Chapter 89

I take the long route back to my apartment. It's about 3 hours until the rain so I have ample time to walk through the park and think. But it is no use all my thoughts just return to Veronica. If this is love they can stick it. There is a cure of course, there is a cure for everything on Mars. I dial Zeno in my head and her image pops up in my brain.
“Hey Joe waddau know?'
“Zeno how is the list?”
“It's shorter by one name, - yours.”
“ I know it's been a long time and there is an explanation which I will reveal to you one day, but right now the IGBI have my tongue.”
“Gee that sounds serious.” I ignore the heightened incredulity in her tone.
“Bout as serious as it gets, but I have time to kill and I wondered....”
“On my way lover boy.”
****************

I cut short my walk and find the nearest booth. Zeno is already making herself at home as I demat in. She has changed her look. Dark skin with green hair, green lippo and nails, through her transparent shorts I can see that her vagina hair is green too. Not a look I am used to. She is holding a cocktail glass full of green liquid.
“Brian is a genius with the shaker.” she says saluting me with the drink. “Here I had him make one up for you too.” She hands me a tumbler that is frosted with vapour rising from it.
“Drink up baby, Brian tells me you are in the money, so you are back on the list.”
A passing thought, is he up to his old tricks? He has been conspicuous by his silence. Now is not the time I have better things to do.
“I'll just take a shower, back in a nano.”
“I'll join you,” says Zeno I become a discord in the wet.”

**************

After a lot of sex and a lot of booze Zeno leaves with a wad of my cash. I am at the piano playing some Cedar Walton originals. Brian leaves a pick me up by my elbow. So much so normal. Then he asks if I have anything I wish to ask him.
“Why?”
“ I was wondering, Sir, if wanted to know how I've been. What I have been up to in my spare time.”
“Apart from spying for the IGBI, seeing to my every need, keeping the apartment spick, and thinking up cocktails, you mean, and making amends for flooding the planet with uncut moon dust.”
“ You know how we computers have our own intranet. Well I've decided to rent out my spare capacity to the highest bidder.”
“Who is?”
“The Atomic Scrap Company.”
“Sounds innocuous.”
“Oh it is Sir, and it is doing the Universe a service.”
“Very commendable, and it won't interfere with the running of my life.”
“Not bit, Sir, and we can take advantage of it to make a killing.”
I hit a Cmin7 with my left hand and an Fmaj7 with my right. It is a signal that I am getting the worries. Brian continues.
“When a starship is ready for scrapping ASC inc. get a call to tow it into The Sun. But first all useable parts are stripped from it and recycled. If we buy the ship first, the scrap value is ours to sell to ASC inc.”
“Won't they get suspicious that you are getting inside info, by renting out computer capacity to them? And you keep buying the ships before they put their hand in their pocket”

“Our scrap company is registered in another galaxy with no connection to us, also we don't have to sell to ASC inc. There are dozens of scrap companies to choose from.”
“ Brian, I don't think you have thought this through. Even if you sell to other companies, ASC will take an income hit and then they won't need extra computer capacity, so terminate the contract with you, you loose your information source and go belly up. However if it is legal, and by legal I mean clean as freshly laundered pants in one hundred per cent bleach, then go ahead.”
“You won't be sorry, Sir.” He mumbles something about a new body but I have lost interest and stop listening.
*****************

I am woken by Brian from one of those deep dreamless sleeps that are almost an out of body experience. He informs me that Veronica is in the kitchen eating a bagel and cream cheese. For a moment I think I am back in 1935. Veronica comes into the bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed, she looks well, fresh and sweet smelling.
“ Don't get any ideas Honey, this is business.”
My heart is pumping a 180 beat rhumba tempo. I reach for the water glass and spill it down my front.
“Fuck it.”
“Calm down Mister.”
I am not used to being cold called by a beautiful woman who doesn't want sex.
“Get dressed we have a Universe to save.”
“Who am I this time? Captain America?”
“Just little old Fats. But the year has changed, December 7^th 1941”