Something, something.
HOOHA!!!
— She Who's Been Told
After my last visit to The B's house, I had a picture of the sticky note he kept locked in a safe. The note had twelve words, and one of 'em was weird.
Satoshi.
The next day, I waited for Quinn to show up at The Shady Lady. They're smart, and they'd already seen me projectile vomit off a rooftop, so it was too late to worry about looking stupid in front of them. They knew me, at least to the extent that I let anyone know me, y'know? Who better to ask?
"So, Quinn... I was walking home last night and I saw some guy wearing a T-shirt that said Satoshi," I lied. "What the Hell is that?"
"It's Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto created it ten years ago. It's becoming a thing."
"Oh, sheesh. Why the Hell do people fall for that shit?"
"Money is a social construct, Dandy. Cash has value 'cause we all agree it has value. It's what we all use. But when a country fucks up its economy, like if the government defaults on the national debt or something like that, nobody trusts that money anymore, so the currency collapses. It becomes worthless. Trust is a social construct too, y'know. We have to trust the government and banks, right? But what if they aren't trustworthy?"
"They're not."
"That's my point. Do you trust the bank? I don't, and I work there. Did you know your bank can block you from withdrawing your own money?"
"That's fucked up."
"That's what I'm saying. Bitcoin solves that shit because it isn't controlled by a bank or a company, or even a country, and none of them can stop you from using it. With Bitcoin, you're your own bank. It isn't mainstream yet, but it's catching on. And it's really valuable."
All I heard was blah blah blah, and the second greatest V-word in the English language. The first being HOOHA!!! Or so I'm told.
Mine's divine. I've been told. Not by you. I digress.
Bitcoin is valuable?
"But what IS it, Quinn?"
"It's virtual currency. Y'know, online. Think of it like digital gold. People buy it, and they hold on to it until they want to sell it."
"They sell it? Like, how?"
"On an app. It's easy."
They might as well have said, "Using quantum mechanics."
Up to that point, I'd been a low-tech gal. I owned basic home appliances, like a clock, a microwave, and a TV. I didn't even have a computer. I had an old flip-phone. The online world wasn't for me. I liked things I could see and touch.
I was also a thief. Sort of. But most of the things I'd spent my life stealing were about convenience and curiosity rather than value.
I stole food because I needed to eat.
I stole Trina's boink-bucks because they were sitting right there, on the counter.
I stole Linda's plates because I needed to know what she'd do if one went missing.
And, yeah, okay, I know. There was that one time... I stole ninety grand from Steve, because fuck that guy. I traded in his car, too. The title was in his house and I still had his wallet, so... with his ID and a little Georgie Porgie Signature Forgie, it was easy enough. I swapped it for a Honda Civic. A Civic is boring as Hell, but when you're doing shady shit, a flashy car is bad.
That was then. This was different.
This was a guy who flaunted his wealth every chance he got, and proudly mocked the poor, but the only thing in his house worth a damn was a sticky note with twelve words. It had to be worth something, because it was important enough to keep locked in a safe that took two keys to open.
Two.
Why?
What were the words for?
At least, I knew what the B was for.
Bitcoin.