Zoe’s messaging app notified her of a new message as she parked in Jimmy’s building’s garage. The message was from Henri and included NYC’s courier regulations. He wanted her to read the regulations, authorize that she had read and would obey them, and send the conformation to him. She glanced over it while she took the stairs up instead of waiting for the elevator.

Most of the regulations boiled down to obeying traffic laws, which she laughed at. Zoe knew she had broken several traffic laws today. Then there were the laws governing the Net she broke when slicing the camera and police networks. Zoe was sure that would be in the regulations somewhere too.

The rest of what she scanned was about reporting crimes, gang activity, and the like even when carrying data for said organizations. That would get any courier into trouble with the law and Zoe suspected ignored by every courier. The only thing she read that wasn’t basic law or common sense was that every courier had to have a license to operate in the city or be employed by a company that had the license. Zoe grinned to herself as she realized she had broken that one too on her first day as a courier. She sent her signed conformation to her new boss.

*

“Hi Zoe. How was your day?” Anne asked as Zoe sat her helmet down on the coffee table before plopping down beside her aunt.

“Good.”

“Just good? No details for your aunt?” Anne asked.

“Ah…I made 125 credits thanks to Mr Capone and his associate, but more importantly, I found a legit courier job!” Zoe proudly said. “I wasn’t aware I needed a license to be a courier.”

“I wasn’t aware of that either,” Aunt Anne said. “I’m not surprised though.”

“Me either,” Zoe replied as she received another message. It was from Chloe. Zoe groaned after reading it.

“What’s the matter?” Anne asked.

“I need to pay for a driver’s license or more specifically a motorcycle license,” Zoe replied. “Henri is giving me tomorrow to get it instead of working.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Anne said. “It’ll probably take most of the day at the DMV.” Zoe groaned making Anne chuckle. “Can you drive a car?”

“I can drive a pickup truck. My folks never had a car,” Zoe answered.

“It’s the same. Cars are just smaller,” Zoe’s aunt replied.

“Why do you ask?” Zoe asked.

“Looking at the prices on the DMV’s site, I suggest getting a driver’s license with the motorcycle endorsement. It’s only 25 credits for both, which is another five credits over a standard license,” Anne answered.

“Hmmm. Getting a national license with that endorsement is 75 credits,” Zoe said as she checked out the DMV site. “It’s also good for a decade instead of two years like the New York license.”

“Don’t get any ideas about using those computer tricks of yours to get out of going to the DMV either” Anne warned as she stood up.

“What tricks?” Zoe innocently asked while she made an appointment for nine in the morning at the DMV.

“Zoe, your mother always bragged about your slicing for the church the few times we talked,” Anne replied.

“I…I won’t.”

“Good girl. What pizza for dinner?”

“Sure. I want to go for a run first though.”

“I’ll have the pizza delivered at six,” Anne said as she walked into the kitchen. “Want anything to drink?”

“No thanks. I’m going to change and go for that run.”

*

Zoe read the DMV handbook once more while riding the subway to the DMV office. She was not allowed to use her bike or car if she had one. Instead, anyone going for their license had to use a vehicle provided by the DMV. She took her helmet though. There was no way she would wear one someone else had without knowing who they were or where they had been.

Zoe decided the subway wasn’t bad. The train cars were sort of clean even covered in graffiti as they were. The trains also ran on schedule and were punctual. Still, she missed her Triple Black. Nothing matched the freedom of riding her bike.

*

Zoe walked into the DMV a few minutes before her appointment.

“Hi. I’m Zoe Blanco and I have a scheduled driving test at nine,” Zoe told the clerk at the front desk.

“Sign in and take a seat. We’ll call you when it’s your turn,” the unnamed clerk said without sparing Zoe a glance. “Seats are to the right and I’m sending you the written test. Return it once you’re done.”

“Thanks.”

“Uh huh,” the clerk replied without looking up from their screens. There was already two dozen people sitting around.

“Oh boy,” Zoe muttered to herself as she found an empty seat after signing in.

