Partners - Book 1

by Melissa Good

  Jess smiled.

  “Robber baron? You call me that?” Roderick bawled. “Take it! Get out of here you wanton hussies!” He started forward, waving the hanger the coat had been hanging on. “Get out! Get out! Before I call the guard!”

  “Watch it, old man!” Jess yelled back. “Take your threats and shove em! Let’s go, Dev.” She turned and walked out of the store, heading sharp right and then taking a left as she cleared the next stall over. She paused and got behind a column, leaning against it and looking at the sleeve of the jacket with complete absorption.

  Dev stuck right with her, finding something in the booth to look at as Jess watched what was going on around them intently. It was all extremely strange, and she wasn’t comfortable at all with what was going on, but she examined the little pouches on display in front of her and kept herself relatively out of view.

  “Okay,” Jess finally said, turning and putting a hand on her shoulder. “Good job, Dev,” she said, in a very low voice. “I know it’s crazy here, but you’re doing a great.”

  Dev smiled. “Thanks,” she whispered back. “It’s very confusing.”

  “I know.” Jess now clapped her on the back. “Let’s go get something to eat. I bet you never tried hopping shrimp, now did you?”

  Hopping shrimp. Dev had to admit the experience was overwhelming her programming. There were too many new experiences, and too much uncertainty for her to comfortably handle. “No,” she said. “I know what a shrimp is. Why does it hop?”

  “Ah.” Jess put a companionable arm over Dev’s shoulder, and guided her along the path, toward another set of long, low steps. “Come with me, my friend. I’ll introduce you to my favorite meal and show you why they hop.”

  “You meet the shrimp before you eat it?”

  Jess chuckled. “I’ll have to take you shrimping sometime,” she said. “Maybe limpet collecting too.”

  Dev eyed her.

  “Maybe we can find some cockle stew.”

  “I think I’m glad I brought that pack of crackers,” Dev commented mournfully. “I wouldn’t know what to do with a cockle.”

  Jess’s sudden laughter drew stares, but they were moving up the steps before anyone could get too close a look or stop them and then they were gone, disappearing into the strident chaos of the wet market.

  Behind them, a squad of bio alt cleaners tentatively emerged, looking cautiously around before they started sweeping half a day’s debris from the floor.

  IT TURNED OUT that hopping shrimp were a lot better than they initially sounded. Dev regarded the plate in front of her, a deep blue glazed platter covered in bright orange and pink animals curled in a half circle that smelled really really good.

  They had cups of something sweet and fizzy in front of them, and the shrimps, and a flat cake that was rather seaweed like but had a drier, earthier taste.

  “Now.” Jess picked up a shrimp. “First you rip the head off.”

  Dev watched her with some bemusement. They were seated in a small alcove at the back of the eating place, amongst a few small alcoves that were tucked away out of sight, with a light gauze curtain around them and artfully placed strong lights on the curtains that made it impossible for anyone to see in, but for them to easily see out.

  The man in charge of it knew Jess by sight and had seemed to be expecting her. He’d shuffled them quickly into their little hiding place, and shortly thereafter, the plates had arrived.

  “Then you suck their heads out.”

  Dev jerked, coming rapidly back into focus. “You what?”

  Jess applied her lips to the back of the animal’s head and inhaled, making an odd whistly sucking sound. “You suck their heads out,” she repeated. “Try it.”

  Obediently, Dev picked up a shrimp and twisted its head off, turning it around and inspecting the interior before she hesitantly put it to her lips and sucked at it. A small mass of spicy goo hit her tongue, and she mouthed it, analyzing the taste before she swallowed it. It was rich and full of flavor and the spices filled her throat in a surprisingly nice way. “Oh.”

  “Oh good, or oh gross?” Jess asked, in an apparent good mood.

  “That’s excellent,” Dev said. “I’ve never had anything like that before.” She peered inside the head.

  “I knew I liked you for a reason.” Jess set the head down. “Okay, now on this part, you pull the legs and the shell off, like this.” She demonstrated. “And you eat this part inside.” She watched Dev, with a complete focus and seriousness that tickled the hell out of her, strip her first shrimp naked and bite into it, chewing it with intense thoughtfulness. “Well?”

