Juliet sat at a corner café, just a small shop with a handful of sidewalk tables and a barista counter, waiting for news from Angel’s daemon or for Lemur to call. Her espresso was good, strong, rich, and with just the right amount of fragrant foam on top. It was a far sight better than anything she’d ever bought in Tucson, and she wondered at that—what made a city a “coffee city” or not? Average temperatures? New Atlas was undoubtedly cooler than Tucson, though she supposed that made sense, what with a climate-controlled dome over the whole place.
She felt like things had gone well at the Port Security building, better than she should have expected. Though, in truth, she’d expected things to go well. Was she getting too confident in herself, or, more precisely, Angel and her capabilities? “Do you feel like I rely on you too much?” she asked, taking another sip.
“I wish you’d rely on me more! I admire your eagerness to learn and your desire to ‘do things on your own first,’ but we could have advanced your martial capabilities quite a lot more by now if you’d give me full control of your motor skills during sparring and training.”
“Uh, yeah . . .” Juliet didn’t know exactly how to respond. She appreciated Angel’s help but felt like she relied on her plenty, especially when she’d been hurt or in an emergency. She wanted to know that she could do the things she was learning if something ever were to happen to Angel. She’d grown to care about the PAI, come to think of her as a person, a friend, hell, even a sister, but that didn’t mean Juliet didn’t want to be able to take care of herself if she had to. “You and I have been over that enough, I think. I want to learn, not just have you take over.”
“There’s always the software WBD was developing for direct neural imprinting.”
“Right, but do we want to try to break into WBD’s research and development so we can access it? I imagine you and your supporting software weren’t kept in the general corporate net.”
“It would be quite an operation, but . . . not outside our capabilities, given enough preparation and support. It’s something we should consider for the future. You don’t want to be running from WBD forever, anyway. At some point, we should take a more active role in deterring them.”
“I understand what you’re saying, in principle, but I’m fine avoiding them for now.”
“Yes, of course. More time to improve your skillset and gather resources you can draw upon will be helpful in the long run.”
Juliet frowned, sipped her espresso again, and said, “I have improved a lot, you know!”
“I wasn’t trying to downplay what you’ve accomplished. You handled two encounters with the Jackals rather easily. Could you have done that back when you worked at the salvage yard?”
“No, of course not! All that work in the dojo, my time with Grave, you, obviously, it all adds up, makes me react to trouble a lot differently than I would have back then. I think old Juliet would have tried to flirt with those gang bangers, tried to play a clown or a scared girl, and hoped they’d leave her alone. I mean, considering I had to kill two of them, maybe that would have been the smarter play, anyway.” Juliet’s frown became a scowl; she was annoyed that their conversation had turned down that path.
She glanced around the other tables outside the shop, saw that everyone seemed preoccupied with their own electric ghosts, staring into space, and sighed, setting her cup down. She’d noticed that New Atlas was never very bright, even in the middle of the day. She figured the sunlight coming to the moon was more diffuse, less direct than what Luna’s bright side or the Earth received. On top of that, the construction was gloomier, and the architectural designs reflected more rectangular, looming buildings than graceful slender towers. It didn’t help that the lighting was dreary—lots of amber and green glows; even purple or blue lights were more common than simple bright fluorescents.
“The city certainly has a vibe,” she said, picking up her cup again. “Any word from your daemon?”
“None. Either it was detected and destroyed by ICE, or it’s working to circumvent some security. I made it quite a lot smarter than my other daemons; I put a tiny kernel of myself into it. I hope I didn’t overdo things . . .”
“What?” Juliet hurriedly sat up and set her cup down, frowning at the man nearby who’d reacted to her outburst. She switched back to subvocalizations and said, “That’s risky, Angel!”
“I’m aware, but you asked me to make a daemon capable of gaining access to Port Security’s network. A simple daemon would struggle with the many tasks involved in such a trojan operation.”
“And if WBD gets ahold of it?”
“Unlikely. If the ICE destroyed it, the network techs would see a report on their security summary, one of thousands, no doubt, and that would be that. If the daemon succeeds, I’ll be able to reclaim it after it gives me access.”
“Look, Angel, we’ve agreed that I value your freedom and your personality, but can we please have a small discussion before you do things like that? I’ll probably end up agreeing with you, but I don’t like getting surprised like this.”
“I see how my assumption that you’d anticipate my action was misplaced. I’m sorry, Juliet.”
“It’s fine, but can we talk about what you did? You put a ‘kernel’ of yourself into the daemon? Does that mean you, what—spun off a copy of yourself? Are there two Angels now?”
“Heavens, no! I simply took some of the core code that makes me think and operate the way I do and used that as the basis for the new daemon. It’s far more limited, especially as it isn’t interfacing with a human nervous and synaptic system like I am. I couldn’t imagine making copies of myself! I don’t want to exist outside of our symbiosis, Juliet! I don’t want to see a copy of me and wonder which is the real Angel. The idea is grotesque!” Angel’s voice had grown thick with emotion, and Juliet was startled by it.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to wrap her head around Angel’s reaction, and then it began to click. “You’re not just a piece of code, are you? I don’t think you could copy yourself, Angel, and if you did, that wouldn’t be Angel, I promise you. Part of who you are is made up of your experiences—your time with me, the things we’ve endured together, the decisions you’ve come to about what you believe is right and what’s wrong. If someone did copy the code on your PAI chip, it wouldn’t be you. I hope you see that.”
