by J P Carver
The more I thought about what happened in the office building, the sicker I felt. They thought I killed that guy—that was why they were after me—but it didn’t make sense that they’d showed up so quickly.
I’d killed the troopers. That blood was on my hands, so it wouldn’t matter much if I’d killed the Park guy or not.
“I didn’t do it.” I couldn’t look over at her. “I didn’t kill him.”
“And those two troopers?”
I nodded slowly, muscles tense. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“There is always a choice. Just sometimes the choice isn’t favorable, no matter how you look at it. Guess that explains all the injuries.”
“Didn’t Ziller tell you?”
“Just the basics. He didn’t go into too much detail, and I don’t need it. You still got a warranty on most of that tech in your head, and I’m the only installer allowed to touch them.”
“Since when?”
“Since it would void the warranty,” she said, and she stopped me with an arm in front of a large brownstone building. Graffiti played along the first floor walls like some kind of great street mural of gang symbols and slurs. “Here we are.”
“New digs?”
“Who calls them digs?”
“You did, the last time I talked to you,” I answered as she helped me up the steps.
“Right. Nope. Not to me, at least. I’ve been on this side of town for a few months now. I’ve moved three times since the last time you needed work, and I’ll probably move again once we’re done here. You know how it is. Gotta keep one step ahead.”
Merigold pulled a keychain from her pocket. Most doors now had vocal locks, handprint locks, or some other electronic mechanism, but this place just had a deadbolt and a handle. I stared.
She turned to me with a small laugh that reminded me of a bird’s chirp. “Sometimes old tech is the best tech. You’d be amazed how many kiddos haven’t a clue on how to even start picking one of these.”
The door opened to the smell of burning ozone, and I wrinkled my nose. Merigold didn’t even flinch as she went to the ragged and broken chair just inside the door to drop off her bag. The only light in the room came in the blue and green of network lights from a wall of computer servers. I stood in a little awe at the equipment she had lying around in what amounted to her living room.
“Mind the cords,” she said, and she went farther into the room. She reached up and turned on a table lamp that had been hung from the ceiling by its cord, lighting a large gurney-like metal table that made my skin crawl. The bottom part had been stained in large splotches of pink. I just stood and stared.
“What?” she asked.
“Still haven’t upgraded yet?” I slipped off my hoodie as gingerly as possible and dropped it onto the lopsided couch beside me. My body ached from the movements.
“Maybe I should turn you in, and then I’d have the money to upgrade, little Miss Snotty.”
“Yeah, let’s not do that.”
She smiled sweetly again and patted the table. “You want something to take the edge off before we start?”
“You got any vodka?”
She hissed through her teeth and shook her head. “I’m out, and I ain’t buying that shite they sell down the street out of a van. It’d probably kill you.”
“Would save you the trouble, wouldn’t it?”
“You’re being awfully bitchy to the person who’s gonna be patching you up.”
I squinted and placed a hand to my head as it throbbed in time with my heart. “Sorry.”
“Understandable. Your neural and implants have pumped you up pretty hard.” She disappeared into the next room. “I’ll get something to clear your head, and then we’ll get started.”
I nodded and lifted myself up onto the table. I flinched at the cold that seeped through my jeans and wished that I’d never gotten out of bed that morning. The entire night was a nightmare, and sitting on Merigold’s table was the last place I imagined I’d be at the end of the job.
She came back out holding a glass and set it beside me. “Let’s get this shirt off, huh?”
“It’s cold enough already,” I whined and reached for the glass, scolding myself for the sound of my voice.
“Do you really want me to set you into standby?”
“You can’t do that.”
“Wanna bet?”
I sneered at her and took a gulp of what smelled suspiciously like gasoline. It tasted like it, too, but it chased away the cold, and for that I took another sip and blew out a harsh breath. Merigold already had my shirt up halfway, only stopped by the fabric that was clotted to the wound.
“Ready?” she asked against my ear.
“What? No—”
She jerked the shirt up, and I cried out as my side flared in raw fire. She pulled the shirt over my head, which wiped tears across my forehead and made the room feel even colder.
“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” she said.
I picked up the glass and chucked it at her. She ducked, and it shattered on the wall.
“Screw off,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get your pants off once I got you under.”
“You aren’t putting me under.” I started to fear that I’d wake up with new bionic limbs.
“Ragan, would you just calm down? I only molested you once when you were under.”
“You’d better be joking.”
She twittered another laugh and kissed the top of my head. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Come on and lie down. I got something you’ll enjoy.”
“Merigold…”
“Not like that. It’s a new bridge. The implant isn’t out for another two months, and you can’t get this bridge without a dealer’s license.”
I didn’t like that she seemed really proud about getting one without said dealer’s license. “What is it? I don’t want any weird programs playing with my neural. It’s been messed with enough tonight.”
“It’ll be fine. I promise. Just lie down on your stomach, and by the time you wake up, you’ll be as good as new.”
