Chapter 11

“So, hey,” Jamie told as his brother as they walked down the street, “what’s family for?”

Jake looked inside the rapper at what he would, at best, loosely call a sandwich. Then again, Jake was not even sure that was what it really was. Jamie had told his older brother that lunch was on him and, apparently, he gets really hungry after he extracts his orders. Jake was not about to say no but, he had thought lunch meant lunch. Not a street car vendor in a gang ridden neighborhood that even the city cops generally avoided. For that matter, Jake did not even see any Germans around here either!

Jake gave up and flipped the burger in the first trash can they passed. It was already overflowing which told him that the city garbage collectors probably avoided the area as well. For some reason, that was even more disturbing to him than not seeing any heavily armed Wehrmacht. Jake then looked to his brother and told him, “yeah well I hope you don’t think family boils down to… what was that thing anyway?”

“How should I know,” Jamie told him as he swallowed his last huge bite and then began licking his fingers. When he forced the rest of it down he said, “this is your planet. If you can call it that.”

The disgusting look that was coming from the elder Barton made Jamie just shrug and say, “what? You been through a war just the same as me. You know the golden rule, don’t think when you’re hungry.”

“Well first, the war is over and second, as I recall Jamie,” Jake replied, “you were always hungry.”

“Ha and ha,” Jamie told him.

It was certainly no secret, at least not in the family, that Jamie could put food away by the truck load. By all rights the guy should have turned into a blimp at some point but, he never did. Where he did grow was upwards and was a full head taller than Jake now. He also had the basic physique of every Navy SEAL that Jake had ever met. Jamie looked like the kind of guy that worked out all the time, pushed his body to do incredible things, tested all of his limits, only in Jamie’s case he had more obvious muscles.

“As for the war being over,” Jamie also told his brother, “yeah right. Is that how you got your leg all busted up? Because the war was over?”

Jake did not even blink but, then again, he did not bother to look his brother in the eye either. Without hesitation he just replied, “it was a jump accident at Bragg.”

Jamie laughed at that, “I heard it was a hostile extraction down near Presidio, in Texas. What was that slime asses name? El Stinko or something like that? Since when does Green Beret’s go into Texas unless they’re trying to kill something? It’s not exactly like it’s ever been a part of the US.”

Jake looked strangely at his brother and the guy looked dead serious, “it did used to be a part of the US, dumbass.”

Jamie did blink, “no shit?”

“Yeah,” Jake said resolutely.

That set Jamie to thinking but, when he finished, he pointed out to Jake, “when I get near a planet with a descent computer network I’m going to look that up. If you’re wrong then it’s the pinky again.”

Jake ignored the childhood reference/threat and just asked, “how did you hear about Presidio?”

“Told you,” Jamie said with a smile, “I’m with the company now. We know everything,” he thought about that and corrected, “well, every once in a while we know everything. We been keeping the countries secrets since George Washington.”

Jake groaned and told his brother, “the CIA didn’t exist in Washington’s time.”

“That was one of the secrets,” Jamie shot back. Then he slapped his brother in the arm and said, “why don’t you get yourself off this shit hole planet that Dad saw fit to hide you on. Come to work for me. I can hook you up Jake. Me and you, we need to be working together.”

“Jamie,” Jake said seriously as he strolled along, “speaking as the smarter half of our brotherhood, I don’t see the long term retirement benefits to that arrangement.”

Smugly Jamie told him, “what? You think I can’t deliver on the cash?”

“No,” Jake replied seriously, “it’s the long term part that bother’s me. I somehow get the idea I won’t live long enough to retire.”

Jamie still sounded enthused, “Jake, I’m hooked up. I can set us up for life. In fact, I can probably set us up in ways that you couldn’t even imagine. I’ve made some connections while I’ve been out here.”

They turned into a parking garage. Jake just stood back and watched as his brother actually bought a parking ticket, on foot. Then, when Jamie walked past the cross arms, he looked back and saw his brother just standing there, “come on. We need some transport.”

Jamie turned and started walking like he just knew that Jake was coming. It was almost as if the guy never thought Jake could do anything else. For Jake’s part, he really could not believe his brother was going to boost a car! That kind of left Jake in the position of making Jamie’s theory a kind of self fulfilling prophecy. He grunted in frustration and then caught up with his brother.

As they wandered the second level, looking for a car like they were shopping on a lot, Jamie went right back at it, “you’re already trained Jake. Hey I like the color on that one.”

Jake told his brother, “no the style’s all wrong.” He also added, “and I could never do your job. I’m not that regular.” Then Jake caught sight of something that really drew his attention. He walked over to a certain vehicle and put his hand on the roof, “this one. This is our ride.”

Jamie wandered over to it and was obviously not impressed, “you’ve got to be kidding me. I wonder when was the last time anybody even washed this piece of shit.” With a combination of amazement and disgust, Jamie put it to his brother, “do you have a reason?”

“Sure do,” Jake replied with a smile, “for one thing. I happen to know this particular vehicle is easy to steal. It belongs to a friend of mine and somebody stole it.” Jake opened the car door without having to do anything more than work the handle, “plus it’s open.” After he looked inside he said, “and the key is in the ignition.”

Jamie grumbled but he did walk around to the passenger side as he said, “good thing nobody knows me around here. I feel the need to put a bag over my head just getting in it.”
Jake watched as his brother slid in and said, “why am I driving? I don’t even know where we’re going. I don’t even know what it is we’re doing.”

Jamie just kept playing with his seat belt and finally gave up on it when he asked, “do they have seatbelt laws in these parts?”

Jake grunted in frustration again and then slid in behind the seat.