Deeper Darker

Book 2: Chapter 15: Pocket Change

Third Quadrant.

Planet Enaya.

Figaro Ollo Spaceport.

PointTwo hadnt expected Figs homeworld to be so backward. Femaleonly fighting competitions showed a distinct lack of regard for equality of the sexes. Suggesting zeroG battles were better suited for women made no sense at all. He was stuck on this leaden, outmoded planet for the time being and forced to follow their archaic concepts of gender roles, but he wasnt happy about it.

Keep your head angled down, said Ubik. Theyll have face recognition software, probably. They might have started looking for us. We dont want people trying to claim the bounty on our heads.

You might want to not shout about it, either, said PointTwo.

Its fine, said Ubik, as they zipped in between frustrated, complaining people staring up at the screens. None of these plebs are listening to us. Theyve all got ragedeafness. Over here, this way.

He was being unnecessarily careless, but he was right. It was obvious no one had any interest in them or their conversation. PointTwo picked up bits of chatter as he followed Ubik, doing his best to keep him in his sights.

What kind of technologically advanced society cant even cope with a small meteor shower? complained a large man dressed in a highquality but very worn flight suit.

Very few of the people looked like tourists. They were dressed for work, standing in small groups, ignoring the brightly lit shops and restaurants along the concourses that vainly flashed adverts for gifts and meal in an attempt to attract business. Everything was priced in standard currency and very expensive, as you would expect in a spaceport.

Latest reports say it should be over soon, said a short, bald man operating a tronic device in each hand, their screens showing different news reports. They think a delivery barge exploded in orbit.

The shops were all automated, their items displayed in clear cases. Enaya seemed to specialise in small tronics and gadgets. An oversized holover hand thrust a cylindrical object at him as he ran past.

Clean your teeth, shave your face and polish your shoes with one handy device.

PointTwo burst through it and hurried to catch Ubik.

I thought you said theyd open the asteroid to independents, said a gruff woman with very short hair. Have they said what the discovery is?

There was a lot of chatter, a general impatience with being stuck here, no flights allowed in or out, and curiosity about what was happening up on the Tethari asteroid. A lot of the people appeared to have arrived recently, hoping to investigate the asteroid.

Opportunistic to say the least. It was a privatelyowned site and any source of organics would be jealously guarded. But like any sort of gold rush, prospectors always turned up to chance their luck.

Theyre mostly delvers, said PointTwo. They want in on the wormhole station. He had caught up to Ubik under a large screen that showed a map of the building layout.

Yep, said Ubik. Theyll probably try to sneak up there once the flight bans been lifted.

How? Its only a tiny asteroid, isnt it?

Ubik shrugged. This way. He headed to the right.

PointTwo looked up the screen. The only thing in that direction were the public bathrooms. At least hed get a chance to relieve himself.

Ubik rushed past the toilets and PointTwo reluctantly followed. He would probably need to use the facilities once he found out what Ubik was up to.

Ubiks target, it turned out, was an alcove set back from the main hallway, where six different vending machines were lined up looking forlorn and forgotten. PointTwo was quick to notice the VendX logos on their sides. This was apparently the VendX account from which Ubik intended to make a withdrawal.

Ubik looked around and then up. There was a small glass dome in the ceiling, a camera of some sort inside.

Probably no one watching, but better safe than sorry. Ubik licked the palm of his hand and then ran up to the wall. He kicked off it, sailing past the dome, wiping his hand across its surface, and then landing lightly. The dome now had a smear across it. Not exactly the most sophisticated way to avoid identification.

Wont someone notice? asked PointTwo.

Ubik scrunched up his nose. A dirty lens? I doubt theyll send over an emergency cleaning crew to make sure the snack machines are safe. He sized up the machines, big blocks of black metal with shiny buttons and screens.

There was plenty of dust and grime on them, suggesting Ubik was right about the lack of care.

VendX started out making these, its how they made their fortune. Everywhere in the galaxy wanted cheap food that they could trust. Dont see them much anymore, but every spaceport, near the bathrooms, without fail. Ubik pointed at the machine in the middle. Stand here and make it look like youre deciding what to buy. Let me know if anyones coming. He slid in between two machines, the gap looking far too thin to accommodate a whole person, and yet he slithered out of sight.

