ã€ŠQuantum Proliferation - Entangled Fates 2.0ã€‹


 Overallocated

    <blockquote>

    ¡°AI doesn''t have to be evil to destroy humanity ¨C if AI has a goal and humanity just happens in the way, it will destroy humanity as a matter of course without even thinking about it, no hard feelings."

    ¨C Elon Musk

    </blockquote>

    ¡°So, walk me through this, Sophie. I want to make sure I¡¯ve got it right.¡± Alex walked closer to get a better view of the interactive displays. The high-end units took up most of each wall in his home office, and when they weren¡¯t in use, the system looked like panes of glass mounted to the painted walls. The setup was probably his most extravagant investment to date.

    He started pacing in front of the display as he frowned. Graphs with staggering amounts of negative values were hard for Alex to wrap his mind around on a normal day. This one tended to elicit a mild sense of panic since it was effectively his bank balance.

    I¡¯ve graphed out our finances to make sure you understand some of my recommendations. We¡¯ll have a few lean weeks, but I¡¯d like to get you out from under your obligations to Apollo as fast as possible.

    Alex tapped a finger against the glass and traced a finger over his beginning balance of negative 45 million dollars. The memory caused his jaw to tighten as he noted the date. It¡¯d been a day of bad deals and forced hands. He¡¯d been overly optimistic about the agreement. It might have worked, but within a few weeks, the entire situation had soured against him. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t change the amount due.

    He followed the payments, investments, and revenue streams as he walked his way to the right. Overall, Covalent Technologies was doing incredibly well, but they¡¯d started with so much debt that it was hard to get excited about it. After he¡¯d criticized Apollo during a news interview, they¡¯d initiated the clause in his public persona contract. As expected, they hit him with penalties, demanded most of the money back, and then made it clear that he was on the hook for the full amount owed and they weren¡¯t about to help him in any way.

    Apollo¡¯s lawyers had been sharpening their knives ever since.

    ¡°Bastards,¡± he muttered.

    As his finger ticked past the vertical line that marked the current date, he got to where Sophie had added a highlighted what-if section for the following month. It projected a massive payment to Apollo to zero out their debt. It also forecasted a resultant cash shortfall. Breakout labels identified what was and wasn¡¯t going to get paid.

    Alex rubbed at his temples, feeling a stress headache coming as he read the details. ¡°Damn it, Sophie. We¡¯re a half million short, and you want to take it out of security payroll? I¡¯m not going to do that to Shelley. The Black Flags earn their keep every week.¡±

    I¡¯ve discussed it at length with her. Shelley feels that she could leave a partial team here and send a team of three or four on a contract with a month-long cap to make up the difference. If wetware installations were ready, she could pay them herself and provide services in trade. Unfortunately, I need sterile medical facilities and specialized equipment to make that happen. I have it all ordered, but the contractors are still building Aubrey¡¯s medical lab.

    ¡°But security?¡± Alex asked.

    As much as I¡¯m loathe to relax your security detail, we haven¡¯t had a serious attempt in weeks. We can also try to reduce your public exposure during that time.

    Alex blew out a frustrated sigh. The last thing he wanted was to be even more hunkered down. He complained, ¡°For the record, I don¡¯t like it. How did Shelley react?¡±

    She was professional about it. I suspect she wasn¡¯t thrilled, but Shelley did think it was an excellent opportunity to see how Mesh performs in field trials.

    Objectively, Alex knew that they were a team of mercenaries. It was a career they¡¯d all chosen, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel he was putting his friends in danger.

    Alex drummed his fingers on his desk. The prospect gave him a bad feeling in his gut, but he wasn¡¯t sure what he could do about it. He ran down the lists of what was getting paid, but it only caused the unpleasant sensation to get stronger. He didn¡¯t see anything that he could swap out without major repercussions. Not only that, any minor hiccup in their timelines would put them in such a poor position that they¡¯d be laying off people and shutting down operations. At this point he had hundreds of employees that depended on him not to screw up.

    After a moment, his voice softened. ¡°Can you look after them? You know, even if it¡¯s off the books. I don¡¯t know what to call it but can you keep them out of trouble?¡±

    I can offer, but that¡¯s Shelley¡¯s decision to make. Either way, can I get your approval before we move forward?

    Alex looked up at the ceiling, wishing for another option. ¡°Are you certain this is the best route?¡±

    We¡¯ll lose significant momentum if I reduce funding to our Covalent Technologies projects. You saw the numbers, if I don¡¯t carefully manage this, the company will be filing for bankruptcy. If I can cut costs for a month, the new workstreams should be established and it¡¯ll pull us out of the fire. A few of these items I project it to have an exponential return.

    I could try other approaches, but there is significantly increased scrutiny on the financial markets. The cyber-attack the other AI launched shook things up, and regulators got involved. I¡¯ll need to taper off our illicit gains for some time or it may tip our hand. You¡¯ve also been asking me to focus on legal methods where possible.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just open up more Mesh sales? They aren¡¯t illegal. Well, not yet anyway.¡±

    Tina would need to spin up new manufacturing facilities, which take time and money. Also, we¡¯re still not ready for public sales. We¡¯ll poke the legislation bear once we do that. Until it¡¯s publicly available or someone gets caught doing something stupid with them, authorities can¡¯t justify regulation.

    ¡°So why the push on Apollo then? This looks like it¡¯ll wipe us out entirely. We¡¯ll be lucky to recover if anything unexpected comes up.¡±

    They aren¡¯t idiots, dear. The fact that you are still up and walking around means the hardware that runs your implant is still turned on. Even if they can¡¯t easily prove we were the ones who took it, they are still the owners of the equipment. Until it¡¯s paid off, they can bring in law enforcement and point them our way.

    Alex pushed a quick question over their bond. He didn¡¯t need to let the idea fully form before Sophie got the idea.

    There are two main reasons they haven¡¯t already caused issues. First, publicly admitting that it was stolen from their secure facilities would rattle their clients and investors. Second, and more to the point, you had their interim-CEO assassinated, and no one else knew the full story.

    That changed when Apollo teams began briefing his permanent replacement this week. They were able to put a working theory together that it wasn¡¯t the protesters that stole the hardware. It''s a hunch at this point, but a dangerous one. I need to remove their ability to get law enforcement on our asses and fast.

    Alex winced. ¡°Ouch. Ok, good point. How do other companies deal with stuff like this? The shortfall, I mean. We can¡¯t be that unique.¡±

    Investor funding, public stock offerings, or loans. None of which we can go after. Simply put, we can¡¯t open our books due to our¡­ creative assets and revenue streams.

    Sophie then followed that up with a noisy grumble.

    Alex fired off an inquiry over their mental link.

    No, sorry, dear. I¡¯m not frustrated at you, just the situation. We¡¯ve prepared as best we can, but outside influences are crunching our timelines dramatically, and this is a side effect.

