Contents
30. Hired Man
Overview
Turner confronts Conroy over a video call, learning Conroy doubled for Virek and now wants Angie. Conroy claims Mitchell killed himself after launching Angie from the mesa.
Jammer severs the connection to delay Conroy, correctly guessing Turner would refuse. He aims to exploit Jaylene Slide’s proximity to Conroy and recalls Bobby to plan.
Summary
In Jammer’s office, Turner speaks with Conroy via the desk phone while Angie is led out by a tall black girl with resistors in her hair, and Bobby trails after them. Jammer, nursing a wounded hand, stays out of the phone camera’s view.
Conroy admits he ran a double game for Virek, who wanted Mitchell and now wants Angie. He explains his original plan: extract Turner and Mitchell to Bogota so Hosaka would blame Maas after the railgun strike. Conroy says Mitchell thwarted everyone and, according to Virek’s sources, killed himself after sending Angie off the mesa.
Turner presses about Oakey, Lynch, Webber, and Rudy; Conroy shrugs off the dead and reveals they only realized Angie’s involvement after surveilling Turner’s brother’s farm. He details Virek’s Sprawl-wide hunt for experimental biosoft, the focus on the Finn, and how competing Maas teams escalated violence. With pros avoiding him, Conroy has resorted to unreliable muscle and blames Jaylene Slide for stirring attention.
Conroy offers Turner a lucrative split to deliver Angie. Before Turner can refuse, Jammer unplugs the phone, saying timing is critical and that refusal would have triggered immediate retaliation. Recognizing Slide hijacked Bobby earlier and may be close to Conroy’s operation, Jammer decides to try reaching her and calls Bobby back to coordinate their next move.
Who Appears
- TurnerHired extraction specialist; confronts Conroy, learns of Virek’s plan, and nearly refuses before Jammer cuts the call.
- ConroyTurner’s handler turned double agent; reveals he works for Virek, wants Angie, claims Mitchell’s suicide.
- JammerClub owner with a wounded hand; severs the call to buy time and plans to leverage Jaylene Slide.
- Angie MitchellMitchell’s daughter; escorted out for safety while Conroy attempts to secure her through Turner.
- BobbyYoung deck jockey; follows Angie out, then is recalled by Jammer to plan contacting Slide.
- Tall black girl with resistorsJammer’s ally; gently guides Angie away from the office during the call.