Two-Step nodded. “I can do it. I understand why Gomez didn’t want me to be a part of this. I know it’s dangerous, but it feels good to have people who, well, who appreciate what I can do.”
“Gomez appreciated your abilities. He just wanted to keep you safe,” Jacob said.
“I know. And I know he appreciated my work. He gave me free rein to experiment on almost anything. I would’ve never come up with that idea for the flippers if he hadn’t trusted me enough to let me have fun with all of this stuff.” He gestured at the piles of electronics littered around the room. “I just hope I get to keep playing around with this stuff. I mean, we don’t know what’s going to happen to the store.”
“We will soon. Let’s not worry about that right now, we have more pressing issues,” Jacob said.
“Anyone back there?” Xia's voice came from the front of the store.
“Yeah, come on back,” Jacob called.
Xia came in, looking tired. She took her backpack off and plopped down in a chair.
“God, what a day,” she said. “They’re changing the Q-Chip test schedule, and my team is getting pounded with data and code rewrites.”
“Changing the schedule?” Jacob asked. He didn’t like the sound of that. He felt Wednesday was too soon, any time before that would put more pressure on the team.
“Don’t worry, we still have the tests on Wednesday, but they’ve made some changes. All of the test subjects will have to report on Tuesday morning and stay until Thursday morning. They’ve decided a full twenty-four hours of observation before and after implanting the new chips is necessary.”
“So, I’m going to have to spend the night?” Two-Step asked.
“You are. And I am. I’m part of the observation team, so I have to be there.”
Jacob let out a forced sigh. “That puts another wrinkle in our plans.”
“I know. We just have to get some things done sooner,” Xia said.
“So where are they going to make me sleep? Like a hospital bed or something?” Two-Step asked.
Xia gave him a questioning look.
“What?” he said. “I don’t like hospitals.”
“I think it’s more like a barracks with several beds. At least the room the test takes place is. There are some other rooms, but I’m not sure if you will get to spend the night in them,” Xia said.
“Besides, have you ever been to a hospital? I thought you were born at home,” Jacob said.
Two-Step looked hurt. “I can still not like hospitals. Maybe even more since I haven’t been in one.”
“Whatever. Xia, is this going to interfere in getting the chip out?”
“I don’t think so. It should still work. The plan to get him out doesn’t change.”
Behind them, the bank of security monitors cycled through images of The Galleria. Images of the second level came on the screens, and something, or someone, caught Jacob’s eye.
“What the hell are they doing here?” he said, going to the security monitors.
Xia and Two-Step turned their attention to the monitors. Jacob tapped at the controls and froze the image in the lower corner.
“That’s Yuri and Chen,” he said, pointing to the pair. Both of the men were dressed much like they had been every other time Jacob had seen them, but now they each had a backpack. He unfroze the image. They were out of the camera’s range. He worked the controls of the system, trying to find the SRS men again.
“You think they are here for us?” Xia asked.
“Who are Yuri and Chen?” Two-Step asked.
“SRS,” Xia said.
Two-Step stiffened.
Jacob found them again. “They’re walking away from us, but where are they going?”
“That’s in the direction of the old Saks,” Two-Step said.
“The Saks? The Steamers? What would they want with them?”
“Maybe they’re doing business with them,” Xia said.
Two-Step shook his head. “I don’t know. Steamers don’t usually mess with people like the SRS. But maybe.”
Jacob continued to work the controls, following Yuri and Chen making their way to the old Saks Fifth Avenue. “Two-Step, find the cameras in front of Saks. See if anyone is waiting for them.”
Two-Step moved to one end of the control panel and began searching. “We really need to make a list of all of the cameras. It would make stuff like this a lot easier.”
“I’ll put that on the list of things to do,” Jacob said.
“Here,” Two-Step said. He pointed to the image of a Steamer standing outside the second-floor entrance to Saks. He paced and occasionally glanced down the hall.
“That has to be who their meeting,” Jacob said. He glanced at Yuri and Chen as they walked across a screen. “They’re close,” he said.
The Steamer stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, trying to look relaxed. Yuri and Chen walked up to him. Yuri shook the Steamer’s cybernetic hand, and the three of them began a conversation.
“I wish we could hear them. I want to know what they are talking about,” Two-Step said.
“I don’t need to hear them to know what they’re talking about. He’s going to push code for them,” Jacob said.
“How do you know?” Xia asked.
Jacob looked at her, his expression saying, “Really, you have to ask?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said.
After a short conversation, Yuri and Chen handed their backpacks to the Steamer. He put one over each shoulder and nodded. Yuri and Chen turned and walked away. The Steamer stood for a few moments more, then went into Saks.
“Are you going to follow them back this way?” Two-Step asked.
“No, I’m sure they’re leaving the building, and we have other things to worry about,” Jacob said.
He didn’t like this. The SRS had never pushed code in The Galleria, and it had always been a freelancer area. Even the SRS respected that. Why were they making a move to include it in their territory, and why would Steamers help them? He was also fairly certain that any code or decks coming from the SRS
