Chapter One

Chapter One

July 19, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Johansen’s Personal Flitter and Transport Emporium

Change could often be painful, but that didn’t make it any less necessary.

Jia had learned that lesson well from Erik during their time together. If she’d never met him, she might still be the same deluded, naïve person being led around by corrupt, lazy people who dishonored their oaths and their badges.

However, understanding the necessity of change wasn’t the same thing as easily

accepting

it, which was why she’d waited months before purchasing a long-overdue new flitter.

Jia rubbed her chin as she strolled between the long lines of flitters arrayed in the lot. The variety was staggering. Different sizes. Two-seaters. Four-seaters. Even larger. Every color of the rainbow was present, along with every color of hair she might see at a club on the weekend.

A few colors should never have seen the light of day, and certainly not on the shell of any of these flitters. There was no accounting for taste, but Jia had a hard time believing those colors were selling well.

Four different major flitter manufacturers were represented on the lot, including the oxymoronically named Off-World Systems

,

the German makers of Erik’s flitter. There were no cheap brands present, but Jia wasn’t there for an economy vehicle.

A bright yellow Taxútnta MX 60 was parked a few meters to her right. The vehicle was more slender than her partner’s. She puzzled over that for a moment before recalling that a year’s worth of heavy modifications had all but turned Erik’s ride into a military vehicle.

If he could get away with sticking in a hidden turret or missile rack, he would.

He was already hauling around prototype military weapons in hidden compartments, and that was only quasi-legal. There wasn’t an MX 60 in the entire UTC like his. Probably no one else had even thought to modify one as much as Erik had. Why bother when you could just get a tank?

Babe magnet?

Unlikely. She was pretty sure she knew the truth of that statement.

A bright-eyed salesman in a crisp suit trailed Jia. His smile hadn’t dared to leave his face during their short time together. “So, Jia, you mentioned you wanted a new vehicle, and you made your generous price range clear, but you could give me a little better idea about what kind of vehicle you’re interested in? I could help narrow it down. We have a wide variety of vehicles to meet a wide variety of needs. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you leave today happy with your choice.”

Jia wanted to poke him over his presumption, but there was no reason to be rude. He was just doing his job. She couldn’t blame him because of her own lingering discomfort.

She stopped and frowned at the yellow MX 60. “I need something new. My life’s changed a lot this last year, and my old flitter doesn’t reflect those changes.” She eyed him for a moment. “It’s too…boring and blue.” She shrugged. “I need something a little flashier. Sportier? It needs to fit my new lifestyle, too. I need good performance.”

Jia wasn’t sure if

she

was flashier and sportier, but at the minimum, she wasn’t the same person she had been previously. Replacing her flitter was a way of acknowledging that truth and of gaining a small advantage over Erik, but she didn’t want the salesman to know that yet.

He already had too many preconceived notions. She would pull the trigger on the full truth when the time was right.

A knowing smile took over the salesman’s face, and he nodded. “I understand. A beautiful woman like you deserves a flitter that can enhance her beauty. One that tells the world, ‘I’m Jia, and I’m here. Pay attention to me, world!’”

She agreed, her voice not reflecting what she was thinking. “Uh-huh. Sure. Something like that.”

Jia strolled toward a huge green flitter across from the MX 60. The green monstrosity was so large it bordered on being a cargo hauler. It made a statement all right, but not one she wanted to make. She scoffed and continued past the overcompensation-mobile.

“I understand that in today’s complicated dating environment,” the salesman began, “it’s hard to know what kind of signal you’re sending. But you’re right—your flitter should reflect you. May I be brutally honest, Jia?” He threaded his fingers in front of him.

She shrugged. “Go ahead. I doubt you’ll say anything that shocking.”

“The flitter you arrived in is the kind of thing your mother would drive.” He shook his head, a look of pity on his face.

Jia grimaced. His words struck deeper than she’d anticipated. She wanted to complain, but he was right. While her mother didn’t drive the same make and model, she

had

recommended it and approved of the purchase. Was she that easy to see through?

“That bad, huh?” Jia sighed.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “You’re here now. You’re doing what you need to make the outward expression of your recent inner changes correct.”

She needed to regain control of the situation. That was what she

needed

to do.

While she might not be her mother, she wasn’t looking for some cutesy ride to zoom around in on dates. Her needs were particular, and it was time the salesman understood that. Form was one thing, but function was far more important.

Jia pointed to a two-seater crimson flitter to her side. “Could that survive a collision with a tower? Not like the side of a tower, but say you had to crash through a window in an emergency situation?”

The salesman let out a quiet chuckle. “Excuse me? Did you just ask if it could smash through a

window

?”

“I get that it can smash through. I’m just trying to get a feel for how much damage the flitter would take and if the auto-repair systems could get it up and running in a few minutes. That kind of thing.”

Jia narrowed her eyes at the flitter, trying to imagine crashing into a tower filled with terrorists, gangsters, or

yaoguai

. Her life had gone from boring to colorful. An image of a Tin Man with a blade arm ripping through the top popped into her head.

