by Joe Canzano
Nate pointed at Ricardo and gave Suzy a wink. “The place was busy… You’ve got a good man here, Suzy.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He gets you what you need.”
Suzy found his comment to be odd, but she figured it involved a dumb sex joke. What had Ricardo told him? She didn’t feel like hearing it. She didn’t need anything.
Suzy said nothing and grabbed a slice of pizza. Everyone ate fast and then Alice and Nate rose to go. They had to catch a flight out of Choccoban. Watching them leave, Suzy had a hollow feeling in her stomach, but she was happy she’d run into them. Alice told her to please stay in touch. Suzy knew this wasn’t her strongpoint, but she vowed to do it—assuming she survived the next day or so.
As they prepared to descend into the passageway, Alice turned and embraced Suzy one last time. “Don’t get yourself killed, Suzy Spitfire. The universe needs you.”
“I’m not too sure about that, Alice. But I plan to stick around anyway.”
“I need her,” Ricardo said.
Alice gave Suzy a sly smile, like she was acknowledging some great secret, and then she and Nate were gone.
Suzy was alone with Ricardo.
He was grinning again, as usual. “So, what’s the plan, Suzy? Are we going to sell the brain and get rich?”
His words jolted her. “I don’t know,” she said. “And I’m not even sure if this is the brain.”
“Why wouldn’t you be sure? You went to that pub because someone told you it was there, right?”
“Yeah, right.”
“And that person was the guy who put it there, and he was someone you trusted, right?”
Yeah, Aiko had been someone she’d trusted—and it was a hard quality to find in another human. She blinked a few times and blocked a wave of sadness from rolling over her.
“Yeah, I trusted him,” she said with a sharper tone than she’d intended.
“But you still don’t trust me, is that it?”
“I don’t know. But I know I’d like to.”
Had she planned to say that? Of course not. She’d never planned a thing in her life. She looked at him for a long, hard second, and saw he was once again grinning. But then the grin turned into a sweet smile—and the smile guided them into a warm embrace.
“Suzy Spitfire, are you saying that you like me?”
“I guess I am.”
“Nice. And I guess I’m happy about it.”
“You guess?
“I know I’m happy about it.”
He kissed her, and she felt a surge of electricity.
Ricardo pulled his lips away. “Should I take off this ridiculous costume?”
He was still wearing the raincoat, and the blond wig, and the elevator shoes.
She laughed. “I can’t say it’s getting me excited.”
In an instant, he was naked—and obviously excited.
“Is this better?”
She was back in his arms. “Yeah, better,” she muttered. “Much better.”
Chapter 41
Blurr cursed at the panoramic view of the city.
He knew the view would impress the average slob. This was the tallest tower in the highest dome on Choccoban, and this dome was transparent—revealing Jupiter and a sky splashed with stars. But at this distance, the sun glowed more like the Earth’s moon, and the city streets were in an eternal state of evening. This was one of the “dark domes,” and it matched his current mood.
The main problem with Choccoban was that all the darkness couldn’t cover up the crap. Everywhere he looked, he saw drunken dolts and filthy, unwashed criminals. Incompetent people were as common as litter; he needed to forget about them and focus on the future.
God damn you, Suzy Spitfire!
He turned and faced Popov, Chancellor of Choccoban. The title didn’t impress Blurr. In his experience, bigger titles usually meant bigger imbeciles, and he’d already invested too much cash in this particular imbecile's operation—and it wasn’t turning the kind of profit he’d expected. This would have been less annoying if he’d been expecting a lot, but really, his expectations had been disgustingly low. Yet the imbecile had still managed to fuck everything up.
You just can’t trust anyone, Blurr thought. And it was infuriating.
Right now Blurr was infuriated by Popov’s bloated face. Popov had a face like a bag of beer. He had a scruffy beard and pale blue eyes and lips like rubbery roast beef. He came from the Earth state of Greater Russia, where everything was always described as being so damn great—but then why had he left? He’d left because even this primitive outpost in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere was better than his frozen shit stain of a homeland, that’s why.