  Dev swallowed, and stared intently at her plate. “Can I eat this part too?” She picked up the shell.

  “No.” Jess chuckled. “It’s like chewing fingernails. Just eat the inside. So you like it?”

  “Yes,” Dev said. “Do we ever get this where we live?” She regretfully set the shell down and picked up another animal, ripping its head off with more confidence.

  “No. They aren’t found around our shoreline, and they won’t pay to have them brought in. The idea is we’re self sufficient at home.” She started in on the rest of her plate. “Damn shame. But it’s one of the nice things about going outside.”

  Dev got through another couple of shrimp before she started conversing again. “You asked me before about the bio alts.”

  Jess glanced up quickly. “Didn’t mean to.”

  “What were you expecting my reaction to be to that?” Dev asked. “Did you expect me to be upset?”

  Jess chewed her shrimp, then took a sip of her drink. “I don’t know what I expected. Yeah, maybe. Were you?”

  Dev’s eyes met hers. “They teach us to expect that,” she said mildly. “To expect natural borns to treat us poorly. To make fun of us, to be mean to us, that sort of thing.” She sucked another shrimp head, her eyes widening a bit at the odd sound it made. “We know what we are, Jess.”

  Jess sat quietly a moment, watching her. “Do you?” She said. “I don’t think you’re like that guy mopping the floor over there.” She indicated a lone figure, in the distance.

  “I’m exactly like him.” Dev didn’t sound at all upset about it. “Except I’m a different gene set, and I have different programming.” She watched Jess. “Why are you shaking your head?”

  “You’re not like him,” Jess repeated. “I’ve been working with bios since I got out of field school. I never met any one of them who was anything like you at all.” She nibbled a bit of her flat cake. “Is that why you were so surprised when I was...um...nice to you?”

  “Yes because you don’t have to be,” Dev said. “We know that. We just take what we get, you know?”

  Jess’s face went still and serious for a moment, then she grinned a little. “Well, you got me,” she said. “And I don’t buy that whole story so you’ll have to deal with that.” Her eyes dropped to the table and she fiddled with a shrimp, then she looked back up to find Dev looking at her with a gentle, sweet smile on her face.

  It made Jess blush. She felt uncharacteristically off balance and she could have sworn all of a sudden her tongue felt fuzzy. “Anyway.” Her fingers pried the shrimp apart, and plucked the legs off. Then she looked back up. “Is that why you freaked out when you thought I was mad at you?”

  Dev stopped in the act of sucking a head out. She put the item back down. “Yes. We never want to make our assignments mad. It means— they teach us that it means we’re not doing a good job.”

  “That’s horsecrap.” Jess regained her equilibrium. “People sometimes just get mad. It doesn’t mean anything like that, at least not with me.” She took a swallow of her drink and glanced past the curtain, studying the passing crowd outside before she returned her attention to Dev. “Okay?”

  Dev reached over and touched her hand. “I’m very glad I got you, Jess,” she said, simply. “You’re really special.”

  Jess was caught in those eyes again, in the crystal clear warmth
of them that made her feel shy and strangely unsure. She’d never really felt like this before and it confused her, a little. Excited her, a little.

  Definitely it was distracting her more than a little and she almost missed the subtle shift in the lighting and the sound of approaching footsteps until it all penetrated her senses and she shifted, jerking her head toward the curtain. “Police. Just keep cool.”

  Dev went back to quietly ingesting her shrimp, producing a mild look of inquiry when the curtain was jerked back, and revealed two men standing there in black suits with shiny black chest plates and helmets.

  “ID.” The one in front said, extending his hand.

  Jess produced hers and handed it over, and a moment later, Dev did the same.

  The policeman flicked a scanner over both sets, and studied the results, then handed them back. “What’s your business here?”

  “Lunch and shopping,” Jess said, casually. She held up the neatly tied bundle that she’d made of her jacket, and pointed at the plates.

  The man studied her, then studied Dev, who looked back at him with interest.

