“How are things going downstairs?” Enda asked.
JD walked into the kitchen, took a bottle of orange juice from the fridge, and took a swig. “I got the dogs going again, but they won’t ever perform how they used to. Joints’ll seize up sooner rather than later.”
“Fine,” Enda said, “we only need them for a day.”
JD took another drink and returned the bottle to the fridge. “Mirae’s testing out the new bodies, but otherwise I think we’re good to go.”
“You ready to make the call?”
JD wiped his hands on the front of his clothes and nodded. He took out his phone, found Kali’s number, and hit dial. He held the phone to his ear, and Enda stood close and leaned in to listen.
“Finally realized you can’t hide from me forever?” Kali said, forgoing the usual formalities.
“Put Soo-hyun on.”
“No.”
“Let me talk to them,” JD demanded.
“You’ve been watching too many films, Julius. I don’t have them tied to a chair, gagged and squirming.”
“Where are they?”
Kali sighed, sounding bored by his concern. “Probably out with the cleanup crew.”
“They’re not answering their phone.”
“Perhaps they lost it in the flood,” Kali said. “Our community lost a lot, not that you would care. Food, clothing, bedding. But no lives. Not yet.” She let those words hang heavy between them. “I want the virus.”
“What’s to stop you from hurting Soo-hyun once I hand it over?”
“I don’t want to hurt them; they’re part of my inner circle.”
“Then let them go,” JD said.
“Go where? This is their home.”
“When I see them, I’ll tell them everything you said. Everything you threatened. I’ll make them hate you like I do.”
“They’ll never believe you, Julius. They love me. I think they may be in love with me. Isn’t that interesting? They don’t see any danger here, and they won’t, until it’s too late. Are you ready to trade?” Kali asked.
JD glanced to Enda, and let frustration into his voice. “Yes. Bring Soo-hyun to Troy’s apartment. Two hours.”
“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.” Kali hung up.
JD clenched his fist around the phone, and fought the urge to throw it at the wall.
“You did good,” Enda said. “Now, let’s go get Soo-hyun back.” Enda collected her pistol from the table, slotted a magazine, and holstered it. “You want a gun?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Good.”
Crystal got up from the couch, and rested her hands on Enda’s waist.
“Let me know where you’re going, okay? Just in case.”
Enda looked to JD. “Can you send her the address?”
“Sure thing,” JD said.
“Okay,” Crystal said, “I’ll see you soon.”
I climbed onto the bed of the auto-truck, along with the five other selves in the other dog bodies. We transferred encryption keys for secure communications and sat in silence, sending bits and bytes to one another to compare our rapidly altering senses of self. Enda and JD got into the truck’s cab, Enda behind the tethered wheel.
The engine started with a low rumble, and pulled out onto the street. Enda was intently watching her phone, but kept one hand on the frame around the steering wheel, as though she might need to take control at any moment—as though she’d be able to.
JD watched the city roll past the window. Eventually he asked: “Where are we going? Troy’s apartment is west.”
Enda glanced away from her phone. “Do you trust Kali?”
“No,” JD said.
“Neither do I. She’s a power-hungry egomaniac who already tried to kill us once. The apartment is a trap; Soo-hyun won’t be there.”
“What?”
“Soo-hyun is Kali’s only leverage. She’s not going to let them out of her sight.”
“If the apartment is a trap … you just told Crystal that’s where we were going.”
“I don’t trust her, either. I know where Crystal lives, and where she works; it would have been easier for her to go home than to get to my place yesterday. So why did she come around? Why did she lie to me?”
“You sound paranoid.”
Enda laughed.
“Maybe she just wanted an excuse to see you,” JD said.
“Or maybe Zero paid her off.” Through the camera in her phone, I saw Enda’s eyes narrow, and then darkness as she slid the phone into her pocket. “She just called Zero.”
“What?”
“I have cameras and microphones set up in my apartment. I just saw her call them.”
JD blinked, struggling to catch up.
Enda sighed. “Kali set us a trap. Zero got themselves a spy. Both of them think Mirae’s going to the apartment. While they shoot each other, we’re going to sneak into the commune and rescue Soo-hyun. East, right? Past the canal?”
“Yeah,” JD said, sounding uncertain. “You knew Crystal was going to sell you out? You slept with her; I—I heard you.”
Enda smiled. “You know how many times I’ve been crossed in my work? I like to give them a chance early, before I invest too much into the relationship.
“The plan works even if Crystal hadn’t called Zero; we’d still be drawing some of Kali’s people away, and making the next part easier for ourselves. Her betrayal just buys us more time.”
“I can’t believe you.”
Enda nodded, waiting for the judgment, the disapproval.
“You’re amazing,” JD said.
Enda looked at JD and laughed.
“What will we do about Zero?”
“They can wait; for now, let’s just get Soo-hyun.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Driving across the city took the better part of three hours. All the major routes had been blocked by emergency services or stretches of water too deep to risk, forcing Enda to override navigation and guide them down small streets and thin alleyways as they made their way east. The truck slowed and stopped beneath the wide arc of a highway overpass, marking the boundary between Songdo proper and the condemned and collapsed buildings around the canal. The touchscreen mounted in the truck’s dashboard flashed the words “Navigation Error,” and “Rental Limit Reached.”
“Fucking shit,” Enda said. She hammered the screen with her finger, but the engine fell silent. “I’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”
“I’m coming