“If it runs into a tower?” the salesman repeated. He coughed into his hand while his eyes searched around the lot. What he was looking for, Jia had no clue. “Am I hearing you correctly, ma’am?”

Jia slammed her fist into her palm to demonstrate the collision. “Yes. Like that.” She held her palms up and slowly moved them away from each other. “I’m presuming a decent-sized window, maybe a long, wide hallway that could accommodate the flitter inside, but if you had to crash through,” she looked at him, “how much damage do you think it’d be able to take? I’m just trying to figure out if I’d be able to take off again, or if it’s more of a last-ditch desperation move.”

“That’s a very unusual question. Have you had to crash into a tower before?” Confusion and doubt dripped from the salesman’s voice. “I can’t recall any other customer ever asking me something like this.”

“I wasn’t the one who crashed the flitter, but I was in the flitter at the time. Stuff happens.” Jia considered her question. “I’m not asking for the technical information, but you know, extrapolations from crash tests.”

This was what she got for not doing her research ahead of time. She should have shown up at the emporium with a specific vehicle already in mind, but she’d thought picking one out without excessive preparation would be more spontaneous and in the spirit of why she was purchasing a new vehicle.

“I see.” The look on the salesman’s face suggested he didn’t believe her, but his smile returned. “I will note that every vehicle here has top-notch safety features, whether you’re colliding with a building or getting into a crash with another flitter, and the autodrive in all of our vehicles is the best on the market. If you’re having trouble with accidents, don’t worry. This flitter can assure you’ll never hit anything ever again.” He shook his head. “I almost never fly on manual. Why take the risk? If you ask me, it’s insane that it’s even legal for people to fly their own flitters.”

“I don’t fly most of the time,” Jia replied. “But every once in a while, I don’t have a choice. Sometimes you don’t want to trust your life to an AI.”

The salesman chuckled. “I’d rather trust my life to an AI than a human.”

Jia couldn’t ask him how well the flitter would operate when controlled by a military-grade experimental AI, but she doubted she needed to.

Emma had demonstrated little trouble adapting to everything from Erik’s flitter to a lunar transport. She wouldn’t have trouble running Jia’s new flitter. For that matter, properly interfaced, Emma could probably handle multiple flitters at once, but Jia wasn’t sure she wanted to rely too much on the AI in a situation where transmissions could be jammed. There were other, more immediate vehicular concerns anyway.

She tapped her lips. “You didn’t explain if it could take the crash, but more importantly, how resistant is it to small arms fire?” Jia asked. “I’m not saying it has to be perfect. I just want to make sure it can take at least a few shots. I don’t want the thrusters or grav emitters cutting easily. It’s a long fall around here.”

“Excuse me?” The salesman blinked. “First, crashing into buildings and, now, if I understand you, guns?”

Jia walked over to the flitter and squatted. “I will say there’s a nice, narrow profile on the grav emitters. That makes for a harder target. You should read up on why the military doesn’t use many flitters versus dedicated ground or air vehicles. I was dubious for a long time, but now I’ve lived it.” She clucked her tongue. “And yes, guns. I’m talking basic pistols, rifles, and slug-throwers, not stun weapons. Any decent flitter can defend against those already. I just don’t want to plummet to my death because some idiot street tough gets a lucky shot. There’s only so much grav fields can do when you fall straight to the ground. I’ve seen it.”

The salesman didn’t respond. She could almost hear the gears turning in his head.

“So, you want to know how resistant the flitter is to getting shot?” the salesman inquired. “In addition to if you can crash it through large windows?”

She wondered if flitter salespeople had panic buttons, and if they did, was he pressing his like a maniac at the moment?

“To be clear, I’m not planning to crash it through any windows.” Jia offered a quick bob of her head before hopping back up. “As for the guns, yes, exactly. I’m not expecting it to take rockets or military-grade EMP, but I’m wondering about random gunfire. Think lucky punks rather than heavily armed Tin Men.” She furrowed her brow and tapped her lips once more. “Or

yaoguai

? But they wouldn’t be using guns. These things have to be pretty resistant to acid attacks, though, you’d think.”

“I…honestly don’t know the answer to that.” The salesman glanced at the door leading into the building, licking his lips nervously. “Every vehicle we offer has top-of-the-line self-repair for standard damage. Is being able to take, uh, small-arms fire something you’ll anticipate needing on a semi-regular basis? I’m sure the general anticorrosive capabilities of the vehicle would help you with any acid-spitting monsters you might run into.” He blinked several times, realizing what was coming out of his mouth.

“It’d just be nice if we didn’t have to lean so much on

his

vehicle.” Jia folded her arms and shook her head. “And also if I don’t have to take it to the shop every week just because some ass-tastic anti-government civilian decides to take a shot at me.” She snapped her fingers. “It’s fine if it can be modified. I know a guy. Technically, somebody I know knows a guy, but I’d prefer if I could have the dealer do it, so I would at least like some bulletproofing. Trust me, I’ll need it.”