  “Ladies.” The man gave them a half wave and moved away. “Enjoy your day.”

  They went on to the next little alcove, and the curtain swung closed again, obscuring them. Jess waited for them to engage with their neighbors, before she removed a small box from her pocket and keyed it, directing it after the police and tapping a few entries.

  Dev heard a very high pitched, very soft whine, and she watched with curiosity as Jess reviewed the results then put the box back into her pocket. “Is that a usual interview?”

  “What, the cops?” Jess glanced after them, a faintly disapproving look on her face. “Eh. Looking for non citizens to bust. They attract ‘em here, since the weather’s such crap. They round them up and toss them back out into the scrub or ship ‘em off to the edge to let them go forage there.”

  Dev looked a bit confused. She picked up one of her few remaining shrimp and worked at it. “What is a non citizen?”

  “Well.” Jess seemed glad of the distraction. “You get tested, right? Kids do, like I did. Either you get aptituded to a training school, or you test for brains, or some skill, or you don’t.” She took a long swallow of her drink. “Those that don’t can’t get citizen status. They get tossed into the outlands, and have to fend for themselves.”

  “That’s very interesting.”

  “If you can do something, you get cit status. Or...” She lifted a hand. “If your family is in service, like mine is, then everyone gets automatic cit status, and a minimum level job somewhere. Reward, I guess.” She picked up her last shrimp, looking regretfully at the plate. “But the non cits try to sneak in anywhere they can, and beg or steal what they can to live off of. You get real tired of scraping lichen to eat and catching water bugs after a while.”

  Dev tried to imagine that. It was hard for her to fathom, because in the crèche everyone had their purpose. They were made to be useful, weren’t they? No one was left out, even if there was an ‘out’, there was always work, and a function for everyone and they were taken care of, fed, and housed as the valuable resources they knew themselves to be.

  “I was glad when I tested in,” Jess said. “I didn’t want to spend my life hauling nets, or supervising a power station at the waterline.”

  Dev only just kept herself from reaching out to touch Jess’s hand again. “But you do something very difficult.”

  “I do. We do.” Jess smiled at her. “But on the flip side, we live in nice digs, and have creds to spend, and eat well. It’s worth it.”

  Dev looked at her identification, studying the picture, and the name, and the pretty, embossed emblem with a number that marked her as a citizen.

  Interesting.

  Except she wasn’t. She wasn’t even a non citizen. Beneath the neck on the rich blue jumpsuit she was wearing she had the same traced collar as the man she could just barely see washing the floor. She knew a moment of deep, disturbing confusion because she wasn’t entirely sure of how she should feel about it all.

  She was different. She was bio alt. She was hatched and raised in the crèche to serve her assignment.

  And yet. She looked up at Jess, who was busily pulling the legs off a shrimp. As if sensing the attention, Jess glanced up and met her eyes, tilting her head a little in question.

  And yet.

  More footsteps approached and Jess grew wary, her body stiffening up and her balance shifting even in her seat so it was over the balls of her feet. “If I tell you to duck, you duck.” She reached out and picked up her glass, casually looking to her right as the curtain stirred and drew aside.

  “Ah,” she said. “It’s you.” She relaxed perceptibly.

  “It’s me, myself.” A short, dark haired and bearded man with a thickly muscled body sidled up to the table. “A gift for you, princess.” He put a bundle on the padded bench seat next to where Jess was sitting. “And who is your very pretty friend?” He waggled his bushy, thick eyebrows at Dev. “Much improvement over your last one, yes?”

  Jess snorted slightly. “This is Dev,” she said. “Dev, this is Jonton, more commonly known as the Pirate of Quebec.” She gave the man a wry look. “Jonton’s something of an old family friend. This is his place, as you probably guessed by the fact his name’s on the sign outside.”

  “Hello,” Dev said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  The man smiled, showing a mouthful of teeth that were curiously decorated with tiny engravings. “It is my pleasure, Miss Dev.” He bowed. “Any friend of my old family friend here, is a friend of mine.” He turned back to Jess. “A very great improvement over the last one for sure.”

