Free Connor Rix Chronicles 1: Rules of Force by Steve Statham Page A

Nanobots, the microscopic little robot
helpers that were supposed to patrol the bloodstream and repair and enhance the
human body from the inside, had made an enormous splash when the word had
gotten out about their availability. It was the kind of tech that many people
immediately took to be plausible. The public had been reading about
nanotechnology in popular magazines for years, and countless movies and TV
shows had used the little buggers as a plot device. With all the other biotech
breakthroughs suddenly being made, why wouldn't this one be legit too?
    And, in fact, legitimate
nanotechnology was indeed moving forward, at least that's what Rix was hearing
from his sources. It turned out in this case, however, that the nanobots were
entirely fictional. Or more accurately, there was a crude attempt at the technology dumped on the
market to make some quick money. Ultimately, they were probably intended to be
a placebo, a harmless enhancement that, at best, simply promised far more than
it delivered. But the reality had turned out much worse. At least, Rix had
always supposed it was a defect and not deliberately destructive.
    With
Modifications, the trick was always getting them to all work well together. For
most people the nanobot scam had proved harmless, but for others, the
blood-borne technology, combined with the assorted new-gen steroids, blood
boost paks — even the mech hardware — had resulted in bodies being
turned into war zones, as competing imperatives fought for control. Jake had
turned out to be one of the latter unfortunates.
    Whatever the
intent of the makers, the "nanoscam" was largely responsible for the
current low opinion of Modifications held by the general public. It scared a
lot of people, scared them bad. There had been a minor panic when rumors spread
that the nanobots could eventually find their way into the water supply. Even
in the normally liberty-minded Texas Republic there had been talk of heavy, heavy regulation of the Modification industry. With a new
nation to build after the Breakup War, however, the issue had been subsumed by
more important things. But in the court of public opinion the fake nanobots had
already done considerable damage, delaying the acceptance of Modified biotech
and driving much of it underground.
    And seeing Jake
in this condition, even Rix had to wonder if the public was right.
    "So how's
Marie?"
    "Just got
over the biofilm fever. Remember how that was?"
    "Huhn. Felt
good compared to this."
    "She's
doing fine now, though."
    Jake closed his
eyes momentarily. When he opened them, he struggled to focus on Rix. "Any
muscle jobs coming your way?"
    "Yeah. We
just finished up a case. Good pay. Bad Modifieds."
    Jake nodded at
this, and said nothing.
    "Jake, I
think it's time we had a talk about the nanos. And please don't tell me it's
none of my business again."
    Rix watched the
uncomfortable expression settle slowly on Jake's face. He turned away and was
silent for a full minute. Then Jake started speaking softly, so that Rix had to
strain to hear him.
    "I'm
already a burden, and the people I bought them from made it pretty clear I
shouldn't talk about my sources. I don't want anyone else hurt on account o'
me."
    "I know,
Jake. I know. But there's a lot of bad stuff out there. If we don't get it
cleaned up it'll all get shut down. People will never get to experience the
good side of it. Before things went bad for you, remember how good it felt?
Remember feeling strong and invincible? Remember sitting in the gym, talking
about the possibilities with the other guys? The good side is still good, Jake.
It can make life a helluva lot better for a lot of people. But first we need to
clear out the scammers."
    Jake lay still
so long Rix began to wonder if he had fallen asleep with his eyes open. At
last, he croaked out a stream of words. "It was some South American guys.
They had lottsa stuff for sale, more than anybody else. But they wouldn't sell
me the blood paks unless I