Gambler (7 page)

Silence filled the room. She allowed her
eyes to adjust to the darkness until she could make out the lumps
of furniture and the piles of clothing scattered across the floor.
She gripped the glowball at her waist and it cast a soft light over
the room.

The single couch was frayed; the stuffing
pouring out of the cushion. A ragged rug covered in stains softened
Nova's footsteps, while a small food generator sat to the side. It
looked as though it hadn't been used for some time. She scanned the
room and took note of a few cheap ornaments scattered about the
place.

She sauntered through a gaping doorway and
into the bedroom. The stink of sweat and filth filled her nostrils
and made her choke. She covered her face with her sleeve, her eyes
watering, and wasn't surprised to see more empty bottles scattered
across the floor. Stray needles and syringes lay about the room,
forcing her to watch where she placed her feet and hands.

A part of her was impressed that Zodac was
still going to work. Clearly, he was lost deep inside the
addiction. Most people would have given up on work, and most other
things, by this stage.

Nova kicked a stray bottle and it bounced
against the far wall. The room looked just like Caila's had towards
the end. A lump formed in her throat and she clenched her jaw to
stop the tears, taking a deep breath through her nose to shake away
the memories.

An old screen covered part of the far wall,
and compared to the rest of the apartment it was in excellent
condition. It was a simple system that would usually require a scan
of Zodac's chip in order to operate. Thanks to Tanguin, Nova had an
override device that cut straight through the computer's security
system.

"One new message," said the mechanical voice
from the speakers.

"Play message," Nova said, staring hard at
the screen.

The screen flickered and a gaunt face
appeared. The man before her had dark, sunken eyes and sickly
grey-green skin. His red eyes darted away from the camera every few
moments.

"Z!" the man shouted at the screen before
letting his eyes dart. "Come on man, you owe me for the last batch.
You don't want the boss coming after you, do you? You want another
hit right? You just gotta give me the cash."

The gaunt man twisted to look behind him and
continued to stare that way for over five seconds. Nova could
almost see his ears twitching like a frightened rodent. Just as
quickly, the man spun back to the camera. "I can't keep calling
you, Z. Pay up."

The man flicked his hand and the screen went
black.

"End message," said the computer voice.

Nova exhaled a deep breath as the message
came to an end. Zodac was in trouble. He definitely needed
money.

"Take a few shots, Cal," she requested.

The chip in Nova's brain went to work,
transferring what she saw with her eyes to Crusader and Cal miles
away. The technology allowed easy recording, and everything Nova
looked at was instantly saved.

She ambled between the two rooms, sure to
focus on the empty drug containers and needles.

"I'm going to wait it out here. I'm sure I
can handle Zodac," Nova said. She sat on the floor in the centre of
the apartment, rather than risk the couch.

"That would not be advised. Evidence
suggests instability," Cal said.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'll be fine," Nova said,
rolling her eyes.

The robot fell silent and Nova contented
herself with sitting on the floor and mapping out the apartment in
her mind. If all went well, Zodac would be coming down off the
Zine, weak and incoherent.

The thought of being stabbed in the eye with
a used needle made Nova's stomach churn and so she got up and
fetched an old broom to sweep all of the syringes to the far corner
of the room. Broken glass glimmered across the floor.

She sat for hours, occasionally getting up
to stretch her legs. The hour she expected Zodac to get home came
and went, as did the hour after that. It looked as though Zodac
wasn't coming home. Perhaps the drug dealer had got to him, or
maybe he'd had just a little too much Zine.

Nova stood and was preparing to leave when
muffled voices floated in through the open window. She crept to the
side, her body flat against the wall, and peered into the darkened
street.

"Fifty credits," said a shaky voice. Nova
could just make out a gangly man in the uneven light.

"Confirmed, Zodac," Cal said into her
head.

Nova nodded, focusing on the scene in the
street. Two smaller shadows crowded next to Zodac.

"It was thirty last time!" said a
high-pitched voice that could only belong to a child.

