The lobby is crowded as he bursts out of the elevator shaft, slipping into the throng. He only spares a single glance over his shoulder before snatching a mask off the wall and bumping an alarmed woman out of his way. Once he’s in her air exchange slot, he breathes a little easier. Despite that, the bouncer has finally caught up. Once he’s outside, the towers in this quadrant are so congested it shouldn’t be too hard to disappear.
The door opens and James rushes out. He runs until his lungs burn and the inside of his mask is damp from his heavy, hot breath. Finally, when he’s made it to M Quadrant, he stops, taking a moment to inspect the stolen device. It comes alive at his attention. A message is displayed on the screen in big bold letters: “Please return to OXY, MSP’s premier oxygen infusion chamber. Thank you for your cooperation.”
James taps the screen until he figures out how to power it off, shutting down any enabled tracking. Outside, the buzzing sounds of SATs making their way through the city draw his focus. He needs to find one and make his way back to Kate’s unit before Oro1 gets there. He doesn’t want her to worry.
Right as he’s about to enter the air exchange door of the nearest building, a SAT painted like he’s never seen slowly creeps by. Colorful lights and words cover it. They say, in various languages, POLICE. Shit. Even if they’re looking for him, they can’t see his face underneath the air filtration mask. Plus, he wore an atrocious multicolored jumpsuit for this specific purpose. He blends in with the otherbrightly clad pedestrians roaming the streets. What a world, where wearing black would be what made him conspicuous.
As it stands, the only thing that might make him distinct is the stolen device gripped in his white knuckles. Before the police car gets too near, he unzips the top of his jumpsuit and slips the device in at his chest. He can just make out the inside of the vehicle and the pair of officers inside. He gives them a nod before stepping into the building. He doesn’t dare look back out the windows until he’s safely inside. Thankfully, they’re gone.
The building’s directory hangs on the wall next to the mask deposit. SAT garages are on floor twenty-five of the mostly residential tower he’s stumbled into. His heart doesn’t stop racing until he’s scanned his own palm and is safely enclosed in the SAT, zipping through the city, back to Kate.
34 – Even Pretty Girls Lie
James
James and Oro1 step out of elevators on Kate’s floor at roughly the same moment. James reaches into his jumpsuit, fishing out the device.
“Want me to take it so Kate doesn’t know?” Oro1 asks.
James scoffs. “No. I’m not hiding things from Kate. That isn’t how relationships work. I’m handing it to you because you’re the IT guy.”
Oro1 chuffs, taking it.
The nondescript concrete walls of her apartment are a welcome sight. Kate is back at her desk, presumably plugging away at task orders with a grin on her face. It’s astounding that she enjoys calculating the complex equations, but she genuinely seems to. Told him she found the predictability of numbers relaxing.
He’s about to get her attention to tell her all about their adventure over a glass of Vine when he notices the dozen organized piles of clothing and accessories that line the walls and kitchen counter.
“Kate?” he nudges. Oro1 steps up beside him and they share a concerned glance. This goes on for a long time as she loudly clicks away at her keyboard.
Oro1 leans forward, whispering, “She told me once she enjoys the sound.”
When he learned about the m-volt’s capability, he wondered the same thing, and that is exactly what she told him too.
He angles his head in the direction of kitchen. Oro1 gets out three glasses while James opens a bottle of Vine.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you call it a night and come have a glass of Vine with us?” James offers.
“One moment,” she says cheerily, though he detects a false ring to it. Both men flick their gaze to the piles, then back to her.
“Kate, darling. James stole a tablet, and we almost got caught,” Oro1 says.
She blinks like she’s quickly processing what he said. Her eyes never leave the screen as she says, “That’s excellent!”
“I think she’s intentionally ignoring us,” James says, setting the glass on the desk beside her. He and Oro1 move to the couch.
“You should probably go ahead and wash the Blackmarks and pay your lease so she’ll stop this,” Oro1 suggests.
“I was thinking the same thing.” James pulls out his device.
The clacking on the keyboard stops. “I told you I would handle it.”
A shiver tracks down James’ spine. He isn’t sure he’s ever heard her be so firm. “Kate, this is clearly causing you unnecessary stress. I know I can depend on you. Please, just take down your listings and let me handle this.”
“No,” she barks, though he can’t help but hear a little quiver in her voice. “This is important to me.”
Since he found out she’s selling her things that morning, he’s been thinking about it and has concluded that she must not have enoughmoney to pay for the upcoming month, despite what she told him. Why else would she be acting so defensive about it? Considering her spending habits and the extra expense of him, how bad is her financial situation really? He wishes Oro1 would pick up on the tense atmosphere and leave so he could have a private conversation with her about it.
“I won’t make the lease payment unless you ask me to,” he concedes. A few seconds later, the clacking resumes. Sighing, he logs into his Blackmarks account, which he already has linked to the bank that does the washing. “I’ll just make the conversion—”
