A Toaster on Mars (8 page)

Blake shot a look at Nicki, who was sadly shaking her head.

No luck on the trace.

‘How am I supposed to break into GADO?' Blake asked Badde. ‘It's one of the most secure facilities on Earth.'

‘You're inventive. You'll think of a way.'

‘Let me speak to Lisa.'

‘All right, but I will insist on laughing in a really evil fashion when I sign off.'

Silence followed, then—

‘Dad?'

The sound of her voice almost broke his heart. ‘I'm coming for you, Lisa,' he said. ‘I won't give up.'

‘I know, Dad,' she said, swallowing. ‘He's already forced me to watch two episodes!'

‘No!'

‘There's one where Bobby gets a zit—'

‘No!'

‘And another one where Cindy learns how to bake a sponge cake.'

Oh no
, Blake thought.
Not the sponge cake episode!

Badde's voice came back on the line. ‘I'm giving you two days,' he said. ‘In the meantime, we'll see how much little Lisa can take.'

He started to laugh. It was a helpless chuckle that grew into an out-of-control roar. He even did the horrible giggling thing that maniacs do, ending in a gurgle like something going down the drain.

The sound rang in Blake's ears long after Badde had hung up.

11

It took Blake a moment to realise Nicki was talking to him.

‘I've tried tracing the call,' she was saying. ‘I got as far as a pasta bar in Japan, but it was relayed through an insurance office in Hong Kong, bounced off a sheep station in Australia and then a taco joint on the moon.' She shook her head. ‘I lost it after that.'

‘Where was the phone purchased?'

‘A delicatessen in Dubai.'

‘They might have security cameras. But it's unlikely Badde would have made the purchase himself.' Blake shook his head. ‘He's got Lisa.'

‘What are you going to do?'

‘Get her back. Which means I need to get into GADO.'

‘What do you mean,
you
need to get into GADO?' Nicki said. ‘I'm not a pencil sharpener. I'm your partner. That means we work together.'

Blake stared at Nicki. She had obviously short-circuited.

‘Agent Steel,' he said, ‘I appreciate the offer, but I'm talking about breaking into GADO, the most secure facility on Earth.'

‘All the more reason you need me.'

‘You know what you're saying? If we get caught, we'd be charged with treason. Our reputations would be ruined. And it's a mandatory life sentence.'

‘That could be a problem for me,' Nicki admitted. ‘Theoretically, I might live forever. You, on the other hand, are a short-lived lump of carbon with your best days behind you.'

‘Thanks,' he said. ‘I think.'

‘So you've got two choices: you can include me on this assignment and dramatically increase your chances of success, or—'

‘
Or
?'

‘I contact the assistant director and tell him what you're planning. It's up to you.'

Blake rubbed his chin. Nicki was right. Having her along would turn an impossible mission into…well, a slightly less impossible mission. Two heads were probably better than one, even when the other was made from metal and plastic.

‘Why do you want to help?' he asked. ‘You barely know me.'

‘It's how I'm programmed.'

‘Don't blame me when you spend the next million years in jail.'

She shrugged. ‘With good behaviour I could be out in half that time.'

Blake frowned. ‘We just need to work out how to break in,' he said.

‘I've already formulated several plans.'

‘What?'

‘Blake,' Nicki said, patiently, ‘my brain is capable of twenty-four gazillion calculations per second.'

‘How many plans have you come up with?' Blake asked.

‘Twelve,' Nicki said. ‘However, I would rate nine of them as nothing short of suicidal. And our chances of succeeding in two of the others are no better than surviving a jump off the mile-high Wobontom Tower—without a parachute.'

‘And the remaining plan?'

‘Still not great odds,' Nicki admitted. ‘We would need help from someone who's good with a jet pack.'

‘You mean,' Blake said, ‘a scarmish jet pack?'

‘That would do.'

Sprot.

12

Astrid Carter was worried sick. Lisa still hadn't come home.

Astrid had rung the police, but they had said a missing person's report couldn't be filed until two days had passed. Then they had suggested that Lisa might have run away, so Astrid had angrily hung up on them.

Lisa wouldn't run away
, she thought.
But where is she?

It wasn't like her daughter to go off without telling her. They had planned to go out and get their hair cut; a great new salon had opened on level 800. And besides, Lisa had no reason to leave. She was perfectly happy at home. Wasn't she?

Astrid stared gloomily out her living room window. They lived on the 600th level on the north side in a nice apartment. It had a view of a park, which was pleasant, as far as high-rise parks go, with trees, shrubs, flowers and a grassy lawn. They were all synthetic, but so was everything these days.

A bubbling stream, lined by benches, ran through the park. On one of the benches was a plaque that paid tribute to the ancient indigenous people who had once lived in the region, albeit several hundred feet below.

I've got to ring Blake again
, Astrid thought.
He knows people, and can make things happen.

It had been strange speaking to him yesterday. Unlike Lisa, she bore him no ill will. What was done was done, and they all had to get on with their lives.

What would he think of the apartment? The carpet was different, decorated with a print of Yuri Gagarin's helmeted head. A television screen covered the whole west
side of the living room, with family picture vids on the other side. They made the place seem like a typical family home, even though one member was conspicuously absent.

Books—ones made from paper—covered another wall. As a literature professor for the 99th Block University, Astrid had been teaching for years. The students were always amazed when she pulled an antique book from her bag. Most of them had never seen one.

Astrid glanced at herself in the mirror. Her hair was still black, her curves more or less intact, and her eyes still olive, unlike most people these days who were getting their irises changed monthly.

The front door sneezed. The sneezing door was not her idea. It had come fitted with a variety of sound effects: sneezing, farting, wheezing, screaming, laughing, crying, giggling. Astrid was an old-fashioned girl. A simple
ding-dong
would have sufficed, but kids always wanted the latest and greatest.

‘Ah-choo!'

She hurried to the door, expecting to find her daughter wearing a sheepish expression. Instead, she found her ex-husband and a rather attractive-looking golden robot.

Her heart leapt into her throat.

‘No,' she muttered. ‘Is it…?'

Suddenly the strength went from Astrid's legs and she fell against the doorframe.

‘Lisa is okay,' Blake said, grabbing her arm. ‘At least, for now. Can we come in?'

They followed Astrid into the living room, where she folded her arms and glared at them. The robot's blue eyes were disconcerting, as if something were alive in there other than chips and circuits.

‘What the hell is going on, Blake?'

He explained about Badde and his theft of the Super-EMP, and then Lisa's kidnapping. Astrid listened in silence. She did not interrupt. She did not yell. She did not dredge up their past.

She did, however, punch Blake in the face.

Before she could do it again, Nicki forced her down onto the lounge. ‘I can understand you wanting to kill
him,' she said, ‘and I've only known him for a day. But this isn't Blake's fault.'

Fighting back angry tears, Astrid scowled at him. ‘It's always Blake's fault!' she snapped. ‘He's always rubbing people the wrong way!'

‘Nicki's right,' Blake said. ‘And we need to focus on saving Lisa.'

‘You haven't rung the authorities?' Astrid asked.

‘We
are
the authorities,' Blake reminded her. ‘And Badde made it clear we'd never see Lisa again if we brought in the department.'

‘So what do we do?'

‘We've got a plan. Or Nicki does.'

‘The robot?' Astrid said, eyeing her sceptically. ‘You do more than play chess and vacuum under lounges?'

‘I'm a cyborg,' Nicki said, more patiently than she was feeling. She glanced around the room, her eyes settling on a picture vid of Astrid competing in the 2493 Interplanetary Scarmish Final. ‘I have a way to get us into GADO, but we'll need your help.'