Coffees. Some food.
That all you got? Nothing smaller?
He shook his head.
Sorry. Cant make the change.
You dont have to.
You crazy?
No, but I want coffee.
Thats some tip, mister. I dont make that in a week.
Its yours.
Anger crossed her face. Youre with those shitheads up-stairs. Keep your money. Im closing.
We arent with anybody, he said, leaning across the counter slightly, so that the parka fell open and she could see the Smith & Wesson. Were looking for a club. A place called Jammer s.
The girl glanced at Angie, back to Turner. She sick?
Dusted? What is this?
Heres the money, Turner said. Give us our coffee. You want to earn the change, tell me how to find Jammers place Its worth it to me. Understand?
She slid the worn bill out of sight and moved to the espresso machine. I dont think I understand anything any-more. She rattled cups and milk-filmed glasses out of the way. What is it with Jammers? You a friend of his? You know Jackie?
Sure, Turner said.
She came by early this morning with this little wilson from the burbs. I guess they went up there.
Where?
Jammers. Then the weirdness started.
Yeah?
All these creeps from Barrytown, greaseballs and white-shoes, walking in like they owned the place. And now they damn well do, the top two floors. Started buying people out of their stalls. A lot of people on the lower floors just packed and left. Too weird...
How many came?
Steam roared out of the machine. Maybe a hundred. I been scared shit all day, but I cant reach my boss. I close up in thirty minutes anyway. The day girl never showed, or else she came in, caught the trouble smell, and walked... She took the little steaming cup and put it in front of Angie. You okay, honey?
Angie nodded.
You have any idea what these people are up to? Turner asked.
The girl had returned to the machine. It roared again. I think theyre waiting for someone, she said quietly and brought Turner an espresso. Either for someone to try to leave Jammers or for someone to try to get in.
Turner looked down at the swirls of brown foam on his coffee. And nobody here called the police?
The police? Mister, this is Hypermart. People here dont call the police.
Angies cup shattered on the marble counter.
Short and straight, hired man, the voice whispered.
You know the way. Walk in.
The countergirls mouth was open. Jesus, she said, shes gotta be dusted bad... She looked at Turner coldly. You give it to her?
No, Turner said, but shes sick. Itll be okay. He drank off the black bitter coffee. It seemed to him, just for a second, that he could feel the whole Sprawl breathing, and its breath was old and sick and tired, all up and down the stations from Boston to Atlanta...
28 JAYLENE SLIDE
JESUS, BOBBY SAID to Jackie, cant you wrap it up or something? Jammers burn filled the office with a smell, like overdone pork, that turned Bobbys stomach.
You dont bandage a burn, she said, helping Jammer sit down in his chair. She began to open his desk drawers, one after another. You got any painkillers? Derms? Anything?
Jammer shook his head, his long face slack and pale.
Maybe. Behind the bar, theres a kit...
Get it! Jackie snapped. Go on!
What are you so worried about him for. Bobby began, hurt by her tone. He tried to let those Gothicks in here.
Get the box, asshole! He just got weak for a second, is all. He got scared. Get me that box or youll need it yourself.
He darted out into the club and found Beauvoir wiring pink hotdogs of plastic explosive to a yellow plastic box like the control unit for a kids toy truck. The hotdogs were mashed around the hinges of the doors and on either side of the lock.
Whats that for? Bobby asked, scrambling over the bar. Somebody might want in, Beauvoir said. They do, well open it for them.
Bobby paused to admire the arrangement. Why dont you just mash it up against the glass, so itll blow straight out?
Too obvious, Beauvoir said, straightening up, the yel-low detonator in his hands. But Im glad you think about these things. If we try to blow it straight out, some of it blows back in. This way is... neater.
Bobby shrugged and ducked behind the bar. There were wire racks filled with plastic sacks of krill wafers, an assortment of abandoned umbrellas, an unabridged dictionary, a womans blue shoe, a white plastic case with a runny-looking red cross painted on it with nail polish... He grabbed the case and climbed back over the bar.
Hey, Jackie, he said, putting the first-aid kit down beside Jammers deck.
Forget it. She popped the case open and rummaged through its contents. Jammer, theres more poppers in here than anything else...
Jammer smiled weakly.
Here. Thesell do you. She unrolled a sheet of red derms and began to peel them off the backing, smoothing three across the back of the burnt hand. What you needs a local, though.
I was thinking, Jammer said, staring up at Bobby. Maybe nows when you can earn yourself a little running time...
Hows that? Bobby asked, eyeing the deck.
Stands to reason, Jammer said, that whoevers got those jerks outside, theyve also got the phones tapped.
Bobby nodded. Beauvoir had said the same thing, when hed run his plan down to them.
Well, when Beauvoir and I decided you and I might hit the matrix for a little look-see, I actually had something else in mind. Jammer showed Bobby his expanse of small white teeth. See, Im in this because I owed Beauvoir and Lucas a favor. But there are people who owe me favors, too, favors that go way back. Favors I never needed to call in.
Jammer. Jackie said, you gotta relax. Just sit back. You could go into shock.
Hows your memory, Bobby? Im going to run a sequence by you. You practice it on my deck. No power, not jacked. Okay?
Bobby nodded.
So dry-run this a couple of times. Entrance code. Let you in the back door.
Whose back door? Bobby spun the black deck around and poised his fingers above the keyboard.
The Yakuza, Jammer said.
Jackie was staring at him. Hey, what do you
Like I said. Its an old favor. But you know what they say, the Yakuza never forget. Cuts both ways...
A whiff of singed flesh reached Bobby and he winced.
How come you didnt mention this to Beauvoir? Jackie was folding things back into the white case.
Honey, Jammer said, youll learn. Some things you teach yourself to remember to forget.
Now look, Bobby said, fixing Jackie with what he hoped was his heaviest look, Im running this. So I dont need your loas, okay, they get on my nerves.
She doesnt call them up, Beauvoir said, crouching by the office door, the detonator in one hand and the South African riot gun in the other, they just come. They want to come, theyre there. Anyway, they like you.
Jackie settled the trodes across her forehead. Bobby, she said, youll be fine. Dont worry, just jack. Shed removed her headscarf. Her hair was cornrowed between neat furrows of shiny brown skin, with antique resistors woven in at random intervals, little cylinders of brown phenolic resin ringed with color-coded bands of paint.
When you punch out past the Basketball, Jammer said to Bobby, you wanna dive right three clicks and go for the floor, I mean straight down...
Past the what?
Basketball. Thats the Dallas-Fort Worth Sunbelt Co-Prosperity Sphere, you wanna get your ass down fast, all the way, then you run how I told you, for about twenty clicks. Its all used-car lots and tax accountants down there, but just stand on that mother, okay?
Bobby nodded, grinning.
Anybody sees you going by, well, thats their lookout. People who jack down there are used to seeing some weird shit anyway.