When Juliet left Tanaka’s building, she was freshly showered and wearing her usual comfortable clothes—boots, jeans, T-shirt, motorcycle jacket, and the Texan. She might envy Ladia and Honey for their effortless fashion sense, but not enough to want to change things up on a regular basis, especially since she was about to have some medical procedures done and Ladia was probably going to make her strip down and put on a gown.
She was tired but in a good way; Tanaka’s one-on-one attention was definitely more intense than the training they’d been doing as a group. Still, she felt like things were starting to come together with the sword work and was eager for the focused attention.
Juliet hadn’t seen Leo after the briefing. She’d been dreading confronting him during practice, and when Tanaka said he was going to “excuse” him from more sword training, she began to worry that Leo would think she’d requested it, that she wanted more space from him after their awkward interaction on Saturday. She supposed she didn’t mind the space, but she would’ve been fine if he were there. She hoped he would realize that, but she also thought maybe she should say something. Before she could stew on it too much, Angel interrupted her thoughts as she lifted the kickstand on her bike.
“Hines is, again, requesting an update.”
“Oh, man! Call him up, will you?” Almost immediately, a call window appeared on her AUI, and the ringtone sounded. Hines appeared, his perpetual five-o’clock shadow now a full-blown scruffy, gray beard.
“Tell me you have good news!”
“Sheesh, try not to sound so desperate.” Juliet chuckled, then waved her hand, trusting Angel to convey enough of her image for the gesture to be visible. “Just kidding. I do have good news! I’m pretty sure you’ll be safe coming up for air; you can probably even go in to work. My team managed to tie enough crimes to the dirty corpos in your department, at least those you and I were dealing with, to get bounties issued out of New Atlas. We’ve already picked up eleven of them, including your lieutenant.”
“Jesus! You said you were working on something, but I didn't think it was anything that beautiful! You’re serious about Channing? That son of a bitch is out?”
“Oh yeah, already bound for Saturn space. I’d say prospects for your promotion are looking good.” Juliet smiled as she fired up the bike and started humming out of the garage. “Anyway, I’m officially calling your job done for now, so that payment you tossed me for the week is sufficient.” She winked. “Unless you wanna throw in a bonus.”
“I might just do that! At least you can count on a shining review on your SOA card. I’ve got you on speed dial, though, so you can count on some future work, too. Shit, I owe you a big favor for all this, Lucky.”
Juliet lifted her eyebrow. “Speed dial?”
“Ah, something my dad used to say. You know, before PAIs, people used to program important numbers . . .”
“I get it, I get it.” Juliet laughed. “Okay, Hines. I’m gonna hold you to that. The favor, I mean.” She grinned almost wickedly. “I’m late for an appointment, so let’s touch base later.”
“Right. I’m heading home to take a shower.” He waved, and the call window closed.
Angel updated Juliet’s route on her mini-map, then said, “You’re not late.”
“Yeah, I know. I was just trying to end the call. Hines is all right, but he’s still corpo-sec, and I don’t really have a lot more to say to him.” Juliet didn’t have any qualms admitting that she’d been working for Hines for precisely what she’d gotten—a favor owed to her from an officer in the LCS. “Not sure if it’ll ever pay off . . .”
“But it’s a nice connection to have,” Angel finished for her.
“Exactly! I’m so glad you get me, Angel.”
“Of course!”
When Juliet arrived at Ladia’s, Tricia showed her through immediately. She found the doctor in her office, eyes shining as she flicked through something on her AUI. “Sit down, Lucky. I have to go over some rather irritating news with you.”
“Oh?” Juliet hadn’t expected that. She walked over to her desk and sat in one of the absurdly comfortable client chairs.
“Yes, it’s about the Volt Whip from FusionTech Armaments.” Ladia said the company name almost derisively. Juliet felt herself relax—she’d anticipated something far more troubling from the doctor’s initial warning.
“Something wrong?”
