“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“It’s one hell of a misunderstanding.”
“Let me talk to my brother, face to face, andI’ll explain. We’re on our way back to straighten this out.”
She didn’t answer right away. Then she said,“I’ll need to check with the floor manager.”
“You do that,” I said. “Oh, but one questionfirst.”
“What?”
“That floater I shot, the stealthed one-whatkind was it?”
“What do you mean, what kind?”
“Was it sentient?”
“Not really. Semi-autonomous.”
“Thank you.” I leaned back on the seat, andonly when I did that did I realize I’d been hunched forward. Now Icould relax a little. “You go ask whoever you need to ask.”
I had assumed it was just a dumb tracker whenI first shot it, but then I’d had second thoughts. It was good toknow I had been right the first time. Legally it probably didn’tmake any difference, but it mattered to me whether I’dkilled something self-aware.
For the most part I was making this up as Iwent, as I usually did, but I decided it was time to do a littleadvance planning, for once. I ran my fingers over my wrist and senta little message to the Ukiba-four words, “add a hot lunch.”I was fairly certain Yoshio-kun would punctuate thatproperly, even if Perkins didn’t-add “a” to “hot lunch,” and have ahot launch ready to go when we got back to the ship.
“Privacy,” I told the cab, once the messageshowed as sent and received.
The view of the surrounding city vanishedinstantly as the cab went opaque, and my symbiote flashed an alarmthat all external input and net access had been cut off.
“Thanks,” I said. “Tab yourself a fat tip forthis-double the fare, if you want.” I might as well enjoy myexpense account while I could.
“Thank you, mis’,” it replied. “It’s veryexciting!”
“I thought you didn’t want any trouble,” Isaid, amused.
“It seems as if I have it whether I want itor not, so I might as well enjoy it.”
I grimaced. I wished that attitude was morecommon.
Then I turned my attention to Singh and myfather. “Listen,” I said, “they think I kidnaped you two, but Ireally am going to kidnap my brother ’Chan. He’s got animplant that’ll shut down his legs if he leaves the Ginza, so we’llneed to carry him. Once he’s off-planet we can get the implant out,but first we need to get him onto the ship. Dad, I know you’re inno shape to do anything, but Singh, can you help me with this?”
Singh cocked his head. “How big is yourbrother?” he asked.
“Bigger then me,” I said. “Bigger than myfather. But not really big.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“Besides a ride to Prometheus?”
“Yes, besides that.”
I glared at him, then shrugged. “Akilocredit.”
“Five.”
“Two-five.”
“Three.”
“Done.”
We shook hands, and then loaded my fatherinto the luggage compartment, where he would be safely out of theway.
“Everything hurts,” he complained. “I feelevery little bump, and my legs and hands are all stiff.”
“That’s how you know you’re alive,” Isaid.
“They didn’t hurt in the dream.”
“It wouldn’t be much of a dream if they did,”Singh said, as he straightened Dad’s limbs to make him morecomfortable.
“We’re approaching the Ginza,” the cabsaid.
“Let me see,” I said, and as the bubbleturned transparent and the city reappeared around us, I pulled mygun from its holster and tapped the power switch to on.
Chapter Fourteen
I hadn’t specified which entrance to use, so the cabhad brought us down at the big front door on Cassiopeia Avenue, andour arrival was the central act of a circus.
Ginza cops were everywhere, three or fourdifferent varieties of them, and a few characters who had the lookof cops but who I didn’t think were from the Ginza. People in fancysuits were there, as well, and I don’t think they were all on thesame side. Dozens of floaters were swooping around, orhovering-newsies and security and spy-eyes, and advertisers thatsaw a crowd forming and didn’t care why. Tourists were watching;they probably had no idea what was going on, but thought it lookedexciting.
Add that to the usual glittering chaos of acasino’s entrance, the stardust and holos and lightscapes.
But I didn’t see ’Chan.
“Hey,” I said into Singh’s com. “Where’s mybrother?”
“On his way.”
“We’ll wait.”
The cab asked, “Will you bedisembarking?”
“We’re staying right where we are,” I toldit. “Go ahead and charge waiting rates if you want.”
“Thank you, Mis’.”
“You’re either crazy, desperate, rich, or onan expense account,” Singh remarked. “I’m guessing it’s an expenseaccount. You’re working for someone.”
“Could be more than one of those,” Isaid.
“It could. You said something about richfriends; I’m betting it’s more like a rich client.”
I glanced at him. “You know, you should becareful about what you bet on. You might make someone angry.”
“You must know you couldn’t get out of thiswith your brain intact if you didn’t have some pretty seriousbacking.”
“So maybe I want to be reconstructed.Maybe it’s my way of avoiding reality, since I can’t afford to buythe dream the way my old man did.”
Singh shook his head. “You aren’t thatcrazy.”
The cab was now completely surrounded byGinza cops and security floaters. “Are you sure?” I asked.
He considered that for a moment, then said,“Yeah, I think I am.”
“Good. Cab, privacy, please?”
“You do know that the city police canoverride my privacy field?”
“I didn’t, but I’ll risk it. Do it.”
“Yes, mis’.” The bubble went black, plungingus into gloom lit only by the cab’s various internal displays.
I turned back to Singh. “Here’s what I wantyou to do for your three kilocredits. I’m going to talk to mybrother, and I’m going to tell him I have someone here in the cabhe needs to see. He’ll come over to look and he’ll see our dadhere-and when he does, you grab him and pull him into the cab.”
“I can do that.”
“And cabbie, the instant our new passenger isaboard, I want you to close up and head for the port as fast as youcan. Don’t wait for further instructions. Got it?”
“Yes, mis’.”
“Good. Then drop the privacy.”
“Yes, mis’.” The bubble was transparentagain, and I looked out at a dozen guns pointed at us-and at ’Chan,who was walking slowly across the entry plaza toward us. A woman ina navy blue suit was walking beside him and talking while read-outsflickered across her chest and sleeve. ’Chan was leaning toward herslightly, obviously listening to whatever she was saying.
“Open the door,” I said.
The cab’s door slid aside, and I perchedmyself in the opening with the HG-2 in my hand. “’Chan!” Icalled.
“Mis’ Hsing,” the woman beside him called.“Come out and talk.”
“Talk first,” I said. “Then maybe I’ll comeout.” As I spoke I was trying to take in as much of my surroundingsas possible, and in particular what sort of weaponry the casinocops were displaying. It looked like about half lethal, half merelyincapacitating, which meant that they’d be willing to take me downat the first opportunity. Killing me would mean kiloscreens ofreports and documentation and trouble with superiors who might wantto know what the hell I’d thought I was doing, but tranking me, orotherwise shutting me down somehow, would be good for a few karmapoints, so long as I didn’t manage to do any damage going down.
Which was why I had the gun turned on andready. If they shot me I intended to get off a shot or two of myown before I went blank.