him speeding up and they were catching him just as the trio of
travelers reached the far door.
“Sir! All of you! All three of you! We’re going to need
you to stop and come back to the desk!”
A hand reached up and grabbed Jed by the shoulder just as
the door swung open and a uniformed man stepped through. Donavan was on
the man’s nametag.
Donavan recognized Dawn and looked past Jed toward the two
staff members who had just reached him.
“Okay, you two. Back to work. I’ll take care of this.
Thank you for your diligence,” Donavan said with authority.
“But sir!”
“Back to work. I’ll take care of this.”
Before Jed could fully process what was going on, the
three had been shuffled past the second door and they were walking through a
heavily fortified parking lot toward a waiting Transport Authority minivan.
****
“You barely made it, Dawn,” Donavan said. He guided the
vehicle through a maze of heavy concrete barricades, and Jed could hear distant
explosions. Fantastic beams of light sped by overhead like ethereal shots
fired from nearby cannon, and when the explosions were close, the ground would
shake, and night turned into day all around them. “And I was expecting two of
you, not three. This’ll cost you more.”
“How much more?” Dawn asked.
“I don’t know. Seven total.”
“Seven hundred thousand unilets? Have you lost your
mind?”
“I could take you back and you can work it out with
Transport… if that’s what you want.”
Dawn was quiet for a few beats. “We’ll make it work…
somehow,” she replied.
An explosion off to the right, on the other side of the
concrete barricade, shook the van violently. Jed looked at Jerry, and with
their eyes they asked one another, What have we gotten into?
“How many unilets do you have left?” Dawn asked Jed under
her breath.
“Let me see,” he said. “Five hundred ninety-eight
thousand… minus the one hundred thousand from the flight… Four hundred ninety
eight thousand. And that will make me completely broke.”
“We’re all broke,” Dawn whispered to him. Then she
gestured toward Donavan. “He just doesn’t know that unis will be worthless
real soon.”
“I have just a bit over one hundred thousand unis,” Jerry
added.
Dawn reached forward and tapped Donavan on the shoulder.
“Six!” she said loudly. “We have six. You’ll have to take that, Donavan.
It’s all we can get.”
“Six? You’re kidding me, right? The price was three for one person, and you want me to move three people for six? What do you
think this is, some cut-rate BICE shop?”
“They’ll only have to cut two of us, Donavan. The Plain
kid doesn’t have an implant.”
“I only have a TRID, not a BICE,” Jerry added. He looked
at Jed and shrugged. He didn’t know if it would help in the negotiations, but
it couldn’t hurt.
Donavan shook his head and pounded the console with his
hand.
“Unbelievable. So now you have me doing discount hack
work! Okay. Okay. Listen, lady. I’m going to do it, but you owe me, do you
hear me, Dawn? You owe me big!”
“Okay! Sheesh. Settle down, Donavan. You’re making six
for driving us a few blocks. Think of it that way.”
This little response inflamed Donavan all the more.
“Driving you a few blocks? Driving you a few blocks? Is that what you think
this is? I just secured three criminals from a secure facility in the
middle of a major enemy offensive… all at the risk of my own neck, don’t you
know!” He exhaled loudly and struck the console again with the flat of his
hand. “Driving you a few blocks! Wow!” He turned to Dawn and pointed at
her. “You owe me big, Dawn. Big! ”
Dawn rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Yes, Donavan. I owe you big. Are we there yet?”
(7
New Pennsylvania
Indeed, Dawn did owe Donavan. She
owed him even more after they
travelers reached the far door.
“Sir! All of you! All three of you! We’re going to need
you to stop and come back to the desk!”
A hand reached up and grabbed Jed by the shoulder just as
the door swung open and a uniformed man stepped through. Donavan was on
the man’s nametag.
Donavan recognized Dawn and looked past Jed toward the two
staff members who had just reached him.
“Okay, you two. Back to work. I’ll take care of this.
Thank you for your diligence,” Donavan said with authority.
“But sir!”
“Back to work. I’ll take care of this.”
Before Jed could fully process what was going on, the
three had been shuffled past the second door and they were walking through a
heavily fortified parking lot toward a waiting Transport Authority minivan.
****
“You barely made it, Dawn,” Donavan said. He guided the
vehicle through a maze of heavy concrete barricades, and Jed could hear distant
explosions. Fantastic beams of light sped by overhead like ethereal shots
fired from nearby cannon, and when the explosions were close, the ground would
shake, and night turned into day all around them. “And I was expecting two of
you, not three. This’ll cost you more.”
“How much more?” Dawn asked.
“I don’t know. Seven total.”
“Seven hundred thousand unilets? Have you lost your
mind?”
“I could take you back and you can work it out with
Transport… if that’s what you want.”
Dawn was quiet for a few beats. “We’ll make it work…
somehow,” she replied.
An explosion off to the right, on the other side of the
concrete barricade, shook the van violently. Jed looked at Jerry, and with
their eyes they asked one another, What have we gotten into?
“How many unilets do you have left?” Dawn asked Jed under
her breath.
“Let me see,” he said. “Five hundred ninety-eight
thousand… minus the one hundred thousand from the flight… Four hundred ninety
eight thousand. And that will make me completely broke.”
“We’re all broke,” Dawn whispered to him. Then she
gestured toward Donavan. “He just doesn’t know that unis will be worthless
real soon.”
“I have just a bit over one hundred thousand unis,” Jerry
added.
Dawn reached forward and tapped Donavan on the shoulder.
“Six!” she said loudly. “We have six. You’ll have to take that, Donavan.
It’s all we can get.”
“Six? You’re kidding me, right? The price was three for one person, and you want me to move three people for six? What do you
think this is, some cut-rate BICE shop?”
“They’ll only have to cut two of us, Donavan. The Plain
kid doesn’t have an implant.”
“I only have a TRID, not a BICE,” Jerry added. He looked
at Jed and shrugged. He didn’t know if it would help in the negotiations, but
it couldn’t hurt.
Donavan shook his head and pounded the console with his
hand.
“Unbelievable. So now you have me doing discount hack
work! Okay. Okay. Listen, lady. I’m going to do it, but you owe me, do you
hear me, Dawn? You owe me big!”
“Okay! Sheesh. Settle down, Donavan. You’re making six
for driving us a few blocks. Think of it that way.”
This little response inflamed Donavan all the more.
“Driving you a few blocks? Driving you a few blocks? Is that what you think
this is? I just secured three criminals from a secure facility in the
middle of a major enemy offensive… all at the risk of my own neck, don’t you
know!” He exhaled loudly and struck the console again with the flat of his
hand. “Driving you a few blocks! Wow!” He turned to Dawn and pointed at
her. “You owe me big, Dawn. Big! ”
Dawn rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Yes, Donavan. I owe you big. Are we there yet?”
(7
New Pennsylvania
Indeed, Dawn did owe Donavan. She
owed him even more after they
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