Pop Travel by Tara Tyler Read Free Book Online

the travelers for weapons and other nonsense.
    Once through Security, Cooper looked for a map to gain his bearings. He had been to the ATC only a couple of times since its conversion and still wondered at its makeover from airport to travelport. Now that all the gates had been converted to transport platforms, travelers waited in the extravagant front lobby for their pop time to be announced. To accommodate them, the shops and restaurants had been transplanted, taking the place of the old baggage claim carousels, turning the area into an elaborate mall. Pop travel had transformed airports into destinations.
    Cooper spotted the information desk in the middle of it all. And suspended from the three-story ceiling hung a colossal, shiny steel statue of the Creator of pop travel. Young Hasan Rakhi stood tall, as if he had just taken a step forward, with his shoulders back and his chest out, his face shining with a determined look, peering into the future, at the parking deck.
He doesn’t think much of himself. Sheesh.
    Cooper shook his head at the monstrosity. He had no use for pop travel or the celebrity Creator, often wondering if he had been born in the wrong era. As he approached the counter, he took a deep breath and put on a rehearsed smile.
    “Hello, ma’am. My name is J.L. Cooper. I’m looking for the Security office,” he said in his most friendly tone. Using his QV, he displayed his ID to the black, schoolmarmish lady who adjusted her small glasses and inspected the picture with one eyebrow raised. Her eyes yo-yoed between his face and the ID, comparing it to the real thing.
    “May I ask what this is about, Detective?”
    “Of course.” He paused to look at her name badge. “Vera. I am investigating the disappearance of a client’s loved one.”
    “Oh. Well, I doubt you’ll have much luck. Unless you have federal clearance you won’t be gettin’ anywhere,” she said with a deep Southern accent.
    “I see. Well, it was worth a shot, I guess.” He shrugged. “By the way, could you tell me if Gordy Maynor still works here?”
    Her eyes lit up, lashes fluttering, and her tone softened.
    “Gordy? Why shore, honey. Is he a friend of yours? He’s a doll.”
    Good old Gordy.
    “Yes, he is. We go way back. Gordy and I went to college together.”
    “Why didn’t you say so!” She swatted at the air in front of him. “I’ll buzz him.”
    “Thanks. That would be great.” Cooper looked at the masses wandering around while she got Gordy on her comlink.
So many people. Where could they all be going?
    When Vera finished, she grinned at Cooper.
    “Gordy is beside himself. You’d bettah get right down there.” She stood up and pointed. “The office is down that way, through the Atrium. Turn right just before medical and take the elevator down. There’s a hallway on the right. Then it’s the door on the left. You got all that?”
    She sat back down, activated a visitor’s pass and handed it to him. Before letting go, she looked over her glasses at Cooper, as if reconsidering his intelligence.
    “Yes, I’ll be fine. Thank you very much, Vera. I appreciate your help.”
    “You’re welcome, son. And I’m tellin’ the rest of Security to expect you. Come back if you get lost, now.”
    He smiled and waved as he walked away.
    The guards posted along the way scanned his visitor’s pass and nodded at him. Relieved he didn’t have to go through it, Cooper watched passengers enter the medical checkpoint as he passed. An elaborate process to make sure bodies could handle being broken down and rebuilt.
No thank you.
    Cooper smiled at the elevator guard who asked Cooper his name and to show his ID, in addition to the visitor’s pass. After verification, the guard nodded and used his keycard and thumbprint to open the elevator for Cooper to go down. He had no trouble finding the office. When he pushed the buzzer, he noticed all the security measures on the door, including a card reader, a color changing, 3D,