Cyberpunk

right into Comrade’s arms.
    “I’ve decided,” he said. “ Mnye vcyaw ostoyeblo .”
    “Great.” I had to get to Tree. “Later, okay?” When I tried to go by, he picked me up. I started thrashing. It was the first fight of the afternoon and I lost. He carried me over to Montross. The gallery was in an uproar.
    “All set,” said Montross. “I’ll have to borrow him for a while. I’ll drop him off tonight at your mom. Then we’re done.”
    “Done?” I kept trying to get free, but Comrade crushed me against him.
    “It’s what you want.” His body was so hard. “And what your mom wants.”
    “Mom? She doesn’t even know.”
    “She knows everything,” Comrade said. “She watches you constantly. What else does she have to do all day?” He let me go. “Remember you said I was sloppy getting the picture? I wasn’t; it was a clean operation. Only someone tipped Datasafe off.”
    “But she promised. Besides, that makes no—”
    “ Two minutes ,” Tree called.
    “. . . But he threatened me,” I said. “He was going to blow me up. Needle me in the mall.”
    “We wouldn’t do that.” Montross spread his hands innocently. “It’s against the law.”
    “Yeah? Well, then, drop dead, jack.” I poked a finger at him. “Deal’s off.”
    “No, it’s not,” said Comrade. “It’s too late. This isn’t about the picture anymore, Mr. Boy; it’s about you. You weren’t supposed to change, but you did. Maybe they botched the last stunting, maybe it’s Treemonisha. Whatever, you’ve outgrown me, the way I am now. So I have to change too, or else I’ll keep getting in your way.”
    He always had everything under control; it made me crazy. He was too good at running my life. “You should have told me Mom turned you in.” Crash! I felt like the crowd was inside my head, screaming.
    “You could’ve figured it out, if you wanted to. Besides, if I had said anything, your mom wouldn’t have bothered to be subtle. She would’ve squashed me. She still might, even though I’m being fixed. Only by then I won’t care. Rosproyebi tvayou mat!”
    I heard Tree finishing the count. “. . . twelve, thirteen, fourteen!” No record today. Some kids began to boo, others laughed. “Time’s up, you losers!”
    I glared at the two wiseguys. Montross was busy emulating sincerity. Comrade found a way to grin for me, the same smirk he always wore when he tortured the greeter. “It’s easier this way.”
    Easier. My life was too plugging easy. I had never done anything important by myself. Not even grow up. I wanted to smash something.
    “Okay,” I said. “You asked for it.”
    Comrade turned to Montross and they shook hands. I thought next they might clap one another on the shoulder and whistle as they strolled off into the sunset together. I felt like puking. “Have fun,” said Comrade. “Da svedanya.”
    “Sure.” Betraying Comrade, my best friend, brought me both pain and pleasure at once—but not enough to satisfy the shrieking wildness within me. The party was just starting.
    Happy stood beaming beside the ruins of the Steinway. Although nothing of what was left was more than half a meter tall, Freddy, Mike, and Bubba had given up now that the challenge was lost. Kids were already surging down the stairs to claim their share of the swag. I went along with them.
    “Don’t worry,” announced Happy. “Plenty for everyone. Come take what you like. Remember, guns and animals outside, if you want to hunt. The safeties won’t release unless you go through the door. Watch out for one another, people, we don’t want anyone shot.”
    A bunch of kids were wrestling over the turkey cage; one of them staggered backward and knocked into me. “Gobble, gobble,” she said. I shoved her back.
    “Mr. Boy! Over here.” Tree, Stennie, and Janet were waiting on the far side of the gallery. As I crossed to them, Happy gave the sign and Stone Kinkaid hurled the four-thousand-year-old ceramic hippo against the wall. It shattered. Everybody cheered.
    In the upper balconies, they were playing catch with a frog.
    “You see who kept time?” said Janet.
    “Didn’t need to see,” I said. “I could hear. They probably heard in Elkhart. So you like it, Tree?”
    “It’s about what I expected: dumb but fun. I don’t think they . . .” The frog sailed from the top balcony and splatted at our feet. Its legs twitched and guts spilled from its open mouth. I watched Tree’s smile turn brittle. She