Pop Travel by Tara Tyler Read Free Book Online Page A

alphanumeric keypad lock, and a handscan verification. Not to mention the camera staring at him overhead. Cooper waved at it.
    The door sprang open.
    “Coop! How the hell are ya!” The brawny, sandy-haired man wearing a Security uniform grabbed Cooper in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground, Sasquatch style.
    “Gordy Maynor. So you managed to keep your job. I was hoping I’d run into you,” Cooper said when he got his breath back.
    “I can’t believe it! My long-lost buddy! Coop the Scoop! Come in, come in.” Gordy kept an arm around Cooper and guided him into the dark room.
    Hoping he could get Gordy’s help without much small talk, Cooper kept a big grin on and nodded. He didn’t have hours to rehash old times.
    “What’s up, man! I haven’t talked to you in… what’s it been? Six years?” Gordy said with wide eyes, amazing himself.
    Cooper nodded some more and followed Gordy to a desk with a wall-sized imager divided into 24 sections. Several other stations like Gordy’s lined the walls. With shimmering images the only illumination, and the guards staring at the screens, the scene looked like a horror flick. Cooper expected a grotesque hand to reach out of an imager and grab one of them.
    Gordy cleared his throat, calling the attention of the other guards, who squinted to see the visitor. Cooper would enjoy a job in a place like this, minimal human contact.
    “Hey, fellas. This is my old buddy, Cooper. He’s the one who got me my first job here,” Gordy said. Most of them nodded and went back to their duties.
    “Looks like you are doing pretty well at the ATC.” Cooper wished he could fast-forward this conversation, eager to get the chitchat over with.
    Sitting down, Gordy glanced at his monitors, then leaned back in his chair.
    “Yep. I got promoted to first shift last year. I watch the monitors and rotate at the different checkpoints around the travelport. They like to keep us moving so we don’t fall asleep in the Pit here. Hey, Bob! Wake up!” he joked, and threw an empty can at one of the other guards.
    The guy looked at Gordy like he was nuts and shook his head, then went back to his work.
    “So how is Kristen?” he asked.
    Damn. Cooper forgot many people from his old life didn’t know about what happened. A pang of grief grazed him. Choosing a random monitor to stare at, he watched a toddler cry while his mother tried to console him with a stuffed toy.
    “She passed away in a plane crash five years ago.” Cooper lowered his face, feeling the weight of her absence, as the shimmering glow of the imagers brought flashes of memories to mind. He hoped his tone and downcast expression made it clear he didn’t want to talk about it.
    “Aww, man. I’m sorry. She was an awesome lady.”
    “Yes, she was.”
    Cooper appreciated Gordy taking the hint and changing subjects.
    “So what are you doing these days? What brings you to the ATC? Did I hear Vera say you were a detective now?” Gordy asked.
    “Yeah. I gave up the lawyer act. Decided to change tracks. That’s why I’m here. I have a client whose wife disappeared. He wants to sue the company because he thinks she ran off with a guy from work and they’re keeping her location a secret from him.” The first test would be to see if the travelport staff knew anything about a low-profile disappearance, so Cooper made up a background story on the train ride into town.
    “Sounds like a scandal. How can I help?”
    Guess not. Now for the real questions.
    “Well, for starters, have there been any problems with transmissions?”
    “That’s not really my department, but I don’t think there have been. Any delays are usually due to passenger discomfort or ‘pop anxiety’.” Gordy looked over his shoulder at the other guards. Several chuckled and mumbled comments.
    “Pop anxiety? What’s that?” Cooper asked, though he thought he might have a good idea. He probably had it himself.
    “It’s like air sickness. Affects mostly