Saving the Cyber Soaps by Mike Morris (free romance novels .TXT) 📕

iron grip, choking me. For a frozen moment I looked past his enraged face to see John with his good hand covering his face, and Dee, ready to fight.
“Let him go,” was all she said, and the Chief subsided. “And you,” she turned to me. “Next time you fuck up, I won’t interfere.” Dee was learning Topside politics quickly. She looked at the two city leaders steadily. “He’s right, though. Assuming I have assets, why should I hand them over to you. What guarantee do I have that they’ll be used to benefit our city.”
“Our city,” the Chief sputtered, and the Mayor laughed.
“Miz Dee,” he said, turning into a wise old grandfather. “Can we talk alone for a minute.”
“You remind me of my old granddad,” she told him. “He was a union leader. Before that, he robbed banks. No, we need to do this above board. Two of us and two of you. I’ll trust John to be the impartial observer.”
The Mayor sighed. “Twenty years ago,” he said, “this city was divided up and ruled by rival gangs. Some of it still is. Mahoney, here, and I, were the two biggest, toughest Robber Barons. Then, twenty years ago, it seemed like the right time to go a step further, and we teamed up and started to impose some law and order on this place, where we’ve lived all our lives.” He got up and went over to the window, peering out at the construction outside. “I understand that there was almost bloodshed when you were deposed, Dee.” He looked at her earnestly. “How do you think it is with us?” He sighed. “We have our constituents to pacify, and they want your blood. They may be satisfied if we take most of your equipment, and most of your profits.” He turned to the ex-storekeeper. “Tell them how it is, John.”
“They know how it is,” John told them. “What they don’t know is that you still live in a run-down house, next door to Mahoney’s place, that you live like the rest of the citizens, unlike our illustrious City Manager.”
“I see,” Dee murmured. “And you’re saying that, if I did have some money stashed away, I should give it to you, and you two ex gang-bangers will spend it wisely for the good of the community.” I glanced at Dee, wondering what game she was playing.
The Mayor laughed. “Hell, no,” he said. “We’d be off to the Bahamas or one of those places where deposed dictators live. No, if you have money, we want to see it in the city bank account, all legal and accountable.” He smiled at her. “We do have a banking system up here, you know, and a few self-taught lawyers.”
“OK,” Dee said airily. “You were right. I do have money, in the underground banking system, and in the Bahamas, and in Australia. I need to get rid of it, it’s just a crutch. I need to start taking chances again.” She looked out of the window at the distant skyline. “I need something cast-iron in return.”
Once again the Mayor looked uncomfortable. “There’s nothing we can offer, except time, and a chance to work your way into the community. To be honest, you’d be better off someplace like Australia, or the Bahamas.”
“First,” Dee went on, as if he had not spoken, “we need a five year lease out here.” She looked at the city leaders. “Once I start pulling money out of my accounts, Jonesy and his people will try to freeze them. So, I’m going to grab it all, from all my accounts, and I’ll transfer it all to the Topside city of Chicago. Now, that’s going to leave me vulnerable.”
“Whoa,” the Chief interrupted. “How much is all?”
“About seventeen billion credits, give or take a few million,” Dee said, and even the mayor looked surprised. “That’s about five year’s budget for you, for hospitals, schools, defense, and investment. And we have scientists and doctors; we’ll share whatever we have.”
“I think,” the Mayor told her, “that we may be able to manage a five-year lease.”
“And police protection, if you need it,” Mahoney added.
“After a while, we won’t need it,” Dee assured him.
“What’s number two?” the Mayor asked her.
“Come on outside,” she said.
The sun was shining on the spires of Chicago, and Sears Tower, whole and unbroken, pointed at the sky. Dee pointed with a steady arm. “I want that,” she told us.
We gawped at her, and she shook her head. “Just the top few floors,” she said. “For my new transmitter. You can tell your people I work for the City, or for the City Manager. I don’t mind what you say.” She took a deep breath. “With our knowledge and your drive, we’ll have satellites up there again in a few years, and I want to broadcast to the world. I want us to look up again, at the stars, and dream again.” She looked at the Mayor. “That’s number two.”
I thought about the long journey ahead, the gradual reintegration of Topsiders and Moles, the slow effort to change our perceptions of each other. The Mayor must have been thinking along the same lines. He scratched his head. “Craziest idea I ever heard,” he muttered, “but we can deed you the top ten floors, if you can make them safe. If you can get that money for us.”
“We’ll start now,” she said. “Our computers will have it done in five minutes.”
The Mayor blinked. “Five minutes,” he said, “seventeen billion credits.” He coughed. “And when do you want to take over the top ten floors of the largest derelict building in the world.”
Dee was still looking at the skyline, and the sky above it. “There’s no hurry,” she said. “I want to look at the stars tonight.” She turned towards us, smiling serenely. “Tomorrow will be fine.”
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Publication Date: 04-25-2010

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