  “Definitely,” Jess said. “Smarter, has a lot more common sense, a better bus driver and much cuter on top of it.” She winked at Dev. “I got damn lucky.”

  “So I hear.” Jonton leaned against the table. “Especially what I’ve heard lately of your luck.” He lowered his voice, touching her arm. “I am pleased to see you here in good health.”

  Jess grinned briefly. “Thanks.” She touched the package. “This the boots? I’m glad they’re done. I need to get clear of here. Too many eyes around.”

  “It is. May you have good wearing of them.” He bowed again. “Till next time, princess. And again, so nice to meet you, Miss Dev.” He stepped back and then ducked out of the way, leaving the curtains to slowly swing back closed again.

  They were both quiet for a moment. Then Dev gently cleared her throat. “What exactly is a pirate?”

  Jess chuckled. “I’ll tell you later, when we’re back on the bus.” She studied her plate to make sure she’d consumed everything on it. “We need to get out of here before someone spots me and starts trouble.” She looked up at Dev. “You done?”

  “Well, since you said not to eat the shells, I suppose I am.” Dev gazed mournfully at her plate. “They were excellent. Thank you very much for bringing me here.”

  “It was my pleasure, Dev,” Jess said, her voice taking on a gentle tone. “I remember my first time in this place. My father brought me here after I graduated basic school. I thought the city was the coolest place on earth.” She tucked the jacket she’d gotten under her arm, and picked up the boots.

  “May I take that?” Dev said, pointing at the boots. “My jacket’s smaller.”

  “Your every thing’s smaller.” Jess handed the bundle over and they slid out from behind the table, pausing to let Jess study the outside space before she stepped through the curtain and held it for Dev. “To the left there, and down that ramp.”

  Dev went as directed, and they slipped out of the wet market and started downward. Jonton’s place was on the edge of the market, which was now becoming quiet as the merchants started packing up for the day. The market area was high ceilinged, and the sounds echoed, to the counterpoint of thunder rolling overhead.

  She stuck close to Jess’s side as they passed from the light of the cavern into the darkness of th
e tunnels, and after a few minutes walk, Jess paused to fasten her jacket.

  So Dev did too. She put her bundles down and got herself sealed up, then picked the packages back up as Jess moved on. Neither of them spoke, and Dev could see the tension in Jess’s face as she scanned and rescanned the area.

  It felt a little dangerous. They walked to the base of the ramp and then Jess turned right and angled over across traffic to a side corridor that led to a set of stone steps. A group of bio alts came past them, easing to one side of the steps to get out of their way.

  Dev recognized the set, but dimly, from much earlier memories when groups of bio alts would be loaded on shuttles, all of them happy, waving as they left to what they were sure would be good assignments.

  They didn’t look very happy now. Dev met the eyes of one of them, and he looked quickly away, hunching his shoulders. A Geebee, she remembered, but this one and his mates had scars on their faces, and threadbare coveralls. One was missing fingers.

  Dev exhaled a little, as she followed Jess down the steps and along the right hand side of a busy tunnel. The two of them were mostly ignored, getting only brief, dismissed looks as they made their way downward.

  “Here.” Jess pointed at a dark offshoot tunnel. She ducked inside and then her hand light appeared to light the way, as they went down a set of crooked steps, and then under a crumbling arch, to another set of steps. These heading up.

  The steps were getting narrower, and she shifted the package to her right hand, letting her left one rest against the wall.

  The surface was interesting. It felt rough and cold against her skin, and a bit moist. It was irregular, and when she looked down, the steps were too.

  They turned a corner and started up a more steep set of stairs, and now Dev felt fresh air coming in and blowing against her face. She could hear the thunder, and was aware of a rich, wet smell. “Is that the rain?”

  “Yeah, put your hood up.” Jess got hers fastened just as they reached a landing and were faced with a small opening.

  Dev fastened the snaps on her hood and followed Jess out into a fierce downpour that pelted hard against her body and nearly knocked her backward. She steadied herself against the rock face and blinked hard as water filled her eyes. “Wow.”