Dead Right, ep XI

The leap in technology in the nineties that had led to the cheap development of vemans had also led to the bankruptcy in almost every company that cranked the things out. It was so cheap to produce them and relatively easy that a motivated individual with a couple thousand dollars in his pocket could make his own.

Dell looked over at his brother, looking moon-faced at nothing in particular. What was wrong with him? He had to make sure he had his head on straight. He probably hadn't even thought about what he would do when they got home.

Jesus, Toddy.

"Pull over." Dell knocked on the window dividing them from the driver up front.

"You sure? This isn't the safest place to stop."

"You guys got guns, right?" Dell was suddenly furious at the position he realized he'd been put in. "Pull over now."

The driver didn't say anything, but a moment later they were pulled over. Dell opened the door, climbed out and crouched back into the limo.

"You," he said to his brother, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. "Out. Now." Wenton still had that blank look on his face, but he didn't speak. He climbed over the laps of the guard Nibor had saddled them with and that thing and Dell shut the door before anyone tried to follow. He grabbed his brother's arm and led him away about twenty feet where he figured they were safely out of earshot. The driver popped his head out of the limo and Dell waved him off.

"What the fuck, Wenton?"

"What do you mean?" Wenton asked.

"We just hustled that thing in there for what reason exactly?"

"I told you. She—it—knows what happened that day. Someone's responsible. And we're going to find out who."

"We? Oh, hell. It doesn't know anything. I saw it last week and all it could do was make googly eyes at me."

"So you knew about her?" Wenton narrowed his eyes at him. Dell wondered if he'd said too much, but couldn't stop himself now.

"You might as well hear it all now. Yes, I knew about it. I arranged everything. I can pull a lot of strings from the mayor's office."

"But she spoke. She has Cara's memories."

"I know. This was supposed to jumpstart you out of this funk—not for you to turn into a complete dickhead."

"What did you let them do to my wife's body?" Dell noticed his brother clenching his fists. He'd been in his fare share of fights in his lifetime, but none of them as brutal-looking as Wenton was right now. But he'd never been afraid of him and wasn't about to start now.

"What did I do? Do you fucking know what you're fucking saying to me right now? Cara donated her body to science, Wenton. Remember that? Oh, that's right, you checked out on planet Earth after she died. Nobody could ask you anything. They—whoever—came and took her body and you were none the wiser. Do you realize her mother was still taking care of your son two weeks before she killed herself? If it hadn't been for Toddy, I wouldn't have held it against you, but you had a son who needed to be taken care of. You checked out on him."