Prompt: Lost somewhere on the backroads. Gapfiller for 2.02 "Bad Code." Based on a true story.
The GPS Blues
John didn't know whether the GPS of the rental car was on the fritz or whether the Machine was sending them to Bishop, Texas, the long way to satisfy the code that blocked it from helping Finch directly. He definitely didn't understand why the only flight he'd been able to get had been to Houston when the Machine knew perfectly well that the article about Hannah Frey's disappearance had been in the Corpus Christi paper. Whatever the case was, there had to be a more sensible route from Houston to Bishop than the way the GPS was directing them, down back roads through rice fields rather than along the main highways. Even major construction work shouldn't have prompted this kind of detour.
At least East Texas was green. If they'd had to start from El Paso or Odessa, John didn't know if he'd have been able to stand the barrenness of the scenery.
"Do you even know where we're going?" Carter asked sharply.
"Would you rather drive?" John returned.
She huffed.
A few miles later, a town came into view. John's heart leapt... but his hopes were quickly dashed when the city limits sign became legible.
"We're in Egypt!"* Carter yelped as they passed it.
John wrestled down the aggravated growl that he wanted to direct toward the Machine. Instead, he managed to note mildly, "Cairo sure has changed since the last time I was here."
Carter smacked his arm—but then laughed, and the tension in the car eased.
.
* There really is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it town called Egypt in Wharton County. It's the sort of place you have to be looking for to find-unless your GPS is acting up. (It's also way out of the way if you're going from Houston to Bishop, which is southwest of Corpus.)