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himself. "Although I should have gone for a better AC converter. But I only
had a week to design and build my new body, so I had to work with what I could
get. Most of me came from junked robots," Cy added proudly.
"Well, you did a damned fine job," McCade said thoughtfully as he pulled out a
cigar and puffed it alight.
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"Now it happens that I need a guide. I don't suppose you'd have time to show
me around? I'd be happy to pay you."
"Of course, Sam," Cy said eagerly. "I wish I could refuse the pay ... but I'm
afraid I need it."
"I'd insist anyway," McCade replied."You mentioned a job earlier. Are you sure
working for me won't interfere?"
Cy dropped a few inches as though hanging his head in shame. "It's not regular
work, Sam. Sometimes they hire me to spy on people."
McCade raised one eyebrow. "Spy on people... whatever for?"
"You know," Cy said unhappily, "find out what they like, what they don't like.
It helps the staff cheat them."
McCade considered the cyborg's small body and anti-grav capability. "I suppose
you can go places the rest of us can't," McCade said, thinking out loud. A
handy talent to have. The fact that Joyo cheated his customers didn't surprise
McCade. He'd never seen an honest casino yet.
Cy bobbed in silent acknowledgment.
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"Well, don't worry about it, partner," McCade said, patting Cy on his top
surface. "We all survive as best we can. Let's see Joyo's Roid."
The two of them set off, and it didn't take long for McCade to discover that
the asteroid was a maze of tunnels, corridors, and passageways. Some were
natural and some artificial. Together they connected the countless bars,
nightclubs, and casinos. Joyo knew that while all his customers wanted the
same things, they didn't necessarily want them the same way. So while each
area offered drugs, sex, and gambling, each made it seem like a different
experience.
One area they visited was all brightly lit efficiency. Here sex and drugs were
offered by wholesome-looking types, and the whole thing looked like a
health-food store. At the other end of the spectrum was an area called Hell's
Basement. Here everything was sleazy and decadent, dark bars harbored
leather-clad deviants, and customers felt they'd stumbled into hell itself.
They loved it.
McCade thought it was funny. He'd spent a lot of time in bars that really were
as decadent as this one pretended to be, and knew the richly clad customers
who lined the bar, and filled the tables, wouldn't last ten minutes in the
real thing. But they were having a good time living out their fantasies... so
what the hell.
He ordered another whiskey from the half-naked bartender, and turned to watch
the threesome on stage.
They were making love, if you could call their intricate gymnastics "love,"
and McCade was wondering how they did it. Double-jointed perhaps? Well, it
didn't matter. He had work to do. And sitting around wasn't getting it done.
Cy, it turned out, was a good guide, but also attracted a lot of attention.
For one thing, all of Joyo's staff knew Cy, the same way bartenders all know
the local wino. And it was quickly apparent from the comments they made, that
Cy still gambled whenever he got the chance. Plus the two of them were pretty
visible. A hard-eyed man dressed in black leathers with a silver ball for a
sidekick is hard to miss. So much for the low-key approach. So maybe he'd try
something different.
"OK, Cy... I think I've got a feel for the basic layout. Now let's have some
fun. A friend of mine told me about a game that uses oddly marked six-sided
dice. I can't remember what he called it, but it sounded interesting."
Cy gave a metallic-sounding whistle. "Odd six-sided dice... your friend must
have been a high roller...
and a bit crazy to boot. Don't tell me, let me guess. When you talked to him
he hadn't played Destiny, he was just planning to."
McCade nodded, playing along. "I thought so," Cy said knowingly. "Only crazies
play Destiny. If they lose you never see them again. That's part of the game.
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Or used to be. I heard they shut it down. The payoffs were rare, but damned
expensive when they came. Did your friend tell you how it worked? No?
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