Dream Drive Ch. 05

"Aren't we trying to get to the station?" Chaki asked.

"There's plenty of routes," Jackson said. "We want to keep them guessing." He pulled out his tablet and started up a program – just in case. A display of vulnerable car systems was shown on an overhead map. He realized he had his Isis minimap in the corner, but decided to ignore it. His tablet was better.

They came to an intersection. A small group of people at the corner was slowly growing. Jackson glanced around. No hood rats in sight. Maybe Charles had called them off.

Across the street were two police officers. He turned his face away, but kept his eyes on them.

They were watching him. One of the officers had a foldout on his wrist, a thin, flexible tablet that could be wrapped around an arm, or rolled up and stuffed in a pocket. He raised it to his mouth and said something into it, his eyes still on Jackson.

He dragged Chaki to the center of the crowd. "Keep your head down," Jackson said. "Bend your knees. Those officers are looking for us."

"What?" Chaki said. "Even if they were, how would they know about us?"

"Communication, Chaki. Phones. Texts. Messages. It's all instant. Charles might have given them a fake tip. Or they're on his dad's payroll."

"Payroll?"

"Bribing them for favors."

"But I thought they made sure people followed the law," Chaki said. "If they're breaking the law, then what's the point?"

Jackson had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. She doesn't know. Be patient. "Money is important, and people want it more than they want to respect silly things like laws. Head down," he repeated, pulling on her shoulder.

The edge of the sidewalk was bursting with people, now. Jackson raised his eyes, lifting his hood up as if extending a periscope above the crowd. The main boulevard along the Charles River was a block to their right; several blocks further was the station. It felt like a hundred miles.

The walk light turned white. Everyone surged across the street.

Jackson grabbed Chaki and started walking, keeping them firmly in the middle of the pile. The groups met, merged, and for a moment, there was the general confusion of dozens of people maneuvering around each other. The police officers walked right down the center; everyone avoided them.

Jackson dragged Chaki sharply to the side, pulling her around the edge of the group. It was enough to swing around the officers, but they were spotted again only a moment later. The two men in blue uniforms followed at about ten feet back, keeping pace with them. Jackson tried not to walk too fast.

He bent over his tablet, apologizing in advance for what he was about to do.

"Jackson." Chaki glanced back, look forward, glanced back again.

"Stop looking at them. You're making it obvious."

"They're right behind us! We have to run!"

"No we don't," he said. "Whatever happens, keep moving. Only run if I say. You got that?"

"Jack –"

"Chaki, listen to me," Jackson said. He squeezed her hand, trying to soften the words. "You need to do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I understand."

"Do not let go of my hand. Keep walking."

"Okay."

Jackson drew a line on his pad and hit the enter button.

Two cars stopped in the middle of the road on their immediate right. Their horns started blaring erratically. Dozens of people flinched back and shouted as a sedan and an unmarked van ramped up onto the sidewalk.

Jackson pulled Chaki into a jog. The sedan crushed into the side of the building just behind them. The van smashed into the back of the sedan. The speed was slow enough that the passengers wouldn't be hurt, but people screamed and scattered in every direction. The officers were immediately accosted for help.

More than one person was hurrying away. No one wanted to spend the next two hours giving the police a statement. Jackson deactivated his override of their navigation systems, but he kept the tablet in hand and the app open.

"Tell me if you see anyone suspicious," he said. "Anyone staring at us, following us. Any police officers."

"Alright." Chaki started swinging her head around.

"Don't be obvious about it. Don't let people know you're looking."

"Um, ok." Her neck stopped moving, but her eyes darted around like she was on crack. Jackson sighed. Baby steps.

He stopped their jog before they were the last ones running. They'd made it to the riverside. They passed the next few minutes in a strict paranoia, constantly scanning for any more navy blue uniforms.

One more block. He could hear a train in the distance – a glance down the track told him their getaway ride was almost there. They crossed the last street leading to the station plaza and stepped onto the open cement.

Hundreds of people were milling below the elevated two-story platforms. Five trains met here, all in one place, connecting three of the city's 7 train lines. One of them was an express to the high-speed evacuated rail that went up and down the East Coast.