*

“How did I do?” Zoe asked the driving tester after she parked the beat-up clunker the DMV called a car two hours later.

The driving test had only taken 20 minutes. It mostly seemed the aim was to make sure Zoe knew how to manually operate the car and could drive between cones.

“Congratulations. You passed,” the tester said. “Head back in and take the written motorcycle test. “We’ll then call you to take the driving test.”

“Ok. Thanks!” Zoe excitedly said getting out of the car. She sent Aunt Annie a message saying she had passed her first test two tests. She entered the building and approached the front desk again. The same clerk was there. “Hi. I’m back and I need the motorcycle written test.”

“Take a seat and I’ll send it to you.”

“There are no empty seats,” Zoe said after looking into the waiting area.

“Then find a place to stand that’s not in front of my counter.”

“Ok…”

*

“Congratulations! You passed,” the motorcycle tester said to Zoe as she took off her helmet after parking the old, warn out motorcycle. It had taken three hours to be called to take this test.

“Thanks!” Zoe replied. “What happens next?”

“Give us a few minutes to update your file and we’ll create your license. Do you want to spend another 25 credits for a printed and lamented hardcopy?” the tester replied.

“No. That’s alright. The digital copy is fine,” Zoe quickly replied.

“Alright. Most people don’t want a hardcopy either,” the tester said. “Head on in. This shouldn’t take long.”

*

Two hours later, Zoe left the DMV with her Corporate States of America, CSA for short, Class A2 driver’s license. She was now legally able to drive any vehicle under 15000 pounds in all 55 corporate states for the next 10 years. It had only taken 75 credits, four tests, and seven hours to accomplish, as well as leaving Zoe with a deep-seated hatred of the DMV.

She messaged the good news to Henri with a copy of her license as she made her way through ads to a nearby street vendor to buy something to eat. While waiting for her meal, she messaged Jimmy asking him to pick up. He replied that he was working and couldn’t. Zoe got a plant burger and ate it while walking to the subway. The next train was a couple minutes away.

“Hey baby. Why don’t you skip the train and hang out with us?”

Zoe ignored the voice and edged closer to a few other people waiting for the train. She did not want to deal with some horny guys or whatever they were. The other people distanced themselves from her a little. Zoe started to feel a little panicked. Her helmet was strapped to her backpack, so not very handy. Thankfully, she had taken Aunt Anne’s pepper spray. It was handy and in her right front jacket pocket.

“Hey! I’m talking to you leather girl,” the same guy said.

“Maybe she’s streaming some music and didn’t hear you, Mo,” another guy said.

“She heard me. She’s just playing hard to get,” the first one said as they moved closer to her. The other people moved further away, leaving Zoe alone.

Zoe stuck her right hand in her right jacket pocket as the guys came closer. Her angel advised that there were three of them as the train stopped and the doors opened. In her panic, she had forgotten about her daemons.

Remembering her angel watched over her calmed Zoe enough to think. Archangel’s logs also showed one of them was attempting to slice her system. Zoe decided to let her ICE and angel handle him. She sliced the other two. One of them grabbed her left arm as she tried to board the train.

Zoe turned and looked up. Her eyes widened in alarm. The guy was over six feet tall and huge. It wasn’t muscles, but fat that made him so large. Zoe blinked.

“See Larry. I told you she was playing hard to get,” he said to the guy on her left.

That must be Mo and he called the one on her left Larry. Zoe immediately wondered if the third guy was named Curly or Shemp. He was the one trying to slice her.

“Let me go!” Zoe said.

“Relax. We just want to show you a good time.”

“I just want to go home. Please let me go,” Zoe tried again.

“Nah. We’ll party and then take you home,” Mo said.

“Have it your way,” Zoe replied. Mo grinned.

“AAAAAA!” Mo and Larry shrieked as Zoe hit them with Dazzle. Archangel did the same to the third one as the first two guys grabbed their ears and closed their eyes. The third one shrieked as well as Zoe boarded the train just before the doors closed.

“What a day,” Zoe muttered as she flopped onto a bench.