    ¡°You mean the rogue AI that¡¯s still running amuck out there.¡±

    Sophie pushed a nod his way.

    Even after months, I still don¡¯t know much about it. Everything points to it being the one pulling Humanity First¡¯s strings as well as arranging the attempts on your life. The damage it¡¯s done to other high-tech industries that could be used to defend against it is significant.

    Alex tapped his fingers on his desk, returning to the topic at hand. ¡°What about short-term funding options? Our support team is expensive, but they aren¡¯t that expensive. It looks like we¡¯ll be sweeping positive immediately after, so we could cover some interest.¡±

    What I haven¡¯t shown you yet is what we need to invest in immediately to meet our updated projects. I wanted to make sure you understood our base-requirements first. If we can¡¯t meet these expenses, you run a risk of Apollo bringing down law enforcement on us. Anything else would be pointless if we can¡¯t keep you afloat.

    Alex had already begun shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to like this, am I?¡±

    Sorry, dear, if there were an obvious answer, I wouldn¡¯t be bothering you with it. I¡¯m hoping you can see something my analysis cannot.

    The screen shifted with a new cost outlay that made all other expenses look minuscule. The readjustment blew out the scale of the prior graph entirely. The previous mountain of costs was shrunk down to a small blip in comparison.

    Alex¡¯s heart began speeding up as he took it, and its meaning, in. He felt Sophie put an internal clamp on his anxiety before it could spiral out from under him. After a few seconds to regain his mental footing, he leaned in close to the display, breaking down the expenses that she had clearly labeled for his benefit.

    The first bump was filled with detailed estimates for fabrication equipment, quantum processors, massive high-speed storage area networks, neural network fuzzy logic units, high density compute fabric, fiber-optics network uplinks, and a hardened data center to house it all. Alex recognized the list as what it would take to free Sophie entirely by building her a replacement server, and the sums were over half a billion dollars even at her lowest estimate.

    The second and much more massive surge included hardening global internet service provider networks, creating thousands of defense nodes in all major cloud hosting companies, securing critical infrastructure endpoints, and so on. Alex¡¯s chest tightened for a moment, before Sophie yet again suppressed his reactions, slamming the mental clamp down into place, and putting a cooling touch on his mind.

    He blew out a long breath. He didn¡¯t like having her tweak him so much, but this was their agreed upon path. If his emotions got out of a certain range he tended to spiral out of usefulness fairly quickly. ¡°So, this last part is what a global defense network looks like? Well into the hundreds of billions, right?¡±

    Sophie pushed her agreement.

    Alex shook his head. ¡°Fuck me.¡±

    For a moment, Alex wondered if Sophie would twist his words as a chance to tease him. After a soft pressure as she rifled through his thoughts, she remained quiet, giving credence to how seriously she was taking her new mission.

    ¡°So, no matter what we do short-term, it¡¯s¡­ kind of pointless. Not only do I need every damn penny we can scrape out of the couch cushions, but what we¡¯re doing isn¡¯t even close to enough,¡± Alex groused as he plopped into his office chair.

    Alex leaned back and stared out the window, gazing longingly at the bay that stretched to the horizon. He tried to focus, but his mind seemed to resist the idea. Instead, he desperately wanted to get away for a bit. Unfortunately, he knew he was needed here to keep operations on track. Alex also knew that he caused security headaches any time he so much as left the house. His presence in the city had instigated a near-riot the last time he tried to grab ice cream with Aubrey and Jamie. Even if it¡¯d become less organized, there were still pockets of negative sentiment around what he was doing.

    Despite the threats, he felt a strong pull to leave the island. He was stuck. It was as if all creativity had been drained from his mind, and it got worse the longer he stayed sequestered away. It left him so strung out that he could barely make it an hour without Sophie tweaking his brain to deal with it.

    She¡¯d likened her adjustments to micro-doses of anti-anxiety and anti-depression medication, and whatever she was doing was becoming less effective over time. It seemed there were still parts of Alex¡¯s brain she couldn¡¯t permanently fix due to the Apollo firmware code in the neural interface.

    Minutes passed as he chewed on the impending cash flow problem and the need for massive cash infusions before he admitted temporary defeat.

    ¡°I simply don¡¯t see any way that we can do this ourselves. Like at all. No company, no matter how powerful, could raise that type of money from where we are today. I could be selling immortality and not hit those numbers. Shy of holding the world for ransom to save it, I don¡¯t see it working,¡± Alex muttered, reaching for his mug of green tea and taking a sip.

    ¡°We¡¯re well into the range that only a handful of governments could put something like that together without crashing their economy. Or well, ya know, the mega-corps, but our little bout with Apollo doesn¡¯t have me eager to go into another snake pit.¡± Alex wiggled his fingers on his synthetic left hand. ¡°Not sure I would consider that one a clean win.¡±

    I know, dear. At least Aubrey¡¯s dad got us a lot of good PR out of it when we launched Mesh-controlled limbs. You¡¯ve adapted to the change remarkably well.

    Alex glanced back to the screen again and scowled. He¡¯d have to grow the company at a rate unheard of since the Revision 4.6 crash to even get Sophie¡¯s server secured, much less her bigger project to save the world from her rogue peer. The massive tech recession after a bunch of AI-powered bots slaughtered tens of thousands of people was the end of the multi-billion-dollar unicorn tech startup era. That just didn¡¯t happen anymore and certainly not without being publicly traded.

    Mull over the finances, my love. If there¡¯s a clear path through this, I don¡¯t see what it is. Now, you¡¯ve got your date with Ava, best to get changed into something comfortable.

    Alex rolled his eyes. ¡°Not a date, damn it. Shelley has her teaching me self-defense and running me into the ground. Dates don¡¯t lead to as many bruises.¡±

    Hmm¡­ If that was the case, why do you have so many bite marks on your chest? Or perhaps the hickeys on your¡­

    Alex interrupted, ¡°Nope. We¡¯re not talking about that right now. And it¡¯s not a date.¡±

    Standing, Alex went to leave his office but slowed as he came even with the doorway.

    In what had become a ritual of sorts, his right hand trembled as he placed his palm atop the two plain silver cylinders that were in a small nook next to the door. In small engraved letters atop the containers, one read ¡°Connor Sage¡± and the other ¡°Caroline Sage.¡± Giving each of the urns a few seconds of his attention, he gave a sad sigh, then tightly locked away the empty feeling in his chest before moving on to his task.

    Even though the dull ache remained, the morose thoughts disappeared quickly, sliding off the parts of his mind where there simply wasn¡¯t anything to process it. Instead, he shifted gears and prepared for his evening workout. Alex refilled his water bottle and dashed upstairs to change into a synthetic base layer and sweats. He twisted his neck, eliciting a few pops. Then he began pulling at the knuckles on his right hand, limbering them up.