“Yes. I’m currently writing a grievance letter to their corporate board and the Corporate Commission on Truth in Advertising. The Volt Whip does not function as advertised. I put it through some testing, and I couldn’t get it to do more than induce a second-degree burn on a sample of waste synth-flesh. It certainly can’t melt through hardened steel. Worse, the cable is stiff when unwound and difficult to manipulate; I think it would be more dangerous to the user than an assailant. I’m sorry, but I cannot, in good conscience, install that device on a client of mine.”
“Oh, well, that’s a bummer, but thanks for testing it out, Doc.” Juliet drummed her fingers on the chair’s arms. “Any other options in stock?”
“Yes, I had Tricia pull some items. She’s getting everything together now to see if you’re interested.”
“What about the other stuff? The bone nanites and the new data jack?”
“Ready to go!” She smiled and waved her hand, dismissing whatever was on her AUI that had her distracted. “I had another thought while I was preparing the nanite injection.”
“Yeah? I’m all ears.” Juliet loved it when Ladia pitched ideas.
“Well, you originally asked me about ‘subdermal’ armor options, right? I know I got us a bit off that track with the Swedish Biologic bone reinforcement, but I should have probably gone over what you were hoping to get out of the product. Don’t get me wrong—I think it’s fantastic, and I’m not trying to discourage you from completing the purchase; I just wanted to ensure you’re aware of the limitations. Anything on your body covered by a bone is going to be fairly secure, but there are some major areas of your body that might benefit from further protection.”
“Um, well, I’ve had similar thoughts, I guess. I figured my heart and my brain would be pretty safe and that my nanites could work to fix other . . . injuries. Still, what if someone shot me in the neck or belly? Or stabbed me in the kidney.”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Yes. That’s what I was thinking. I have a time-tested, cost-effective solution or, if not a solution, a mitigation. Have you heard of nanofiber weave, subdermal armor?”
Juliet nodded. “Yeah. It’s pretty old-school, right? I’ve heard of operators, bangers, and even lone wolf types on the vid serials with that stuff. Doesn’t it make your skin bulletproof?”
“Not exactly. First of all, things have changed in recent years. Materials are better—more compatible with human flesh and tougher to penetrate. The carbon-based mesh is molecularly bonded with synth-flesh, and rejection rates are almost nonexistent. I don’t see you having an issue with it. Second, I wouldn’t install it all over your body. It’s designed so that it doesn’t inhibit the biological function of your skin, but it’s not perfect, so you want a large surface area of your body to be without it. I mean, it’s possible to do a full-body install, but there’ll be a price to pay: problems with thermal regulation, reduced sensory input, flexibility issues, lymph interference, and loss of function in a percentage of sweat glands.”
“So . . .” Juliet wasn’t liking the sound of all those potential complications.
“So, I’d just do a midriff wrap, some bands in your neck and throat, and then a partial wrap that covered most of your biceps and quadriceps, especially over your arteries. That would shield most of the areas not protected by bone. It’s a common installation technique called the Detroit wrap because it was made popular by the Detroit City Security Corp.”
“Will I feel . . . weird?” Juliet was trying to imagine a layer of material under her skin.
“I don’t think so, not with the Detroit wrap. You might find that the protected areas aren’t quite as sensitive as they used to be, and you might find you get hot a little more easily, but the new materials are supposed to be an order of magnitude less intrusive than the ones used in the past, even as recently as a year ago. I’m very partial to a material made by Duraskin, and they updated their line last year. It seems like excellent stuff.”
“What’s the bottom line? I mean in bits.”
“For the coverage I described using the Duraskin Armortex Vantage material, installed today,” Ladia paused and stared blankly into space for a couple of seconds, “just under seventy-four k.”
Juliet didn’t want to seem like a pushover, but she didn’t see a downside to spending some of her reward money on protecting her “softer” areas. Even so, she couldn’t give in that easily: “No bulk discount, Doc?”
“How about I promise to cut you a deal on whatever we replace that stupid Volt Whip with?”
“All right, if you can promise it won’t slow me down, pencil it in. I’ll tell you if I change my mind before the surgery.”
“It shouldn’t have any effect on your speed, Lucky. Not that you don’t have plenty of that to spare.” Ladia’s eyes unfocused for a second, and she said, “Tricia, bring in those personal security options.” She refocused on Juliet. “While we wait for her, let me explain my thought process. You liked the whip as a sort of last-resort item, right? Something to use if you lost your primary weapons or you were taken unawares?”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s right.”
