“Been to Mars lately?”
“Been a few months.”
“I been hearing a lot of chatter,” Jocko watched him closely, trying to read his face. “Shit’s getting tense up there. A lot of what I hear is getting more and more organized. Think they’re gonna start misbehavin’ more.”
“What happens when Mama lets her drunk boyfriend start abusin’ her kids.” Tiger pursed his lips in contemplation. He looked his old friend in the eye. “I see it getting worse before it gets better.”
Jocko nodded thoughtfully, “Well, when the shit hits the fan, come get me … ‘cause I know where you’ll be. They’ll be at a big disadvantage as it is. They’ll need guys like me.”
Tiger didn’t answer. He really didn’t know what to say. Jocko had never been one to care about politics or other people’s problems, except when it might benefit him personally.
Jocko seemed to read his thoughts. “Ok, I know you didn’t come here to talk politics or a potential rebellion. What kinda trouble you in this time?”
“I hope none,” Tiger replied in earnest, although he had a gut feeling to the contrary. “But, I was hoping you could lemme know one way or another.” He gave Jocko a wink. “After all, you are the Net Ninja.”
The veteran hacker grimaced. “Don’t call me that. I never went by that name and you know it.” The mere mention of that moniker always got his ire up. That’s something you guys made up back in school.” He sighed, “Besides, you ain’t gotta bullshit me, just tell me what you want. I ain’t got all day. I gotta DoomFall battle in thirty minutes and my team is shorthanded as it is.”
Tiger pulled out his PDC. He spoke a command and a holovid he’d took earlier of Amber appeared. Jocko’s mouth gaped open, as he watched her obediently turn the circle that Tiger had filmed her performing.
“Holy shit! Is that for real?” he asked incredulously.
“In the flesh … or fur.”
“You’re not shittin’ me? This ain’t some kind of punked thing? ‘Cause if it is y’know it wouldn’t take me but a few seconds to take apart a fake holovid.”
“I don’t have time to waste on practical jokes. And if I did, I sure wouldn’t waste it on you,” Tiger laughed. “You have no sense of humor whatsoever.”
Jocko shrugged. “Good point,” he conceded. He shook his head in admiration. “Damn! So, it’s true! It’s not just an ultranet myth!”
“Dude, you need to get out more.” Tiger shook his head. “They got things like this guarding VBS.”
Jocko gave him the stink eye. “You think I’m stupid or something? You think someone like me would not be aware of the latest breakthroughs in anthropomorphic technology?”
“Antho-mo-po what?” Tiger stumbled over the word.
“Anthropomorphic.” Jocko smiled at his friend’s twisted tongue. “It means giving human attributes or characteristics to a non-human entity, such as an animal.”
“In other words, finding a way to bring cartoon animals to life.”
“I guess that’s one way of putting it.” Jocko shrugged as he studied the vid with almost childlike awe. “But this … this is something totally off the scanners. Has to be a custom job. Probably cost millions. Damn, she’s beautiful! Where’d you run across her?”
“She kinda fell in my lap. Very unexpected like.”
“She could fall in my lap anytime!” Without thinking, he reached out to touch the vid, his hand going through the image. Red-faced and with genuine disappointment, he glanced over at Tiger with a sheepish grin.
“Seriously? You did not just try to cop a feel of my video.”
He had no defense. Instead, he gave Tiger a meek grin. “Have you … you know?” A sly wink caused Tiger to roll his eyes. “C’mon, tell me! Was it good?”
Tiger stood impassively. “How old are you? Are we still at Sparkman High?”
“If you did … you would tell me?
“No.”
“Damn, Tiger. Can’t I live vicariously through you?”
“I got a better idea. Why don’t you get out of this dump you stay cooped up in and go out and live your own life?”
Jocko scratched his unwashed hair. “Are you kiddin’? It’s a dangerous world out there!”
“Can we focus please?” Tiger was growing impatient.
“Sure! Hope you don’t mind, but I’m getting a chubby.”
“Data overload, dude!”
Jocko grinned mischievously. “Hey, I can’t help it! I ain’t had any in a while!” He quickly turned back serious, seeing that Tiger was not amused. Scratching his days-old stubble, he turned his focus back to the holovid. “So, what do you wanna know about this little Disney character gone wrong?”
“I’d like to know where she came from and who created her. She was being transported under armed guard. So, they’re probably wanting her back pretty bad.”
“Oh God!” Jocko eyes went wide in terror. “You kidnapped her?”
“No, I didn’t kidnap her! I rescued her from being raped, you asshole!”
Jocko waved his arm and his computer visualized on the nearby blank wall. Jocko might not be a lover or a fighter, but when it came to computers, there was none better in the SEEZ. The displays. for all the data he had, took up almost the whole wall. And that didn’t count all that he had minimized. It was an impressive array from a supercomputer custom-built to allow access to whatever information he sought or wherever he wanted to go online, anywhere in Sol. There were corporations who didn’t have a computer this capable.
“Same old Tiger,” he shook his head as he put his transference earpiece in and closed his eyes momentarily, his brain now syncing with his computer. “Always slaying dragons and rescuing princesses.”
Tiger threw his hands up in exasperation. “Why does everybody make it sound like it’s a bad thing to help people?”
“‘Cause your idea of helping someone is not walking