The table felt like ice as I did what she asked. She lifted my hips, undid the button on my jeans, and then left the table. She began to search through the shelves. The rattling of equipment echoed in the room. After it stopped she came back over and brushed back my hair from my neck.
I groaned at the small shock that followed her inserting the bridge into the neural port. My vision went white as if I was staring at the sun.
The light faded to just a haze to show a stark white room. I blinked a few times and looked down to my hands and noticed the white fabric that draped over my body. It felt softer than anything I had ever worn before, as light on my skin as a faint wind.
I dropped the pinch of fabric and made my way toward a wall of glass where the light streamed through. Outside was a city of blown-out color and a sterile sky. If it hadn’t unnerved me so much, it might have even been pretty.
“Why does it unnerve you?”
I turned around, my shoulder pressed to the glass. Before me stood a man who looked as though he’d been ripped out of some kind of vid. He smiled at me, his parted lips showing shining white teeth. His hair was short, dirty blond and parted on the side. The white shirt he wore left little to imagine, and I hated the small jolt in my stomach. If this was a Romance bridge, I was going to kill Merigold.
“It’s strange. You don’t look as violent as your thoughts would show.”
“What are you?”
He shrugged, the shirt shifting over broad shoulders. I squinted to try to keep from thinking about what lay beneath it and mostly succeeded.
He reached down to the table and picked up an apple from the bowl. “I’m whatever you want me to be.”
“Where am I?”
“Are you not pleased with me? I could change, if you like.”
“I don’t even want you here.”
He bit into the apple and faced the kitchen that formed from the
walls in shifting blocks. He went to it. “That’s not what you’re feeling, is it? You just feel confused, exposed. You don’t have to worry about that with me.”
“You’re a program.”
“You’re brilliant, too, so don’t pretend you hadn’t already figured that out. Don’t take this the wrong way, but your brain really is the sexiest part about you.”
“Uh, thanks?”
“It’s the truth, but that isn’t to say the rest of you is so bad to look at.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, as it felt like he could see through the fabric. If Merigold thought I would enjoy being hit on by a stupid computer program, then she was out of her mind. “I think you should go.”
“You’re tense. Oh… and wounded.”
“Get out of my head.”
“We’re in your head. If you really don’t want to play with me, then we can at least sit and eat, can’t we? I’m sure you’re starving, after the night you had.” He picked up two plates loaded with food of all kinds—stuff I had only dreamed of eating—and I felt a bit of drool slip to my lip. I licked it away and tried not to give into the smell. It was heavenly.
He placed one plate on the table near an egg-shaped chair and then sat down on the box-like couch across from it. He didn’t say anything as he picked up a fork, stabbed it through a chunk of pink meat, and put it into his mouth. He closed his eyes as if to savor it, and I wanted to smack him.
“Why? Yours is right there, Ragan. No reason to attack me for it. Speaking of which, why is it you always attack first?”
“I only do so when faced with something I can’t stand.” I stalked over to the table, plopped down into the chair, and dug into the food. It tasted exactly as I thought it would, which made sense. “Why are you asking me questions when you have access to everything about me?”
“I’m made to be personable and friendly. I have access, but I won’t go too far, since there are… blocks that keep me from doing so. But you interest me, Ragan. You interest me greatly.”
“Sure, I do.”
“You do. Is the reason that you dislike me because you have a lover, or is it because I’m male?”
“Men are fine. You’re just an ass. Please shut up.”
“Or… did a past love break little Ragan’s heart?”
I stood up, shoved the plate to the floor. “All right, you condescending asshole, you stay the hell out of my memories.”
He held up his hands and got up from the couch. “I can see you’re not really in the mood to chat. That’s fine. I understand. I’ll just be on my way, then.”
“Should’ve done that in the first place.”
“Fair enough. But if you want to talk, you can just call for me, and I’ll be here. You’ve had a tough day. Talking can sometimes help. Especially when it’s with someone that knows you as well as I do.”
“You don’t know me,” I said as he walked toward a door that appeared in the kitchen.
He turned and smiled.
“Just leave me alone. We won’t be seeing each other again.”
“That’s too bad. Well, it’s been a swell time, Miss Eisen.”
The door snapped shut behind him and was blocked over into a solid white wall. I lay back on the couch and let a breath out.
Just talking to him had made me feel slimy and in need of a shower. I got up, picked up a few pieces of meat from his plate, and started to look for a bathroom as I munched. At the back of the large living room, the walls shifted again, and a wooden door appeared. I went to it.
Inside, I looked around the room in awe. White tile floor, with white walls and ceiling. A white tub with a gold faucet sat against the right wall in the spacious room. In the back corner, past the toilet, was a standing shower of glass and gray steel.
I locked the door behind me.
I ran the water in the tub and began to strip. There were no cuts or wounds on my body here, which was a bit jarring. I shook my head and slipped into the water, sighing at the heat that seeped into my muscles. I tried to relax and let the fake water wash away the sickening worry that had settled into my stomach.
