“Oh,” Monika simply said. “And this means something to me, why?”

“Multiplying the number of cores brings distinct advantages,” Travis said, and Monika rolled her eyes. He can be such a geek sometimes, Monika thought. “First, it cuts down overall energy consumption for equivalent levels of performance.”

“Aye!” Monika was less than enthusiastic. She turned to Jack. “You gotta excuse Travis.”

“It’s okay, babe. I like a man who knows the value of things,” Jack said and raised his glass to Travis. At the same time he reached under the table in a briefcase and then handed a quad core processor to Monika.

She appeared unimpressed as she looked the small square object over carefully and handed it Travis. “So, tell me again why I should be excited about this?”

Once Jack cut right to the chase and explained to Monika what they were worth and how much he’d pay them to steal a shipment of them, he had her undivided attention. But when he showed them a layout of the building and broke down the security, Monika said, “Thanks, but we’ll pass.”

A disappointed Jack stood up. “I understand, but think it over. If you change your mind, I’ll be here same time tomorrow.”

After they left Jack, Travis and Monika argued over why she turned the job down. “Too much risk, Travis,” Monika said as she looked over to the passenger seat at Travis as she drove. “It’s just that fuckin’ simple. The level of sophistication on the security system Jack laid out is more than we need to be fuckin’ with!” she shouted.

“Come on, Monika, I can handle it!” Travis shouted back, slightly offended at the chance that his comrade might be doubting his skills.