"Yeah well, the price has gone up," Zodac
said.

"We can't afford that," the girl
squeaked.

Nova's hands clenched into fists at her
sides. The young girl could have easily been Caila, twenty years
ago.

"Then I guess there won't be any Zine for
you."

"But we need it!" the smallest shadow
shrieked. She was no older than five and she lunged at Zodac's leg,
her arms flailing.

Zodac whipped out his leg and kneed the girl
in the face. She tumbled backwards onto the rough road with a yelp.
"Get off me you crazy little bitch. It's fifty credits, or it's
nothing."

Nova stifled a yell. She clutched the window
sill, her heart pounding in her chest, and fought the urge to rush
down to the street. She couldn't believe that Zodac was dealing to
children so young and any sympathy she'd had for him
disappeared.

"Forty!" the older girl said, wrenching a
handful of credits out of her pocket.

Zodac snatched the money and thrust out a
vial, no bigger than his thumb. "If she attacks me again, the price
is double," he said.

The older girl seized the vial and hauled
the smaller one off the street. They hurried away and disappeared
into the shadows. Zodac turned towards his apartment building and
shuffled out of sight.

Nova clenched her teeth and whipped around
to face the door. Adrenalin poured through her as she crouched,
ready to strike.

Uneven footsteps clumped outside the flimsy
door, keys jingled, and someone cursed. With a click the front door
swung open. The dishevelled man shuffled through, bumping his
shoulder onto the left doorframe and bouncing into the lounge
room.

He looked around his house with sunken,
glazed-over eyes and ran his hands back and forth along the wall,
searching for a light switch which didn't exist.

Nova stood straight.

"Hello, Zodac."

He jumped and turned at the sound of her
voice. "Who's that? I told Bemon I'd get the money."

"I'm not here for the money, Zodac," Nova
said. She stepped forward so that the light shining in through the
window lit up her face.

"Then what do you want?" Zodac took a step
back, his hand roving about behind him. He could have been
searching for a weapon, or he was still looking for the illusive
light switch.

"How do you live with yourself? Dealing to
children?"

Zodac waved his hand at her, reeling against
the wall. "It's their fault for getting addicted. I was just
helping them out."

Nova stepped forward, pushing him back
against the wall and crushing his throat with her forearm. "Do you
have any idea what Zine will do to them? You've killed them!"

Zodac's face turned red and a vein pulsed in
his forehead. "It wasn't even Zine! It's a fake batch."

"They seemed pretty addicted to me. So,
what, you gave them their first hit but now you can't bear to part
with your supply?"

"Get away from me," he said, his voice
choked.

"You make me sick," Nova spat. "Where'd you
get the money for the Zine?"

She shoved him against the wall and stepped
back, unable to bear the stench of his breath a moment longer.

"I don't have any money, do I? That's the
problem," Zodac said as his fingers closed around a wooden
ornament.

Nova held up her hands. "So where did you
get the money the first time?"

Zodac's jaw tensed and his eyes hardened.
Nova could see him measuring her through the haze of his high. His
fingers flexed about the ornament and in one quick action he hurled
the wooden statue at her head.

Nova ducked out of the way, just in time to
be tackled to the ground by Zodac.

He tried to pin her wrists to the floor, but
his arms were weak. Nova pushed him off and spun out of his reach.
She jumped to her feet, stunner in hand, and looked down at Zodac,
still lying on the floor.

"Just tell me where you got the money and
I'll leave," Nova said, her breath returning to normal.

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"No, you don't. But it's strongly advised."
She kicked her thick black boot into the man's stomach.

"Bitch!" the man spat out as he gasped for
more air.

"The money," Nova said, relentless.

"I got it from a friend," Zodac said through
clenched teeth as Nova's boot rose for another kick.

"Which friend?"

"Just a friend, she works at the casino. The
Lucky Coin."

"Really? And does this friend have lots of
money to waste on Zine-ers?"