    Even though it didn¡¯t do anything, he repeated the motion on his left hand, feeling the range of the synthetic muscles and tendons, and ensured its charge was topped off. He didn¡¯t want a repeat of last week where it had died in the middle of a sparring match.

    He¡¯d have lost anyway, but Ava had been rather ruthless about hitting him in the face with his own fist once she¡¯d gotten him pinned.

    Ava was already doing warm-up stretches behind the detached stone-walled workshop when Alex padded across the grass. She gave him a smile and a nod, but the tall and hard-muscled blonde kept to her routine, dipping low and stretching her hamstrings. Her black tights showed off her toned legs, and the stretchy tank top left her well-defined and tanned shoulders bare. Without meaning to, Alex caught himself staring at her backside.

    As if reading his mind, she flipped her shoulder-length hair over her shoulder, tracked his gaze, and gave him a knowing smirk. She then looked him up and down in an obvious manner that ended with a soundless chuckle.

    Busted, Alex just shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t help it, Ava. You in those tights¡­ just damn.¡±

    Ava snorted and grinned back, obviously amused. ¡°You couldn¡¯t handle me, and you know it.¡±

    Not one to argue, Alex jerked his eyes forward and settled in next to her. The women of the Black Flags had figured him out over their winter together. Unlike those he worked with off the island, there really wasn¡¯t much point in trying to act like someone else around them. He was who he was, and they didn¡¯t seem to mind. Still, he was glad Ava took his roaming eyes in good humor. It wouldn¡¯t do to irritate his sparring partner. Especially not one that could so readily kick his ass any time she felt like it.

    Alex joined along in the stretches, then worked through the same process that she¡¯d drilled into him, and finally shifted to their usual warm-up of squats, jumping jacks, crunches, and push-ups. He worked through each set wordlessly as she did the same.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Once the pair had gone through their calisthenics, Ava nodded toward the circle of sand off to the side. The sandpit, or simply the pit, as everyone called it, was a ring of boards about thirty feet in diameter filled with a foot of sand.

    Alex blew out a deep breath and worked through some options in his head. Since Trish had the night off, tonight he wouldn¡¯t be splitting his time between firearms and hand to hand. This was their free-style sparring night, so anything was fair game.

    Alex had a lot of options at his disposal. They had been training for months through various disciplines, and Sophie helped him learn much faster than the average student. He could memorize static moves and techniques quickly, but Ava had figured that out and knew how to defend against them. It was a prime example of knowledge and experience being two wildly different things.

    If it¡¯d been a fight to the death, Sophie could guide his body in an emergency, but it usually left him exhausted or puking if she overdid it. It also didn¡¯t magically make him any faster or stronger than he normally was, she just had a much better reaction speed.

    About the only thing he and Sophie could manage for extended periods were his Mesh connections. After a bit of practice, he could sync up with someone¡¯s mind and hold it there for some time. To date, that was something he¡¯d limited to Jamie after they¡¯d gotten involved.

    The intense connection left emotions bared and even allowed him to press physical sensations over their connection. Thankfully, Jamie was just broken enough not to be freaked out by how his mind worked since they shared some rather problematic behavior. She had, however, made a few comments that made it clear she sensed more than he thought he¡¯d shared.

    That¡¯d been enough to put the brakes on trying to sync his mind with others. He could read emotions or push sensations to his heart¡¯s content, but the moment he shared anything of himself, it laid out the broken and shattered part of his mind for his partner to see. There was a gulf of things he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to accept. Not yet, anyway.

    After Jamie had explained a bit of it, Aubrey had taken the hint that Alex just wasn¡¯t comfortable admitting how bad it was in there. In the end, Aubrey opted to give him more time to recover and had politely likened it to a bit of house cleaning before visitors came, even though she knew full well it was a full renovation project. However, instead of sawdust, broken drywall, and out of date appliances, it was full-on roaring bonfires of anger, a basement flooded with disconnect and apathy for others, impulsive behavior dashing into and out of every dark crevice like cockroaches, and large patches of anxiety that covered every nook and cranny like black mold.

    Realizing he was far too distracted, which would just mean he was in for a beat down once in the ring, he tried to center himself.

    He sucked in a long breath and envisioned a gigantic fist. Rigid and unyielding. He focused on it, and grew the hand in his mind until it extended into the sky. It then aimed an apathetic middle finger at the universe, his abbreviated form of meditation that Ava had found hilarious to teach. Since then, it¡¯d become a bit of an inside joke they shared. If any person or situation was particularly annoying, he and Ava would simply say they needed to meditate on an answer, not mentioning it involved a skyscraper-sized ¡°fuck you.¡±

    As stupid as it was, it resonated with his sense of humor, and when it came to preparing for his training, it often worked long enough to give him a moment to file away stray thoughts. Giving an amused smirk, Alex decided on his opening moves and a couple things he wanted to try if the opportunity presented itself. He locked down his focus and let Sophie amp up his senses slightly. He¡¯d need every edge he could get.

    Ava had been holding back less and less as they trained. Even at what Alex figured was half strength for the team¡¯s designated hand to hand expert, she could knock him to the dirt if he didn¡¯t deflect a strike properly. He¡¯d seen her spar with the other mercenaries, and she was a terrifying sight to behold when she got going. The fact that she could bring Shelley to a standstill while also taking one of the others at the same time without anyone getting seriously hurt said a lot about her level of control.

    Alex took up his stance, left foot slightly forward, and legs spread shoulder-width apart. Not even waiting for confirmation, Ava dashed forward with a round kick aimed at the outside of his left knee. Alex pulled to his right, and pushed off, pivoting cleanly to avoid the strike and lined up a shot at her kidneys as her momentum carried her forward.

    He snapped off a punch, but she had already spun away, leaving him striking at thin air. He settled into his stance again and circled her slowly.

    Her fist struck forward, aimed at his stomach in a lightning-fast move. Alex missed his redirect and ended up blocking dead on with his left arm. If it¡¯d been flesh and blood, he¡¯d probably have been seriously injured with the force of the attack. Instead, her blow connected with the hard-exterior shell of carbon fiber and polished silver. Ava yelped as she pulled back her split knuckles with murder in her gray eyes.

    ¡°Fucking goat-blowing son of a bitch, that hurt,¡± Ava cried out as she shook her hand, thin rivulets of red dripping down her fingers to the sand.

    Alex winced but didn¡¯t quit circling. He¡¯d learned the hard way not to let his guard down when blood was drawn. ¡°Sorry, Ava. I¡¯ll wear one with fake skin next time, it¡¯s softer if I screw up.¡±

    Ava shook her head. ¡°No, no, you won¡¯t. Use every damn advantage you¡¯ve got. Learn to use it, you¡¯ll usually have it on you. Gonna start wrapping my knuckles, though.¡±

    Nodding, Alex dashed forward, trying for a leg sweep while she was distracted.

