Softbone: And there’s Nothing normal about New Kowloon.
High Tech, low life, no trench coats; pre order for August 1, 2025
This is it boyos. Release day is right around the corner. If you’ve been following along, you probably have an idea of what’s going on. Perhaps you wanted to walk in completely blind, so you didn’t read past this preamble, no spoilers etc.
If you’ve been holding out to get the paperback and not the Kindle, get ready.
Tomorrow.
Oh, Jake has a hot date, with death, and a redhead.
And there’s Nothing normal about New Kowloon.
He kicked the knife and the baton across the street and said,
“I like that Jacket.”
The friend motioned confusingly at himself.
“Yeah, you. Trade?”
The friend slowly pulled off his coat. Jake slipped his off and tossed it to them.
“Toss it to the girl.”
He looked at Nancy and tossed it in her direction. She stumbled as she caught it.
“Scavs ain’t gonna be happy about this. You’re in for a world of hurt. You’re gonna die, man. It’s not too late. You can give me your Huawei and the girl and maybe we just rough you up a bit. Then we forget about all this.”
“Nance, jacket?”
She reached over and handed him the jacket. It smelled of real leather. It felt softer in the rain. It had a patina, like his eyepatch.
“Start walking, asshole. I’m sure your train is coming. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll forget you ever met me. Trust me, you don’t want to find out who I am.”
The two scavs backed away, keeping their eyes on Jake. After getting a little distance, they turned around and ran off.
“Nancy. Come on, before they find a friend.”
Once the men were out of eyesight, Jake ran into his building and into the lobby.
“Oh my god. You could have taken them!”
“I only have one bullet left. I need Uku to finish my deal so I can get some more ammo.”
He pushed the button. The elevator showed an ad for Xanax before opening. Jack pressed the 27th floor.
… And don’t forget. Fem-Law is here, for your safety
“I forgot how much I hated watching ads in here.” Jake said.
He pulled the police tape off his door, which was still open a crack. The place looked just as he had left it. The Eames was knocked over, a stain in the kitchen that he didn’t want to think about. His computer was sitting in the corner on standby mode. Nancy walked towards the window, overlooking the construction site.
“Some view. Nicer place than I would have guessed. What did you do for a living?”
“I removed Indian scam code for Buzzer tech. Have a seat. Only thing in the fridge is expired tofu and sugar free Ambien. Where are those sandwiches?”
“Never had Ambien before. What’s it like?”
“It’s not the best, but it’s good enough. It tastes like someone was describing lemon to you from the other room and feels like a fog on your brain.”
“Can I try it?”
“I guess so.”
Nancy pulled out two packages in brown paper and unfolded them. Two pieces of bread with some meat slices and cheese in the middle. Jake poured the Ambien into a glass and handed it to her. Nancy grabbed the cup with both hands. Her heart was racing. She took a sip. After a few seconds she calmed down. Jake noticed her eyes didn’t drag like others.