“Well, I also know you don’t want to be disarmed by overzealous security personnel, so I figured a high degree of concealability was paramount.”
Juliet nodded. “Again, you’re right on the money.”
“So, I picked out a few options with those two criteria in mind. All of them are more expensive than the Volt Whip, so, as I promised, you can count on a discount from me; I intend to take it out of my supplier’s margins, so don’t feel bad for me. He should have known better than to send me that Volt Whip promo vid.”
The door opened, and Tricia pushed in a stainless cart bearing a few colorful packages. She was wearing a pale green miniskirt, and Juliet, once again, found herself staring at the assistant’s elegant cybernetic leg, her every graceful step stirring up comparisons to dancing in Juliet’s mind. “Thank you, Tricia. Bring us something cool and sparkling to drink, would you?”
“Of course, Doctor.” Tricia looked at Juliet and smiled. “Something sweet or not, Lucky?”
“Um, sweet, I guess. I’ve been exercising a lot.”
“It shows!” Tricia smiled and turned before Juliet could stammer a response. She was rescued from embarrassment when Ladia stood and walked over to the cart.
“I have three items to show you, Lucky. I should have just pulled these up last time, but I had that Volt Whip promo, and you seemed happy with it, so . . .”
“It’s fine, Doctor Ladia. At least you tested it before you hooked me up with a dud.”
Ladia turned to her and smiled, setting down the plastic container she’d been opening. “Will you do me a favor?”
“Yeah, of course.” Juliet smiled but had a brief, disturbing flashback to the “favor” she’d never completed for Doc Murphy.
“Would you call me Iris? I feel like we’ve spent plenty of time together, and you’ve certainly made use of my services enough to dispense with formalities.”
“Oh!” Juliet laughed, relief washing over her. She’d seen Ladia’s first name on her digital contact card. “Yeah, I’d like that, Iris.” She leaned back and watched as the doctor, smiling, continued unboxing the items on the cart. Tricia returned with a tall glass of something pink and sparkling and another that looked like water with a wedge of lemon. She put the water on Ladia’s desk and then handed Juliet the other.
“Strawberry soda,” she said with a wink.
“Oh, yum!” Juliet took a sip right away. It was icy, crisp, and pleasantly sweet.
“Organic!” Tricia announced as she turned to leave. “The doctor only sends me shopping at the best grocery stores!”
“Oh, Tricia!” Ladia tsked. “Don’t bore my clients. Go on now, shoo.” She waved her out and then picked up the box she’d just opened. “Lucky, this is something I’ve installed a few times for select clients. People in lines of work not too dissimilar to yours.” She sat in the chair beside her and showed her the package insert for the device in her lap.
Juliet smiled as she read aloud, “Covert Industries Finger Spike 2.0?”
“They’re a set of three needles meant to be housed in the tips of your fingers. You can load them with any injectable substance, but most people opt for the same sort of botulism-based toxin that you can find in popular needler ammunition. Each needle is good for one use before you need to reload it. There are other models with reservoirs that allow refilling on the fly, but they’re pretty easy to spot in a scan. These will be almost invisible; they’re housed in bone-mimicking sheathes.”
“Only three?” Juliet wriggled her fingers, her meaning clear—why not five?
“Yes. I could cannibalize another set to give you five, but research indicates that three is more than enough for an emergency.”
“That’s a cool idea.” Juliet shrugged. “I like it.”
“Okay, keep it in mind.” Ladia set it on the desk, then reached over to the cart and handed her another insert. Juliet looked at the picture—a woman’s hand with a shimmering blade extending from her pointer finger. “This is the Edge-Craft Technologies MicroVibro.” She chuckled, clicking her tongue. “It almost sounds naughty, doesn’t it? Well, it’s a tiny vibroblade that looks like a polished, pointy nail but, when activated, shifts shape slightly, extending another couple of centimeters. It’s quite sturdy, and I’ve had great reviews from the clients for whom I installed it. You’re familiar with a vibroblade, yes?”