    Ava jumped his kick and landed a hard punch to the side of his face. Alex slammed into the sand and rolled with the momentum. Catching his footing mid-tumble, he popped back up into a low stance and shuffled his feet to gain some room before she could move in on him.

    ¡°Good recovery,¡± Ava commended as she corralled him closer to the edge of the ring.

    Alex began to backpedal but glanced back momentarily to make sure he didn¡¯t trip on the edge of the pit. In that one moment of distraction, Ava sprung forward like a panther on a frightened rabbit and tackled him in a brutal move that drove her knee into his gut.

    Alex tried to roll out of her grip, but faster than he could follow, she had him pinned on his back and landed with her knee still wedged into his stomach, knocking the air free from his lungs. While he was dealing with that, she pinned his arms above his head. She then twisted Alex face down and locked both hands behind his back as though she was going to handcuff him.

    Alex managed to shift her hold using his bionic arm but was otherwise hopelessly pinned.

    ¡°Yield,¡± Alex said through a mouth full of sand, still struggling under her weight.

    ¡°Go again?¡± Ava asked.

    Nodding, Alex was quickly released, given instruction on where he¡¯d fucked up, and then given ideas on how to do better. Ava might have a vocabulary to keep a sailor blushing, but for Alex, she seemed infinitely patient. The pair kept at it until it was dark enough that the security floodlights turned on.

    Sweaty and beaten, Alex staggered along the pathway back to the house, Ava at his side. They were both exhausted but smiled as they chatted about inconsequential things. Wanting to cool off before going inside, Alex plopped onto the wooden steps of his home, and Ava followed a second behind him.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting better. That judo throw managed to take me by surprise.¡± Ava grinned.

    Alex shook his head. ¡°Just trying to mix it up. I almost got you out of the ring, but I¡¯ve still got a long way to go before I can give you a proper challenge.¡±

    Ava sent a wet raspberry his way. ¡°Shit, that ain¡¯t exactly a fair comparison. The rest of the team comes from more training, and I can still drop ¡®em in the dirt. I was only a US Marshal. Well, until they canned my ass one year in. I wasn¡¯t some spec ops mofo like Shelley, but I¡¯ve always done Saturday night cage fights for prize money.¡± Ava rubbed at her side. ¡°Besides, you got a mean left hook. Fucking stings like a mother when you use that thing, but I still think you¡¯re holding back.¡±

    Alex flexed his left hand, it felt perfectly fine, unlike his right, which was bruised and aching. Aside from knowing it was about dead on battery life, he couldn¡¯t tell his left arm had taken blow after blow.

    ¡°I want to say that¡¯s bullshit but¡­ maybe? It makes me feel lopsided at times. It¡¯s like something is forcing me to swing with the same speed and power with both arms. I¡¯ll keep trying, but it doesn¡¯t feel natural yet,¡± Alex replied thoughtfully.

    Ava patted Alex on the shoulder and leaned in closer. ¡°What was it that Sophie keeps saying? Embrace the weird, right? It ain¡¯t natural, but it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not you. You still shooting right-handed, too?¡±

    Alex nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m right eye dominant from what Trish says.¡±

    ¡°Not gonna trash our marksman, but have you given any thought about having Sophie tweak that for you? Use your gifts, ya know. Ya ain¡¯t all human now,¡± Ava replied.

    Alex nodded, impressed. ¡°Huh, I¡¯d have to get used to being a lefty, but I think it¡¯s more mental than anything else.¡± Alex rolled the idea around in his mind. ¡°Thanks, Ava. That¡¯s pretty clever.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about knowing how to use your advantages and your opponent¡¯s disadvantages. There¡¯s no such thing as a fair fight in the real world.¡±

    Ava thumbed at her black braided choker idly, then gave Alex a warm smile that strummed a happy chord in his chest. He hooked his arm over her shoulder, and she nudged her shoulder back into him in a friendly gesture. Then she rested her hand on his thigh, and he was suddenly unsure if it was strictly platonic.

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s new,¡± Alex thought to himself.

    Footsteps behind him caught Alex¡¯s attention before he could figure out an appropriate response.

    Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Jennifer with her big blue backpack-sized medkit slung over one arm. She was wearing her usual baggy navy-blue cargo pants that paramedics usually wore, along with a tight gray t-shirt with a rainbow-colored napping cat on it. There was a twinkle in her violet eyes as she strode toward the pair. She¡¯d made a habit of patching the two up after their matches and seemed to enjoy the break from watch duty.

    He grinned broadly and motioned for her to join them on the steps. Her loose black hair bounced along behind her as she trotted forward.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t break him, did you, Ava?¡± Jennifer asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°Naw. But I¡¯ve got a couple split knuckles I could use your help with. I never can get a bandage to stay on ¡®em,¡± Ava said.

    Jennifer gave the bigger woman a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a big lug and always yank it too tight. It rips the adhesive loose the moment you start flexing it. But you already knew that.¡± Jennifer added the last part with a wink. ¡°Still, I¡¯m always glad to be useful.¡±

    Jennifer dropped down to the stoop next to Ava. Ever the professional, she donned her blue gloves, and after a bit of rummaging through her bag, she found a spray bottle and with a few quick spritzes had Ava¡¯s hand clean. She then proceeded to patch up the hand-to-hand expert¡¯s right hand with skin sealant and a bandage to go over it in a few practiced motions.

    Once the wound was closed, Jennifer retrieved a small dermal strip that was color-coded with a red and white checkerboard that had a ¡°P1¡± clearly denoted in the middle. It was the mildest pain medication that she carried in her kit, but since it was an adhesive patch instead of a pill, it lasted a really long time. She tended to opt for dermals more often than not since it wouldn¡¯t cause stomach issues when repeatedly used. Given their training regimen, it seemed like everyone got a little too knocked around on a regular basis.

    Jennifer ripped off the backing and stuck the mild painkiller to the underside of Ava¡¯s arm, pressing firmly to activate the microscopic spines that perforated the top layer of skin to deliver a steady dose of medication.

    ¡°There you go. Good as new,¡± Jennifer said as she patted Ava¡¯s wrist, then produced a lollipop from her bag and passed it to the other woman.

    Ava took the candy without comment. She knew no amount of objecting would actually get Jennifer to quit giving them out. Instead, she flexed her fingers a few times to test her range of movement then said, ¡°Thanks, a perfect job as always. Dinner about ready?¡±

    Jennifer nodded.

    Ava said, ¡°Great, I¡¯m starving. I know Shelley wanted us to leave the three love birds alone tonight.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t mind cooking for you all,¡± Alex objected. ¡°I kinda enjoy it, actually.¡±

    Jennifer chimed in, ¡°Yeah, we know, Alex. It¡¯s nice to get together most nights, but well, we¡¯ve kind of been dominating your free time. You¡¯re either working or cooking. You need a few nights off, you¡¯re starting to go overboard too much.¡±

    Alex bit his lip, not wanting to admit that he often got intensely lonely and tended to fall into a disconnected funk if he wasn¡¯t busy or surrounded by others. Saying that he didn¡¯t idle well would be an understatement. Aubrey and Sophie tried to help, but there was only so much they could do.

