Kris had already spotted the sign. She pointed and risked a ''Th-th-there.''
A car had Abu's spot. The truck parked right behind it. ''Let's make this fast, boys. We've got two more to go,'' Nabil said as he dropped out his door. Kris was already opening hers, but not fast enough for the young men. There was good-natured pushing and shoving. And as Kris dropped onto the pavement, the oldest boy pushed the youngest into her. She didn't have much for breasts, and an armored bodysuit was holding them in, but what softness Kris had, the kid got a handful of.
''You, you're…'' Now it was his turn to stutter.
Kris had seen a DI stop a squad of officer trainees dead in their tracks with just a stare. She'd grown up with Harvey, an ex-Sergeant, who could be as nice as a fairy godfather one moment but freeze fire with a glance the next. Kris put all the glares she'd ever gotten into one face and gave it to the poor kid.
He froze, face beet-red.
''What's keeping you boys?'' came from the back of the truck as the doors swung wide.
''Coming,'' the oldest one shouted, grabbing his brother.
''But, but…'' the other sputtered.
''Talk to Papa later. Not now, can't you see?''
Kris followed the boys. NELLY, TALK TO ME. ARE THE NANOS HERE? DO THEY HAVE COMPANY?
YES, AND BOY, DO WE HAVE COMPANY. KRIS, I AM READING EIGHT RADIOS TURNED TO THE SECURITY FREQUENCY WITHIN JUST A HUNDRED METERS OF US. THREE CAR MOBILES. FIVE PERSONAL REMOTES. THERE ARE AT LEAST NINE MOBILE NANO GUARDS BUZZING THIS PLACE.
AND THE BEACON?
I TURNED IT OFF. BY MY COUNT, NINETY-TWO PERCENT OF OUR RECON UNITS ARE HERE. IN A WHILE I WILL RISK TURNING IT ON TO HELP THOSE CLOSE BUT NOT HERE YET.
''Papa, why are we carrying double?'' the youngest asked as their father dropped a carcass on each shoulder.
''I'm in a hurry,'' Nabil said. ''Now get a move on.'' Kris was last; he loaded her with an icy cold slab of meat on each shoulder, blocking the view of every security camera in sight. Hunched over, she limped after the boys, favoring her painful left foot. Kris was working the kitchen's screen door open with her foot when it opened, almost knocking her down.
Face-to-face with a man in a gray uniform, Kris ducked her head. She took a step back from the man with SureFire Security in bold red letters over his left breast pocket and three gold chevrons on both sleeves. She got ready to slam him with a frozen rack of sheep as he glanced at her, but he dismissed her out of hand and swaggered into the parking lot.
Eyes still down, Kris slipped through the open door and spotted one of the boys exiting a large, walk-in freezer. She covered the distance in a kind of hopping stumble and found herself facing a hawk-nosed woman with a tablet. ''That makes six. Hurry up, you boys. I ordered fourteen. I don't have all day, and leaving this freezer open is costing me money.''
The younger boy, still showing red when he looked Kris's way, helped her hang her carcasses on hooks in the freezer. Then both hurried out, and the woman slammed the freezer door shut.
''You're… you're—'' the boy started.
''Shush,'' Kris risked under her breath.
SureFire Security was talking to Nabil. The driver kept up a steady stream of words about how bad thievery was and getting worse even as he loaded two more large goats on his eldest son and sent him off at a run. Same for the younger boy and Kris in her turn. The Security Sergeant gave Kris another once-over as she loaded, but was distracted when his radio came alive.
''We've got some sort of signal traffic real close by.''
''How close?'' the Sergeant demanded as Kris hobbled away.
NELLY, THEY'RE AFTER US.
I HAVE TO TRANSMIT SOME, AND THE BEACON HAS TO SEND, TOO.
WE NEED A DISTRACTION. COULD YOU MAKE UP SOME NOISY DECOYS?
GOT JUST WHAT YOU ORDERED. TRY BRUSHING UP AGAINST SOME PEOPLE. ONE ON YOUR RIGHT, THE OTHER ON YOUR LEFT.