Across the way were three officers in black helmets with opaque VO-visors. An Atlas stood behind them, a hulking humanoid robot with a glowing blue core. Steel-mesh arms covered in armored plates extended from the torso and ended in five-fingered hands. A machine gun was hooked under one of its wrists.

One of the officers touched the side of his helmet's visor, steadying it so that he could examine something on-screen. He turned toward Jackson and pointed. His mouth moved; Jackson was too far to hear the words.

He didn't need to hear them.

"Now we run!" Jackson pulled Chaki into a sprint.

They darted through the crowd. Jackson weaved close to the river, keeping as many of the bodies between themselves and the officers as possible. The grinding breaks of the subway roared overhead as it began to slow for the final turn into the station.

The Atlas's mechanical voice echoed over the crowd. "Halt!"

Jackson couldn't stop a military grade robot with just his tablet. His headband jammer could only send their software false information; their visors would still be tracking his movements.

The officers sprinted forward, outstripping their robot. The Atlas was powerful, but the horde of people streaming across the square confused its pathfinding. It took a step, hesitated, took another step.

Jackson cut a hard right, elbowing people out of the way. Chaki's foot caught the edge of the sidewalk; her hand was ripped out of Jackson's as she stumbled. Jackson churned his feet to stop himself from falling. He put up his arms as he barreled toward the one-way turnstile face-first.

A red light flashed over the door.

Jackson collided into the metal bars and rebounded, striking the people behind him. Angry shouts were quick to follow – both over the holdup, and the fact that he'd just pushed people out of the way. He fished for his tablet, ignoring the noise and the pain in his arms.

Chaki had recovered from her fall. She put her hands onto the bars next to Jackson and pushed. "Why won't it turn?!"

"The light's red, you dumb bitch!"

"Who the hell are these people?"

"Hey kid, you just knocked my wife down! Turn around and apologize!"

"The police locked it remotely," Jackson said.

Chaki looked over the crowd. "They're almost here. What do we do?" Jackson said nothing. "Jack, we have to move!"

"Hey, you!" The man shouting at Jackson about his wife walked forward and grabbed his arm. "The fuck is wrong with you?!"

The light over the turnstile turned green. "Chaki, go!"

"Hey, I'm talking to –"

"Sorry about this!" Jackson planted his feet and shouldered the man back into the crowd. He fell on top of another person that was still trying to get up behind him. Without any space, the packed-in line tumbled like dominoes. People trying to catch their balance pulled down those around them. The officers were jammed up a few yards away, unable to clamber through the tangle of bodies.

Jackson dashed through the rotating bars and across the first floor of the station. He manipulated his tablet, and the red light flashed back on over the turnstile, this time locking it permanently.

Pinging sounds ringed around him. Jackson saw a tranquilizer dart smack off the wall and clatter to the floor. They were shooting through the bars. He clutched his computer close and slid behind a trashcan. The thin barrier rattled and thumped as it shielded him from the volley of gunfire.

He looked toward the escalator. Chaki was simply standing on the steps, riding it up at a snail's pace. She hopped from foot to foot in nervousness, watching Jackson where he was.

Jackson was incredulous. "Chaki, keep going!"

"Can I do that?! I thought I had to ride it!"

There was the wrenching sound of steel tearing. Jackson risked a glance over his shelter. The Atlas had gripped the turnstile in its claws and was bending the metal bars open.

Jackson shielded his head and burst from behind cover. The robot's mechanical voice echoed into the station. "Halt!"

The tranquilizers pinged around him. If those were bullets, he'd already be dead, but fat non-lethals were harder to aim. He took the escalator steps three at a time, grabbing Chaki and dragging her along on his way up.

The train was sitting on the platform when they got there, doors open. Jackson lunged over the tile, throwing himself half into the car as it closed up. He grunted when the doors slammed into his abdomen.

A pleasant voice chimed in the air around them. "Please stand clear of the doors!"

Jackson got to his feet as the doors briefly reopened; Chaki was smart enough to use the opportunity to board the train. Everyone was staring; a few people laughed and murmured at the display.

The Atlas had override commands for public transportation. They'd try to stop the train. Jackson flipped open his tablet and started working it with one hand as he pulled Chaki toward the back.