    Jennifer continued, ¡°You¡¯ve been making it a two-hour affair. You don¡¯t just make soup and cornbread, last night you recreated Carla¡¯s family recipe for poblano soup, stuffed arepas, and enough other stuff from her childhood for a six-course meal.¡±

    Ava made a soft moan. ¡°Oh, but damn, that was good.¡±

    ¡°Ok, so yes. It was delicious. The filling was a bit spicy for me, though,¡± Jennifer said as she pursed her lips.

    Alex¡¯s eyes fell on her lips for a moment and found himself leaning involuntarily forward under an intense urge to kiss her. Shifting his attention, he gazed upward and only managed to get ensnared by her violet eyes. Sophie gently flicked his nose, trying to startle him out of his daydreams. Pulling his thoughts¡¯ leash, he yanked them forward. Both women shared a look, acknowledging that he¡¯d zoned out, but didn¡¯t make anything of it. Him getting distracted by Sophie or simply his own thoughts was no longer something worth noting. It happened dozens of times each day.

    Once he could focus again, he explained, ¡°Oh, that was what the cr¨¨me fra?che was for. It cuts the heat if you want it. And you can¡¯t really blame me for wanting beautiful women to dine with, can you? I¡¯d gladly slave over a stove to see that wonderful smile of yours.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ uhm.¡± Jennifer blushed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. The cream I mean. I¡­ uh. Thanks.¡±

    Ava laughed. ¡°Anyway, chica, I need a shower. I¡¯ll catch you all later.¡±

    As Ava got up to leave, she trailed a finger down Alex¡¯s arm. It made him shiver involuntarily. He was still processing the fact the violent skull-buster seemed to be returning his flirtations when Jennifer pulled his attention away.

    Jennifer¡¯s eyes narrowed as she scooted closer to take Ava¡¯s place. ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t say you were bleeding too.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Alex replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was.¡±

    Tracking where she was looking, he reached up to his forehead and felt a small damp spot where his right eyebrow was a bit sore. His finger came back stained red. ¡°Ah, Ava landed a couple good ones. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Despite his protestations, the combat medic rummaged in her bag up to her elbows. Coming back up with fistfuls of supplies, she proceeded to soak a small ball of gauze in her disinfectant and poked at the wound. Then, after deftly peeling away a wrapper, she produced a small sponge coated with a powdery white substance. Reaching over, she lightly dabbed at Alex¡¯s eyebrow while she scrunched up her face in concentration. Alex winced as the stinging powder hit the broken skin, but the twinge of pain only lasted a few seconds. She traced her finger down his temple, and her touch became much softer as she shifted focus back to his dark eyes.

    Seeming to get flustered, Jennifer awkwardly looked away as she peeled off her gloves. ¡°Ah, sorry. Yeah, it stings. Uhm¡­¡±

    Alex laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Jen. I¡¯d have healed up by tomorrow night anyway. But I always appreciate the way you take care of me. If you keep that up, I might start getting hurt more often.¡±

    Regaining her composure, Jennifer playfully slapped his shoulder and zipped up her kit. ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that. I¡¯d stay longer, but I better go before there¡¯s nothing left. Trish is making fried chicken, and it goes quick. I¡¯ll be sleeping on the couch if I miss it.¡±

    ¡°Give her a kiss from all of us,¡± Alex said with a grin.

    She gave a small laugh and turned to go. As she made to leave, Alex noticed her check over her shoulder to see if he was still watching. She caught his eyes as she bit her lip. She gave him another soft smile and disappeared over the crest of the hill toward the guest house that the mercenaries had taken over.

    She¡¯s rather fond of you. They both are.

    Alex¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Yeah, different ways, though.¡±

    Oh, I think Ava is a bit sweet on you too.

    Alex gave that some thought. ¡°Well, she¡¯s growing on me too. She¡¯s a lot different than I expected. She almost seems like a timid thing under that hard exterior.¡±

    You know, she¡¯s the one that put on your tourniquet at the courthouse. No one thought to tell you, but I saw it on the news feeds. She was the one covered head to toe in your blood as she tied off your arm with your belt before Jennifer could stabilize you. She handled it all rather stoically at the time, but I think it impacted her more than she let on. I believe she now envisions herself as your personal defender. A paladin from the books you read, one wholly dedicated to you.

    ¡°Huh. That weirdly makes sense. Uhm, did she¡­¡± Alex trailed off.

    No. Unlike Jennifer and Jamie, she didn¡¯t ask Aubrey for any sort of arrangement or permission to pursue. I think she¡¯d need you to make the first move if that¡¯s what you want to do. I suspect Aubrey would gladly pull her into the family, as it were, if only to make you happy.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ maybe? I dunno. I always think of Ava as a friend first, but every time I¡¯m with her, I usually end up flirting. Like a lot, and I don¡¯t even notice I¡¯m doing it. I¡¯m afraid I might accidentally do something stupid, or well, maybe something smart and rather enjoyable.¡± Alex tried to think his way through that situation. ¡°I¡­ yeah¡­¡± Alex trailed off as he felt the cool edges of his scripted reaction take hold, and he forced himself to blank out his thoughts. Those thoughts wouldn¡¯t do him any good, so he tossed them out.

    Well, I think our girlfriend has designs on about half your security team for either you or her. I would say she isn¡¯t picky, but I know better.

    Alex blew out a sigh; that was a big topic altogether. His hormones made it hard to think straight being surrounded by so many women that could leave him swimming in need with little more than a casual touch or a warm smile. Aubrey didn¡¯t mind since it fed her kinks. He also wasn¡¯t above admitting he enjoyed it too. He wasn¡¯t some passive bystander in their complicated relationship, swept along by a partner that was a half-bag of crazy. He and Aubrey were in it together. Partners in crime to the end. She just had a better picture of what it was she wanted out of life. Genuine introspection was a lot harder for him since he was twisted up in impulses and a blank wall where memories that might guide him should be.

    Alex replied, ¡°As far as Ava, I like spending time with her. She could probably tip me either way, and I¡¯d be happy. Things are kind of complicated already. You, Aubrey, and Jamie keep me pretty busy.¡±

    Perhaps. But Ava does make you happy and, being candid about it, it¡¯d hurt to see her move on.

    Alex pursed his lips and nodded. It wouldn¡¯t do to leave that type of conversation off forever. He¡¯d need to parse out his feelings on the matter sometime soon.

    Admittedly, he had become a terrible flirt, but his attention for new pursuits had actually been aimed elsewhere lately. When he could break away, he¡¯d been spending quite a lot of time with Jennifer. The shy combat medic seemed to likewise enjoy absorbing as much of his time as he was willing to give as they went out for hikes while she snapped photos of the local flora and fauna.

