Happily Ever After Is a High-Risk Strategy (short story)

was a 2012 The City of the Saved short story written by Blair Bidmead and released in the anthology Tales of the City.
This story would in part focus on the character of Moody who was first mentioned in the preceding story Akroates. It would also feature Theo Possible who originally appeared in The Panda Book of Horror's Party Kill Accelerator! and would tease the meeting between Possible and Litany Chromehurst which would be depicted in the Señor 105 novel By the Time I Get to Venus later that same year.
== Summary ==
Former pilot Terrence Moody, cybernetically enhanced AutoFolk Cranzfraction and time travelling DJ Theo Possible share their stories of loves and losses when they find themselves carpooling to their shared destination.
== Plot ==
Terrence Moody hitches a ride from the Mesopotamian Interstate within the City of the Saved. He initially believes that the car he gets into is being driven by a middle-aged black man with white hair and a goatee until he realises that he is also a passenger and that the car is sentient and driving itself. The car introduces itself as Cranzfraction who offers to take Moody to the Uptime Gate. Due to the length of the proceeding trip, Cranzfraction insisted that they talk to pass the time and Moody decided to open up to the car about his original life before his resurrection in the City.
Moody's story: During WWII Moody had been a 2nd Lieutenant for the United States Army, Far East Air Force. Shortly before his deployment to what would become known as the Battle of Philippines, Moody married his girlfriend Jeanie but she soon became a widow when his plane was shot down during its first outing. Upon being resurrected in the City of the Saved, Moody was placed in a deme with Faber among others. Faber helped Moody come to terms with advanced technology and Moody searched for Jeanie in the City but stopped short of contacting her fearing that she had moved on with her life. It was only when Faber discovered that Moody had been declared a missing person during the War rather than deceased that Moody decided to reach out to Jeanie. The pair reunited and spent several years together but ultimately the relationship fizzled out and they separated as Moody was unable to live up to the expectations for the perfect husband that Jeanie had created for herself in his absence.
Cranzfraction's story: Cranzfraction had originally been born a humanoid but was part of the Posthuman Technosapien movement which saw them working at the Data Forge at Technosapien Interstellar Cooperative. Cranzfraction and their colleague MuVuThu set up a love-support network and became each other's Primary Partners. However, when Cranzfraction discovered that MuVuThu had been having an affair with their boss Niney Flanc9 they were devastated. MuVuThu initially reduced Cranz to being a periphery partner in their love-support network with Niney Flanc9 being upgraded to their Primary Partner, but when this didn't work out they removed Cranz entirely which resulted in entire sections of Cranz's personality being corrupted. Blinded by their infatuation, Cranz decided to have themself cybernetically enhanced to become AutoFolk in order to take on the image of their and MuVuThu's dream car the X-treme Junction RoadMessiah 5000. 
Despite undergoing the operation MuVuThu remained unimpressed and Cranz was sought out by Fraud-bots due to stealing the barter-code to pay for their operation from the Date Forge. In an attempt to escape the Fraud-bots, Cranz plummeted off a cliff destroying themselves and leading to their resurrection in the City of the Saved. Still deluded with jealousy, Cranz began to inflict a campaign of harassment against Niney Flanc9 that lasted 50-years until the day that they picked up a hitchhiker - Litany Chromehurst. Litany was a Proto-Technosapien and she set up a basic love-support network with Cranz which allowed them to share their experiences. Cranz was impressed with Litany's adventures and ultimately ashamed of their own past, when Cranz realised that all of Litany's memories were from the City they challenegd her. Litany explained that she deleted all of her memories from before her resurrection a long time ago and that in the City they could start again. Cranz's interaction with Litany inspired them to rejoin the human race.
Theo's story: to be added
== Characters ==
* Terrence Moody
* Theo Possible
* Cranzfraction
* Kassandra
* Hélène of Troy
* Menelaus
* Steve
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Locations ===
* Terrence Moody hitched a ride with Cranzfraction from the truck stop by the ziggurate at the mouth of the Mesopotamian Interstate.
