Lovers on a Train

This is the first story in the collection because it really is ground zero for what turned out to be a three year process of getting this book into print.

Obviously, I have no small affection for this little Cyber-punk infused subversion and, if anything, the rogue Ai that lurks at the heart of the story became ever more topical as the editing, subbing and publishing process extended.

The downside of this being the first is that it’s also probably the story that has been edited and re-edited the most and I confess to being almost entirely incapable of judging if it’s any good.

This is probably not the best story in the collection, or my favourite, or the cleverest, or the most pleasing voice or the most anything; but it remains the first and, as a result, will inherit my lands and titles when the fatty foods and sedentary writer’s life finally do away with me.

Inside scoop: There are actually two alternate versions of this story, inspired by a very legitimate comment about gender bias, only excluded from the book after substantial discussion with the Editor and Publisher! Maybe I’ll post them up here and see what y’all think? What y’all think about that?

The first thing rendered in ultra-high-def is that word again, Libidne. This time it’s accompanied by a helpful translation: Lust. As soft music plays through the magnetic induction above Stranger’s ears, two people emerge, left and right. He could be David, she might be Aphrodite. Models of physical perfection, as naked as the day they were created. They stand as Adam and Eve once did, apple uneaten, seemingly unconcerned, perhaps even unaware of their own nakedness. Each avatar for naked lust wears only a subtle smile – with shining eyes that invite the looker to look… and enter.

Shifting, nervous, Stranger taps his frames again. Reduced opacity drops the north-bound carriage further into grey as his eyes are tracked and his almost unconscious desire is smoothly acted upon. The virtual camera glides Stranger towards the naked woman. As if pleased by his choice, she smiles and turns as she leads him deeper into her world and the unspoken promises that smile silently makes. As Stranger follows her in all her naked glory, a deep rich voice whispers, inviting.

‘Lust is life, life is lust… and when perfection is possible, why settle for less?’

Stranger now finds himself in what appears to be an endless deep-blue space. Aphrodite turns to him again. That naked smile, that naked form and the perfectly silent and uncomplicated offer of her inviting eyes are all she needs say.

‘But just what is perfection? And is your perfection the same as mine? Using our advanced digital selection, customisation, sculpting and personalisation tools, why not feed your Libidne with a companion designed just for you.’

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If you or someone you know and love might appreciate stories about immortal warriors, the magical power of story-telling, hard bitten noir-detectives or the jokes that infest the internet after every tragedy, then The Sub[bed]version Anthology is maybe for you. Of course, if you think someone you despise will hate those things then - speaking as someone who once bought a beloved friend Starcraft, knowing he’d have to upgrade his computer to play it and the third book in a trilogy; I put it to you that aggressive gift giving is an under-reported art and always appreciated.

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