Chapter 9 #3
“They could, but there’s no way they could remove all the strings. It’d be like removing a torso but losing all the limbs in the process. They could really only study it like I’m doing now.” She spun in her chair. “What’s its specialty? What talent does it give you?”
I would’ve shrugged if I had the energy. “It talks… to me.”
She seemed dubious. “Something this advanced—I’d bet a thousand chips it does a lot more than therapy.”
I considered her words. “It took my cough away. Makes me feel… decent.”
Her brows rose. “Liquitech that can squirt bionanites? That’s cool. What else?”
I was about to tell her how it could use my senses when the blue orb flashed white at the same instant it felt like lightning struck my brain. “Gah!”
My vision returned along with my strength, and I leaned back in my chair with a deep breath.
My upgrade is complete. I identified a threat and responded. Are you unharmed, Cal?
“I’m fine,” I answered without thinking. I smelled burnt metal, and I then noticed Andra and Jacob at her desk, spraying flame suppressant on one of the computer cubes that was now smoldering. Andra was busy fanning it.
My mouth slacked open. “What happened?”
I defended us against the cyberattack.
“It wasn’t a cyberattack. She was helping us,” I said.
I disagree. She was trying to probe my core.
Andra and Jacob both turned and stared.
Andra looked aghast. “Is your amp talking to you right now?”
I nodded and stood, pulling off the patches. “It’s done upgrading.”
She nodded slowly. “Well, it sure came online with a bang. It sent a destructive virus through my network that completely fried one of my computers. Even if I had my firewalls active, I’m not even sure they could’ve stopped it.
But I had everything exposed to scan your amp.
” She blew out a breath. “Whatever that thing is in your brain, it’s one of a kind.
That’s why the enforcers are after you, aren’t they? ”
I shook my head. “They can’t know I have it. The enforcers cleared out before the lady stuck it in there.”
She frowned as she thought. “Then they’re covering their bases, searching for it, or at least information on it.”
That brought to mind something that had been really bugging me. “Can you look up someone the enforcers took?”
She gave me a pitiful look. “They took someone close to you?”
I nodded. “They took him because he knows me.”
“What’s his name?”
“Nolan Brynn.”
She typed on her keyboard. After a moment, she said, “It looks like he volunteered for a Softbiotics trial.” She glanced over her shoulder, “And by ‘volunteer,’ that means they took him and tossed him in some dungeon somewhere we can’t find him. Sounds like he’s been disappeared. Sorry, Cal.”
My jaw clenched, and I gave her a single, tight nod. “Thanks.” I’d still find him. I had a fancy amp now. If it couldn’t help me find my friend, then what good was it?
“Listen,” Andra began. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help before that thing in your brainpan threw a temper tantrum.”
I chuckled because it was true.
Her features became stern. “Whatever you do, don’t let them get a hold of it.
I don’t think this is Softbiotics tech—it’s too different—which means it belongs to another corporation, probably a startup.
And, unless you want to get caught up in the next corporate war, I’d find a cozy room in the Crawl and live out the rest of your days here. ”
I raised a brow. “How about you delete me from the watchlist?”
She scrunched her nose as she thought. “It’s not like you were caught stealing.
Someone put you on that list because they really want to find you.
If I do delete your info, whoever put you on the list is going to know that you had help, and it draws attention to me and my friends.
” Her lips thinned. “But you know what? Screw it.” She spun in her chair, typed, and then turned back to me with a smile.
“Done. Cal Bennett was killed during a gang fight. His body was sent to the terraformers.”
“You can do that?”
She cracked her knuckles. “I’ve built backdoors into just about every system on this planet and some systems that aren’t even on this planet. They don’t call me Skeleton Key for nothing.”
“Thanks. I mean it.”
She raised a finger. “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still going to look for you.
They’ll probably send guys to the terraformers to find the hardware.
The drones might not be on alert now, but as long as you’re alive, you’re in danger.
All it takes is one facial scan for you to be back on their radar. Do you have a safe place to stay?”
I cringed. “My apartment?”
She guffawed. “That’s the most unsafe place on this planet.” Her brow furrowed as she thought, then she snapped her fingers at Jacob who’d been watching the entire conversation. “Take him to the shelter in 33.”
Jacob gave me the side-eye. “He shouldn’t be down here. He puts all of us in danger.”
“Oh yeah, and where else is he supposed to go?” she said. “The entire Crawl is filled with people like us.” She gestured to herself, Jacob, and me.
Jacob grumbled and then said, “Fine. But don’t blame me for telling you ‘I told you so’ when it’s time for me to tell you I told you so.” He started walking toward the door, gesturing for me to follow.
Before I turned to leave, Andra said, “Stay safe. And if your ‘amp’ decides to play nice, come back, and we’ll hook you back up to my system.”
I do not condone physically interfacing with any network that tried to hack me. It is distasteful.
I wasn’t going to tell Andra that Byte was being a snob. “Okay,” I said instead and followed Jacob into the hallway.
Once the door was closed and locked behind us, I nodded toward the graffiti. “Is that your work?”
He nodded. “I just finished a touchup when you showed up. I work best at night.”
I frowned at how normal he seemed now, so I asked, “I just gotta ask, what’s up with the rhymes back there?”
He grinned. “I love messing with schmucks.”
“I’m not a schmuck.”
“You fell for it; you’re a schmuck.”
We didn’t talk much the rest of the way to the shelter.
From the outside, it was a door like every other door in the place, with no sign to indicate its purpose.
Inside, though, was a large room at least forty feet long lined with bunks.
Instructions on using the bath and kitchen and just overall behavior expectations were posted on the walls.
The majority of beds had a blanket, rolled around a pillow, sitting atop a mattress.
Those beds that were in various stages of disarray also had placards indicating whose space they were.
“Read the rules, follow the rules, and you won’t get kicked out,” Jacob said. He pointed to a bed made so perfectly at the far end that it looked like it would be a sin to touch it. “That’s my home, so you stay here.” He pointed to the end on the opposite side of the room.
I grunted. “That’s one rule I’ll gladly follow.”