Lawrence Watt-Evans - Realms of Light

’Chan stared at me for a minute, and eventhough he’s my brother I couldn’t read his expression. “SeventhHeaven?” he asked. “Is that the company’s name?”

“Yeah,” I said. “You don’t remember?”

“I don’t care ,” he said. “Carlie, theydumped us, remember? They didn’t want us anymore.”

“He’s still our father. Genetically, if notlegally.”

“Even assuming he is, which I would not betoo sure of, so what? He threw us away. We don’t owe himanything.”

This time I could see the hurt on ’Chan’sface just fine. I’d seen it there before often enough. I’d thoughthe’d be over it by now, the way I thought I was, but I’d obviouslymisjudged the situation.

I wasn’t going to say that directly, though.Instead I said, “I know. I want to get him out anyway.”

He stared at me for a few seconds more beforehe answered, but eventually he said, “You’re more generous than Iam. Go ahead, if you want, but it’s got nothing to do with me.”

“I was hoping you could help me findhim.”

“Me? You’re the detective, Carlie. I’m just acroupier.”

“But you know people here. I don’tanymore.”

“Carlie, I’m glad you’re free, and I’m happyto see you again, but I’m under contract to the Ginza. I can’t goanywhere or help you with anything if it would interfere with myjob.”

“That’s why I came to get you offEpimetheus.”

He didn’t try to hide his annoyance. “And howwere you going to do that? I can’t get a ticket.”

“You don’t need one. I have my own ship.”

That got his attention. “The hell youdo!”

“Fine, I don’t. I have the use of aship. My client owns it, but he’s back in American City, and I’mhere in Nightside City with his ship and crew, and they’re underorders to do what I say. I intend to get you and Dad aboard, thenget the hell off Epimetheus for good. Are you coming?”

“Who the fuck is your client? Sincewhen do you work for people with that kind of money?”

“Since I moved to Alderstadt,” I said.“Sayuri Nakada may not have been happy with me, but some of herfriends and family thought I’d done a good job. Good word of mouthmeans I get work.”

“Come on, Carlie. Anyone with his own damnspaceship can do better than you ! I know you’re smart, Iknow you do an honest job, but you’re just a widget. Someone withthat kind of money can hire one of the big investigationfirms.”

It jittered me that my own brother didn’tthink I had the ram to do what I said, but I kept my temper. “Hehas reasons to keep this off the nets. You come on,’Chan-you think I’d come in here and tell you this if it weren’ttrue?”

“I don’t know, Carlie. It’s crazy, andsometimes you can be crazy.”

“Fine, then, but give me this much-come tothe port with me and take a look at the ship yourself. If there’sreally a ship, and the captain says he’ll really get youoff-planet, will you come?”

“Of course I will! You think I’m an idiot? Idon’t want to fry. I saw what you looked like after your littlestroll on the dayside. Nightside City’s going to be a fuckingmicrowave in a couple of years.”

“Then come on to the port with me and I’llshow you.”

’Chan hesitated, then admitted, “Ican’t.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about. Ithought he was just being stubborn, playing the big brother whodoesn’t want his little sister taking charge. “Why not?” Idemanded. I remembered that IRC was almost certainly listening,given where we were, so I added, “I’m not asking you to skip out onyour contract. Just come out to the port, so you can see I’m notcrazy. Then you can come back here, and when I’m ready to go youcan buy yourself out, nice and legal.”

“I can’t,” he repeated.

“Why not ?”

“I’m on call,” he said.

“So what?” I didn’t see how that was aproblem.

“It means I agreed to accept an implant,” heexplained. “I can’t go more than ten minutes from the casino or mylegs shut down. I can’t go as far as the port to check out yourstory. And I can’t buy out my contract-that was part of the deal,too. Like it or not, I’m here until sunrise.”

I couldn’t believe my own brother had been thatstupid. “What the hell were you thinking, agreeing to that?” Idemanded.

“I was thinking the bonus would be almostenough for my fare off-planet,” he answered instantly.

“ Almost enough,” I repeated.

“Yeah, almost ,” he said, and I couldsee he was getting angry-partly with me, but partly with himself.“I knew they were keeping it just a little short of what I’d need.IRC isn’t a charity; they want me to stay here until everythingcooks. I figured it would help. I wasn’t going anywhere for awhileanyway, so I’d have time to find the rest somehow. I didn’t know mykid sister was going to show up with a magic carpet to whisk me offto Prometheus.”

“It’s a ship, not a magic carpet, and gettingyou and Dad out of here with it is part of my fee.”

“Your fee? What the hell, Carlie-who agreedto that? Whose ship is it? Since when do you take anything butcredits?”

“When I don’t want the job and the clientneeds to come up with a way to make me take it anyway,” I said. “Away I’m having second thoughts about the more I look at you.”

“I didn’t ask for your help!”

“Neither did Dad. I’m here anyway.”

“You can leave any time, then. I’m stuck hereuntil my contract is up. Come back for me when the sun’s up.”

“The offer isn’t good that long. The clientwants me now , and I wouldn’t work until he got you two outof here.”

“He’s willing to hack off IRC andSixth…Seventh… the dreamtankers to get you?”

“Yes, he is.”

“I hadn’t thought my little sister was asspecial as all that.”

I was getting annoyed, but ’Chan had alwaysbeen able to hack my code, and he was angry enough himself that hedidn’t mind doing it. “Now you know,” I said.

“ I know it, fine, but who knows it whodoesn’t mind risking a stay on IRC’s blacklist? You never used tooperate at that level.”

“I told you, I’ve done all right onPrometheus.”

He looked at me, and I could almost see thescreen flash. “You said Sayuri Nakada’s friends and family-you’reworking for one of the Nakadas, aren’t you?”

“None of your business. I’m here to get youoff-planet, not tell you my life story.”

“That’s it, though, isn’t it? And I can guesswhat the case is, and why they aren’t hiring one of the bigfirms.”

That froze me up for half a second. Hecouldn’t possibly know about the rigged dream enhancer, so what didhe think was up? “What are you talking about?”

“Someone hired you to investigate YoshioNakada’s murder, didn’t they?”

I stared at him for a moment, then said, “SoGrandfather Nakada’s been murdered?”

“Of course. Don’t try to tell me you didn’tknow-it must have happened while you were still on Prometheus, andthere’s no way you could have missed it. The family tried to hushit up, but it’s all over the nets. And whoever hired you didn’t goto one of the big firms because they don’t trust them-they knowthose people will switch sides and back the highest bidder if themoney’s big enough, and the killer may be one of the big heirs. You , though-you’re old-fashioned. You stay bought.Especially when they’re paying you with me and Dad.”

“Lovely theory, ’Chan,” I said, but what Iwas thinking was that he’d come closer to the truth than I’dwanted.