Mackey Chandler

A short snippet from April #9

Aaron was almost done with his supper. Karl figured he better ask him for the favor before he stood up. Aaron wasn’t big on patience to stand and listen when he was ready to march off.

“Keith Petros has a new concert recording out that everybody says is just tremendous. Do you think you could loan me two bits until payday to get it?” Karl asked.

“You’re broke before payday?” Aaron asked disgusted.

“There was stuff,” Karl said, and shrugged.

“And you didn’t keep any back to dip into,” he asked further.

“Well yeah,” Karl lied, “good thing because I needed it too.”

“I won’t loan it to you, but I’ll pay you a bit to run an errand for me,” Aaron offered.

“The download is two bits. He’s got a following. The guy is worth it though,” Karl said, enthused.

“Petros may be worth two bits, but the errand isn’t,” Aaron said. “No deal.”

“I’ll run your errand and owe you another,” Karl offered.

“Run the errand and owe me two,” Aaron demanded.

Karl didn’t like that and didn’t say anything.

“Or wait until payday,” Aaron suggested. “No skin off my nose.”

“OK, now and two whenever,” Karl agreed. Aaron keyed his pad and aimed it at Karl’s. The transfer registered and Karl immediately bought his music.

“Here, take this,” Aaron instructed, handing him a standard memory card between thumb and forefinger. It had no printing and could be any size. Probably cheap generic if it didn’t have a logo.

“Go down by the cabbage mines, on the tunnel to the elevator. You walk in the tunnel a couple meters and there’s a glow panel up high on the wall. Just sit this on top of the panel and leave it there. You’re as tall as me, so you can reach it if you stretch. Feel along the top and if there’s another one up there bring it back to me.”

“Now?” Karl asked.

“You’ve been paid already haven’t you? Now.”

“OK, Karl agreed and wolfed down his last couple bites and headed out the back access. He didn’t play his new music. He wanted to savor it in his bunk undistracted.

There wasn’t anything on top of the light. He felt carefully with his fingers hooked over the back edge and slid it off the end so if it was there he wouldn’t knock it off behind. There wasn’t any gritty dust at all which also surprised him. He left the card and headed back to the singles barracks.

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