“Yeah. Probably too familiar,” Juliet chuckled. “I like it, but I guess that means I’ll need to keep my other nails nice . . .”
“Which brings me to the last item I picked out for you.” Ladia gestured to the final box still on the cart but then turned to her desk, where her holoprojector began to play an ad. A disembodied spokeswoman’s voice began to describe the product, “Welcome to the 2108 Color-Shift Diamond Tips. Tired of trips to the nail technician? Tired of chipped polish? Tired of cracked nails and torn cuticles? No more! With the Color-Shift Diamond Tips, you can change the length of your nails from barely there to long and luxurious! You can change the color on the fly with over a million combinations and fifty-three thousand pre-programmed patterns. Not enough for you? Visit our growing community of third-party pattern designers for an endless supply of something new! What’s more, they’re called Diamond Tips for a reason! If you can break one of these nails, we’ll replace it for free!”
“Oh . . .” Juliet looked down at her nails and their sorry state—grease-stained, short, even one or two jagged ones where she’d bitten off damage from working on the gunship—and self-consciously folded her fingers into loose fists. “I’m terrible about my nails, Doc.”
“Call me Iris, please!” Ladia chuckled. “Honestly, I didn’t pick these as any sort of message to you; I just thought, ‘Hey, she wants covert self-defense weapons, well, how about an upgrade to what nature gave her?’ You work hard, Lucky; I don’t judge you for that. Nails like this will make your job easier, and, in a pinch, these beauties will peel the flesh off someone’s face or pry a nail out of a board.”
Juliet watched the projected ad playing on a loop, admiring how the woman’s nails could be retracted and extended in just seconds. She smiled as they flickered through dozens of shades and even altered their curvature from pointy to almost flat tips. While she stared, Angel said, “I like all of these options for you.”
“I do, too.”
“Hmm?” Ladia leaned forward. “I was thinking that the vibroblade would work best on your cybernetic arm. It’s a little harder to conceal, but the alloy of your arm’s bones will make it much easier.” When Juliet didn’t reply immediately, she asked, “Do any of these options speak to you?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, Iris. All of them. I’ll take them all.”
“Really? That’s great news! So, in that case, I can offer you quite a discount. Let’s see, according to my PAI, your original remaining balance for today’s procedure was 293k. Does that sound right?”
“Hmm, yes.” Juliet was still distracted by the advertisement for the nails.
“So, minus the Volt Whip and the half you already paid, and then, adding in the nails, the vibroblade nail, and the injection needles, you’d be looking at 337k. Of course, there’s the extra 74k for the subdermal armor, bringing things to 411k. I’m willing to shave that down to 375—the bulk discount you asked for. How does that sound?”
“It sounds nice, but now I feel guilty. You don’t have to give me special deals, Iris, especially after the way you helped out my friend, Aya.”
“No, no. Don’t be silly. Look at me, Lucky. Do I seem like I’m just scraping by? There’s plenty of profit to be had in my line of work.” She stood and started gathering up the boxes and placing them back on the cart. “Speaking of your friend, did she seem pleased?”
“Oh, God, she was ecstatic. She was showing off all day yesterday with her new arm. She loves the pink, too, and even has her new optics matching it. Now she’s talking about getting hair like mine. I’m afraid we’ve created a monster!”
“Well, she was lovely and had a million nice things to say about you. I had no idea about half the things she said you’d been up to. She talks as though you’ve saved her and her friends’ lives a dozen times.”
“Nah,” Juliet chuckled. “Like you said, she’s sweet. Believe me, she exaggerates, especially when she’s talking about her friends.” Juliet pointed to the cart. “Is it going to take long? How about that mesh? Do you have to open me up to install that?”
“Not exactly—some laparoscopic incisions. Your nanites will make short work of them. I’d say, all together, we’re looking at two hours. Are you ready to get started?”
Juliet stood and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, nodding. “Yep, I’m ready, Iris. Let’s make me hard.” As she delivered the corny line, she couldn’t help her silly, crooked smile. It felt good having a doctor who was also a friend, someone she could trust, another person to be herself around.