Thicker Than Blood by Matthew Newhall Read Free Book Online Page B

sources."
    "I have to kill you now." Joe smiled. He pointed at Kento's computer. "Nice." "Oh yeah, a genuine unreported C.P.U. perk." "Figured you stole it." Joe was surprised. Kento was usually painfully honest. "Hey, I helped design the thing! I should!" "I guess I'm kind of lucky. I don't think they'll have a waterproof case out for another year. Designed the prototype myself." Has Kento ever stolen anything before? He must be kidding. "Remember when you stole Baker's tire gauge from auto shop? How many times a day did he say it was rare?" Joe was grinning. "Yeah, that was nothing. How about the time you wired the windshield washer pump to the interior light of that old Cadillac," Kento retorted, laughing. "He was completely soaked," Joe said, roaring with laughter. "I thought that vein on his forehead would explode." They both laughed for a while. A young brunette waitress appeared and took their orders. Joe ordered coffee, Kento ordered tea. Joe lowered his voice. "Kento, I need your help. My team is working on something." "So you need robot help from the Kempo master?" Kento was clearly still feeling silly. Joe looked Kento in the eyes. "We stole some nanites." Kento chuckled in a loud voice. "Nanites? So did Indonesia and the Philippines. Big deal. Don't look so serious." Joe waited patiently for Kento to stop smiling. "Non-vacuum nanites." "They don't need a vacuum? They're not even temperature controlled?" "Not only that. They're blood-borne nanites." "What?" Kento's face screwed up. He looked around as he whispered. "They exist?" "They were in me." "In you?" "A lot of them." "How? Why? Joe, this could be serious." Kento's voice sounded more adult. "If you want me to stop here, I can," Joe said.
    At first Kento was glancing at him, eyes darting back and forth. Then he stared at Joe for a while, not saying a word. Joe's mind raced. What is Kento thinking? Is he going to turn me in? Perhaps he isn't the same guy I went to school with? Finally he broke into a boyish grin. Joe knew he was in. "Okay, how did you manage to get the one thing that Homeland Security has effectively banned, and every molecular physicist says is impossible for another ten years." "I nearly died." "That sounds about right." "I destroyed my car. It blew up. I was almost dead. My aunt is part of some project. She injected them in me." "Wow. Good thing you went to her hospital. When did this happen?" Kento was wide-eyed. Joe touched the emergency medical bracelet on his wrist. He knew he would have to tell Kento, just not yet. "It was about three weeks ago." "Can I see them?" Kento inquired. Joe decided to fill him in about Amman. Joe told Kento about the friction between Amman and the rest of the team. Joe expressed his fears about the ongoing Jihad. The waitress stopped at their table and dropped off their drinks. "Don't worry. I can run circles around a theoretical physicist." "I hope so." Joe was sure he could. Pretty sure anyway. "So are they in you right now?" Kento asked. "I don't think so. My aunt shut them off after she got a talking to. I hid some blood." "Where?" "In my cell phone fuel cell." "You slick bastard." Kento was grinning again. He sipped his tea. "You said your aunt shut them off. Have you turned them on again? What exactly did they do?" "We haven't turned them on yet. We're not sure what they do. They are definitely machines though." "How big are they?" Kento asked. "About one tenth of a blood cell," Joe answered. "Wow, so..." "Excuse me." A girls voice interrupted them.
    Joe's heart jumped. He turned his head and looked at the girl standing beside him. She was about five foot six and had brown hair dyed blond with a blue streak. She looked Indian. Had she overheard? What did she want. "Are you Joe Vallone?" the girl asked with a with a Long Island accent. She looked about sixteen. "Maybe?" Joe choked a little. "Well, my friend and I watch Cyborg Wars, and we always root for your team, and she likes you and thinks you are