The train wasn't moving. Jackson could palpably feel the eyes on his back. Someone whispered it might be his fault.

The train cars jerked, then started to move. Jamming the train's wireless reception outright was crude, and it drained his battery to cast a net over that many channels, but it would stop the incoming override signals. Without outside input, the train reverted to default programming.

The train groaned its way out of the station just as the police officers were climbing up the stairs. They settled to a halt as the train left, watching it leave before turning back around. Their hands were at their visors. Probably radioing ahead.

For the moment, however, he had a little time – and they didn't know where he'd get off. Jackson reached for a rail and grabbed hold. Chaki leaned on the wall of the train next to him, sighing.

"My heart won't stop beating," she said. "What kind of robot was that thing?"

"An Atlas," he said. "It's designed for combat. They're slow, but extremely strong and extremely deadly. It has rudimentary hacking capability and local control of public electronic systems. A head-on fight with one of those is a death wish."

"We were lucky, then."

"I made sure it couldn't stop us." Jackson tapped the side of the train. "Knock on metal. Now I need to figure out why the hell the police are after us."

"You really are a magician," Chaki said. "And here you were trying to play it down."

"What I just did broke at least twenty laws," Jackson said, "and it wasn't magic."

"There's no difference from where I stand."

Jackson shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"It doesn't?"

"Nope," Jackson said. "When I was filling in the drop-out form, I realized something."

The train rattled underneath them. Chaki reached out and grabbed the railing Jackson was using to keep herself steady. "...yes?" she prompted.

"Dealing with one reality is more than enough of a headache as it is," Jackson said. "I'm going back to Isis, and I'm going to stay for a long time. Call it an extended vacation."

"I like the sound of that," Chaki said. "If I had to pick between this place and the prairie, I would choose the prairie."

"Ditto."

"What's ditto mean?" Chaki asked. Jackson huffed a laugh under his breath. Chaki stuck her hands on her hips. "Yes, laugh at my ignorance. You might as well. I think I've said that ten thousand times by now."

"Ditto means 'I feel exactly the same.'"

"Oh." She flashed a smile. "Good."

Jackson reached the police database website on his tablet. The descriptions of criminal suspects currently at large were publically available. He saw a photo of himself on the second page down, running through the station plaza with Chaki – probably taken by the Atlas, or from the visors of the cops. They had to have video, too, but that wasn't anywhere he could access.

Thanks to his headbands, they couldn't immediately identify him. He was listed only as a young white male in baggy black clothing, approximately six feet in height, accompanying a young brown-skinned woman. There were several photos, but they only showed him in motion – snatches of his face from the side, a bit of his nose sticking out. Thank god for hoodies.

They got a better picture of Chaki, but she didn't exist, so he wasn't worried about her getting tagged. Jackson scrolled down to the text. "The police suspect me of...kidnapping? Unbelievable. That fucking asshole told them I was abducting you."

"What?" Chaki said. "What kind of person is he?"

"The worst kind," Jackson said. "A manipulating, self-centered, selfish, cruel, dirty piece of shit. He never gets his own hands dirty, either. He uses other people."

Chaki was quiet for a moment. "...did he use you?"

"Yeah. He did."

"I'm ashamed I thought well of him, even if only for an instant."

"You didn't know," Jackson said. "None of us did, at first. The first time Charles sort of came out of the closet, asshole-wise, was when he got caught cheating. His test answers were identical to someone else's. That kid – Jake something or other, I forget - he was a nice guy, really smart. Everyone liked him. Charles turned it around and said Jake was the cheater."

"What happened?"

"Jake was expelled two days later."

"Expelled?"

"Permanently exiled from the institute."

Chaki was aghast. "That's awful!"

"That was only freshman year," Jackson said. "We were 14, then. Jake was like me – he'd worked his way into the school. He probably ruined Jake's only chance at getting out of the bad side of the river. His whole life, really."

"He's as bad as Boonta."

"Boonta is a fruitcup compared to this guy. Charles uses people like stepping stones." The train swayed, rocking them slightly. He adjusted his feet. "For a while, everyone was fooled – even me. I thought Jake really cheated. I only realized later, after I looked at Charles a little more closely. But I never thought that he had fingers in with the pushers. Explains a lot, come to think of it; especially why campus security never cracked down." Jackson looked down at his tablet as the page flickered. "Oh, I'm updating. Suspected for tampering with the public net. Fair enough. Jamming wireless signals of police authorities? Hey, I only jammed the train, not their visors. That's bullshit."