Blurr flashed a cold smile. “So, why was the power out when I got here? Haven’t you guys been paying your electric bill?”
Popov shook his head and spoke in a deep voice. “It’s good that you mentioned that. It’s something we need to discuss.”
Blurr raised his eyebrows with mock interest. “Why is that, Popov? The fact that your girlfriend can’t recharge her vibrator really doesn’t interest me. I’m here to locate three fugitives—and one in particular. I think she can lead me to the AI. And when I get it I’m going to sell it to a dumb, rich government and buy myself a palace somewhere. But not here because this place is crap.”
“Yes, that’s what we need to discuss—the AI. It’s causing a lot of trouble.”
“What?”
“I know where the AI is, Blurr. It’s in the power station in Dome Seven. It’s taken over the power grid and we can’t get rid of it. It’s holding the whole city hostage.”
Blurr paused. Once again, the fucked up nature of something had exceeded expectations.
“What the hell are you talking about? You found the brain? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It just happened a few days ago. And we didn’t find it.” Popov reached for a rag on his desktop and then used it to wipe his sweaty forehead. “It found us. It called us from a pub downtown and told us what to do.”
Blurr rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling. “I see. An AI called you and said, ‘Hey, plug me into the power grid,’ and you listened. I mean, why not? It’s only the dumbest fucking thing you could ever do.”
“It didn’t tell us to plug it in,” Popov said. “The brain called a scientist who worked for Lazaro, a boss who ran the South Domes. This guy told Lazaro that the brain could help him take over the whole city. So Lazaro made a few moves and plugged the thing in and now we can’t get to it. You know, we were contacted by Los Pocos a while ago about this brain… They were saying they might be able to get a ‘super AI’ and asked if we would be interested in buying it. I think they contacted other city-states as well.”
Blurr laughed with derision. “I’m sure they did, but can’t you just unplug it?”
“No. The power plant has a sophisticated robot defense system and the brain figured out how to control it. Lazaro went down there to see what he could do and got himself fried—zap!” Popov drew a finger across his throat. “So now we’re trying to negotiate.”
Blurr had a brief vision of punching Popov in the face. He knew it wouldn’t change anything—but it would be fun to watch the blood stream down onto his shaking jowls. Instead, he said, “So what exactly are you negotiating?”
Popov reached into a drawer and pulled out a stick of simulated dried beef. He used his teeth to tear off a big bite and said, “The brain says it can supervise the creation of more AIs like itself—and that these can be sold to other governments. These other AIs would be advanced thinking machines that could solve a series of problems that face people living out here—like better air and food and weapons. It seems like a profitable idea, yes?”
Blurr rubbed his chin. “Yeah. I actually see some potential there… If we were the first people to sell a bunch of these things, we could clean up. But what does it want in exchange?”
“Not so much,” said Popov. “All we have to
do is keep it plugged in here on Choccoban, where it will exist unobtrusively—and we have to find someone named ‘Suzy Spitfire’ and bring her to the power plant. That’s the sticking point right now, especially since it wants her alive. I don’t know why this is so important to the brain, but apparently it’s figured out that she’s here on Choccoban and so we need to find her. She’s the one who picked up the phony brain over at the pub where it was hidden.”
At the mention of Suzy’s name, Blurr felt a jolt of electricity go through his body. He felt his ears getting red.
“Suzy Spitfire went to the pub and picked up a phony brain?”
Popov nodded. “The brain told us to put a phony brain in its place and to keep an eye on it. We didn’t tell the kid who was storing the thing—we wanted him to act natural if someone came looking. But we put a couple of cops in there to keep an eye on things, and we put a tracking device inside the phony brain, and if anyone came looking for it, we were supposed to capture that person.”
“And Suzy came?”
“Yes.”
“But you didn’t capture her.”