“I’m unsure if we offer that kind of modification.” The salesman tapped on his PNIU a few times before murmuring, “Show options: bulletproofing.” After a few seconds of looking at something only he could see, he nodded. “Huh. It turns out we do. It’s part of a VIP protection package. It’s not something that comes up all that often. It’s not as if we sell to people who live in the Shadow Zone.” He let out a quiet scoff. “You

don’t

live in the Shadow Zone, do you?” He shook his head. “Of course, you don’t. There’s no way you would be here purchasing a flitter if you did.”

“No, I live Uptown.” Jia waved a hand. “And to be clear, price isn’t a consideration when it comes to the modifications I want.” She looked up, and another flitter caught her attention. She jogged toward a bright red four-seater in the distance, a Tachyon Transport Aurora. Insofar as a machine could be sexy, the flitter was. Great curves, nice symmetry. It’d be a great change from her Mom-mobile, and she’d be able to prove a few things to a certain judgmental partner.

“Is there anything else you might want?” the salesman asked, his voice trembling with faint trepidation as he caught up with the young woman.

“Custom antiprojectile sensors? Maybe some sort of decoy launcher to distract guided missiles?” Jia snickered. “Even Erik doesn’t have that. Maybe that’s not a thing, but you do see it in military transports.” She rubbed her chin. “It wouldn’t be impossible to install.”

“We don’t have anything like that, but I can talk to someone if you’re really interested.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jia waved a hand.

“And Erik?” the salesman asked, desperation in his tone. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“Kind of.” Jia didn’t want to admit in public that she was fake-dating her partner. She never knew who or what might get back to her mother, and she wasn’t sure if the salesman recognized her. He hadn’t reacted when she’d introduced herself.

“Ah, a competitive relationship.” The salesman nodded sagely, some of his confidence returning. Maybe he believed this was all just a big game she was playing. “I think I’m getting a better feel for you, Jia. The Aurora is a great choice for you. It’s a perfect vehicle for a modern woman like you who needs to prove to her man that she doesn’t need him.”

I might not need him, but I might want him, regardless.

Jia suspected the price tag made it a perfect fit for the salesman, but she wasn’t going to let a few credits sway her. Her pride was on the line.

“It’s not quite like that,” Jia explained.

The salesman cleared his throat. “Might I ask what kind of work you do that you need your flitter to be bulletproof and avoid missiles? Or is this just something you want to show off at parties?”

“No, this is about saving my life. I’m a police officer.” Jia looked up at him and smiled. She resisted asking if he watched a lot of news. She didn’t want to come off arrogant. “I’m Detective Jia Lin of the Neo SoCal PD. I’ve dealt with a lot of dangerous cases in the last year, and it’s made me more cognizant of my on-the-job and personal-time equipment needs.”

The salesman took a sharp breath, understanding dawning in his eyes. The corners of his mouth curled up in the smile of a man who smelled even more money and opportunity. “I see. Everything makes much more sense now.” He stepped closer to the Aurora and patted the side. “In that case, I still recommend this vehicle. Excellent acceleration. Great handling. We can get it bulletproofed for you, Detective, with no degradation in handling. I know when you’re doing one of those high-speed chases, you need good performance. You wouldn’t want to let a terrorist get away, now, would you? This might not top out at the same speed as, say, an MX 60, but it’s got better handling under most circumstances.”

Jia grinned and her voice dropped, practically purring. “Does it now?”

He really could see through her.

“Let me guess, your boyfriend has an MX 60?”

“It’s not so much my boyfriend as my partner,” Jia replied. “It’s heavily modified, but yes.”

“Of course.” The salesman offered a quick nod. “I understand how competitive police officers can be.”

I bet if I told him I was a gardener, he would have mentioned how competitive gardeners could be

.

She slowly circled the flitter, taking it in from different angles. She and Erik would probably mostly stick to the MX 60, but it would be nice to have the option, and she never knew where she might be when a call came up. The police might be strangling crime and terrorism to nothing in the city, but that didn’t mean it was entirely gone. Snakes always slithered in alleys, ready to strike. Terrorists didn’t care about how peaceful a city was. In some cases, they preferred it wasn’t.

“We can get this any color you want,” the salesman offered as she continued looking but was quiet.

“Red’s good. I don’t care about it being camouflage-capable like my partner’s. Sometimes being flashy is its own kind of camouflage.” Jia nodded slowly. “I’ll definitely take it, along with that VIP protection package.” She ran her hand over the side of the flitter. “If you can get it to me within the week, it’d be helpful, and I’ll win a bet with my partner, too.”

The salesman’s brow lifted. “A bet?”

“Yes, a bet,” she confirmed.

The salesman tapped his PNIU with renewed passion. “I’m sure we can get it expedited, Detective Lin.” He tapped a few more times, paused, then tapped again. A moment later, he looked up. “How does tomorrow sound?”

“That sounds

perfect

.”

The salesman inclined his head and extended his hand. “Just feel free to let all your friends know about us. We live to place the perfect vehicle with each customer.”