"I don't understand," Chaki said. "What does all this mean?"

Jackson pursed his lips and thought out how to explain it. "Alright. Say they caught us and we were brought in because they thought I was kidnapping you. What would happen?"

"Well...I suppose would tell them you obviously weren't kidnapping me, and we'd be on our way." Chaki frowned. "Which makes me wonder why we bothered running in the first place."

"Those particular police officers might not have taken us to their headquarters," Jackson said. "I don't want to know where people that annoy Charles end up."

"He has resources enough to influence the law-keepers?" Chaki asked.

"More than enough," Jackson said. "Don't get the wrong idea. Charles is brilliant. He's the de facto head of one of the largest healthcare companies in the entire world."

"...um..."

"You want to know what that means."

Chaki sighed, and nodded.

"It means he has a huge amount of money," Jackson said, "and he's good at using it to both extend his influence and work to get even more money."

"Why does this person need to cheat on a school test?" Chaki asked.

"He cheated on the test because he didn't think that class was worth the time, so he never bothered showing up. But he's not God, so he had to cheat."

"He sounds incredibly arrogant."

"No shit," Jackson said. "So let's assume those cops took us to the police station, and we explained that I hadn't kidnapped you. They'd immediately get me for something else at Charles's behest – resisting arrest, or tampering with public property. Tampering with police property. Something would be conjured up to keep me in custody, get my fingerprints taken and thrown in a cell for a few days. And then they'd start taking a really close look at what else I've been up to, and I might be screwed. I cover my tracks well, but an actual investigation would definitely turn something up. I did a lot of obvious stuff when I was younger."

"So..." Chaki squinted. "What he really wanted was to turn their attention on you. That alone was dangerous enough to make you run."

"Exactly." Jackson smirked. "Bet he didn't think I'd get away, though."

"That also means he knows enough about you to realize that police inspection alone holds a threat for you," Chaki said. "Why would you tell him those things?" She frowned, then shook her head. "No. What happened between you two that he knows you that well?"

The train rattled over a bump. They stood in silence, swaying slightly with the shake and shift of the steel floor under their feet.

Jackson looked out the window, taking in one last glimpse of the river before it was swallowed up by the towers of the residential district. "He brought me into his inner circle," Jackson said. "He made me think I..." Jackson sighed. "I'm sorry, Chaki, but I don't really want to talk about it."

"That's fine," Chaki said. "You can tell me when you're ready."

Jackson nodded.

The train vanished into the shadowy crevice between high-rises, and ground to a halt not long afterward. People flooded off; the residential apartments were most dense right after the bridge, near the water. Chaki shifted closer as people jostled and shoved against them. Jackson wrapped her in an arm and held her tight. In a few moments, they were two of only five people left in their car.

"Sorry about the escalator thing," Chaki said. She laid her head on his chest. "I thought you couldn't walk normally on them."

"It's fine," Jackson said. "It would have been funny if they hadn't been shooting at –" A blue uniform caught his eye. An officer with a TOM floating at his shoulder was getting on the train one door down. "Shit."

She looked up at him, confused. "What is it?"

"Cop." Jackson lowered Chaki into the seats at the end of the car, facing the back of the train. "Pull off your sweater, right now." Jackson started tugging his over his head.

"What?" There was a note of panic in her voice. "Why?!"

"Turn it inside-out," Jackson said. As he spoke, he did the same to his black sweater – and suddenly, it was a blue hoodie with red patches at the shoulders and elbows. He pulled it back on over his undershirt.

"You didn't give me anything else," Chaki hissed.

The doors of the subway shut. The train started to groan out of the station. Jackson tugged his hood back on his head. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not wearing anything underneath, Jackson!"

Jackson glanced over their shoulder. The cop was making his way closer. The spherical TOM moved with him. It was a floating orb of metal; a few wiry projections stuck out from it at odd angles. It scanned people with a conical blue beam, reading their digital public ID. If they had a train ticket registered, it beeped with a green light.