"Screw you." Zodac rolled out of the way of
Nova's next kick and pulled himself to a crouched position.

His eyes darted about the room, but they
weren't focused. The stress was getting to him and it was obvious
he needed another hit, soon.

"Which friend?" Nova asked again, stepping
closer to Zodac and raising her stunner.

"Her name's Vira!" Zodac all but yelled.

"And does Vira have lots of money to waste
on you?"

"No!" Zodac's shoulders slumped. "No, she
lives just a few buildings over, no spare money at all."

"So you're telling me that some slummer,
just like you, somehow found it in her heart to feed you Zine?"

"No," Zodac whispered.

"What?" Nova stepped closer and tilted her
head to the side, threatening.

"She doesn't know." Zodac collapsed to his
knees and his head hung low.

"How can she not know?"

"I told her—" Zodac's face dropped even
closer to the floor. "I told her it was for rent. She's always had
a thing for me, see. I told her I needed rent, that I'd pay her
back. And I will!" Zodac looked straight at Nova as he said his
last sentence.

"You'll be dead before you get a chance. If
the Zine doesn't get you, those girls you just cheated will."

She turned on her heel and stalked out of
the still-open door, a grim expression on her face.

***

Nova stood in front of Crusader's
storage-bay wall. A screen lit up its surface and she frowned at
the images scattered across it. There was a photo of Zodac and the
bottles of Zine Nova had found with a red line connecting him to
the casino. On another side of the screen were pictures of the two
other casino staff; Fenton and Siaro.

Nova put a finger to the screen and drew a
cross over Zodac's face. A red line appeared on the screen
following her finger, covering his picture. She then dragged a
picture of a pile of cred-sticks onto Siaro's face and drew a line
across him as well.

She found the interactive board helped to
organise her thoughts and arrange information. It wasn't often her
hunting required this much analysis. Usually her job was simple.
Catch the bad guy and bring him, or her, in. She put her hands on
her hips. There was nothing more she could do but investigate her
last suspect: Fenton.

CHAPTER TEN

Fenton's house was in the more reputable
part of the city compared to Zodac. The streets were paved and only
the occasional beggar in shabby clothes marred the otherwise
pristine neighbourhood.

She strode up to Fenton's house, looking it
over, examining the smooth outer surface and quaint garden. She
opened the knapsack at her side and pulled out copies of the
compromising photos she had found in Fenton's locker, sticking them
to his door to create a rough collage of debauchery.

She stepped back to admire her work, then
nodded and walked to the other side of the street. She stood partly
shadowed by a tall building and folded her arms across her chest.
Two transporters came and went before she spotted the man
sauntering towards her.

The man wore a black long-sleeve shirt and
black pants. He walked with a jaunty gait and swung his head from
side to side, his chin tilted up as if he was looking down at the
world. To the casual passer-by the man would appear carefree, but
Nova saw straight through the façade. The sideways glances scanned
for approaching danger, the jaunty swagger made his movements hard
to predict. Nova inwardly nodded with approval.

When Fenton approached his own front door
his pace slowed and his gaze locked onto the photo collage. He took
a few quick steps to the door and began ripping the images down,
holding handfuls of tattered pictures. He whipped around and stared
to either side, his head swinging wildly. At first he saw nothing,
his eyes remaining wild. As Nova stepped out of the shadows, his
eyes narrowed.

Nova sauntered across the street, stopping
some distance away.

"Interesting pictures you have," she
said.

"What's it to ya?" he asked, pulling a few
more pictures from the door.

"Just a casual observer interested in
talking."

"I don't want to talk to you. Get out of
here."

"That's a shame. Maybe you'd be more willing
to talk if you could see a photo of mine?" Nova asked, reaching
into her knapsack to pull out a final photo.

She held it up to the man and his hands went
still. The photo showed Fenton's locker, open, with his condemning
photo collection scattered throughout. Sitting on the very top of
the pile of filthy images was one of Cracos, caught in a very
awkward pose with none other than Zodac Xion.