In a small gray room, Jen sat cross-legged on a frame bed that lacked sheets texting furiously. Nine days since freedom and she still lacked paying employment. Her ex-friends were polite, but most had invested with Lane. She glanced to the door and thought about chucking it all for the day, but then a message came in from Tinesha, a transvestite hacker she had hooked up with for six months when both were repaying their debts to society. “Arrested today. Desert-Gate Police HQ. Call Benny for bail. Maintenance Contract posted. You should check it out.”<br/><br/>A smile graced Jen’s lips for the first time in months. True friends were good. She let Benny know his sometime lover needed help and then thought about what she would wear for her first job interview … as if she had a choice. It didn’t take long to pack up her slender amount of gear. Whether she got the contract or not, she would not be returning to this room. She would either move up to something better or drift to even less expensive quarters.<br/><br/>Ninety minutes later, Jen presented herself to Police Veteran Morland in a pair of Spartan blue coveralls a well-worn gray shirt courtesy of the state. Her shoes were sturdy work boots, polished but no amount of polishing could disguise the gouges and marks from years of wear. “I’m a computer tech sir,” Jen stated as she presented her credentials. “I would like to apply for a spot on the team handling the maintenance contract.” Her tone said that she had little expectation of getting the job, but she tried a quick smile. "I'm ready to leave now if that helps?"<br/>