Blood Games - Episode 1

  This week’s episode features a chapter from Blood Games, Jake Ramsey Book #3, the first book Black Brick is available as a free ebook from most ebook vendors. Here is an excerpt from the show: LIGHTNING TORE THROUGH THE sky, and it was followed by thunder. I wiped the rain off my face, squinting as I ran towards the cab Ronald Essler had just disappeared into. My messenger bag bounced off my back and slid against my waist. Using an elbow I pushed it back into place. A man stepped in front of me and I was unable to keep from colliding into him, so I put my shoulder down and barreled into his side. He went careening into the crowd with a shout of indignation but I was already beyond him. Others turned to look. “Move!” I said to a black woman with short hair. “You!” She said. “You’re that terrorist.” Cursing, I touched the latex on my face and discovered it had come free. I tossed it to the side. I’d been holding onto hope that the rain hadn’t washed away my disguise, so much for that.  I pushed my way past her without speaking, hoping she’d let it go but knowing it wasn’t likely. She had plenty of tools to report my presence. It seemed like everybody had one of those Spectrum apps installed on their phone since Reading Market. How was I supposed to know the whole thing had been caught on camera? Not the kids, of course, or any of the audio, just me shooting Sam. In cold blood. I’d do it again, given the opportunity. I just regretted the whole world had seen me do it. DataRader had used the release of the video to announce FaceRec, their facial recognition product that connected to any video feed. It came equipped with Wi-Fi and would pass any alerts into DataRader’s monitoring system. Reading Market had been part of a beta test, and Sam had been a member of the DataRader team which responded to an alert about my presence. Or so the story went. Reed had made the announcement himself, tones all somber, his eyes burning with the desire for justice. It had made great television, and he’d had free press coverage for days. Their stock had gone through the roof. Diggon had managed to save some face, but investors hadn’t liked the risk the fake me posed and had been selling it off, even though Spectrum was being downloaded in record numbers. It was at the top of the charts on all platforms. Before long I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere in the country and not have somebody’s phone listening for me.