Read Part 2…

The door to apartment 5380 had an especially large keypad that included a full Dvorak keyboard, complete with function keys. There was a small display with a peep-hole camera that was always recording. Jane walked past this door and around a bend in the hallway that led to the emergency exit. Just before the exit door she stopped, counted the patterns in the dark-grey wallpaper, and placed her palm directly in the center of a fleur-de-lis. A section of wall disconnected at invisible seams and receded into the room behind. Jane entered and removed her boots as the door quietly went back to being a wall. She entered the kitchen and began rummaging in the refrigerator that blocked the supposed door to apartment 5380.

Jane tried to munch a carrot silently as she walked past Rick’s bed in the dark. Standing by his window overlooking the city, she pulled out a purple cyberette and took a long drag. The taste did not mix well with carrot, but her mind was on other things. Would anyone at the bar identify her? Would Rick be able to get any info off Glummy’s mobile? Even if she was able to rescue the boy, how would she stop the the mob from coming after her?

“You know, those will kill you,” a tired voice came from the bed, “the smokes, I mean. Good to see you’re finishing work early for once, Janey.” Rick got up and put on a sweater.

“And you know, Ricky, that my lungs will be just fine, but I’m sorry if the nanobots bother yours. I didn’t think you were up.”

“Doll, You know I haven’t been able to sleep since they took Leon.”

“I know, but I was glad to see you were trying to relax. I’m afraid I can’t keep you company for long, sugar, but I thought I would stop by a moment and catch the breeze with you.”

“Ha, well my windows are all bolted shut, but there are other ways you can keep me company.” Rick gave her a look and Jane rolled her eyes. “But I know that if Jane Brass is on the clock, she must need something from me. ”

“Oh Ricky, you know I hate to ask, what with it being late and everything that’s going on with your poor nephew. I just have this a client gave to me, and I terribly need to know where it’s been.” She gave him a compassionate look, but took the burnt-up mobile out of her pocket.

“Don’t worry Janey, I know you’ll make it up to me. Besides, maybe it’ll take my mind off the whole business for a moment.” He took the device from her and immediately began dismantling it at his workbench. “Don’t tell me: someone took this thing through a shock-wall. You’re client the victim of a botched caper?”

Jane nodded.

“Well, the main system is fried beyond any hope. You’re lucky it was this model, though. These use a dedicated hardware-cache for the GPS system.” He used some laser-tweezers pull a chip out of the mess of circuits and attached some wires to it. “And we should be able to pull something from this.”

He worked on a terminal for a while. Jane went up behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. The Batty family had been through a lot recently, and she could feel the tension in Rick’s shoulders. She began to massage but he stopped her, clutching at her right hand. She apologized, explaining she had forgot her strength for a second. Damn, that Ov3cl0ck hasn’t worn off yet, she thought.

“Hmm, something prevented it from recording a whole route, but it was definitely hanging around this address earlier today.” Rick posted an address to their chat stream. “Hey, this doesn’t have anything to do with Leon, does it? You know I don’t want you getting involved.”

“Of course not, Ricky, we’ve talked about that. This is just a burglary, and the client didn’t want to go to the police with this delicate subject.”

“Alright, doll, it’s just this place is in Bolt Gang territory and my sister has been saying they might be involved. Please, keep a low profile, especially with the authorities. For me?”

She gave him a quick kiss and turned to the door. Then she paused, walked back and gave him a much deeper kiss. “Don’t you worry, love, it’s a quick job. Try and get some sleep and I’ll be back in time to take you to breakfast.”

“Well at least now now I get to stay awake looking forward to that. I know you can take care of yourself, Janey.” He gave her a last kiss, then hit a button on his desk. The wall on the other side of the apartment slid open. “Now, get out of here. You taste like carrot.”

Jane tussled his hair and jumped off his lap. She didn’t look back as she walked out, letting the wall slide closed behind her before keying the address into her map. Well, he was right about the neighborhood. This will require a delicate touch, she tried to steady her overclocked hand. It shook, but she tightened it into a fist. There was work to be done.

To be continued…