Upgrade by Richard Parry

If he could get her to go down on — No, business first, Eckers.   You know the rules.   You always fuck it up when you forget the rules.   “You relocated my sister.”
    Bernie took the bottle back from her, letting his fingers brush against her.   She pulled back.   He grinned in the small space of the car.   They always come around in the end.   When they realize how much they need you.   “Remind me.   Who’s your sister?”
    “Marlene.   Marlene Haraway.   She told me about you.”   She paused.   “ All about you.”
    “Ah.”   Bernie’s grin stayed fixed on his face.   “I remember.   Younger sister, right?”
    Haraway glanced at him.   “That’s right.”
    “Yeah.   Real shame how she got in trouble with the syndicates.   Real shame.”   Bernie shifted around in his seat, adjusting his crotch.   “What’s that got to do with it?”
    “Nothing,” said Haraway.   Her face was guarded.   “Everything.   I know where the rain comes from.”
    “You said that.”   He waved his hand.   “Spill, kid.”
    “We’re trying to sell some tech.”   She glanced around, trying to see through the windows.   Like she’d be able to see anything more than a couple meters away.   Always raining — it’s always goddamn raining .
    “That’s right.”   Bernie frowned.   “Look, if it’s about the test, that was—”
    “It’s not about the test,” said Haraway.   She paused.   “Ok.   It’s about the test.   The test you did.   Without me.”
    “The test site is where the rain comes from?”
    “No.”   Haraway looked at her hands.   “Maybe.   It’s complicated.”
    “Uncomplicate it.”
    She turned to him.   “If you’d just waited , like I said, we’d have—”
    “Couldn’t wait,” said Bernie.   “Had a buyer.”
    Haraway blinked.   “You’ve found a buyer?”
    “Had.   Past tense.   Gone on the wind.   Someone blew up my meeting point.”
    Haraway scrabbled at the door.   “I’ve got to go.”
    Bernie put a hand on her shoulder.   “Doc, look, it’s ok.”
    “It’s not ok, Mr. Eckers.”   Haraway was tugging at the big old handle, the mechanism sticking.   “There’s only one reason why someone would…   What did you say?   ‘Blow up your meeting point?’”
    “Yeah.”
    Haraway looked him over, saw he was calm.   She licked those delicious lips before speaking again.   “You’re not concerned.”
    “Nope.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I’m still sucking oxygen,” he said, leaning back. “You’re still sucking oxygen.   If they knew, we wouldn’t be sucking oxygen.”
    Haraway tilted her head to the side, then pulled her hand away from the door.   “That makes sense.”
    “Yeah.”
    “We need to be careful.”
    “Yeah.”
    “No, Mr. Eckers.   Really careful.   This is big.”   Haraway looked out into the rain, her eyes unfocused.   “It’ll change the world.”
    Bernie eyed her over the top of the bottle, then took a swig.   “World might not need changing.”
    She turned back to him, her lips twisted.   “ Everything needs changing.”
    Bernie shrugged.   He hadn’t taken her for an idealist.   She wanted money from the deal.   Come to think about it, he didn’t much care.   He picked at his nose.   “Sure.   Needs changing.   You still want to be rich?”
    “No.”
    “What?”   Bernie felt his heart skip.
    She smiled at him.   “I want to be disgustingly rich.   I want to have so much money that nothing can get in my way.”
    “Jesus, Doc, you had me scared for a second.”
    “No mistakes this time, Mr. Eckers,” she said.   “No mistakes.   No blown-up meeting points.   No reason for an Apsel satellite to perform an orbital strike.   Nothing.”
    “No guarantees in this business, kid.”   Bernie scratched at his belly.   “You know that.”
    She looked thoughtful.   “I know that.”
    “Why don’t you come along this time?”   Bernie leered at her.