“It’s going to happen, we’re going to cover the whole Market,” Kurt said. He had the latest coverage map out and it looked like he was right. “Look at this.” The overlapping rings of WiFi false-colored over the map were nearly total.“Are those our own nodes, or just friendlies?” Alan asked, all his confusion and worry forgotten at the sight of the map.“Those are our own,” Kurt said. “Not so many friendlies.” He tapped a key and showed a map of the city with a pitiful sprinkling of fellow travelers who’d opened up their networks and renamed them “ParasiteNet.”“You’ll have more,” Buddy said. Kurt looked a question at Alan.“My brother Brent,” he said. “Meet Kurt.”They shook.“Your brother?”Adam nodded.“Not one of the missing ones?”He shook his head. “A different one.”“It’s nice to meet you.” Kurt wiped off his palms. Adam looked around the little private nest at the back of the shop, at the small, meshed-in window on the back wall. Danny watched at that window sometimes.“I’m gonna send a screengrab of this to Lyman, he’ll bust a nut.”It made Anton smile. Lyman and Kurt were the unlikeliest of pals, but pals they were.“You do that.”“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”Anton smiled shyly. “No volunteers today?”Kurt shrugged, a jingle of chains. “Nope. Slow day. Some days just are. Was thinking of seeing a movie or something. Wanna come?”“I can’t,” Anton said.“Sure,” Brett said, oblivious to the fact that the invitation hadn’t really been directed at him. “I’d like that.”“O-kaaay,” Kurt said. “Great. Gimme an hour or so and meet me out front.”“It’s a date.”
“It’s going to happen, we’re going to cover the whole Market,” Kurt said. He had the latest coverage map out and it looked like he was right. “Look at this.” The overlapping rings of WiFi false-colored over the map were nearly total.
“Are those our own nodes, or just friendlies?” Alan asked, all his confusion and worry forgotten at the sight of the map.
“Those are our own,” Kurt said. “Not so many friendlies.” He tapped a key and showed a map of the city with a pitiful sprinkling of fellow travelers who’d opened up their networks and renamed them “ParasiteNet.”
“You’ll have more,” Buddy said. Kurt looked a question at Alan.
“My brother Brent,” he said. “Meet Kurt.”
They shook.
“Your brother?”
Adam nodded.
“Not one of the missing ones?”
He shook his head. “A different one.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Kurt wiped off his palms. Adam looked around the little private nest at the back of the shop, at the small, meshed-in window on the back wall. Danny watched at that window sometimes.
“I’m gonna send a screengrab of this to Lyman, he’ll bust a nut.”
It made Anton smile. Lyman and Kurt were the unlikeliest of pals, but pals they were.
“You do that.”
“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”
Anton smiled shyly. “No volunteers today?”
Kurt shrugged, a jingle of chains. “Nope. Slow day. Some days just are. Was thinking of seeing a movie or something. Wanna come?”
“I can’t,” Anton said.
“Sure,” Brett said, oblivious to the fact that the invitation hadn’t really been directed at him. “I’d like that.”
“O-kaaay,” Kurt said. “Great. Gimme an hour or so and meet me out front.”
“It’s a date.”