05 - Changeling by Chris Kubasik - (ebook by Undead)

Author:Chris Kubasik - (ebook by Undead) [Kubasik, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-02-20T07:00:00+00:00

The girl in green led them through the streets of the old Loop. Though Peter realized someone was following them, he decided not to look around for their tail; it wouldn’t be polite.

The girl brought them to the remains of the Carson, Pirie, Scott building. Snowflakes floated among the shattered display windows. Inside the building were no lights; it looked deserted.

“This it?”

“Yup, Just go inside, they’ll take care of you.”

“What about you?”

The girl pointed to a camera mounted amid the intricate grill work on the second floor, and Peter saw the warmth of its electronics and a dim red light blink on and off. “I’ve been logged. Zoze won’t know how much he owes me until he sets up the job. It’s all on a commission basis. Prevents me from trying to roll the rich folks on my own.” She glanced at Kathryn and checked out her clothes, envy shining in her eyes.

“What do you do here?” Kathryn said, her voice revealing both embarrassment and concern.

“Survive. What do you do outside?”

“The same, I guess.”

“But it’s easier than here.”

“I bet it is, too.”

“Nice clothes.”

Peter looked down at the girl. She was small, but wiry, probably as fast as a processor and able to wriggle out of the tightest spots. Nonetheless, he found her severely lacking in what it would take to survive. He’d been a year older than she when he first hit the streets, but he’d had the advantage of a huge body with natural dermal armor. What chance did this gutterpunk have? He’d give her no more than four more years. Tops.

Then he noticed a glint of silver on her temple. Was she a decker? That would certainly give her an edge. Decking was a valuable skill.

Kathryn looked up at him. In the dim light he saw her face plead with him to do something.

What? Adopt the child? As if she’d let him protect her anyway.

“Come on. Let’s get to your fixer.”

“By the way,” said the girl as they stepped toward the deserted store, “you guys looking for a decker?”

“Decker?” asked Kathryn. “One of those computer pirates?”

“Dog, what plane of existence you from, lady?”

“Maybe we will need one,” said Peter. “We don’t know yet, but we’ll keep you in mind.”

“Hey, chummer, you don’t act like most trolls I know.”

“How do you mean?”

“I don’t know… How you speak. It’s better.”

“Thanks. I’ve read a lot.”

“Really? That’s wiz. I just read titles of files and stuff. Breena, my squeeze. She’s a mage. She reads all the time. I like pictures. You ever seen a Soorat?”

“Georges Seurat?” asked Kathryn.

“Yeah, George Soorat. I love his stuff. All dots. Like primitive comp graphics.”

“Did you say you’re a decker? One of those computer pirates?” repeated Kathryn.

The girl placed her hands on her hips, feisty and endearing. “Yeah, me. You got a problem with that?”

“No, she doesn’t have a problem with that.” Peter touched Kathryn lightly on the shoulder and turned her toward the store. “We’ll be in touch. All right?”

The girl smiled. “Wiz, chummer.”

They stepped into the abandoned store.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.