14 – Full Circle

Jazz stood, paused a moment to let the water flow off her and stepped out of the bath. She grabbed a robe and walked into the living room, fastening it about her.
Celia lay in the bath for a moment longer then stood and wrapping a towel around herself, followed Jazz into the living room.
Jazz picked up the receiver. The screen stayed blank, but she was not supprised. She stood full onto the phone’s camera so the person at the other end could get a good picture of her and after a short pause she said “Jazz here.”
“Hi, Jazz,” a man’s voice spoke from the other end. “Blake here. Its about that transportation you were asking about earlier.”
“Yes,” she spoke very quietly.
“Well I’ve come upon a problem with my normal contacts,” Blake paused a moment. “It seems that the powers-that-be decided to have a crackdown again.”
“Yes,” Jazz began to get worried.
“All my contacts assure me that its nothing serious. But for the next few days, or possibly weeks they are grounded,” Blake paused again, unwilling to get to the really bad news. “So I’ve had to go to people I wouldn’t normally go to, even for my own uses, never mind yours.”
“Yes,” Jazz had a strange feeling that she would not like what he was going to tell her.
“I did eventually find someone that can do it,” he paused again then plunged in with the news. “The only person that can arrange it is Sammy Dhouling.”
“No. I don’t trust him.” Jazz had no firm evidence, but a very strong suspicion that Sammy Dhouling did more work for the secret serves that for anyone else.
“But he is the only one that can get you out,” Blake was more assertive now that the problem was out in the open.
“After what he did on Luther.” Jazz was getting annoyed. “How can…”
“Look,” Blake interrupted. “There’s no evidence against him. There are other people who could have given that information away.”
“But? What about….”
“I know,” he interrupted her again. “I know that he has an unfortunate record with you, but he has a clean record with all the runs he’s arranged for me.”
“Oh.” Jazz was slightly shocked.
“He’s done a lot for work for me,” Blake continued.
“Look….” Jazz did not want to have anything to do with Sammy Dhouling.
“And I’ve arranged work for other people through him,” Blake was on a home run. “All without incident.”
Look….” She was unable to say why, but she did not trust Sammy.
Celia stood beside her and pressed a cool glass of beer into her free hand. Jazz looked around, startled for a moment. Then smiled her thanks to Celia and returned her attention to her conversation with Blake.
“O.K., O.K.,” she said into the phone. “I don’t have much choice, do I now.”
“That’s it, Jazz,” he calmed down a little. “Nobody else can do it for you. If you want to leave you have to use Sammy to arrange it.”
She nodded and said, “Well, I don’t like it, not one bit. But I’ll go along with it.” She took a deep breath. “Like I said there’s not much choice in the matter.”
“Listen I’m sure that it was just bad luck those times he worked for you,” Blake consoled her. “I’m sure this time’ll be different.”
“That makes me feel really good,” she half laughed into the phone.
“Sammy’s done a lot of work for me in the past,” Blake paused a moment. “He’s been around for a long time, you know.”
“Yeah, I know,” she became more serious.
“Err,” Blake sounded distracted for a moment. “I’ve got to go now. Take good care of yourself.”
“Sure I will.” She resigned herself to having to work with someone she did not trust. “You too, yer hear, these are tough times.”
“Don’t I know it,” Blake laughed nervously. “Goodbye.”
She nodded. “G’bye, then.”
Blake put the phone down and turned to Sammy. “She bought it,” he said flatly.
Sammy smiled, “That’s good.” He stood and slapped Blake on the back, “You should be getting a very good slice for this, y’know.”
“Well, listen,” Blake stood to go. “I’ve got a lot to do today. I’ve really got to be going.”
Sammy nodded. “Sure,” he stepped away from Blake.” “I wouldn’t want you to neglect your own business.”
Blake left, without looking back.
Sammy sat down behind his desk and dialed a number. The screen lit up and smiled into it, “Cam I speak to Mr. Smallwood, please?”
Later that night Smallwood was smiling smugly to himself as his copter skimmed over south London. Everything had fallen into place just right. He’d bided his time, waited for the right moment to strike and struck. Now he had a good handful of radicals working their way through the correctional system and closed up what he considered to be a festering sore in the system he loved. And to cap it all he could take the opportunity to send a message to any other off-Earth filth might be thinking of coming down and nosing around into thinks that did not concern them. A message that definitively said keep away.
Celia turned and looked up into the sky to try to see where the helicopter was. The noise filled the air, echoing off the concrete and buildings around them. Suddenly the night was filled by glaring light, pinning each of the figures in a frozen tableau. A voice boomed out, “Armed Police! Do not flee! Do not move!” and Jazz knew that she’d been betrayed again.

Chapter 15 – Hacker