Copy/Paste is a short story written by Jonathan Macho. Released in 2020, it is part of Candy Jar Books' Lucy Wilson series and tells of a digital threat.
Characters[]
- Lucy Wilson
- Hobo Kostinen
- The Meme Lord
- Megan Kostinen
Publisher's summary[]
It's 2020 and Lucy Wilson is stuck at home, locked down with her family and feeling glum. She's used to being the hero, but this particular type of heroism is hard and slow. Luckily, her friend Hobo is just a few clicks away. Isn't modern technology amazing?
But why does the video keep glitching? Who's that smiling with Lucy's face? And can she really save the world when she can't even leave her house?
Plot[]
While stuck inside due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Lucy and Hobo begin using a videochat service known as "Whoosh" to communicate with one another. During one of these chats, Hobo notices visual glitches in Lucy's chat before an identical duplicate of Lucy splits from the original. Shortly after this, a similar duplicate emerges from Hobo's computer and pulls him into the computer.
Hobo finds himself falling through a neon-and-black realm. After landing in a chamber, Hobo is found by a mysterious vaguely-humanoid being that seemingly rules over this domain. The creature reveals in a gloating manner that it is a native of the "cyberspace" similar to a computer virus. It plans to replace the "heroes of Earth" with copies using Whoosh and reveals that it is called a "Meme Lord" (a title which makes Hobo laugh).
While the Meme Lord gloats about its plans, it is interrupted by Lucy Wilson. Lucy reveals that she used the Meme Lord's Copy/Paste function to summon all of Earth's heroes (including various essential workers). The massive amount of people in the same space is too much for the Meme Lord to handle and it is soon lost under a seething horde of copies. Lucy and Hobo are left to wonder how they will get out of the Meme Lord's domain.
A short file appended to this short story (dubbed File #161229) written by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart detailing a prophecy left behind by his scientific adviser which detailed the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notes[]
- File #161229 was written by Richard Brewer.
In-universe continuity[]
- The Billy Bandril Show is mentioned. This show first appeared in Wink Taylor's Lucy Wilson novel The Bandril Invasion.
Sources[]
- Goodreads