her.
A look of pride and accomplishment flashed across his face and for a
moment he seemed confident and manly.
Then one of his eyelids twitched and a blank expression set in just
before his knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor.
They dragged Franklin
to the nearest water cooler and doused him until he came around. One of the Jack heads lying nearby said,
“Have to… Charge you zzbt that.”
“Where am I,”
Franklin Buck asked as almost all victims of sudden unconsciousness do when
they awaken. His eyes lolled around and
he said, “How much do you think I’m worth?”
“On your
feet,” said Supply.
“Where are we
going? Not another business trip, I hope,”
Franklin Buck said sputtering. A massive
flesh egg continued to grow on his forehead.
“We need to
find Demand and the others,” she said and urged them forward. Without Demand she was almost powerless. Together they were an imposing economic
force.