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Chapter 2 - You Gotta Have Friends

I was born long enough after the Apocalypse that most of pre-kaboom civilization had been rebuilt, restored and completely revamped, and humanity could walk outside without returning with enough radiation to kill them in days. New technologies saw to that. Mushroom day happened in 2075, and people decided the post-Apocalypse needed a special calendar of its own, hence the 'new beginning' started with year 1 After Apocalypse, or A.A. No one in Al-Anon filed lawsuits, I assure you.

You're still pissed off about the crow, aren't you?

Wanda was a gift from a satisfied customer. She's an A.I. capable of flight, with a small arsenal of needle missiles that vary from poisonous to enough firepower to blow up a building. She speaks every language, can connect to any power source and therefore is unaffected by the gremlins haunting the Virtuaverse servers. She also was given the personality shell of some old Earth comedienne named Wanda Sykes. She's smart, sassy, makes me laugh and has saved my sorry Native ass more than once. Got a mouth and an attitude, though.

Right now, we're in the dangerous part of Chi-town (yeah, after 2 millennium, they still call it that) looking for my friend Lester Mittu. Lester is a vanishing breed. He's a weapons dealer in a century that's done away with weapons that kill, maim or harm its target. Which is enforceable in the real world, Terra Veritas. But in the unfettered Virtuaverse, anything goes. That's not supposed to be the case, but people are people.

When Helena told me 'no disruptors', that lowered my chances of survival by about 75 percent. They're 100 percent effective and noiseless, as well as undetectable by Virtuaverse Security - not even on high-tech or magic corridors. All of which makes them highly illegal and earns you a one-way ticket to perma-death, i.e., you are banned from the Virtuaverse for all time.

What they do is remove an NPC from the virtual world. It is erased completely. It's instantaneous, which sets off alarm bells in the mainframe and causes a temporary shutdown. That 'problem' I had in Westworld – was of my own creation. Couldn't admit that to Helena, of course.

Lester has been working on something better, and wickedly effective, which will create all kinds of chaos. Good chaos, where I'm concerned. Where others are concerned - who knows? He moves about a lot, but one thing will tip me off that he's near: A Pre-Apocalypse poster for an A.I. Cher 'Absolutely My Final Farewell' Concert performance. My grandpa used to play her re-remake of 'Half Breed' over and over again. Blech!

"Found it!" Wanda's voice speaks inside my head. "But the fuzz is here, so what we gonna do, Tonto?"

This is a running joke she never gets tired of. "My name's Daniel."

"You answered to Tonto, so you must be Tonto. Or else you goin' deaf, or stupid, or both!"

"Can you send a fake message through their system, telling them Lester's been found?"

"Here I thought that whistling sound comin' from your ears was because you lacked a brain. Sure thing, Chief Daniel!"

In three minutes, the 'fuzz' drove off. I picked up the poster. "Where is he, beautiful?"

"You know you flirtin' up the wrong skirt, Tonto. I like p..."

"Yes, you like women. Lester's location, Sappho."

"Aw, flattery will get you nowhere. Three steps north, through the door to your left, and down to the bomb shelter, boss. I'll let you know if they come back."

Two stories down and Lester's standing there at the bottom, grinning. "You're going after him, aren't you?"

I'm pretty certain what he's talking about, but in this case, I need him to tell me what he knows first. "Him who?" I quietly ask.

"Cut the crap, Danny. It's all over the 'Verse that Murkerberg's body was vaporized in broad daylight by a space laser."

Okay, his answer's one part truth and 99 parts crazy. "That wouldn't leave me dick squat to go after, Les."

"He was last encountered in the Virtuaverse. Which means his ghost could be floating untethered through, well, anywhere. Everywhere. But when my ears in Cyber Security HQ picked up a transmission calling for tighter security on disruptor smuggling, I knew you'd be involved. You're going ghost-hunting!"

I know he knows I can't confirm or deny what we both know I'm about to do. It would be all throughout the known 'Verse if I told him the truth. "Les, I am here because of  the disruptor problem. Can you give me something as good or better? I'm on a job, but it's on the down low."

He sighs. "You're my only real friend, Dan. I've known you long enough to know when you're stonewalling me. Look, if you're going to be skimming the Virtuaverse, you're going to need an ace hacker. I'm your man."

Then again...