Kris caught a waiter coming out for a smoke with her right arm and got a ''Watch where you're going,'' for it. The left arm went to the woman with the tablet when Kris stumbled into her. ''You drop that meat, and you'll give me another one. And don't expect me to let you drive off with it,'' she scolded the older boy as he passed Kris on the way out. ''You tell that father of yours, if he is your father, that I'm keeping anything you drop to make sure you don't pawn it off on someone else.''
''Yes, ma'am. We understand, ma'am. Papa would never do that, ma'am. Kid,'' the older brother said, slapping Kris on the back. ''You and Papa have to talk. I don't think you're cut out for this job.''
Kris hung her load and hurried out. She managed to slip on a wet spot on the floor but kept going, leaving behind her the woman's scolding voice. ''Don't you even think of filing a comp claim. You were limping before you came in here.''
Outside. Nabil was giving his sons their final load. The Sergeant stood in the parking lot, yelling at his people. Kris saw one far to her left, another at the front of the lot to her right. ''What do you mean, you can't triangulate on that signal? If you can't, I know where I can get a dozen who can.''
''Sarge, I don't think there's just one squeaker. There has to be at least two, and one is moving. None are on for more than it takes a flea to blink.''
''Nail it, or I'm gonna nail you.''
Kris spotted the smoker, pacing up and down nervously on the far side of the lot. NELLY, ACTIVATE THE DECOYS. USE A SPORADIC AND INTERMITTENT SIGNAL BUT HAVE THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY BROADCAST ON THE SAME POWER AND FREQUENCY AT TIMES TO SEE IF YOU CAN HETERODYNE THE SIGNAL. With luck, the two would merge and show up as a single source halfway between the two transmissions.
THIS IS FUN.
ACTIVATE THE BEACON WHEN THE OTHERS ARE OFF.
TWO PEEPS SHOULD GET US ALL OUR LOST SHEEP.
Good Lord, now Nelly was attempting poetry. What next!
''Boy, get in the cab,'' Nabil said, risking a worried glance either at the door where his boys were still making the last delivery… or at the security cop. ''I want to be out of here before whatever they are sniffing around for gets this whole place locked down. That would truly ruin my delivery schedule.''
Kris nodded obediently and opened the door. While waiting for the others, she wandered around like any teenage boy… and just happened to end up leaning on the delivery schedule sign.
WHAT HAVE WE GOT?
NINETY-SIX PERCENT PRESENT. THE ESCORT NANOS BURNED A DOZEN PURSUITS BUT NONE CLOSER THAN THE STREET. WE ARE CLEAN!
If a computer could crow, Nelly was. GET THEM ON ME.
WAIT ONE. ALL PRESENT.
SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN. NO TRAFFIC UNTIL I SAY SO.
BUT I WANT TO DOWNLOAD OUR TAKE.
NELLY, TURN EVERYTHING OFF. DON'T RISK SO MUCH AS A PEEP.
YES, MA'AM, Nelly said, like a disappointed four-year-old.
Hardly breathing, Kris kept leaning on the sign pole as the boys hustled across the lot and piled into the truck. Kris waited a second more, only moving when Nabil shouted, ''Hurry up you lazy boy,'' and turned on the engine.
Kris scrambled into the truck and slammed the door. Now the older boy sat next to her, his arms folded across his chest as if by iron chains. The other seemed about to burst with questions, but a nudge in the ribs as Nabil slipped the truck in gear kept him quiet. Nabil waved at the Sergeant as he backed. The man in gray waved distractedly, then frowned and started walking over to Nabil's side of the truck. ''Just a minute, fellow.''
Kris froze. NELLY, ARE WE TOTALLY QUIET?
KRIS, MY NANOS AREN'T EVEN MOVING. I HAVE SHUT DOWN EVERYTHING I CAN. I AM ON JUST A TRICKLE FROM THE BATTERY. I SWEAR, YOUR HEART IS PUTTING OUT MORE ELECTRICITY THAN I AM.
The Sergeant just stood there, looking at Nabil, then each one of his sons, then Kris. ''Talk to me, George. There's a truck and three cars making like they want to leave. Do I shoot their drivers,'' he flashed a toothy grin at Nabil, ''shoot their tires, or let them go their way?''
''Sarge, I got two targets, maybe three. I'm not sure. They never are there long enough for me to get anything like a fix. They keep jumping frequency and location.''