“You’re pathetic! You make rakking pennies from little deals, and half the time you’re swindling each other. Or like my brother, you’re stupid enough to let people sell you as fools and dupes, and then have family die because of it. But the world isn’t only losers like all of you. I’m eighteen years old. Old enough to get out of here and that’s just what I’m gonna do before you make me toss my dinner.” Rani turned and walked out, not daring to look behind her. When the men finally recovered their wits enough to chase after her, she was already far enough down the road to elude their pursuit.

Of course it was crazy. She knew already that the family would disown her-after they’d tracked her down and made some vain and insulting attempt to bring her back. They’d never succeed. Maybe she had no real skills, nothing she was especially good at, but she had youth and energy and a heart healing fast inside her chest. Tonight, that seemed plenty. The money would rent her a room for the duration. She was on her own now.

Rani finally tracked Mohinder down at Grits the next aftemoon. She was edgy now, unhappy about what had happened with her family. Waking from her restless sleep in the cold light of dawn site realized that she might well have burned her bridges. But if she could control her fear, she’d be all right. Maybe it wouldn’t show. Just don’t be too eager, girl, don’t give too much away.

“Like to do business with you, big man,” she chirped as she approached his table.

Mohinder’s chest puffed a little with pride. He chewed at his burger and eyed her coolly. “More business, huh? Well, what are you in for this time?” He sounded faintly amused.

Rani tried hard not to get riled. “A few things, actually. I know you don’t come cheap, Mohinder, not someone with your reputation. So let me say straight off, I can pay you what you’re worth.” Flatter him, Rani, her common sense was insisting. He looked suitably happy. “First thing, you know that Predator I sold you?”

He gave her an almost friendly look. “No problems, girl. Lovely gun. Thank you for that one.” He devoured the last chunk of the soyburger, which to Rani smelled like something had rotted to death inside the bun. Why didn’t some slint come up with an artificial scent that wouldn’t affect the greasy taste of those things? They could make a fortune.

“I can pay you double the price to get it back.” She gazed at him without blinking. Her expression said, I want this and I can pay. I have money. No kidding today.

She saw some respect in the way his cybereyes gazed at her, but he shook his head. “Rani, you can’t get Predators over here. I don’t know where you got this one, but it’s a precious thing. I haven’t even sold it, I kept it for myself. I can sell you something almost as good for your money, and I won’t rip you off, but that Predator is too good to let go. Sorry.” He slurped a great mouthful of scalding soykaf and almost had to spit it back into the cup.

She had her reply ready for the refusal. “Three times. I'll pay you three times what you gave me for it That’s my final offer.” She really didn’t want to go that far-it took out too much of her funds-but she knew how much the elf wanted to check out the gun.

“You’re persistent, huh?” He smiled at her, not taking offense. “Honestly, Rani, no way. That gun’s mine now. Not for sale. Just the sight of it can make people back down, you know? Big people. It gives me a real edge. And money can’t buy that. Not the way a Predator II can when you’re pointing it into the face of some snakeboy.”

She had half-expected as much. She dared not push the request any further, for fear of losing the other things she wanted from him.

“All right. Mohinder, so be it. But I need to get my hands on some good weapons. I mean good. the best. If I can’t get the Predator, I want the best pistol I can get by, say, Friday night. Best ammo, too. A crossbow wouldn’t go amiss either. Say a couple of each.”

“Also. I heard a news report that some baggies lost their stun batons in one of the Squeeze checkpoints south of the river last week. And, well, I would be terribly interested in any that may have found their way down here.”

He laughed until he realized she was serious. “Where you getting the money for this, little gopi?” he scowled at her.

“Oh come on, Mohinder! I don’t ask you where your dosh comes from, now do 1? Hey, tell you what, I’ve got an even better proposition for you to think about. I’ll be in the market for street samurai and willing hands for the weekend. Local work. You’re the best, so I talk to you.” Boy, was this man a sucker for flattery. She could see him virtually preening. Even his cybereyes seemed to be twinkling with pride.

Then, with some weird intuition, she took a complete leap in the dark. “I’ve also heard that you might be able to lay your hands on automatic weapons. Heavy duty. As I said, I can pay.”

Mohinder grimaced angrily and grabbed the front of her jacket with hands the size of sledgehammers. “You heard what? Who tells you such things?”

She decided to brazen it out. ‘I’m nobody’s little gopi now, Mohinder. I'm eighteen. I can go to jail for refusing to pay my po1l tax just like any other adult now. And I’ve got friends with money, friends who, like me, want your services.”

“Show me.”

She couldn’t refuse the challenge. Carefully unzipping one of her pockets, she showed him the first wad. Five thousand nuyen in notes. It was enough for an automatic weapon, more than enough by far. He whistled through his teeth and let go of her.

“Well, the Uzis are my banker, right? Don’t know where you heard it. Don’t know how you could have heard about it. If you speak a word, you’re corpsemeat.”

“Mohinder, I wouldn’t be showing you five grand if I wasn’t doing real business with you. I wouldn’t show that to someone I didn’t trust to deliver. And you can take it as proof that there is more where that came from.”

He drummed his fingers on the table, pondering. She gave him the final bait.

The weekend thing, that’s for real too. I need as many good street samurai as you can muster. About six, but only people you trust If you trust them, that’s good enough for me. They get a couple of hundred in advance to show goodwill, five hundred each to keep the weekend free, and they’ll get the balance on Friday night. Payment for any run required will be negotiated on Saturday. We don’t expect trolls with wired reflexes and assault cannons, but these guys should be able to look after themselves. It won’t be anything dumb; should be anti-personnel. If you can arrange it for me, you get an extra three hundred up front and a five hundred bonus for getting them all in order for the weekend.”

Rani gave him her most winning smile. “Sound good?”

Mohinder stared at her in near-astonishment. You spamming me, girl?”

“Look, if you go for this I’ll give you the advances, two hundred for six guys and live hundred for you, right now. That buys me a group meeting on Friday night, wherever and whenever you feel comfortable. Got it?”

Mohinder recovered his professional manner rapidly. “Give me the money, little sister, and I’ll make sure you get some real mean bastards. Meet me Friday night at eleven in the room over Rievenstein's deli, I’ll have all the weapons you can pay for, and the meat too.

She slipped him the seventeen hundred under the table. Mohinder grinned as he remembered the intimately physical way he’d made their last transaction, but things were very different now. Now it was Rani who was calling the shots, and they both knew it.

Two more Mary Kellys turned out to be a complete waste of time. One had long ago gone back to Tir Nan Og. The other was a hopelessly hebephrenic invalid tended by her dejected family.