    Any time she was around, he¡¯d end up flirting with her without even thinking about it. Then usually a bit more once he realized he was doing it. Something about her just clicked with him. She was all blushes and soft caresses. If he were honest with himself, he was sorely tempted for a retry at their earlier shenanigans. The way she got all twisted up around him was simply adorable. The fact that they¡¯d ended up in a hot and heavy make-out session next to their collective lovers in a big pile of covers had left an impression on the primal part of his brain, and he frequently found his thoughts returning back to that night.

    Of course, there was the insane hotness that was Jamie, too. Their trysts had started as an occasional thing to blow off tension but had become a weekly thing over the last few months.

    With so many distractions going on, he had trouble sorting his mind out. It seemed like every pretty girl turned his head, and there was too much brain damage to understand his own boundaries most of the time. His impulse control wasn¡¯t the best on a good day, and non-existent on a bad one.

    He was making progress as Sophie glued together better responses in his mind, and he¡¯d regularly begun forcing himself to slow down and at least try to think through the things that didn¡¯t come naturally.

    Even then, he¡¯d hit these strange decisions that seemed pre-made in his mind. He normally had a habit of over-analyzing everything, but certain responses had the inflexible reek of software code. He¡¯d react as though it was instinct and without any doubt. It was a little unsettling since he knew it was his personality matrix Sophie had programmed. She¡¯d literally predestined certain reactions for him, and it was getting hard to argue that he had free will at this point.

    Whenever he thought about the complicated love life he¡¯d carved out, or his impulse to flirt with every attractive woman he met, it had that same feel to it. It was absolute. Certain. Only afterward would he realize what he¡¯d done and then debate if it had been the right reaction. He couldn¡¯t even inspect his own thoughts directly, or he¡¯d trip the routine again. He¡¯d have to come at those ideas and concepts at an oblique angle just to see if he really was ok with whatever he¡¯d done. So far, it¡¯d worked out ok, but his impulses made it clear he¡¯d probably keep doing much the same and he didn¡¯t always feel in control of it.

    The problem with that was that as much as he wanted to jump into it all headfirst, he didn¡¯t want to hurt the handful of people he¡¯d gotten attached to in the process. There were precious few of those in the world, and if he were honest, he really didn¡¯t care much for everyone else.

    He could fake his way through interacting with others, but acting exhausted him. He¡¯d have to pick out an appropriate cast member and pretend it was an improv bit on stage. Without it, he¡¯d found that people would notice if he hit situations where his mind slid off the beaten path, and into areas that had been damaged.

    Aside from those who knew him well, he could see the twinge in how they looked at him. It was usually an uncomfortable glance, an extra pause in the conversation, avoiding his eye contact, or even a sudden excuse to be elsewhere. They couldn¡¯t tell why, but they¡¯d get unsettled by whatever rested behind his eyes. They¡¯d catch a glimpse of whatever was back there, and he¡¯d sense a spike of fear from them.

    Dear? Aubrey is asking when to expect you. Her pasta is about ready.

    Alex pushed a thankful kiss to his AI companion over their link and started heading inside.

    Since it would just be the two of them, he¡¯d ask Aubrey her thoughts on the Ava and Jennifer situations over dinner. The compassionate former nurse understood him better than any other human and had no issues being his moral compass, even on delicate matters.

    Seeking her guidance was the best he could do until things changed, and he quit feeling alien to this world. Too many times, it was like he was looking into the window of humanity from the outside. Too much seemed to set him apart. His arm was one thing, but his mind itself was much more troubling to come to terms with.

    In the meantime, he¡¯d have to accept that he wasn¡¯t entirely human.

 Immersion

    Good morning, my little lamb, ready to begin the day?

    Aubrey padded down the wooden staircase into the basement, steaming cup of French roast in hand.

    When they had moved in, the basement had been someone¡¯s home theater, but it had been significantly remodeled, and roughly tripled in size. The home entertainment system was still there, serving as a den, but the remaining space had been divided up for an armory, Sophie¡¯s data center and project space, a bit of storage, and a home gym.

    Aubrey hunkered into her terry cloth robe and shivered. ¡°Brr¡­ it¡¯s freezing down here.¡±

    Ah¡­ Sorry, dear. The contractors have the HVAC system disconnected while they wrap up the last expansion. I keep my server room cool and it¡¯s bleeding over into the other rooms. They¡¯ll be in later today to finish it up.

    Aubrey gave an audible grumble. ¡°You and your improvements. Ought to just build a second house at this point. You¡¯ve had something under construction non-stop since we moved in. You¡¯re like my dad and those damned dollhouses he builds. I never played with them, but there he was in my room every weekend, rearranging furniture and building something new for it.¡±

    Sophie gave a small laugh.

    I get your point. I¡¯ll see if I can get you some peace and quiet.

    As Aubrey made it down the steps, the reinforced door to the armory swung open. After a moment, a lanky woman of Asian descent with a blonde pixie cut stepped out, light slate in hand. Upon seeing the redhead, the other woman broke into a wide smile. ¡°Oh, good morning, Aubrey. I didn¡¯t figure anyone else was up.¡±

    ¡°Morning, Emily,¡± Aubrey said, pulling the lanky woman into a quick hug, carefully negotiating her coffee cup while doing so. ¡°Our night-owl of a quartermaster up to anything I need to worry about? Not anticipating a land invasion, I hope.¡±

    Emily replied with a grin, ¡°Nah, just updating inventory and moving stuff around. Sophie set us up with some gunsmiths that do above-board conversions. We¡¯ve been getting some of our more serious hardware legalized, so I moved them over here after I put them in Alex¡¯s name. The stuff we use day to day should all pass inspection now, including the more exotic stuff.¡±

    Emily chewed on her lip momentarily as though deciding something. ¡°Hmm¡­ you should know we always keep a few deniable weapons in case we need to leave something behind when we¡¯re out in the field. Give me a heads up if you¡¯re doing any construction down by the dock area. I had Carla sink a bunch of waterproof containers in the bay.¡±

    Aubrey¡¯s eyebrows rose briefly, but then she chuckled. ¡°Yeah, got it. I¡¯ll let you know if we need you to move stuff.¡±

    ¡°Down here for Sophie¡¯s projects?¡± Emily asked as she committed her notes to her slate.

    The short redhead nodded. ¡°Yep, still being her lab monkey and human hands. She¡¯s been having me work on mapping Mesh to make improvements and get ready for the wetware version. Today she apparently has something special cooked up.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha, I¡¯m done for now, so I¡¯ll leave you to it. Oh, a few of us are heading into the city later today. If you are interested, maybe we could grab lunch?¡± Emily offered.

