“He got killed on this job, didn’t he?”
“No, I told you that too. The SRS tried to force us to work for them, we didn’t want to, and one of them started shooting.”
“I’m not stupid, I know it had something to do with this job you’re not telling me about. And the mods you had me make to those flippers, I bet that’s part of it too.”
He’s right, he’s not stupid, Jacob thought. He would be an asset on the job, and without Gomez, they could use him.
“Look,” Two-Step said, “if Gomez got killed for this job, I want to help finish it. For him. And to help his mom.”
“I made a promise, Two-Step,” Jacob said with finality.
Two-Step sank, defeated. “Well, think about it. I know I can help.”
“I’ll let you know if I change my mind. Right now, I’ve got to meet Sandy.”
“Cool. I’ve got a date, anyway.”
“A date? Do I know the lucky girl?”
“Her name’s Haley. She sells jewelry.”
“The blonde with dreads? The Steamer girl?”
“That’s her. We’re going to go to the church and watch Wild at Heart.”
“Is she a member?”
“No, but we thought it would be fun. Nic Cage and David Lynch. It doesn’t get better than that.”
“Don’t have too much fun, you work in the morning.”
The Galleria was busy for a weeknight. A group of Steamers tended the garden, pulling multicolored carrots and beets. A few teenagers used a drone to rig a zip line from the third floor to the food court while an old man with implanted glasses lectured them on physics and how the zip line wouldn't work because the angle was too steep. A group of code freaks sat staring at their shoes and taking turns giggling. A couple who looked too young to vote handed out flyers for an independent running for president. One of them gave Jacob a flyer. “No corporate sponsors and our first transhuman candidate,” she said when she handed it to him. No chance in hell of winning, Jacob wanted to say, but said, “Thanks,” instead.
He stepped outside and was greeted by cold rain. Not enough to break a drought, he thought, but enough to get me soaked. He decided to wait for the rain to let up before he walked to DeSoto’s. It would give him some time to think. They needed a new plan, and so far he wasn’t sure how to go forward. The worst part was that he knew Two-Step had it right. He could help, and they needed his help, but he made a promise to Gomez when they started planning this job. He also made a promise to his second mom. He weighed the promises. Keeping one meant he would have to break the other unless he could come up with a plan that worked without Two-Step’s help. Throughout the day he ran through different scenarios in his head and none worked without another person on the team. At this point, only one more might not be enough. He tried to contact Slade, Gomez’s friend in security, but he hadn’t responded yet and there was the possibility he wouldn’t help them now that Gomez was dead. He made it clear he didn’t want to help when Gomez was alive and only agreed to help out of an obligation to Gomez. Now, with Gomez dead, Slade had an out Jacob was sure he would use.
The rain let up and Jacob ran across the street, jumping over puddles reflecting the neon sign of the club, trying to keep his boots as dry as possible. He failed miserably and came down on the edge of a river of runoff rushing through the middle of the street. He walked into DeSoto’s dripping and cursing.
Sandy, Kat, and Xia waited for him in the back bar. “You’re late,” Sandy said as he sat down.
“I had to wait for the rain to let up a bit.”
“You should get an umbrella. You do live in Houston,” Xia said.
“I’ll look into that. I don’t think one would have helped my boots, though.”
“I guess not.”
“Please tell me the three of you came up with a foolproof plan while I was getting soaked,” Jacob said.
“I wish we had,” Kat said. “Everything we come up with leads to the same place.”
“We need another person,” Jacob finished for her.
She nodded.
“What about Two-Step?” Xia asked. “He helped with that hack.”
“I told Gomez we would keep him out of this.”
“Well, I think he would understand, at this point. If he was here,” Kat said.
“I’m sure he would, but at least we would talk about it and work it out together,” Jacob said.
“Why don’t we run through some ideas and see if all of us together can come up with something,” Sandy said.
Jacob knew they wouldn’t come to any different conclusions, but they had to try. Maybe it was misguided loyalty to a dead friend, or maybe it was guilt, but he wanted them to try.
“All right. If we can’t find a plan we don’t think will work without him, I’ll bring him in. But only after we exhaust all other ideas.”
An hour later, they felt like they had exhausted their ideas and had started going in circles.
“Everyone agrees?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Kat said.
Jacob sighed. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
Later, after Kat and Xia left, Sandy brought Jacob a drink.
“He would appreciate how hard you tried,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Gomez. He would have appreciated how hard you tried to keep Two-Step out of this. You don’t have to feel guilty about it. I think he would understand.”
“I guess you’re right. It doesn’t change how I feel, but you’re right,” Jacob said.
“Two-Step is good. He thought of using flippers to slow down networks. He was great against the Aryan Brotherhood. He’s a smart kid.”
“It’s the kid part that worries me. But I guess he isn’t really a kid. Hell, he’s already seen more than most people twice his age do.
