[Waking up]
Dana liked to wake slowly, feeling everything around her before opening her eyes. But when she felt metal and plastic instead of blankets and an unexpectedly strong breeze, she quickly jumped to full awareness.
She was on a bench, in a middle of a park. A park she didn't recognize, and the city buildings she could see didn't look familiar. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you end up in a strange part of the city, much less fall asleep? Are you trying to get yourself robbed, or worse...
Her school bag was sitting next to her; a quick check turned up her wallet (nothing missing) and her laptop, so she hadn't been robbed. So far, she reminded herself.
Odd. The streets had the normal amount of traffic, but the park was completely deserted. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Sure, there was nobody to see the defenseless young woman all alone, but it might instead mean that everyone around knew the park was a gang hangout or something.
Dana couldn't find her phone, but she had calling software on her school laptop. Most of Gotham had wireless access; with any luck, this park would be included. She opened the computer, and right in the middle of the desktop display was an icon she was sure she hadn't put there herself. It was bright and garish and attention-grabbing, and the program was called "Ask the Residents!!!"
No way that's not a trap. But what other options did she have? The normal vidphone program wasn't responding, nor was email or texting, and she didn't have her phone. Waiting here until dark would just make it more dangerous. Even if it was a trap, she'd be expecting it, and maybe she could give the robbers enough trouble that they'd back off.
She opened the program and browsed the options. Despite the not-at-all reassuring "Completely anonymous!!!" and "Guaranteed untraceable!!!" phrases in the side bar, it actually didn't seem so bad. She could post and receive in either text, voice, or video; sending a text message was a no-brainer, but she thought for a bit before allowing only voice and vid replies. If they're a threat, at least I'll get a hint ahead of time. She considered the wording carefully, then typed and sent.
She was on a bench, in a middle of a park. A park she didn't recognize, and the city buildings she could see didn't look familiar. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you end up in a strange part of the city, much less fall asleep? Are you trying to get yourself robbed, or worse...
Her school bag was sitting next to her; a quick check turned up her wallet (nothing missing) and her laptop, so she hadn't been robbed. So far, she reminded herself.
Odd. The streets had the normal amount of traffic, but the park was completely deserted. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Sure, there was nobody to see the defenseless young woman all alone, but it might instead mean that everyone around knew the park was a gang hangout or something.
Dana couldn't find her phone, but she had calling software on her school laptop. Most of Gotham had wireless access; with any luck, this park would be included. She opened the computer, and right in the middle of the desktop display was an icon she was sure she hadn't put there herself. It was bright and garish and attention-grabbing, and the program was called "Ask the Residents!!!"
No way that's not a trap. But what other options did she have? The normal vidphone program wasn't responding, nor was email or texting, and she didn't have her phone. Waiting here until dark would just make it more dangerous. Even if it was a trap, she'd be expecting it, and maybe she could give the robbers enough trouble that they'd back off.
She opened the program and browsed the options. Despite the not-at-all reassuring "Completely anonymous!!!" and "Guaranteed untraceable!!!" phrases in the side bar, it actually didn't seem so bad. She could post and receive in either text, voice, or video; sending a text message was a no-brainer, but she thought for a bit before allowing only voice and vid replies. If they're a threat, at least I'll get a hint ahead of time. She considered the wording carefully, then typed and sent.