Burgles

Chapter 8

          Raine drove us across the small bridge that separated the wall from South Bay. I turned to face her. The temp-reading-goggles, as she called them, looked ridiculous—likely would have on anyone. Made her appear like a bug crossed with a cyclops. A bugclops. Two unrelated creatures; one real, one fictional. My mind went back to the spoarder. What was it? Definitely not natural.

          I checked the road ahead of us. "You really work with the government?" I asked.

          She kept her eyes on the road. "For."

          "Right." I shifted in my seat. "So, do you know what that thing was back there? The spoarder, I mean."

          The goggles made it hard to get a read on her, but she hesitated in her response. "Naw. Not really."

          "What does that mean?"

          She didn't answer.

          "'Member that thing about trust?" I asked.

          She glanced at me. I wish she hadn't done that. Her appearance sent shivers down my spine. "It's not my area of work, but I've heard rumors. Ya knaw that cloner of yours?"

          "You mean the one we're going to get the plans to steal back from JJ? Of course I know the cloner."

          "Supposedly that's not the first one. Or the only one."

          This was news. "You mean there are others?"

          "It's just what I've heard, and apparently those cloners don't really work right. They jumble up the replica, and then some people thought it a good idea ta start putting more than one thing in at a time. Out pops a spoarder, and God knows what else."

          "Where are these other cloners supposed to be?"

          "Not a clue. That's all I know. Honest."

          I sighed. "All right." We were crossing another bridge. This time, out of South Bay and into Midtown. I peered out over the ocean. "What's the update on JJ. We getting close?"

          "Can't tell, but the trail's still strong." She sped up.

          Raine slowed to a roll, and I peered out over the water at the green lady. She stood there, tall and magnificent with her crown atop her head and her burnt-out torch in her hand. Stunning no doubt, but why did it have to be here? There must have been a mistake. "Are you sure that's where JJ went?"

          Raine brought the car to a stop and nodded. "Positive."

          The green lady herself wasn't the problem. It was where she stood—smack dab in the middle of the ocean. I shook my head. "How are we supposed to get over there?"

          "I'd assume we need a boat." Raine killed the engine. "That is unless ya'd like to swim it?"

          I glared at her. "Where we gonna find a boat?"

          She smiled. "There may be a government facility we could talk into lending us one."

          "May be?"

          "I may or may not have access, if you catch my drift."

          I clicked my tongue. "Gotcha. So, we steal us one. Where's the facility?"

          "Not far, couple minutes' drive."

          She started the car again, but I reached over and shut it off. "Let's walk it. Better to have a getaway car that others don't know about, if things go haywire."