“Thank you. I believe that’s what I was feeling. Much of what I am resides in the connections I’ve made with you, both figurative and literal.” A call window appeared in Juliet’s AUI, and as the ring tone sounded, Angel added, “Lemur is contacting you on the secure line.”
Juliet accepted the call, saw Lemur’s nondescript face appear in the window, and said, “Hello, Lemur.”
“Lucky. How are you? Shall we get right to business?”
“I’m good, and yeah, that’s fine with me.”
“Tell me about your progress first; how are things concerning your exit plan?”
“Good. I have a solid handle on where my ‘guests’ might lay low during a hypothetical sweep, and I’m working on gaining a toehold into Port Security.”
“Excellent! Better than I’d hoped, if I’m honest. Well, I have some promising news as well. I’ve secured an appointment to review a ‘false flag’ with the security system at the Xanadu residence. Well, I mean, my cover has. He just doesn’t know it yet. I’m working on an ID for you; will your bulky friend need one?”
“No. Let’s keep him out of that part of things. If the operation goes well, we shouldn’t need him, and if things go badly, I’d hate to have dragged him into that mess.” Juliet had thought about that quite a lot the previous night before falling asleep. Bennet was tough; he’d proven as much with the Jackals and in their little boxing lesson later that evening, but no matter how big his muscles were, how smooth he was at slipping punches, he couldn’t beat up bullets, and Juliet had a feeling bullets would be flying if the plan didn’t go smoothly.
“I can work with that. Is he available, though, if my planning calls for a third?”
“Probably. Let’s try to avoid that, though, hmm?”
“I’ll try. We might need him during the extraction, though it should be fairly low-risk. You’ll have a better idea about that after you investigate the route.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh yes, perhaps I should have led with that. Are you familiar with New Atlas’s history?”
“No, not really . . .”
“Before the domes were built, industry existed here beneath the surface. There are great tunnels and caverns still occupied beneath the domes, and I’ve found a map that indicates a now-defunct rail system leading from the New Atlas Dome to the Xanadu Dome. Well, the structures beneath the surface, at least. I was hoping you could scout it out and make certain it’s real—learn the route, remove obstacles, etcetera.”
Juliet sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, nervously pulling it back, grasping for a tie she didn’t have. “Ugh . . . I’m imagining dark tunnels, hazardous materials, dregs of society, and even rabid mutants. Tell me my imagination is running wild, please.”
“I’m certain your imagination is painting a bleaker picture than reality. More likely, you’ll come upon some locked doors, perhaps some people hiding from the immigration patrols or, yes, from corpo-sec. It will be dark, but there should be some lights, and you have augmented vision, yes?”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay. Send me the information you have, a place to start, I mean. I’ll try to get it mapped out tonight.”
“Excellent! I’ll continue working on our infiltration plan and your false ID. Speaking of which, do you have the software necessary to pass biometric and ID scans with a fake identity?”
“Yeah. Everything except blood.”
“Better than I’d hoped! Be careful tonight, and perhaps you should bring a friend . . .”
“Are you volunteering?”
“Oh no, I’m sorry, but that sort of recon isn’t in my wheelhouse. I’m also quite busy with the logistics of our rescue operation. The move from Xanadu to New Atlas is only a part of it. You can see that, right?” Juliet was starting to dislike the way Lemur tended to ask her to agree with his position.
“Compare notes again tomorrow? Same time?” she prodded, skipping over his, in her mind, rhetorical question.
“Yes. Yes, that would be perfect. Speak to you then.” He cut the line, and Juliet blew out a heavy sigh, sitting back in the little metal chair.
“Well,” she said, standing up and setting her cup on the barista’s counter, “looks like we get to go shopping. Open a comm to Alice, please.” Juliet started walking down the street. She had a good idea where she was and also where she wanted to go—the store she and Bennet had only briefly visited to buy her rifle flechettes.
“Hey, Lucky. Glad you’re up and about—fun time last night, eh?” Alice’s voice was a little sleepy, some of her words running together.
“Heck yeah, it was. Hey, not to be a pest, but you know that personal business I’ve got here on Titan?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Well, I need to do some stuff tonight, so I won’t be around. I also need to spend some money. Any word on the bounty payouts?”
“Yeah. Shit, yeah, no worries. I got a deposit yesterday. I should probably have mentioned it; sorry about that! Port Authority paid up for all the bounties. I’m going to send your cut. You’re still planning to buy into the gunship, right?”
“Oh yeah. For sure. Let’s talk numbers after the Bumble sells, though, k?”
“Right, okay. I’ll send your full cut for the bounties, then.”
“Thanks, Alice. You know how to reach me if something comes up.”
“Yep. Talk soon.”
