Free Podcast Novel

 

 Standard Podcast [16:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google doc of the text so far.

Mick Aloha was privy to waking up in strange places.  It had been happening to him a lot recently.  What had once seemed to be a negative had turned into a positive, though, as his priviness had prepared him for the current situation.

Aloha pressed against the soft ground to lift himself to a sitting position.  He judged, from the sunlight, that it was just after dawn.  He’d slept all night.

A bamboo forest surrounded him.  Morning mist hung above the ground, hiding the bottoms of the bamboo trees.  Birds called in the distance; Aloha had no interest in birds, other than chicken for eating, so the calls meant nothing to him.

 

 Standard Podcast [22:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google doc of the text so far.

Sato’s bunker was totally, like, not a bunker at all.  Bunkers were bunkers, man, with ramparts and other defenses; this was just a studio apartment.  As the Kid surveyed the place and his eyes drifted over the piles of clothes, electronics, and empty beer cans, he thought studio was the wrong word.  Studio made it sound cool, like Sato was giving up his comfort for his art.  There was no art here, though, and there was definitely no organization; Sato was a slob.

The Kid took off his shoes.  He’d heard you were supposed to do that type of thing in Japan, but, like, come on.  The Kid was into wearing his shoes, especially in dumps like this.  There was no telling what the Kid might step on.  This guy had, kind of, saved the Kid’s life, though, and when, after the Kid’s non-verbal cues that he wanted to keep his shoes on, Sato had just kept motioning for him to take his shoes off, the Kid had complied.  The Kid liked that word.  Comply.  Yes sir, I comply.  The Kid was into it.  The Kid was into his own vocabulary.

 

 Standard Podcast [12:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google doc of the text so far.

In the summer between the 6th and 7th grade, Dowell had visited New York City on a school trip.  Looking down on the city from the Empire State Building’s observation deck, with his face pressed against the metal crossbars, he’d heard his classmates discuss the fatal consequences of dropping coins from the deck.

As they talked about it, a girl Dowell had been going to school with since kindergarten tossed a penny over the side.   A worker yelled at her, but it was too late to do anything about it.  Later that day, there were no reports of death on the sidewalks below the building, no FBI agents at their hotel, no reporters following their chartered bus.

 

 Standard Podcast [12:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google doc of the text so far.

As the robot clung to Mick Aloha and flew him through the air, he thought about all of the things that were wrong with this situation.  He hated robots, so catching a ride with a robot was like a cat catching a ride with a mouse; it was unnatural.  Even worse, the robot had kind of saved him.  Aloha used the term kind of because even though the robot had been his means of escape, Aloha knew he could have escaped, anyway.  He was unsure about the others, though, which was why he’d agreed to this plan.  Another problem with this situation was that there was no upgrade.  When Aloha flew, he always tried to get the upgrade.  He went for upgrades at hotels, restaurants, and even the San Francisco MUNI buses.  There were no upgrades available on the buses, but he tried.  He tried a lot.

The worst part of this situation was the lack of escape routes.  Hanging from a robot, with no separate propulsion system of his own, left him in a dangerous position.

 

 Standard Podcast [10:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google doc of the text so far.

The Kid was, like, totally not amped about being choked.  The Kid couldn’t breathe.  He was into breathing, in a big way, so this robot was totally, like, killing his good time.  The robot had a good grip.  Its hands had better dexterity than the Kid had expected.  Whoever made this robot had done a pretty good job, expect for the part where the robot came in and started choking him.

The Kid grabbed the robot’s arms.  It was tough for his hands to find purchase on the smooth metal; it felt like the thing had been coated in Teflon.  Like, who puts Teflon on their robots?

 

 Standard Podcast [13:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google doc of the text so far.

Apocalypse Dowell wanted to pretend that he didn’t know Mick Aloha, but it was too late.  Several passengers had seen Aloha, the Kid, and Dowell arguing about their seats, arguing like a group of kids.  The police would find out soon enough that they knew each other; lying would only make the situation worse.

Although it had gotten him through security back in San Francisco, he didn’t trust his new passport.  Dowell had been given the name Charles Chaplin, a name sure to raise suspicions everywhere, except perhaps Japan.  He needed a quiet flight so that they could slip through customs and immigration without raising suspicions.  What he got was Mick Aloha, madman and troublemaker, who was now choking a small Asian man in the back of the plane.  Between gasps for breath, the man was swearing in Japanese.

 

 Standard Podcast [10:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google doc of the text so far.

Mick Aloha stood in the aisle with his shoulders back and his chest out, a man who deserved recognition for his accomplishment, a man who should be praised and honored.  He wondered if they’d make him an honorary captain; maybe they would let him fly the plane for a while.  Hell, they might even let him land the thing after what he had done.

The passengers ignored him.