1. Gaslight


    Date: 10/10/2015, Categories: Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Author: lucywild, Rating: 5, Source: LushStories

    the gaslight illuminating the street as if it were high noon. The woman weaved through the crowds, the fusegun already hidden away. I thought about turning back, suspicious of where she was taking me but she’d mentioned Olivia. She finally stopped as a mechahorse trotted by pulling a black stagecoach. From the window a man in a powdered wig leaned out and reached towards me. “Hey baby,” he slurred. “Looking for a good time?” The woman grabbed his wrist before he knew what was happening. “You do know sex is illegal don’t you?” she asked, her voice questioning, almost playful. “What are you, an autocop?” he replied, trying and failing to wrench his arm free. “No,” she replied, pushing him back into the carriage. “I’m a council member.” “Oh my…Lady Evelyn, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise. Please…I have a family. We were served by the autorepros. I wouldn’t dream of…” “Of course you wouldn’t,” Lady Evelyn replied. “You were just going to show her the sights as the clock counted down to midnight like a respectable citizen. Get out of here before I put you in a peeler cell.” The horse trotted off down the street, the man gawping out at the two of us as Lady Evelyn turned to me. “You all right?” “I knew I knew you,” I replied. “Why not just tell me who you are?” “Where’s the fun in that?” She laughed and started walking again. “Keep up, we haven’t much time.” We reached the autostairs that led up to the abbey and she stopped again as a mechapigeon landed on her wrist. She took the ...
    note from inside the mecha and read it quickly. “Council business,” she said, turning to me as she crammed the note into her pocket. “Now listen, in two minutes a man is going to walk down here and ask for trade. You’re going to go with him and afterwards you’re going to come to this address and tell me what happened.” She passed me a slip of paper sealed with wax. “Wh…what? Why?” “There’s illicit encounters taking place on this side of the river and I want them to stop. In order to achieve that I need to know where they are taking place.” “But why me? Why not an autocop?” “I need this kept quiet.” “But…” A frown crossed her face. “Enough. Do this one thing for me and I will tell you where Olivia is. Do we have an accord?” I nodded. “We do.” “Excellent. Farewell Cat.” She turned away and was gone into the crowd in a moment. I barely had time to think before there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned round to find a man in a tweed suit towering over me. “Are you the girl?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Am I what girl?” He glanced around him before leaning towards my ear, his top hat slipping forwards. “Are you the girl Sophia sent?” I nodded. “Yes, that’s me.” “Excellent, far prettier than her usual supplies. Come with me.” He stepped onto the autostairs and I followed, turning to watch the lights of the town shrink away beneath me. The stairs rumbled and creaked as we rose to the top of the cliff before I stepped off onto the grass by the churchyard. A steamcrate was ready ...