Johnny shut the door to his suburban. He felt drained of energy, not so much in a physical sense but more of a total bone deep drained. He looked over at Maria. The girl was shivering even though it was over a hundred and twenty inside the SUV.
“Johnny, I’m so sorry about this.” Maria says to him.
“It wasn’t your fault.” Johnny answers.
“Yes it was I’m the one who pissed them off.” Maria replies. “They did something I found to be going too far…told them to fuck off and killed anyone who tried to stop me.”
“Define too far.” Johnny asks suddenly very serious.
“It made the news in El Norte.” Maria answers after a pause. “They killed a cop and a couple of his kids. I won’t lie I’ve done a bunch of bad shit. But, some things are just wrong.”
“So you are just walking away?”
“Getting out before things get bad.”
“Like a rat fleeing a sinking ship.”
“Try sick of the blood and the pain.” Maria states. She pulls her sleeve back to expose a network of pale scars. “I’ve been through hell because of them. So hopefully I can find something money can’t buy.”
“So how are you getting across the border?” Johnny asks.
“I got a US passport with my birth name on it.” Maria answers. “I hope it is as legitimate as Domino says that it is as I would hate for her to be wrong about something.”
Dominique closed her eyes and activated the computer system currently linked to her brain. The switch between the real world and the digital was uncomfortable with both the stabbing pain behind her eyes from the bright flash of light, auditory overstimulus brought on a nasty screech of feedback and various other sensations assaulted her. Once the system synced up with her mind she found herself in a virtual room. She had designed the programming herself, and had reasoned that a three dimensional environment was less stressful on the human mind.
Even when one has an IQ that is literally off the charts. Dominique had done the calculations several years back and there were maybe a single handful of people on the planet with her level of intelligence in history. As it was the human mind was not designed to respond to or utilize computer code. As it was she needed some very complex translation programs in order to mentally interface with a computer without going completely insane.
To Dominique sanity didn’t quite imply as she thought nothing like a normal human being. She could understand languages easy enough, currently she could understand the spoken word of a half dozen languages and could read about twice that written. Her issue was that when she wrote or spoke she was thinking a couple of paragraphs ahead of what she was trying to communicate. She usually ended up acting like a child and gesturing towards what she wanted, in essence becoming an idiot savant.
A program notified her that it had gotten a facial recognition hit. Biometrics had come a long way since their beginning in tracking people. From fingerprints and tattoos to the current facial recognition software things had advanced. So had methods of changing ones appearance. Fortunately the human skull could not change its underlying shape. It also helped that Maria was an attractive young woman.
Dominique giggled as Maria breezed past security that should have flagged her as being on a terrorist watch list. She decided then and there to put a thank you note among the next packet of viral software she sent to various Chinese Government hackers. She detested them like the computerized roaches they were. What they lacked in skill they made up for in numbers. Still their blatant noisy attacks made for great cover for those who wanted to be sneaky.
Maria sat on a bench overlooking the Rio Grande. It was a simply amazing the amount of vehicular traffic going over the river. To pass the time she tried to mentally figure out how long it would take Johnny to reach her.
After maria left Johnny’s truck, he crawled into the back and collapsed onto a bench seat. In some ways he was lucky in that it hadn’t been his first experience with mortal combat. So far he had avoided loosing control of his bodily functions. Emotionally after he got down off the combat high he hit post combat depression.
“Fuck.” Was all he said as he sat up and closed his eyes. For a girl he had just met he had commited multiple felonies. In the US his actions would be considered justified. Hell in some parts of Texas he would get a medal. In mexico he would get a jail cell. Followed by cartel retaliation.
“Hello again Johnny.” Maria said getting back into Johnny’s suburban. “You should have ran away.”
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