PointTwo did as asked, leaning forward to look at the selection of snacks on offer. None of which looked particularly appetising, but all of which made him hungry.

Whats the plan? Steal all the Curried Bean Paste Rolls and Crispy Honey Choco Bars and sell them on the black market?

Wed make a loss, said Ubiks voice from somewhere behind the machines. Stuffs disgusting. Never goes off, never rots, sits in your stomach with the same halflife as uxanium. There was some grunting and the sound of metal grinding on metal. But they accept cash. They accept standard currency, too, but that gets transferred digitally. The coins get collected once they get to a certain amount, which they rarely do. Should be enough for our purposes.

The screens showed the prices for the items in local and standard currencies. They also offered credit.

It says itll give me a preapproved loan if I want, said PointTwo.

Yeah, in exchange for your biometrics and DNA profile. And then five years later youre in the outer rim fighting an animalhuman hybrid with your face.

Why would I be fighting hybrids in the outer rim?

Because thats where they make them, said Ubik. Hybrid heaven. Jackpot.

Coins started tumbling out of the machine in front of PointTwo. He scooped them up in his hands, looking around to check no one was coming.

Ubik came back out and checked the haul. He took one coin and held it up. It was copper with a gold edge, and white circuitry on one side.

Wow, said Ubik. This is Ramon Ollos work, no doubt about it. The details amazing.

Its a coin, said PointTwo.

No, no. Its much more than that. Its part of a huge network. All these coins are. He took the coins from PointTwo, counting them as he stuffed them into his pockets, examining each with reverence before tucking them away. Should be enough. Nice; thought wed have to crack open a few more of these old monsters. He gave the vending machine a friendly thump on the side.

It made a rattling sound, then something slid around inside, rolling down until a can fell into the basket at the bottom.

PointTwo was pleasantly surprised that something fortunate had happened for once. He picked up the can, which was labelled as Fortnoys Spicy Percolade.

No, dont said Ubik.

The screen on the machine flashed. Please return unpaid item to the collection tray.

Run, said Ubik.

What? Why? But Ubik was already gone.

PointTwo dropped the can and chased after him, and caught up almost immediately. He was leaning against the wall, looking at a screen that was showing times of departure, all with DELAYED next to them.

He glanced over at PointTwo and indicated him to do the same next to him. PointTwo put his hand on the wall and one on his hip as a stream of small drones flew past, over the heads of the stillwaiting crowds who threw out questions as the squadron buzzed them.

Hey, when can we

There were six of them, in formation and too busy to provide flight information.

You cant just take stuff from a VendX mobile dispensary like that, said Ubik.

You just robbed it, said PointTwo.

Thats different. I accessed the engineering panel, like a professional. Your amateur shenanigans will get us locked up for petty theft. Petty theft! Ill never live down the embarrassment.

Ubik reached into his jacket and took out a halfeaten bean paste roll and ate the rest of it in two bites.

Do you have any more of those? asked PointTwo. It smelled pretty good.

Ubik let out a long breath and then took out a small candy. Here, suck on that.

PointTwo unwrapped the sweet and put it in his mouth. It tasted bitter and furry, but it was better than nothing.

Now what?

Well have to get out of here, said Ubik. Theyll check their cameras and ID us.

Oh, your spit on the lens approach not going to protect us, then?

That was a shortterm measure, said Ubik. What we really need is a bit of a distraction.

PointTwo stiffened at the prospect of Ubik trying to cause a distraction. He hoped the building was up to code and had plenty of fire exits.

Ubik was about to say something when an announcement over the public address system silenced the whole building.

Travel Update. Please be aware that the restrictions to departures and arrivals have now been lifted. There was a sigh of relief that rose into the air. Normal services will resume tomorrow morning at

Pandemonium broke out.

Perfect, said Ubik, as though he had planned the whole thing. Head for the exit over there.

They made it out past the security drones stationed on the doors, along with a crowd of angry people looking for the nearest pitchfork emporium. There werent any, but there were capsule hotels that offered overnight accommodation, and an entertainment complex that offered other ways to pass the time. And a shuttle terminal that provided a free service to and from the city.