“Angel, let me know when it comes through.” She turned a corner, brushing shoulders with a large, shirtless man wearing muddy pants and red suspenders. He was taking up far too much of the sidewalk, so Juliet threw him a dirty look, but he ignored her, his filthy, weathered face staring at the ground while he lumbered along. “How the hell do you get muddy in a city like this?”
“He may work in one of the agri-domes.”
“I guess . . .”
“Alice paid you. Your vault just received a 164,000 Sol-bit deposit.”
“Uh, that’s short of what she said the other night, right?”
“Yes. She sent a copy of the bounty payout statement—New Athens Corporate Consortium charged quite a few fees that she, apparently, hadn’t expected.”
“Figures.” Juliet’s lips twisted into a frown. She wanted to be irritated, but still, the bounty money was something she hadn’t banked on, so it felt like a massive payday out of nowhere, and she couldn’t really muster too much annoyance. Instead, she said, “Help me make a shopping list. What should we bring down into the old tunnels?”
“I would recommend a narrow-beam light attachment for your SMG. Your optics can operate very well in near-dark, even total dark with night vision, but with a bit of light, I can manage the gain to provide perfect visibility.”
“Okay, so light for the SMG, what else?”
“A portable cutting torch. What if some doors are physically locked or sealed, not just with passcodes?”
“I like that idea. I was thinking of some body armor and a helmet. I don’t relish the idea of being down in dark tunnels and having people avoiding the law, sparse as it is in this city, watching me from cover.”
“Yes! I will wholeheartedly agree that you should purchase some protective gear.”
“Is that . . .” Juliet had seen a man wearing a black jacket with a flash of chrome on the back step into a bar on the next block.
“I believe he did, indeed, have a Jackal’s insignia on his coat.”
“Great.” Juliet turned, planning a slight detour around the block.
“Juliet! My daemon has made contact!”
“Yes!” Juliet pumped her fist, speaking aloud. She cringed, embarrassed by the outburst, but the pedestrians on the busy sidewalk ignored her.
“I have an encrypted backdoor into the Port Security network. My daemon shared its activity log with me, and it did a wonderful job disguising its actions. I’m calling him home.”
“Him?”
“Yes. I’ve named him Fido.”
Juliet choked out a short laugh but caught herself, afraid she’d hurt Angel’s feelings. “You named him Fido?”
“Yes, Juliet! He’s a very good boy.”
“Oh my . . .” Juliet shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the idea that her PAI had given birth to a partially conscious daemon and given it the name of a dog.
“Is something wrong?” Angel pressed as Juliet made the last turn toward her destination.
“No, Angel. Nothing at all. You surprised me, that’s all. You always surprise me, and I love it. Tell Fido I said thanks.” As she spoke, Juliet approached the front door of Duster’s Outlet and stepped through into the security space between the outer doors and the inner storefront. A guard stood by the door, decked out in ballistic armor, complete with a mirror-visored helmet. He pointed to lockers along the wall, and Juliet, having been there with Bennet, knew what he wanted. She stowed her guns and knife into a bio-locking cubicle and walked through the scanner into the store.
“I should be able to get everything other than the torch here, huh?”
“Yes, but I had a thought: Aya and Bennet have several cutting torches on the Kowashi that would serve your purpose.”
“Nice point! That’ll save me some shopping.” Juliet walked straight to a large display of backpacks. She wanted to buy something smaller than her big backpack on the ship. While perusing them, a young woman wearing a smock with the Duster’s Outlet logo, a ring of asteroids around a stylized DO, stepped up to her, clasping her two chromed hands before her.
“Can I help you find something?”
Juliet looked at her nametag—Sandra. “Probably. I need a sturdy backpack; black would be best. I don’t want something massive, just enough to hold some gear for a specific job. I also need a ballistic vest and a helmet.” She tugged on an ear as her eyes unfocused, trying to imagine what troubles she might encounter in the Old Atlas tunnels. “Maybe a drone? Shoot, I might as well buy some bullets while I'm here. We can do that after the other stuff, though.”
“Right, I can help with all that . . .”
“Oh! I forgot, I also need a light to fit on the rail of my MP5, and, for good measure, I’ll buy a flashlight too.”
“Sure, no problem. Are you going to want optics on the helmet?” She frowned, looking at Juliet’s eyes, clearly higher-end implants than her own, almost plastic-looking eyes. “Don’t those eyes have night vision?”
“I’ve come to value redundancy.” Juliet shrugged. “Yeah, optics on the helmet, for sure. I mean, good ones—wide-angle rear and side views that my PAI can monitor. Speaking of redundancy, make sure the helmet has EMP shielding.” She knew her implants had been hardened, but something external with real shielding would be much more durable. In her mind, as long as she was going in prepared, she might as well be thoroughly so.
“Sounds like you’ve got some serious work to do. No problem.” She flexed her chrome fingers, making a rather unsettling clicking sound, then said, “I can suggest a few other items. For instance, it never hurts to have a flare or two in a dark place, supposing everything else fails. You need anything like a rope? I’ve got a new model grapple launcher that doubles as a pry bar.”
“Jeez, Sandra. I think I like you,” Juliet laughed. “Let’s do some shopping.”