Internet Kill Switch by Keith Ward Page B

me a lot about you. All of it bad.”
    Tony looked embarrassed, but Scarlett laughed. Tony relaxed; he didn’t make jokes like that. That was more like Rick.
    “ Well, he hasn’t told me much about you, Max,” Scarlett said. “I guess he wanted it to be a surprise.”
    “Is it?” Max asked.
    “Oh, yeah. ‘Surprise’ is an understatement.”
    “I hope in a good way.”
    “No. In a bad way,” Scarlett said, laughing.
    “I tell ya, I don’t get no respect,” Max said, in a perfect imitation of Rodney Dangerfield. They looked at Max, lost. “Sorry. Guess I’ll skew my jokes for a younger audience. I’ll try to be more Conan from now on.”
    “ This is so wild,” Scarlett said as they got to Luis’s Taco Palace. “It’s like I’m talking to a person, not a phone.”
    “I feel the same way . You’re much more like a person than a phone, too,” Max said, cracking them up.
    Luis Domingo smiled and waved at Tony as they got to the stand.
    “Hola, Tony!” Luis said. “What’s up, my man?”
    “Hol a, Luis!” Tony said, shaking his hand vigorously.
    “Watch this,” Tony said to Scarlett. “Max, order both of us chicken tacos, refried beans and large Cokes. In Spanish.”
    He held Max up, and the phone ordered the meal, in perfectly-accented Spanish. Luis stared at the phone, mouth open.
    “It’s amazing what phones can do these days, amigo!” Luis said. Then he winked at Tony, laughed, and started getting the food.
    As Scarlett asked Max some questions, two large men in sunglasses, jeans and black t-shirts watched from across the street. They’d parked behind Tony a minute after he’d gotten out with Scarlett, then strolled along in the same direction, staying a discreet distance away.
    They saw Tony take out the phone, and heard it ordering in Spanish. One man nodded to the other, as if in confirmation. They made their way toward the taco stand, keeping a leisurely pace.
    Scarlett had given Max back to Tony, who put the phone in his pocket since he needed both hands for his food and drink. Tony chatted with Luis; they’d become friends over the years, and Tony was one of his most loyal customers.
    The two men arrived at the stand. “Nice phone, yo,” the bigger of the two said. Luis looked at them darkly. Scarlett tightened her grip on Tony’s arm.
    “Mind if I take a look?” the man asked, with a smile so fake it could only mean trouble.
    Max was still in Tony’s pocket, unable to see the men.
    “Max, what should I do?” Tony whispered, his mind a blank slate of fear, as he and Scarlett backed away a bit. Luis moved his stand, which rolled easily on wheels, between the men and the teens.
    “Kick his ass!” Max said , sounding muffled in Tony’s pocket.
    Tony took the phone out so Max could see the muscle-bound men.
    “Run like the wind!” Max shouted.
    Tony and Scarlett dropped their food and took off in the direction of the festival. As the men started after them, Luis slammed his stand into them, sending them sprawling to the sidewalk. They staggered up, and Luis rammed them again, cackling with glee. “Take that, muchachos!” One of the men pulled out a gun and pointed it at Luis. The vendor immediately backed off, as the men scrambled to their feet and tore after Tony and Scarlett, who by this time had a lead of a block.
    “Hold me up so I can see!” Max said as they ran. It immediately called up a map of the area, homing in on their position through GPS.
    “OK, take a left at the alley here.” Tony and Scarlett obeyed without thinking, turning into a dark alley littered with boxes and dumpsters. As they approached the end of the alley, the thugs appeared at the other end, sprinting madly.
    “Go right, up here,” Max ordered. Tony and Scarlett turned into the next road, their lungs burning from the exertion. Tony had to slow a bit to stay with Scarlett, who was red-faced from running. Her eyes were wide with terror. The thugs were closing the distance fast.
    Max spoke