Only Controlled Deaccelleration Is Our Motto

20260302

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

“I detect that you are experiencing anxiety!” The robot taxibot chirped. “Don’t worry, passenger, we are on route and on time!”
Joanne clutched the seat, despite knowing that offered no additional security over her seatbelt, and gasped “D-don’t you think you’re going too fast??”
“Not at all! My route and associated velocities are calculated based on air traffic reports and your chosen arrival time. I can assure you we are travelling at the perfect-”
Joanne cringed as the taxi swooped under a skybridge, the sound of the metal girder thrumming from the displaced air audible even through the taxi’s sealing. “Haven’t you ever heard ‘speed kills’??”
“What a strange question. Speed never killed anyone. It’s becoming suddenly stationary, that’s what gets you. And I can assure you that none of my passengers have ever suffered uncontrolled deaccelleration. I have a one-hundred-percent delivery success - which is graded as ‘excellent’, if you were wondering.”
The robot’s head spun around so the painted smile was facing her. “So just relax and-”
“EYES ON THE SKY!!!”
“My awareness is housed in the vehicle itself, and I have access to all its input data.” The robot intoned with forbearing patience entirely at odds with the way the city was zipping past in a neon blur. “These ‘eyes’ are purely to make you feel at ease-”
“I WOULD FEEL MORE AT EASE IF YOU WERE LOOKING FORWARD PLEASE.”
“Very well.” The head spun back to its neutral position. “The customer is always right, after all…”
Despite trying both, Joanne couldn’t decide whether having her eyes open or shut was less terrifying. She reluctantly settled on ‘open’. It meant she had fractionally more warning before getting jostled by a sharp corner.
She gulped back bile and silently swore to any and all higher powers that if she made it to the meeting in one piece she’d never oversleep again. Not just before important presentations, but ever. Not even on weekends. Just please don’t let her existence end in a chipper fireball two miles up.
“We will be arriving at your destination in sixty seconds!”
Ok, ok, she could do this. Just had to keep from throwing up or passing out a little longer. Granted, she was not going to be in a fit state to do her presentation but that was a problem for a minute’s time.
A whimper was jolted out by a hairpin turn which would’ve shredded any kind of tyre. Right now, she’d much prefer to be in a land-based vehicle precisely because of such limitations!
Then they were plummeting, the council building zooming towards her. Her hands instinctively flew to her face with a startled shriek - and the world smoothly slowed, acceleration now drawing her forward rather than crushing her against the seat, until they levelled out right outside the front door.
“Here you are, valued customer! Council building, entrance 3, arrival time 9:24. Thank you for choosing TurboTaxi and have a fantastic day!”
Joanne tapped her watch to confirm payment and the door slid open. She grabbed her bag and staggered up the marble steps. To her consternation the event organiser was standing there, vape in hand, his mouth hanging open.
“G-good morning.” Joanne wheezed. “I’m here to, to give a talk on urban planning advancements.”
“Ah, yes, you must be Joanne Kelly?” He stuffed the vape away - hopefully having turned it off. “I’m afraid the current speaker has overrun a little, would it be alright if we shifted your talk forward fifteen minutes?”
For a moment the world spun and her ears buzzed, like she was back in that damned taxi which had already zipped away. Joanne took a slow, deep breath, and throttled back everything she wanted to scream at the world. Then she managed a wan smile and said “That would be perfect. It’ll give me time to… use the restroom and freshen up.”

Prompt was “Speed never killed anyone. It’s becoming suddenly stationary, that’s what gets you.”