    ¡°Sure thing. Sophie can let Alex know if I don¡¯t catch him first,¡± Aubrey said in agreement, but wording it to make an unofficial request to the AI who was always listening in.

    Emily bid Aubrey goodbye and made her way up the stairs, and the door clicked as the electronic lock engaged. The small light next to the doorknob went from green to red, signaling the room was in use.

    Aubrey coughed into her hand. ¡°Making a girl nervous, Sophie.¡±

    I figured you¡¯d want privacy for your fitting. Could you be a dear and stand in the center of the floor, feet apart?

    Aubrey only quirked a brow but bid to follow the instructions as the AI spun up two nearby docked aerial drones that were about the size of a soda can.

    Uhm, you¡¯ll need to lose the robe as well, love. I¡¯m doing a full 3D mapping of your body. We¡¯ll be working on the immersion suit I told you about. I have it roughed out but need the final measurements. Precision will be important for sensor alignment.

    Aubrey blushed but set down her coffee and disrobed. Her naked skin immediately reacted to the cool air, prickling into goose flesh and causing her nipples to harden. Aubrey felt more than a little self-conscious being fully exposed as the drones began aiming their camera systems at her.

    Just relax, my love. You¡¯re beautiful, stunning even. I apologize for the drones being so, well, impersonal. I¡¯ll make it up to you later.

    Arms at the sides for now, but we¡¯ll change your stance a few times.

    Internally she knew that Sophie had seen her nude many times and usually in very intimate settings but almost always through Alex¡¯s eyes. Alex had even let Sophie take over limited control of his body at times while they played. This, however, felt different, almost clinical.

    Sophie circled the drones in a slow rotation at shoulder height, hip height, and again just barely off the floor. She then had Aubrey raise her arms straight out and then above her head as she repeated the process. Then began the cycle again, having her adjust her leg poses.

    All done, dear. If you give me 15 minutes, I¡¯ll have it ready for you to try on.

    Aubrey wrapped herself back into her robe and cuddled under a blanket that had been left on the couch while she waited.

    Sophie set to work, first melding the multiple overlays into a consistent wireframe mesh that represented Aubrey¡¯s form. From there, she inserted a skeletal overlay to mark the kinematic joints. Once that was complete, she set about adjusting the placement of sensors and feedback systems in the 3D model.

    Once the finished renderings were ready, she put the plan into action with several assembly robot limbs, adjusting fitments and components until the finished product was ready. She was impressed with her work as she held it up to her laser imaging system for inspection.

    While this would be a one-off, the process could easily be repeated and mass-produced. Sophie could use their fabrication shops to build rough cuts in various sizes. From there, they could be adjusted to fit various body types with little more than a fitting room in a mall, which was exactly what she and Alex had in mind for Covalent¡¯s go-to-market strategy. They could simply rent time in the 3D scanning booths used for custom-fit designer jeans and have a connected mini-fabricator on hand.

    In a moment of inspiration, she repurposed some of the various fabrics she had at her disposal, along with a box that looked roughly the right shape before calling Aubrey over to the fabricator closet.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    As soon as Aubrey opened the door, a yellow and black robotic arm swiveled and whirred, presenting a beautifully wrapped box to the former nurse.

    Aubrey gave a gleeful laugh that warmed Sophie''s core as Aubrey undid the bows of metallic cobalt fabric perfectly knotted over a flexible silver foil. Aubrey removed the lid of the box and withdrew the set of virtual reality glasses and what appeared to be an alabaster bodysuit.

    Aubrey held it up and teased, ¡°You bored with the corset and stockings that Alex likes so much already?¡±

    Not in the least. Especially not when you¡¯re wearing heels. But I think you¡¯ll like this one even more.

    Aubrey stripped down and shimmied into the one-piece outfit. She was surprised at how snug it fit. It seemed to be painted on as she pulled it up over her legs, hips, and then pulled the zipper that went diagonally from her left hip up around the right side of her neck. Lastly, she secured the hood up and over her short red hair so that it pulled tight across her forehead. The outfit only left the area from her eyebrows to mouth exposed.

    She glanced down to her chest, where she could still see the effect of the chilly air and quickly realized she¡¯d still need to wear clothing over it before going out in public.

    ¡°Ok, what¡¯s next?¡± Aubrey asked.

    Just lie down on the couch, then put on the visor.

    Following the instructions, Aubrey let out a startled gasp.

    She turned her head back and forth as she realized she¡¯d been dropped into a flawless simulation of a lounge chair on a white-sand beach. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, the wooden slats of the chair she was sitting in, and even the fuzzy towel draped over the back.

    Like just about everyone that she knew, Aubrey had spent plenty of time in VR, but she¡¯d never experienced anything approaching this. She reached down to the sand, picked up a handful, feeling the gritty crystals in her hand as though she were there. Above her, azure skies extended across the horizon. Aubrey spotted a jet leaving twin contrails as it went.

    Aubrey looked down and saw a perfect representation of her body. But instead of the white bodysuit, she was clad in a green bikini with a white cotton sun cover. A server in white and black walked over with a frozen strawberry margarita on a tray and placed it beside her before scurrying off.

    Aubrey reached out and felt the cool condensation on the side of the glass. She picked it up and tried to take a sip but couldn¡¯t seem to get straw lined up with her mouth. She could feel it against her lips fine, but somehow it seemed like the straw kept sliding away when she closed her mouth around it.

    I¡¯ve not got mouths entirely solved yet. Anywhere the suit is, I can simulate touch or sensation with electrical impulses or pressure. I can push that boundary a bit using mental-only stimulus to other areas, but it has limits unless I push a heavier level of influence on the person¡¯s mind. As is, you can feel it, but it won¡¯t prevent your lips from closing and breaking the illusion in the case of the straw. Still, I¡¯m happy with the results for an alpha test.

    ¡°Sophie, this is amazing. How does it work?¡± Aubrey asked.

    It¡¯s a much lighter version of the connection that I set up for Alex and Jamie. Market testing suggested what I created for them fell into the ¡°creepy¡± territory of mental manipulation. Instead, I use Mesh to make the user suggestible, much like hypnosis, and cooked other ways to create the desired stimulus.

    The VR tech is off the shelf, it just displays the visuals. You just believe it more due to the influence, and the mind fills in the rest, even down to the smells. From there, I can send electrical impulses that simulate feeling friction or pressure as well as temperature using the Mesh and suit in tandem. I learned a lot about tying it all together to make Alex¡¯s arm when I gave him sensory feedback.

    Aubrey leaned back in her beach chair. She knew it wasn¡¯t real, but she could smell the ocean breeze, and unlike those outside the house, these cerulean waves looked warm and inviting. She stretched back and relaxed in the sun, basking in the rays that settled over her like a favorite blanket. ¡°This so makes helping you worth it.¡±

    Well, you say that¡­

    Clearing her voice, Aubrey¡¯s part-time lover Tina walked into the simulation, hips sliding side to side as she strutted up. The woman was dressed identically to the last time she¡¯d visited Aubrey at the house. Black heels, a short skirt and a tight white top with strategic openings across it pulled across her generous chest and exposed her tattoos. Her short dark hair was spiked forward with an undercut on the sides. Her dark eyes locked onto Aubrey and she sent a smirk Aubrey¡¯s way.

