walked away from them to turn in a circle and lie down, Shay noticed that one of his hind legs seemed to get momentarily tangled with the other one.
Shay stooped next to him and scratched his head—he liked a firm fingernail scratch right between the ears. His artificial blue eye—implanted by Singular—wasn’t right: Shay thought it looked faded, unsharp. “Dammit. I think he needs a charge.”
She’d explained to Odin how they’d recharged X’s brain battery, and now he said, “That’s a little scary. Plugging something into a living brain.”
“I know,” she said. “But the last time, he almost died before we plugged him in.”
They looked at the dog for a long time, in silence, then Odin said, “It’s your call: he’s your dog now.”
Shay got her laptop, and the Thunderbolt cable, and got X to lie down. He knew what was coming and seemed willing enough: he stretched out on the floor, his jaw between his front paws, with his eyes closed. She plugged him in.
“How long?” Odin asked.
“I don’t know,” Shay said. “Last time, it took at least an hour, but I wasn’t watching the clock. His battery was totally flat back then.”
“Interesting,” Odin said. “Freakin’ Frankenstein science, but…interesting.”
Shay looked up at Odin, and then at Fenfang, and at Twist, and it was Twist who asked, “What?”
“We keep saying we need something dramatic.”
Twist said, “Right.”
“Well, we’ve got Fenfang,” Shay said. “And we’ve got Dr. Girard. And you’re going to L.A.”
Twist said, “Oh…jeez. Where’s my head been?”
Odin asked, “What?”
Twist said, “Girard’s a friend of mine. He runs a clinic in L.A., and he’s got an X-ray machine. He X-rayed the dog for us.”
Fenfang said, “Then he could”—she gestured at her head—“X-ray this?”
“That would be great on Mindkill,” Shay said. “You don’t have to be a doctor to look at an X-ray showing hundreds of wires stuck in a brain and know it’s a problem.”
Fenfang nodded and said, “I will do it.”
An hour later, X’s eye was dark blue again, and his tail thumped against the floor. Shay unplugged him, and he licked her hand and rolled onto his back for a belly rub.
—
Cade arrived in Las Vegas at noon, having left Salt Lake at dawn. “They should be all over Salt Lake,” he said. “I left several difficult-to-find clues that they’ll find, if they’re competent.”
“They’re competent,” Odin said.
Cade was carrying a bag from Cabela’s. Twist said, “You’re not old enough to buy a gun, there’s no place to fish….”
Cade emptied the bag on a table. Six Motorola walkie-talkies and a pack of batteries fell out. “We can talk to each other without using cell phones. We choose the frequency, good for a mile or so. You’d have to know we were using them, where we were, and what frequency we were on, to intercept.”
“Old tech, but useful,” Odin said. “We’ll take them with us this afternoon.”
“What’s this afternoon?” Cade asked.
Twist briefed him on the proposed run into Los Angeles.
“They’re probably watching the hotel,” Cade said.
“Yeah, we thought of that, not being complete morons,” Twist said. “We can handle it.”
“What am I doing?” Cade asked.
“Computer files—you and Shay will be trying to find more stuff we can use to hang Singular,” Twist said. “We’ll be out of L.A. and back here before morning.”
“I’m worried about the hotel. Not everybody in there can be trusted,” Cade said to Twist. “They ain’t a bunch of little snowflakes. If I were Singular, I’d call up some rap sheets to see who might be bought. Some of them could be. If they see you, and make a quick call, you’re trapped.”
“I can get in and out,” Twist said. “Cruz has a plan.” He turned to face a mirror, looked himself over admiringly, from his sleek brown pompadour to his polished black boots, and sighed.
5
Once the others had
Shay stooped next to him and scratched his head—he liked a firm fingernail scratch right between the ears. His artificial blue eye—implanted by Singular—wasn’t right: Shay thought it looked faded, unsharp. “Dammit. I think he needs a charge.”
She’d explained to Odin how they’d recharged X’s brain battery, and now he said, “That’s a little scary. Plugging something into a living brain.”
“I know,” she said. “But the last time, he almost died before we plugged him in.”
They looked at the dog for a long time, in silence, then Odin said, “It’s your call: he’s your dog now.”
Shay got her laptop, and the Thunderbolt cable, and got X to lie down. He knew what was coming and seemed willing enough: he stretched out on the floor, his jaw between his front paws, with his eyes closed. She plugged him in.
“How long?” Odin asked.
“I don’t know,” Shay said. “Last time, it took at least an hour, but I wasn’t watching the clock. His battery was totally flat back then.”
“Interesting,” Odin said. “Freakin’ Frankenstein science, but…interesting.”
Shay looked up at Odin, and then at Fenfang, and at Twist, and it was Twist who asked, “What?”
“We keep saying we need something dramatic.”
Twist said, “Right.”
“Well, we’ve got Fenfang,” Shay said. “And we’ve got Dr. Girard. And you’re going to L.A.”
Twist said, “Oh…jeez. Where’s my head been?”
Odin asked, “What?”
Twist said, “Girard’s a friend of mine. He runs a clinic in L.A., and he’s got an X-ray machine. He X-rayed the dog for us.”
Fenfang said, “Then he could”—she gestured at her head—“X-ray this?”
“That would be great on Mindkill,” Shay said. “You don’t have to be a doctor to look at an X-ray showing hundreds of wires stuck in a brain and know it’s a problem.”
Fenfang nodded and said, “I will do it.”
An hour later, X’s eye was dark blue again, and his tail thumped against the floor. Shay unplugged him, and he licked her hand and rolled onto his back for a belly rub.
—
Cade arrived in Las Vegas at noon, having left Salt Lake at dawn. “They should be all over Salt Lake,” he said. “I left several difficult-to-find clues that they’ll find, if they’re competent.”
“They’re competent,” Odin said.
Cade was carrying a bag from Cabela’s. Twist said, “You’re not old enough to buy a gun, there’s no place to fish….”
Cade emptied the bag on a table. Six Motorola walkie-talkies and a pack of batteries fell out. “We can talk to each other without using cell phones. We choose the frequency, good for a mile or so. You’d have to know we were using them, where we were, and what frequency we were on, to intercept.”
“Old tech, but useful,” Odin said. “We’ll take them with us this afternoon.”
“What’s this afternoon?” Cade asked.
Twist briefed him on the proposed run into Los Angeles.
“They’re probably watching the hotel,” Cade said.
“Yeah, we thought of that, not being complete morons,” Twist said. “We can handle it.”
“What am I doing?” Cade asked.
“Computer files—you and Shay will be trying to find more stuff we can use to hang Singular,” Twist said. “We’ll be out of L.A. and back here before morning.”
“I’m worried about the hotel. Not everybody in there can be trusted,” Cade said to Twist. “They ain’t a bunch of little snowflakes. If I were Singular, I’d call up some rap sheets to see who might be bought. Some of them could be. If they see you, and make a quick call, you’re trapped.”
“I can get in and out,” Twist said. “Cruz has a plan.” He turned to face a mirror, looked himself over admiringly, from his sleek brown pompadour to his polished black boots, and sighed.
5
Once the others had
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