“No. We sent our people right away! I’ll admit, the cops inside got drunk and fucked up a few things—but she was quick! And now the tracking device inside the brain seems to not be working. She’s blocking it somehow and we don’t know where she is.”
Blurr sat down in a chair. He leaned back and digested Popov’s words. Meanwhile, Popov kept chomping his fake beef.
Finally, Blurr said, “The good news is this: I know why the brain wants Suzy—and I might be able to lure her out into the open. The bad news is that you’ll need to be involved.”
“I’ll do my part, Blurr. You know how reliable I am.”
Blurr sneered. “All I know is that you’re a total amateur,” he said. Then he shrugged. “But luckily, your part is easy. Just send a message to a Los Pocos boss on Earth named Pablo Juarez, and tell him that if he has the AI brain, the government of Choccoban will buy it. Give him a high price, and then wait for a response. I’m hoping that Ricardo and Suzy will think they have the real brain—and then we’ll be hearing from them, because I’m pretty sure they’re working with Pablo. In the meantime, take me to the brain. We need to have a little talk.”
Chapter 42
Suzy woke up and Ricardo was gone.
They’d been sleeping together on the dusty floor, in a pile of frivolous clothes and costumes. She leaped to her feet and called out to him but there was no answer. She felt her heart jump. She ran into each of the four cramped rooms in the back of the theater and found no one. Then she saw the note.
It was written on the back of a pizzeria menu, sitting by the bathroom sink. The green and red ink was blurry where a few drops of water had smeared it, but she still noted the handwriting, so smooth and stylish.
Suzy, I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry and don’t go anywhere! Love, Ricardo.
She flinched at the word “love”—and then tingled a bit. He’d never said it to her.
She realized part of her felt good, but that was only the part that wasn’t suspicious. And that’s when she noticed the AI box was also gone.
What?
It had been in a back room, mixed in with a pile of cardboard boxes and miscellaneous junk, but now it wasn’t there. And she didn’t see it anywhere. She swore out loud and then noticed a monitor on a nearby desktop was turned on.
Get it together, she thought. Don’t go jumping to conclusions. Ricardo was not going to betray her—she was sure of it. But did she need to check? Yeah, she did.
She pulled out her phone; her index finger hovered over the icon that would call Ricardo—but she didn’t press it. Instead, her hands reached for the allcom Alice had given her. She paused again and opened the program that controlled the surveillance cameras. In an instant, she was looking at an image of Ricardo sitting at the monitor and receiving a message. She couldn’t see the face on the screen in front of him, but she could hear the audio. She turned up the volume and a cold ripple went down her spine.
The message was in Spanish, but Suzy understood it just fine. The voice said, “Ricardo, I got your message yesterday about the brain—fantastic. I knew you’d get that girl to tell you where it was… If there’s one thing you’ve always been good at, it’s getting the girls to love you. And by a happy coincidence, we have a buyer. The Chancellor of Choccoban has responded to one of our initial inquires. The government of Choccoban will pay us 20 million earthos for it, assuming it works. All you need to do is bring the merchandise and collect the money. I’ll give you twenty percent, since you’re going to be my future son-in-law, okay? At least I hope so. Tell Maria I’m asking for her. Let me give you the name and contact code for some people who will provide security—you're not going alone. This is like most of our deals, nothing new, but we don’t know these people too well, so watch out... See you soon.”
The voice proceeded to give Ricardo the contact information for a person on Choccoban who would presumably set up security for the meeting. Suzy grabbed a pen and jotted it down on the same scrap where she’d found Ricardo’s note, right under the price for eggplant parmigiana. When the message ended, Suzy watched Ricardo pick up the brain and tiptoe into the other room before heading into the elevator.
She saw him glance at her while she slept. Was he smiling or laughing? She replayed the sequence three times, holding her breath each time. It was hard to say.
She switched off the phone and stared at the wall. She had to get a grip on herself. What did she feel? Rage, or just an overwhelming sadness?
It was both—and together they added up to something completely empty.
How could I have been so wrong?
