David froze when he heard Rocky's invitation.
He had wanted to drop out and work for a while. He knew their situation at home. Gloria worked herself to the bone so he could attend the "prestigious" Arasaka Academy, yet they still lived like the poor. She pinned all her hopes on him, wanted him to stand out and live better than now.
But David didn't like school. It wasn't because he lacked ability. On the contrary, his grades were solid. The real problem was never grades. He didn't fit in the place. Classmates, teachers, and the school itself felt like a different world.
Instead of returning to Arasaka Academy to endure stares and joining Arasaka as just another corporate dog one day, he wanted to go out earlier, take jobs, and make Gloria's life easier.
"Yeah." He nodded hard and locked the thought in.
He got out of the car and carried Gloria on his back.
"Lissandra, keep eyes on him. Ping me if anything changes," Rocky said as he watched David go.
{ Monitor target: David Martinez — Tracking enabled }
{ Alert rule: Notify on anomaly }
It wasn't that Rocky feared David would run. He had just put a Sandevistan on the kid. If word leaked, someone might come hunting. That kind of chrome draws teeth.
…
The next day.
Gloria, whom David had brought home, woke slowly. She opened her eyes and rubbed at the fuzz in her head. Memory crawled back. Her car had slammed into an overturned vehicle. Now, the familiar ceiling above told her she was in their apartment.
"David!"
She called for him. He had been in the car too. Worry spiked.
"Mom, you're awake." David stepped in from the other room and came to her bedside.
Seeing him standing there in one piece, Gloria took a long breath.
"Are you okay? Didn't we get into a car accident? Why are we at home?" she asked, still confused.
"I'm fine. After the crash, you passed out, so I got you to a clinic. You're okay now. And the Trauma Team was unbelievable. We were bleeding, but because we weren't subscribers, they ignored us and left." David explained and complained about Trauma Team while he was at it.
Gloria listened and pieced things together.
"David, did you pay the clinic bill? That can't be cheap. Which clinic did you take me to?"
She couldn't guess where he got that much money. Judging by the fact that she was home, the bill must have been "handled," or the clinic would never have released her.
David shook his head, hesitated, and chose to tell the truth. "The clinic in the back alley in Rancho Coronado. The bill's been taken care of."
Technically, he hadn't paid. In a sense, that clinic didn't exist anymore, so there was nothing to pay. But now he owed Rocky for real.
Gloria's eyes widened. She knew the back alleys of Rancho Coronado. Clinics there belonged to Scavengers. "That clinic? No, that place is…"
"The Scavengers' turf, right? I know," David said. "At first I didn't. Then I figured out what they were and got you out." Guilt and relief elbowed each other across his face. He had almost gotten his mother killed. Now he had a way to protect her.
"You did? How?" Gloria stood, hurried over, and checked him head to toe for injuries. She didmuchf underground work and knew exactly what Scavengers were like. The "good kid" in her mind rescuing her from Scavs didn't compute.
Her hand paused on something along his spine.
"This is a Sandevistan. David, why did you install it?"
She recognized the unit immediately. It was the implant she had taken while cleaning a scene. She had already sold it to Maine. Maine had even paid. Now it was in David's back.
"Mom, I was rescuing you and a Scav's blast injured my spine. The ripperdoc installed the Sandevistan to save me. But actually I should be asking. Why was something like this in your bag? And I checked your other account. There's a lot of money in there. What's going on?"
The questions nailed her in place. Gloria had always wanted to present herself as the good mother. Now the secrets showed through and panic took her.
"David, I… had no choice. I have to keep you in school. If I don't do this, I can't afford the tuition," she said, voice thin.
"But it's a crime, Mom. Is Arasaka Academy really worth it?"
"It's worth it. You might not understand yet, but it is. As long as you can make something of yourself, I'll give everything."
He shook his head. "I don't understand. Why? Is this the only road? Do we have to become society's 'elites' just to live? Mom, I don't like school. I don't want to be what you want. I want to do what I want. I'm tired of their looks. No matter how hard we try, we could still end up like them. I'd rather drop out and hustle. Now I've got a Sandevistan. I can find work. I can make money to support us."
"No. Sandevistan is dangerous, and that one's a military model. It will drive you out of your mind. You can't control it."
"I can."