As they arrived evening breezes pushed dust devils through the shanty town hunkered in the shadow of the huge former shopping mall. Beyond loomed the real Dome, indifferently glowing, dwarfing everything else. Only the poor, desperate, or brave risked the plaguewinds in the flimsy shacks that covered most of the ancient parking lots. Linya didn't plan to spend the night out here. By law the Village's doors were supposed be open until dark, but she didn't want to push their luck. She left the cart at the front doors and hustled Birdboy into decontamination.
Crossroads Village was inside the giant building, a poor man's Dome. Though constantly patched and repaired, the mall was not sealed against the plaguewinds. Instead, filtered air was constantly pumped into the building, forcing contaminates out of any openings. Vents banged open and a gale of inside air blasted through the decon zone, scouring dust from their clothes and bags. When they were done the gatekeeper gave them a hard look but opened the inner doors.
"No campin' in here," the oldster groused. "If ya got no place, ya go back out."
"Going to Nate's," said Linya. "That good enough, gramps?"
The old fellow snorted and shackled the doors for the night.
Linya guided Birdboy up the immobile escalators to Okie Nate's Place. As usual, Nate was perched on a stool outside his flophouse, smoking his pipe. Nate rented rooms to people seeking privacy with security. Linya had often rented Birdboy a room while she went to market. Nate and Birdboy were real buds.
"Kon ban wa, Linya-san, Birdboy." His smile was wide and genuine.
"Hey, Nate-san.” She nodded a bow. “Glad to see you. Got a room, I hope?"
He nodded, but worry lines pinched his forehead. "Linya, something wrong, I think? You never stay night."
Overwhelmed with sudden emotion, she found herself sobbing in the wizened Okinawan's arms. He sang something soothing in Japanese as he patted her back. Linya took hold of her will and pushed away from Nate.
"Sorry," she snuffled.
"No, you have troubles. Need sleep. Yes?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Nate. We might need more than that."
"Anything for Birdboy and Sista Shotgun." He bowed.
Nate led them through the winding halls of his domain. Birdboy dropped Linya's and scampered ahead, darting into a room. Linya started after him, but Nate laid a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Dojo. He knows well. After you." Nate bowed and waved her ahead.
Linya's breath caught when she entered. Real wood gleamed warmly from all sides, a breathtaking assault on her senses. Birdboy headed to shelves that stood in one corner beside a low bench. Linya glanced at Nate. He ignored the boy and knelt at a small shrine, the only other bit of furniture in the room.
Birdboy placed an electronic device on the bench. Linya was shocked to recognize a very expensive holo-suite, the commercial entertainment version of her brother’s PlayStation deck. Nate bowed to the shrine and rose to his feet as Birdboy slipped a complex headpiece over his short hair.
A ninja leapt into the room and attacked Nate, hands and feet blurring as he struck. The old man moved in a measured dance that somehow avoided the furious barrage. Around the room the two moved, the ninja grunting and yelling, Nate serenely stepping and leaning.
Linya watched, paralyzed with confusion for crucial seconds before remembering her shotgun. Her hand found the grip hidden under her poncho. Nate shuffled, passed his hands through a graceful arc, and the ninja was airborne. The black-swathed figure froze in mid-air and faded through a slow de-rezz.
Linya released the shotgun. Nate turned and bowed toward Birdboy; the boy nodded solemnly back. She felt pride and awe, quickly followed by a stab of annoyance.
"What the hell was that?"
"My mistake," Nate said. "Apologies. Tori-san, uh, Birdboy eager to show you."
"Sorry, sorry," muttered Birdboy.
She waved off their apologies, pique buried by curiosity. "No, it's okay, but how did you do that?"
"Ah. Tori-san master of holo-suite," Nate said with pride. "Best karate sparring partner." He patted Birdboy on the shoulder. "There is nothing Tori-san cannot do with holo-suite."
Linya remained silent and thoughtful until Nate left them for the night. She hadn't planned beyond running away, except vague thoughts of entering a Dome or finding some rich patron to splice for. It was clear, now that she had time to think, that Old Sanna would come after Bird. He was just too valuable.
She needed to find some way to hide, and Birdboy had shown her that way.
Linya sat up, dug her splicer kit out of the pack and stared at it. It would be the kind of splicecraft that killed millions if it went wrong, got the splicer drowned if anybody found out. On the other hand, it would be her first big splice, thrillingly far beyond anything else she'd done. Overnight transmutation and neural contact generation were big, scary splices.
It took longer to reach a decision than to program the splice and synth it up. She shook Birdboy awake.
"Bird, listen to me. Old Sanna will send the guys after us tomorrow, and they'll find us." Linya could see fear in his eyes. "I have to do something to change us, so we can hide. I need to know that you trust me." Birdboy swayed and twisted his hands. "Never leave me, and I'll never leave you," she whispered.
"Never, never, not now, not ever," he breathed, so low she could barely hear.
She patted him on the head and touched the injector to his arm. Over and over he whispered, "Never, never, not now, not ever." Linya cycled another vial and injected herself. Soon he was nodding from the sedative.
When he was completely out she pulled a Direct Neural Net Input patch from the bag of trade goods. DINNI was a big item in the Dome's black market, legally restricted to the elite Corp Execs. Directly linking the brain to computers was an advantage the Corporate Domes didn’t want to share.
Surgical implantation of the nano-scale connection leads often took weeks for recovery and cost a small fortune. Among other things, her splice would force Birdboy's body to grow its own neural connections overnight, allowing him direct mental control of the holo-suite.
Linya thrust the sharp anchors of the DINNI patch in place on the back of his neck. Tiny, rose-red blood drops welled. She shivered and looked away, busying herself with synthing the meds that would help block rejection and other negative reactions.
Birdboy awoke next morning weaker, but alert. He was immediately fascinated by their new appearance. Both of them were now bald and deep, chocolate brown. Birdboy's DINNI patch was also healed and ready.
"Bird?" He immediately looked up at her. "We're gonna do something together, okay?" He nodded and tapped the holo-suite. Linya was happily surprised. Somehow Bird, despite all his twitches and distractions, was on the same page and ready to help.
"Right, Bird. Here's the rap. Brock and the guys will be looking for two white kids. I want you to use Nate's holo-projector to rezz up a rapper, like you do with the PlayStation, but full-size, y'know? Then we three put on a show and hide. . ."
"Ogee, Ogee Nine," interrupted Birdboy, nodding, fingers already stroking the holo-projector.
"That's it, Bird. You're gonna be a star. That good for you?"
His smile was ferocious.
"Rappa, Rappa, by my nine, gonna own it, take it, make it mine." Posed with his arms crossed and peeking at her from the corners of his eyes, she had to laugh.
"That's right, Bird. You gonna show your cred today. Let's do this."
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