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Jackie!"
    "Actually it is! This is the best I’ve felt
in ages. I’m feeling an indescribably extreme pleasure from the
disconnect of my fearing mind from my frontal lobe. Dr. Black has
launched me on an emotional joyride into the awesome pleasures of
sentient consciousness in a universe full of possibilities! And I
don’t give a flip about doing any lineup!"
    "Jackie? You’re speech is coming out all
slurry. What the hell? I think you overdosed."
    But Jackie wasn’t listening. With a tiny
sigh, her forehead touched the table and she stayed that way,
muttering to herself about nothing in particular. With no small
effort Donna and Manuel managed to pull her to her feet.
    "Walk her around a bit," Manuel said.
    "Let me go," Jackie said. "Viktor Bout is
going to kill me tomorrow. Everybody is trying to kill me, even me.
Everybody."
    "I’m taking her home," Donna said.
     
    Chapter 9
     
    Driving south on Van Nuys Boulevard, they
surveyed the majestic palm trees which lent an air of curious
respectability to the sordid display of pawn shops, sidewalk bins
of children’s clothing, bail bondsmen, legal offices and adult
bookstores, the heavy purple air glowing in the mercury vapor
lamps, the whole nighttime summer sidewalk scene resembling a South
American open air market lit up by military flares. The effect
shifted the minute the car dealerships appeared, as though a giant
movie set had hastily been erected, leaving behind the squalor for
impossible opulence.
    "Hey!" Jackie shouted. "Pull in to the Lexus
dealership."
    "No way. We’re going home."
    "No. I’m all right now. Pull in!"
    Donna stood up on the brakes, skidding the MG
into the bus zone in front of the showroom window. The resulting
smoke from the tires drew wary stares from the bus stop people.
    "Nice stop," Jackie said.
    "They made this thing before antilocks."
    They got out and stood on the sidewalk.
    "Jackie, are you feeling better?"
    "Much," she replied. They were about to enter
the showroom when a young man in slacks and loosened tie, coatless
out of respect for the heavy warm evening, got up from his desk and
sauntered slowly towards them.
    "Oh great, here comes the shark," Donna
said.
    "I can do this," Jackie said.
    "Do what?"
    "This." She opened her arms and did a slow,
stumbling twirl.
    "Oh no," Jackie. You are way stoned. You
don’t know what the hell you’re doing. C’mon. We’re leaving."
    "No! I have to do this. Donna, let go of my
arm. Let go!"
    "Ladies?" the salesman asked.
    "Sir," Donna said, "will you please wait
inside?"
    "Not a problem, lady."
    "And don’t give me that look. You don’t need
to be offended. It’s not because you’re black or anything."
    "Of course not," he said. "It's all
post-racial now since BHO."
    "Let me go," Jackie said. "I’m going inside
and check out the red car."
    "No you’re not. We’re going home and watch
Casablanca."
    "Wait a minute. I think I’m beginning to
understand something. It’s like a yin-yang sort of thing going on
with my animal brain and my spirit brain. The animal brain freaks
out whenever it’s reminded of the attack, but because I’ve
tranquilized my animal brain, my spirit brain feeds me the true
information, and once the processing is complete, I can
function."
    "That’s it. Get in the car, Jackie."
    "Wait. Don’t you get it? I have to look at
the red car tonight. Don’t you see it’s my destiny? It’s all for a
reason. I live in the city with the most cars, and I was attacked
because some guy wanted my car, and I haven’t been able to drive
since, so I have to assert my mastery over cars again if I ever
want to feel safe! If I don’t find the courage to walk into this
showroom right here, right now, and face up to a car, then they
win!"
    "They?"
    "You know! Them!"
    Donna relaxed her grip. "Okay. I am going to
humor you. We’ll walk into the showroom and look at their stupid
little red car and then we’ll go home."
    "Donna, this may sound funny, but I have to
walk in alone. I