Mardock Scramble полностью

“Well, look at it this way. If we tried to turn ten dollars into a million in the space of an hour, we’d be asked to leave long before we got there. Even if our ambitions were more modest—a thousand into a hundred thousand, say—we’d get away with it to a point, but you can be sure the casino would sniff us out before too long and stop us from going much further. What we need to do is turn a hundred into a thousand, then a thousand into ten thousand, gradually, without attracting any untoward attention. The real battle starts only once we’ve built up a proper war chest.”

Balot understood exactly what the Doctor was saying. But she had a question.

–How do we know which ones are the mechanics?

“I found us our marks while you were playing on the slot machines back there.”

–How do you know, though?

“It’s like I told you. Our next maneuver should be one that benefits us the most while benefiting the casino at the same time.” The Doctor looked up at the ceiling with a triumphant air, flashing her the thumbs-up. Amid the hustle and bustle of the casino, Balot gleaned his meaning all too well. “Mechanics are seen by the casino as the ultimate pest. Anyone who looks in the least bit suspicious is noted, and the best dealers are immediately put on the case to sniff them out and catch them in the act. Alternatively, the dealers themselves might be in on the act, and the casinos are well aware of this possibility, so they have measures in place to detect this too. The dealers have to share reports of any suspicious activities every half hour, and there are pit bosses and floor managers taking records in the background, floating behind any and every dealer that has the potential to come in direct contact with the customers. Mama sees everything, is the idea.”

Balot realized why the Doctor had been grinning in the general direction of his PDA. He’d been eavesdropping on the conversations of the most suspicious people and what games they were playing.

“Now then, my pretty little niece, let Uncle show you just what a dab hand he is at the gaming table.” The Doctor was suddenly speaking in a loud voice, humming away, conspicuously checking out the different games in progress. He looked every bit the cocky country squire, here in the big city determined to prove to the world that he was no bumpkin, and probably ready to lose the shirt off his back to feed his gambling habit. Truth be told, he played the act so convincingly that Balot was a little embarrassed to be seen with him.

All the while Balot was playing the part of a girl who had no interest in the actual games but rather was overwhelmed by the glamour and the sophistication of her surroundings. This was her assigned role—and again she felt more or less this way in reality too.

“Right, let’s try this spot here. Looks like there might be some nice pokers rolling around,” the Doctor boomed, arriving at a table that was in between games.

–Pokers?

The Doctor indicated to Balot to sit down, and she did.

The Doctor had an extremely self-satisfied look on his face. “Yeah, pokers for prodding each other with. That’s the sort of game poker is.” So saying, he laid his chips on the table.

The dealer looked at Balot. “Is the young lady with you, sir?” he asked. He was a young man, whose blond hair went well with his clear blue eyes.

“Indeed. Though once she’s at the table beside me, she’s as good as a rival,” the Doctor said, and then nodded without delay. “You have a go too, young lady. You’ve played in your game room at home, right? If you don’t spend your pocket money here you’ll only squander it on clothes anyway—why not use it for something a bit more thrilling for a change?”

–How many chips will I need, Uncle?

As she spoke, Balot grabbed a handful of hundred-dollar coins from her basket. The dealer and the other punters at the table were momentarily taken aback. Those must be quite some clothes for her to squander that much money on them…

In reality, all the clothes she had ever bought in her life up to this point—with the money that she had struggled so hard to earn—could have easily been bought twice over with less than the amount she was now holding in one hand.

–Is this enough? Balot asked. The dealer seemed troubled for half a second as he watched Balot speak through the device on her neck, without moving her lips, but then he nodded.

The dealer exchanged the coins for chips and gratefully accepted the tip that the Doctor thrust out.