Zoe entered the Queen’s County Criminal Court when a message from Zack, the owner of Zachary’s Hardware and Software arrived. She paused after glancing over the message and read it a second time. He had informed her along with almost everyone else he had been in contact with over the last few months that his shop had just received the licenses to sell some new non-lethal daemons.

Zoe wasn’t sure how she ended up on his mailing list and blocked the sender. She quickly checked his site to see what he had since she was always interested in new software. Three of the daemons caught her eye. Glue trap, Hailstone, and Hailstorm.

Glue Trap prevented movement by attacking whatever moved its target such has legs, wheels, etc. The daemon looks like an actual glue mouse trap in MR. Glue Trap can be used as an actual trap for targets to stumble into as well directed.

Hailstone froze a target’s systems by lowering the temperature. It looks like an ice ball in MR.

Hailstorm was a wide area effect version of Hailstone. Its MR appearance was an ice storm.

Zoe quickly decided to buy all three. The total was 750 credits. Zoe knew her latest take from what she considered bad people was disappearing fairly quickly, but she was going to heed Claire’s advice and not attempt to take more. At least for now. Zoe made her way to the clerk’s office to pick up the data to take to the attorneys in Queens.

*

“See you next time,” Zoe told the clerk after handing back the data cable.

“I have a question for you,” the clerk said.

“Shoot,” Zoe replied.

“Not in this place. I like my job,” the clerk said. Zoe chuckled. “What’s with the skirt? Don’t you ride a motorcycle like most of the rest of the couriers?”

“I do ride a motorcycle, and this is a skort,” Zoe answered. “It’s just too hot for leather or denim.”

“That’s true. I’ll be glad when this heat wave breaks,” the clerk replied. “See you later.”

*

“What now?” Zoe muttered as she mounted her GT4. She answered the call as she used Nostradamus to check the court files. “Hey Tony.”

“Zoe, it’s good to see that you’re back on your feet. We have a job for you,” the mafia underboss said cutting to the chase. “Are you working for Cartier right now?”

“Yes. I’m at the Queen’s County Criminal Court and getting ready to go to Chase Law at 292 City Island Ave. From there I’ll be going to Long Island City Courthouse in Queens.”

“That’s perfect,” Tony replied. “We want you to take a contract to Luciano’s. It’s right down the street at 101 City Island Ave.”

“This won’t be like the last delivery I did for you, will it?” Zoe asked. “That place made the news shortly after I left it.”

“What are you saying? You think we had you deliver something to the Chinese that blew the place up?” Tony inquired. His tone became colder. “Watch your tone. Remember that you owe us a lot of credits.”

“I don’t mean any disrespect Tony. It’s just whatever happened to that Triad place happened awfully fast after I left it,” Zoe replied.

“And it made you nervous,” Tony stated. His tone had returned to its previous neutrality.

“Yeah,” Zoe admitted.

“That’s good. New York is a dangerous town,” Tony said. “Anyway, come pick up this contract.”

“Alright. See you in a little bit,” Zoe replied. Tony said his farewell and hung up. Zoe looked down at her legs as she started her bike. “Maybe I shouldn’t have worn this skort today.”

*

“Looking good Zoe,” the doorman said as Zoe entered Capone’s. He gave her an exaggerated wink.

“Feeling good too,” Zoe laughed. “Is Tony in the main dining room?”

“Yeah. Nucky isn’t here right now, but watch what you say anyway, ok? Tony seems to be in a mood.”

“Will do. Thanks for the tip,” Zoe replied walking past him.

She had almost made it to the main dining room when she heard, “Your legs are nicer than I had thought they would be.”

Her angel warned her, and Zoe skipped to her left. This allowed her to avoid Tommy’s attempt to grab her butt.

“Thanks Gabriel,” Zoe muttered to her angel’s Mixed Reality form. Then asked louder, “Didn’t you learn as a child to keep your hands to yourself?”

“I do what I want,” Tommy replied giving Zoe a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Not to me,” Zoe retorted.

“Oh? Do I need to show you how things really are?” Tommy asked.

“Cut that crap out and get in here,” Tony shouted from the dining room.

“After you,” Tommy said while giving Zoe a mocking bow. She started to walk past when her angel warned her and hit Tommy with Dazzler. “Shit!”

Zoe spun away from him and sliced past his Tate using Aperture. She quickly threw a Hailstorm followed up by a Glue Trap. Using physical moves to toss the virtual daemons had felt natural. “I told you to keep your hands to yourself!”

“Bitch!” Tommy screamed at Zoe.

“What is going on in here?” Tony roared as he and Jimmy entered the waiting area.

“Zoe, are you alright?” Jimmy asked.

“Forget her! I can barely hear, can’t see anything but spots, I’m cold, and can’t move my legs,” Tommy screeched. He tried to move and fell to the floor.

“I warned him to keep his hands to himself,” Zoe said more calmly than she felt. She explained what happened.

“Jimmy, help Tommy up and take him to the kitchen. Maybe the heat will help warm him until those effects wear off,” Tony instructed. “Zoe, come with me.”

*

“Nucky, we might want to move up the bank job,” Tony told his boss when Nucky sat at the table the underboss occupied.

“Why is that?” Riccardo Capone asked.

“Zoe is starting to ask questions and she incapacitated Tommy after the dumbass tried to cop a feel,” Tony answered. He explained his call with the courier from earlier in the day.

“Let’s leave things as they are for now,” Nucky said after thinking things over. “I don’t mind that she is asking questions. If Zoe wasn’t, I would be worried. As for Tommy, he’s been warned.”

“Alright boss,” Tony replied. “And yeah, I don’t mind what happened to Tommy either. He needs to learn to be more… discreet.”