She blinked back a few tears and decided to let the rage smother her sadness. She could be sad later—after she’d settled things with Ricardo. If he wanted to betray her, and rip out her heart, and crush the first bit of budding warmth she’d felt in years—fine. But he wasn’t going to get that fucking money.
She collected her scattered clothing, put it on, and headed outside.
Her eyes ached at the brightness of a simulated morning; the dome above was pale blue, and the sun was hanging high like a bursting tangerine. She realized she was hungry but shook it off. Under the blazing glare was an indifferent city crawling with life. The sidewalks were packed with jostling groups of speculators, gangsters, pirates, and others cut from the same sleazy cloth.
She stood still for a second, listening to the honking hover-cars and the blanket of background noise. Then she bit her lip. I’ve got to stay calm, she thought. After all, I do tend to overreact. But there was a hollow feeling in her stomach that she’d never felt before. Was it fear? She’d been afraid before, but this was different, like maybe she was going to break—like maybe she wasn’t so tough.
She grimaced and fingered the pistol strapped to her thigh. Okay, she felt better now. Then her thoughts were shattered by a woman calling her name.
“Suzy? Suzy, is that you?”
She whipped out her pistol, whirled around, and froze—she’d seen this person before, but where? Suzy’s finger was itching to pull the trigger, but she didn’t.
She was staring at a willowy woman in a short skirt. “Suzy, wait!” she said. “Don’t you remember me? I’m Su Ling from Better Bio Systems.”
“Okay,” Suzy said. But she barely relaxed. “What do you want?” She kept scanning the sidewalk with quick eyes. The fact that she was holding a gun barely interested people passing by.
Su smiled. “I’m on my way to work, and I spotted you across the street—and I knew I didn’t have your proper contact information.”
“And why do you need that?”
“Well, your boyfriend gave me your name and contact code as a backup, but you weren’t there to approve it so I thought I’d check. I called you, and the code he gave was wrong—probably just a simple mistake. But either way, we can’t hold the heart for too long with such a small deposit.”
&nb
sp; Now Suzy was listening. “What?”
“Your boyfriend came in yesterday with a friend and a couple of pizzas… He put down a deposit on a BioSlam 500 heart. He said it was for your grandmother and he’d have the rest of the money soon... Oh, was it supposed to be a surprise? You look shocked. Maybe that’s why he gave me the wrong code; he didn’t want me to talk to you. Ah, I’m sorry. By the way, you can stop pointing that gun at me.”
“Right,” Suzy said, lowering the weapon. She cocked her head. “Are you telling me that Ricardo is buying my grandmother a new heart?”
“Yes, if he can come up with the rest of the money. I assume he has it?”
“Yeah!” Suzy said. “He has it—sure, of course. Did he give you my grandmother’s address?”
“No, he was going to do that later. Can I have your contact code?”
“No. But I know where you are. Hang on to the heart.”
“That’s not normal procedure.”
“I’m not normal. You’ll get your money.”
Suzy turned and walked fast down the street. What was the commission on a heart like that? Su would wait. Then Suzy threw back her head and laughed. What a difference a few minutes can make in a day—or a lifetime.
She felt like she was floating. All her sadness and rage were gone, dissolved and replaced by a glow warmer than any sun in the phony sky. Why had she assumed the worst? Ricardo hadn’t betrayed her! Ricardo was doing something wonderful.
He loves me. He really does. But how do I feel?
Pretty fucking good.
Her phone buzzed. It was Ricardo!
She fumbled to answer, trying to sound as calm as possible.
“Hey,” she said. “Where the hell are you?”
There was a moment of silence, and in that instant she knew something was wrong. And then she stopped breathing.
It wasn’t Ricardo on the line—it was Blurr.
“Hello, Suzy,” Blurr said. “Sorry to disappoint you, but after all, you did disappoint me. We have Ricardo’s phone, and guess what? We have Ricardo, too. He’s right here. Say something, smart guy.”