Chapter 8

THE NUMBERS FLASHING across the screen went well into the trillions as Eve watched with ever-increasing glee. By all appearances she was still Nory Glasshand in a fancy suit. Underneath the borrowed body, Eve was celebrating. She was now rich beyond her wildest dreams and on the verge of destroying a terrible person. She didn't think life could get much better.

"Okay," Cal said over the earpiece, "one more reset and Glasshand is finished. Are you ready?"

"You don't even need to ask."

The screen went black, restarted, then asked: How much would you like to withdraw?

Eve typed in max amount for the last time and watched Glasshand's last few trillion Currency trickle onto her debit chip, which could now only display her funds with exponents.

Eve laughed when the screen displayed funds depleted. She spoke into the earpiece. "Money's all gone. Am I clear to exit through the public entrances or do I need to take a more creative route?"

"From the looks of the cameras, the security guards downstairs are wising up. I have a new route, but it might require some work on your part."

"All right. What do I have to do?"

"First, take the elevator down to the building's middle level. Floor 102."

"Okay. Hang on a minute."

Eve picked up the chip and strode into the elevator, punching the correct button.

"I'm in motion. What's next?"

"Guards are posted at every elevator in the building. You're headed to the least fortified floor. I count three hostiles watching the doors. You'll need to fight your way to the big window at the end of the hall and break through it."

Eve smiled Nory's crooked smile. "So that's what you meant by 'work.' Will you be there to catch me once I'm out the window?"

"If the timing is right, yeah."

"Fine. That'sgreat."

"You good?"

Eve rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, sorry. I'm uh, I'm freaking out a little bit. You know I don't like heights."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot."

"It's fine. See you in a few minutes."

"Good luck."

The elevator came to a halt and dinged. The doors opened, and Eve found three security guards already reaching for the sidearms holstered at their hips.

"Stopª" managed the one closest to Eve before her fist collided with his windpipe. Both other guards fumbled to holster their weapons while Eve wheeled around with a sweeping kick that forced both back a step. She tackled the nearer of the two (a young-looking man), yanking his pistol from its holster and throwing it at the last guard, a middle-aged woman. The pistol collided with the bridge of her nose, and she staggered as Eve stood back up and bolted down the hallway.

Eve felt her features shifting and the suit becoming baggy as she ran. Her time as Nory Glasshand had ended just when she needed his full weight to smash through the giant window facing her. Typical.

Luckily for Eve, one of the security guards managed to fire a shot after her, missing completely and punching a hole in the window. A web of cracks quickly inched away from the fresh puncture, further weakening the glass. Eve smiled despite her steadily growing anxiety at the idea of jumping out a window several hundred stories from the ground. She quickened her pace. Two more shots from the security guards whizzed past Eve's head before she finally reached the window, scared beyond belief but too focused to care.

She twisted sideways and barreled through the glass, rolling through the air as the window shattered around her. Time stopped for a moment as Eve felt the crispness of the night's air on her face.

Then she fell, feeling wind biting at her skin and the ground rushing up to meet her. Eve closed her eyes, sure that Cal was too late, sure that she was about to die. Thus, she was surprised when a pair of hands hooked under her armpits and pulled her up.

"About time, you ass!" Eve cried, opening her eyes to find a dark, blue-eyed face smiling down at her.

Cal's wind-muffled voice crackled in over the earpiece. "Gotcha."

"Good," Eve relaxed as Cal hauled her upward onto the solid, cold metal floor of their ship, the Modesty. "I was worried I would have to make funeral plans for myself."

"Hardy har har," Cal said, flexing his arms (one of which was flesh and bone and the other a mechanical prosthetic) and getting back behind the Modesty's controls. "Your comedic prowess astounds me."

"I'm equally impressed with your excessive use of sarcasm," Eve said, strapping herself into the passenger seat. "How did you know where to catch me?"

"Lots of calculations," Cal said, pausing and then flashing her a sheepish grin. "And no small amount of luck."

"Great. Remind me to never jump out of a window for you again."

"Whatever you say, boss," Cal said. "On another note, we're several hundred trillion Currency richer than we were a few hours ago. What do you think we should do with it?"

"We stick to the plan," Eve said. "Give it to charity."

The Modesty soared high into the night.