* Urukian, Aphex, Turingesque, Ispolini, and Achaean are Districts in the City of the Saved.
* The Aphex District was where the Spiral Viaduct was located.
* Moody wanted to get to the other side of the Rotherhithe Wormhole.
* Cranzfraction offered to take Moody to the Uptime Gate.
* Cranzfraction picked Theo Possible up on the Achaean Suspension Bridge.
* Moody served as a pilot in the South West Pacific campaign during WWII and died while flying a P-40 Warhawk out of Clark Air Base only to be shot down above Luzon Island by the Japanese in the Battle of the Philippines.
* Cranzfraction passed several neon pyramids and went through the Midgard Underpass while driving through the City.
=== Species ===
* VeloCentaur were cybernetically enhanced Centaurs with car parts.
* Cranzfraction was originally humanoid but paid to surgically upgrade themself to AutoFolk.
* Cranzfranction referred to Moody as a Dawn Human.
* Cranzfranction was a Technosapien while Litany Chromehurst was a Proto-Technosapien.
=== Technology ===
* A Chevy Coupe and the X-treme Junction RoadMessiah 5000 were types of cars.
* Cranzfraction and MuVuThu were part of an overall Network which was overseen by Line Overseer Niney Flanc9. The Network allowed Cranzfraction and MuVuThu to set up a love-support network and assign each other as their Primary Partners.
* Cranzfraction uncovered MuVuThu's affair with Niney Flanc9 when they discovered a data-shadow in the Mutual Relaxation Hub.
=== History ===
* Terrence Moody was killed in December 1941 during WWII. When questioned by Faber, Moody said that he thought that the war had started that year but turns out it had been 1939.
* Pearl Harbor occurred 48 hours before Moody's deployment to the Battle of the Philippines.
* Cranzfraction and MuVuThu created the Summer of Minus Ambivalence together.
=== Titles ===
* Terrence Moody served as 2nd Lieutenant for the United States Army, Far East Air Force. 
=== Religion ===
* Terrence Moody learned about Heaven in Sunday School.
* Cranzfraction referenced The Grace of Civitata (which was another term for Resurrection Day) and repeatedly referred to Civitata as a deity.
=== Individuals ===
* Jeanie married Terrence Moody at the age of 22. She lived until the age of 67 when she died from cancer.
* Moody referred to being able to talk to computers as "Flash Gordon stuff".
* Among some of Litany Chromehurst's past experiences were a visit to the Dragon Safari at the New Sanxingdui Arboretum, scaling the Immense Furniture of the Ispolini District, and having coffee and donuts with Saint Francis of Assisi.
=== Businesses ===
* Jeanie Moody worked at the Warhol Factory in the City of the Saved.
* Cranzfraction and MuVuThu worked at the Data Forge which was part of Technosapien Interstellar Cooperative. Niney Flanc9 was their boss.
=== Planets ===
* Cranzfraction hailed from Mechanique II.
=== Food ===
* Litany Chromehurst had coffee and donut with Saint Francis of Assisi.
Personality patches, Barter-code, Tech-surgeon, Fraud-bots, GPS proximity alarm, Orbital M-Way, Digital root vegetable, (Vandalism, hate mail, slander, noise pollution, Junction 21,cigarette lighter, klick, Asymmetry Fiend, Salvinder Heat-Death, the Hedonistrix of Eternal Intemperance, Uptime Gate, Lucrezia's Diner, Obséque Bleak, 25th century, yoga, Kassandra Amazonian, (volleyball, frisbee, jet ski races, wet t-shirt competition, Siege of Troy, Paris (), Greeks, Trojans, Mediterranean Sea, Spring Break, pedalo, U-boat, Uptime Gate Plaza, Omniweb
== Notes ==
to be added
== Continuity ==
* Terrence Moody and Faber were part of the same deme. (PROSE: )
* The Omniweb was the City of the Saved's version of the internet. (PROSE: )
* Cranzfraction repeatedly references Civitata. (PROSE: )
* Theo Possible vaguely recognises Litany Chromehurst's name. (PROSE: )
== External links ==
Category:Tales of the City short stories