I fell asleep after my bath. The couch felt pillow-like, and I slipped into a dreamless sleep until I heard Merigold cooing my name. I tried to fight against waking up, but could already feel the ragged material of her couch beneath me. It was better than the table by a long shot, but it didn’t compare to the world in the bridge.
“Come on, sweetheart. You can’t live in there forever.” She pulled the bridge from the port, which sent my nerves in a spasm.
I cursed her as I rubbed my neck.
“Besides, you got a little bird here that wants to see you.”
I jolted up, but the fear and worry died away to relief as my eyes focused on the young girl sitting on the torn chair beside me. “Crow.”
“And so you live. When Ziller told me what happened, I figured you’d be little more than pulp.”
“I felt like it. What are you doing here?” I sat straight and stared down at her. Her real name was Nina, and she stood a foot shorter than me, which made her insanely valuable in our line of work. We hadn’t found a vent that could hide its secrets from her. There was a brilliance in her that took a lot of coaxing to bring out, but over the years, with my aid and training, she easily bested most in our group. I was a bit proud of her.
She lived on the street most of her life, and at seventeen, she had seen and experienced some terrible stuff. The shelters turned her away, and people just didn’t see her anymore. I’d only noticed because she was trying to break into one of my nests and I caught her.
“Really? You’re going to ask me that when you almost died? Where else would I be?” She pulled off her knitted hat, and hair dyed a light blue that almost matched her eyes fell around her face. Those eyes were staring at me, fighting back angry tears. She shoved me back into the couch. “What the hell were you doing, Raggy?”
“Are you scolding me?”
“Yes, because apparently you need someone to. Your stuff is all over the goddamn news—not your name, of course, but your sig is there, and any cracker looking for a payday will be sniffing. You know better.”
“You sniffing, too?”
She glowered at me and leaned back into the chair. “Maybe, since you had to ask me that.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Crow. I didn’t mean it.”
“Sure.” She reached into a bag that lay on the floor beside her. “Ziller asked me to bring you a change of clothes and an Omni.”
“Why the Omni?” I asked as she handed over the items. When I unfolded the shirt, I realized that Merigold had decided not to dress me. My cheeks burned as I quickly slipped the shirt on and glared at Merigold, who was at the shelves. Nina laughed, and I felt a little bit of tension leave my shoulders.
“Probably a good idea, since your system will be in a rebuild phase for a few hours. You won’t be able to do much outside of the basics. Had to reset the link, sorry,” Merigold said while wiping down the gurney with bleach.
I grimaced when she held up the blood-soaked rag.
“And he wanted you to have a backup connection—which brings me to the bad news.” Nina paused, her lips working against each other.
I felt my gut cave in on itself, the heat from the sickness making my skin itch.
“He wants you bumped and under.”
“Shit…” I said slowly, the implications racing through my head.
“It’s only until this all blows over, Raggy. It’s a bees’ nest out there right now, and he’s got to be careful. You know he wouldn’t do—”
“I know.” I stood, trying to settle the anger and sickness, and slipped into my jeans. I began to pace. “I know. It shouldn’t have been like that, Crow.”
“So why was it? Ziller said you think you tripped, but we both know that didn’t happen.”
“I can make mistakes.”
She laughed again, her eyes squinted in amusement at me, which eased my temper. �
�Please, not on some ad-switch job. Hell, one of those kiddies with a thumb drive could do it in their sleep.”
“I don’t know what else it could have been.”
“Why’d you take an addy job, anyway?”
I stopped my pacing and shoved my hands into the back pockets of my pants and shrugged. It had been on the board, and I’d just taken it because it was easy. “I dunno, I just wanted some quick credits after that Talbot job.”
“And the dead guy?”
“You don’t seriously thin—”
Horror crossed her face, and she stood from the chair. “N-no! That isn’t what I meant. I just wanted to know what happened. I don’t believe what they’re saying on the news—it’s all bullshit, anyway. I know you didn’t kill him.”
“How?”
She kept quiet for a few seconds, something that happened as often as a full moon. She reached out and flicked my chin before I could react. I grunted and was about to grab her when she pulled me into a tight hug, her face buried in my shirt.
“I know you didn’t. You didn’t mean to kill those troopers, either, because you’re not a killer.” Her grip tightened until breathing became a chore.
I put my hands on her shoulders and made her step back. “Crow, you don’t know what you’re talking about, but I appreciate the confidence in me. I take it that Ziller has a Safety set up somewhere, or am I on my own credits for this one?”
“I got one for you. He thought it best that I be your contact. That is… if you still trust me.”
“With my life, as always.” I took her face into my hands and grinned at her.
Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “Well, good, because that’s what it’s coming down to. Ziller said— Raggy, you’re gonna be zipped from Behemoth.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “Is that Ziller’s idea? Is he becoming stupid in his old age, or is he just trying to get my ass thrown into an NN chair?”
“I—No, of course not. He’s just zipping your information, and he set up a dummy AI to deny jobs, saying you’re out of the country, and backdated it to yesterday. But even with that, if someone gets a whiff that you’re involved, then it won’t matter. That’s why we need you as deep as we can get you.”