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.“Have I ever asked you for one?”“No, in fact I didn’t think you smoked.”“Never wanted one until the old guy smoked one of these in front of me.They must have been my brand before I got conked on the head.”“Only uptown folks can afford those things.You never see them down here.”“Yeah, that occurred to me too.That old boy was dressed like uptown, sort of like when you found me.Even had a pair of Silverstein shoes.He knew who I was, but told me I’d probably prefer not to know.”“Really?”“I told him I’d prefer to judge that for myself, but he died before he could tell me any more.”“That’s really strange, and a little scary, Silverstein.You didn’t happen to um.take his shoes?”“Taylor, the only thing I took was what he gave me.I haven’t gotten to the really odd part, though.The old guy knew, down to the minute, how much time he had left to live.”Taylor was silent for a few moments, watching as I added a blend of frozen peas and carrots to the ramen.I gave the concoction another minute before pulling it off the stove to her makeshift strainer.The steam from the boiling water rose and fogged up the few windows in the apartment.“This is pretty good.Did you suddenly remember how to cook?” Taylor joked as she greedily devoured my creation.“Nope,” I replied holding up the printed directions on the back of the package.Taylor laughed, another of a precious few genuine displays of glee I’d witnessed since we met.She helped me finish mine before crashing on her bed in the adjoining room.I moved to my own spot on the couch and closed my eyes hoping the blessed sleep would take me quickly.The rain continued to make its way down through the tangle of concrete that held uptown Port Montaigne above.There was a palpable sense of déjà vu that overcame me just as I drifted off to sleep, like my mind was desperately grasping to recall what came before whatever happened to me in the alley.Our brains probably need more than just the little I had to give the body motion.I fell asleep contemplating the notion.I was nudged awake hours later by an impossibly thin Drone, his green luminescent goggles the only light in the apartment.He shushed me, his pointy ears straining to pick up even the smallest sound.I grabbed the revolver from my belt and held it up clumsily.“Are you the man called Silverstein?” the Drone hissed as he flicked the pistol from my hand.Then, he perched on my chest and stared down at me.I nodded, quickly gasping for breath.The Drone looked about the apartment, his eyes settling on the duffle bags.I grabbed him by his rubbery trench coat and we rolled roughly to the carpet.He gave me two quick punches to the solar plexus knocking the wind from me, then tossed me against the couch.The Drone’s semi-translucent skin seemed to glow with the dim green light of his goggles, reflecting off the rest of his garments.He was still wet from the rain falling quietly outside, but there was no breeze in the apartment suggesting an open window.I couldn’t fathom how he’d gotten in, as all twenty of Taylor’s locks were still firmly in place.The slender Drone seemed more than hyper-vigilant, almost paranoid for a few moments.Then he calmed, moving toward the small window in Taylor’s living room.His hands were powerful, each ending in wicked retractable claws.He was barely over five feet in height belying his monstrous strength.He looked back over to where I gasped for breath, and after removing his goggles, turned to keep a sort of watch out the window.I staggered over to where he was standing and gestured toward the kitchen.“Coffee? Tea? Or are you just going to wander about looking creepy and beating the stuffing out of me?”“My name is Ezra One.Annabelle Five sent me to check on you.We got word that our rivals down below, a group calling themselves the Sodality, have gotten wind of your movements.”“How do I know you are not part of the Sodality?” I replied, still gasping for air.“I’d have killed you in your sleep and taken the guns, and the girl.”“Fair enough.If they’re the Sodality, what do you guys call yourselves?”“We don’t call ourselves anything.We used to be part of the Underground Republic.Since the leadership split apart, it has been chaos.”I stood and recovered my revolver.Keeping Ezra in sight, I turned and looked in on Taylor who was sleeping like a stone.I looked quickly back at Ezra who was suddenly standing uncomfortably close to me.“Silverstein, we should move the guns,” he remarked quietly, his paranoia almost contagious.“Your enemies might be counting on us to do that.I thought you guys didn’t operate above ground.”Ezra One hesitated, looking self-conscious for a moment.I marveled at how every emotion Ezra seemed to feel was clearly rendered on his face.Even in my short interactions with Drones, they all seemed emotionally distant.Distant seemed an inadequate description however.Impervious, perhaps?“Often, it is not a matter of willingness, but ability,” Ezra hissed.“The way many of us were engineered it grants an almost paralyzing fear of wide open spaces.That won’t stop our rivals from sending their above ground allies to intercept these weapons.” He pressed his ear to the front door.“You’re operating above ground,” I replied coolly.“We need to move the weapons, and the sooner the better,” he replied narrowing his eyes to my question.“Why can’t we just descend through the access beneath this building and make the delivery?” I asked, not fully understanding his presence.“That way has been compromised and is no longer safe.”Drones from the rival tribe were waiting for us down there [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]