The shuttle was a series of carriages floating over a rail. Each car could seat about fifty people but there were far more than that as Ubik and PointTwo got on board.

See? said Ubik. Easy. From the city we go to the Ollo museum, and from there, we find Grandma.

PointTwo held the grabhandle over his head as the shuttle smoothly exited the station and hovered through the picturesque countryside. Their destination, Elect City, according to the screens on the walls, could be seen in the distance, a crown of towers.

Theres no way itll be that easy, said PointTwo.

No, said Ubik, his hands folded across his chest, his boots firmly rooting him to the floor. But difficulty is nothing to be worried about. I mean, look at it. He pointed out the window at the city skyline they were approaching in a wide curve. Obviously, its a bed of corruption and depravity. Thats city life for you.

Excuse me, said a man sitting near them, dressed in overalls with the spaceports logo on the breast. I happen to live there and its actually quite nice. Very clean and safe.

It was noisy in the car but he had been close enough to hear them talking and have his civic pride a little dented.

Yeah, said Ubik. Thats how they keep you docile. See that tower, the one with the fanshaped thing on top?

Thats the Ollo Communication Array, said the man proudly. Covers the whole city, makes all messaging free.

Yeah, well, theres no need for an array that size for messaging, not even for the whole planet. What that is is a surveillance tower. Keeps an eye on all of you while you message each other.

Ha, the man scoffed. I dont know what planet youre from, son, but we dont allow that sort of thing here. He pointed at the wall behind him where the screen said:

Welcome to Elect City. Powered by the People.

You got a communication device on you? asked Ubik.

Of course, said the man, holding up his right hand. The bracelet on his wrist glittered with lights, and a small holoverscreen popped up.

Okay, great, said Ubik. He grabbed the mans wrist and pulled the top of the screen so it enlarged. Then he pulled on the side of the bracelet and pulled out a holoverkeyboard that took up most of the mans arm.

Hey, hold on What are y

Ubiks fingers tapped quickly along the forearm and the screen, which had some buttons and folders on it, turned into a stream of code moving incredibly fast, and then a picture appeared.

It was a picture of a group of people crowded into a shuttle car. A closer examination revealed it to be the car they were in.

How Thats me.

Yep, said Ubik. Theyre watching you all the time.

The car had grown quiet as everyones attention had been drawn to Ubiks actions. They could all see the screen, which Ubik had helpfully enlarged for them. PointTwo tried to distance himself from the show but everyone else was pushing the other way.

Thats just transport security, said someone.

Yeah, for safety, in case theres a problem. Thats all. There were murmurs of agreement.

Ubik, still holding the mans wrist, tapped a few more virtual keys.

The picture of everyone staring at themselves changed. Their bodies were suddenly transparent, showing their underclothes, the contents of their pockets, their bags. Tags appeared next to them, showing names, addresses, vital statistics.

Pandemonium broke out. Again.

PointTwo kept back but wondered what Ubik was up to. He was drawing a lot of attention to himself, which wasnt the best way to avoid the authorities. He had noticed that the tag above his own image on the screen had no name, just Searching blinking. At least that meant they hadnt been tagged yet.

Who are you? said the man, confused and bewildered, his wrist still in Ubiks hand.

Me? said Ubik. I work for Ramon Ollo. He asked me to check the citys security systems. Seems like someones been abusing their power. I cant say any more than that.

Who? Who is it? demanded someone

Its obvious, isnt it? said someone else.

A series of names were thrown out, dismissed, backed up and argued about. Everyone seemed to have a candidate for the role of powerabuser, each different.

City life, said Ubik, grinning at PointTwo.

Ubik tapped the mans forearm again and the screen flashed. He let go and the screen disappeared, but not before PointTwo had seen that all of the names next to people had switched, including his own. He now had a new identity, it seemed. He was Janeane Ingwe.

PointTwo looked at his reflection in the glass window. He clearly did not look like a Janeane, but he had the feeling Ubik had picked the name for him on purpose. It wasnt a good feeling.