The Courier (San Angeles) (33 page)

I
KNELT DOWN AND
unlocked my motorcycle. My back still gave a twinge, even two weeks after the doctor had operated on it. I would have a scar there for the rest of my life. A reminder of what had happened, and how my life had changed.

There was talk of plastic surgery and skin recoloring to hide it, but I had pretty much thrown that idea out the window. What was the point? I was who I was, and there was no use in hiding it. My face had healed though, as had the graze on my neck.

So they created new records for me. An unfortunate accident when I was a kid. It would help me get past Level 6 security when I needed to.

While I was in there, they modified my tracker, so now I could pretty much turn it on and off at will. They also changed the
embedded ID. I kept my first name, but the last one was changed. I wasn’t sure if I would get used to it, Kris Merrill.

The doctor had given me a clean bill of health, and after two weeks in a safe house, it was good to get out. I’d gone straight for my bike, with ACE’s permission, of course. I was on probation, and everything needed permission. Tomorrow, I would be on my first shuttle flight. No place fancy, still on Earth and all, though they had promised me a trip up to the Sat Cities as part of my training.

Something was going on up there, though. The news vids were all over the recent takeover of Meridian by Kadokawa. There was no visible proof, but rumors were that the takeover was very hostile, and several people had lost their lives. Maybe the Sat Cities could wait.

I decided to keep to my agreement, and was going off to ACE’s training facilities. Miller had called it boot camp and grinned his lopsided grin. He wouldn’t tell me any more. I had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to be fun.

The bike had collected a couple weeks’ worth of dust and Level 2 grime. I reached into my backpack and pulled out a cloth and some bottled water. Maybe a quick wipe-down before I got on, just for appearance’s sake. I would have to give it a good wash before I went to the shuttle port, just to make it easier to get past the Level 6 security. When I was done, I pulled Oscar from my pocket, gave him a quick rub with my thumb, and put the key in the starter switch.

The sound of another motorcycle, gas powered, pulling up on the street beside me made me turn around. He had a helmet on his head, and a new one over his arm. It looked a lot like my old one, the one I had dropped in the elevator shaft a lifetime ago.

Miller took off his helmet and smiled. “Hey, good looking.”

I smiled back. “Hi!”

He got off the bike and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I got you this.” He handed the new lid over to me. “Happy birthday.”

Birthday. I had completely forgotten about it. Strange how seventeen felt just like sixteen, yet completely different from a few weeks ago.

“Thanks . . . Ian.”

His eyes lit up and he smiled. A huge smile. “I like that.”

“Yeah, me too. So what does it take for a girl to get a real birthday kiss?”

He laughed. “Another year?”

“If you think I’m waiting that long, you’re crazier than I thought.” I reached out and grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him toward me. He didn’t resist.

His lips were soft and warm, and he tasted like a bowl of warm, melted chocolate. I sank into the kiss, losing myself in the moment. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into him. I never wanted the moment to end.

We slowly pulled away from each other.

“Not too bad, for an old guy,” I said, getting my breath back.

“Hey, who are you calling old?”

I just laughed and pulled the helmet over my head. “Come on, I know a great place for Chinese food. The owner will be mad, though. He wanted me to marry his grandson.”

“I can take him.”

I laughed again. “The grandpa or the grandson?”

Miller shook his head and smiled the smile that touched his eyes. “Lead the
way.”

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