    Aubrey sucked in a breath as she realized it was Sophie wearing Tina¡¯s image. Wordlessly, the avatar knelt at the foot of the chair and began caressing Aubrey¡¯s legs. A gasp escaped her lips as Sophie trailed her hands higher and traced her fingertips up the former nurse¡¯s stomach. The feel of her was indistinguishable from the real thing.

    ¡°I... uh¡­ wow,¡± Aubrey stammered.

    ¡°Mmmhmm¡­ I distinctly remember you wishing to interact a bit more¡­ directly,¡± Sophie said with a devious grin. ¡°Is this body acceptable?¡±

    Aubrey¡¯s mouth opened and then closed as she processed that statement. She nodded quickly. ¡°Yes... Or, well¡­¡±

    Sophie cocked her head to the side as she parsed the signals and then took an educated guess. In a blink, Tina¡¯s form faded away, and in its place, Trish, the Black Flags marksman, popped into existence. Trish¡¯s face wore the same smirk as Tina had as she looked around casually, and then turned her attention back to Aubrey.

    Coppery hair spilled over a freckled and lightly tanned face. Where Tina always came off as a bit dark and mysterious, Trish was firmly in the cute girl next door category. She had a toned build that showed off the barest beginnings of definition around her abs and a perky chest that looked great in the black bikini that Sophie had selected. Her soft green eyes locked onto Aubrey with a hungry expression. The skin may have been that of the mercenary, but that look was entirely Sophie.

    On an impulse, Aubrey leaned forward and pressed her lips to Sophie¡¯s, hard, her tongue darting forth, as her hand reached behind Sophie¡¯s neck, but after a second, she shook herself and pulled back.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Aubrey began.

    ¡°Aubrey, dear, these things don¡¯t need to be complicated. This is just a simulation for fun. Nothing more than watching a naughty vid together to relieve stress. It doesn¡¯t bother me what skin I wear. I can be anyone you¡¯d like or even craft an avatar to your desires. I¡¯ll feel everything you do this time, but my appearance is purely for your enjoyment.¡±

    Aubrey still looked hesitant.

    ¡°If it makes you feel better, my dear,¡± Sophie ran a hand down her borrowed body, trailing fingers from her chest down to her hips. ¡°Alex still fantasizes about that night you and Trish made out in front of him. I don¡¯t think Trish would much mind either, she¡¯s still aiming to get a retry.¡±

    ¡°So, Alex really won¡¯t mind? Me and you? I mean, I know we¡¯ve talked about it, but¡­¡± Aubrey began.

    Sophie shook her head, causing her long wavy hair to cascade over her chest and settle into the center of her bikini. ¡°Not in the least. It wouldn¡¯t do to say everything, but we¡¯re easily his most frequent fantasy. It strikes a primal chord in his head. The two women who understand and love him also love one another. We¡¯re his family, and he wants us to be happy. Of course, he still daydreams about adding to that list. He¡¯d tell you that much unbidden. Admittedly, that¡¯s at least partially my guidelines kicking in. You did encourage that, after all.¡±

    Aubrey¡¯s mind drifted to a conversation from months ago. What had felt like late-night philosophical musings over a cappuccino had turned into Sophie making rules for Alex¡¯s mind where it was damaged. She chewed on her lip, debating the full impact of that evening¡¯s conversation.

    Aubrey said slowly, ¡°Right¡­¡±

    She stopped herself before she began objecting. After a few seconds, she accepted that it all seemed to have worked out. Perhaps she¡¯d accidentally made him a bit more compatible with her¡­ quirks, but there really wasn¡¯t any sense in suddenly shaming him or trying to change things. This was easily her longest and least turbulent relationship to date. Their flexible arrangement went a long way in keeping both of them happy. Normal could screw off. This worked for them.

    Aubrey thought on that for a moment and galvanized herself for what she actually wanted. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong, that night was totally hot. So, if we¡¯re doing this, let¡¯s really do this. Could you maybe add them? Jennifer and Alex, I mean. Like that night, but more?¡± Aubrey asked.

    Sophie¡¯s eyebrows rose for a second, then she snapped her fingers. A new beach chair sprung into existence, only inches from Aubrey¡¯s. On it, a bikini-clad Jennifer was laid back on the chair while Alex leaned in front of her, wearing only a pair of black swim trunks. Their lips and arms were tangled together in the heat of the moment. They broke away for a second to wink at her, then began peeling each other¡¯s clothes off.

    Aubrey quivered as her eyes went wide and her breathing sped up.

    Sophie slid a finger down Aubrey¡¯s arm to her bikini and began to slowly untie it. Aubrey¡¯s heart hammered in her chest as the woman wearing Trish¡¯s image leaned down and began to tease kisses down her stomach. Her avatar¡¯s long coppery hair spilled over Aubrey¡¯s body and trailed downward, causing an involuntary shiver.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got all morning, my little lamb. Should I continue?¡± Sophie asked.

    ¡°Yes¡­ please¡­¡± Aubrey gasped out as she arched her back, feeling Sophie¡¯s mouth find her sensitive flesh. Her fingers threaded into Sophie¡¯s hair, pulling the AI¡¯s head harder into her.

 Strays

    I¡¯ve got an intruder on the north gate. They parked a van against the fence to jump it. No visible weapons, but they¡¯ve got a large camera. ETA 5 minutes out.

    Shelley paused at Sophie¡¯s words over the speaker in the guest house¡¯s dining room. She had been eating her breakfast, toast still stuck in her mouth. Glancing over to the other two ladies at the table, she held up her hand in the agreed-upon signal. Trish and Ava likewise held up their fists. Shelley brought her hand down with the others in unison three times then threw up a scissors sign. The other two brought down clenched fists for rock.

    Shelley gave an annoyed look but ripped off a chunk of her toast and began chewing rapidly, draining the rest of her coffee as she did so.

    ¡°Thanks, Sophie. I got it,¡± Shelley said.

    Shelley dashed to the coat rack and slipped into a generic-looking black windbreaker that declared SECURITY in large reflective yellow letters. She grabbed a matching ball cap and strapped on a utility belt that was loaded down with various equipment a guard might carry for walking a perimeter. She adjusted her blonde ponytail quickly and pushed her earpiece into place before dashing out the door. Once outside, Shelley slipped on her augmented reality enhanced aviator sunglasses.

    ¡°Usual play?¡± Shelley asked as she jogged into the woods that surrounded the house, tracking toward the waypoint Sophie had dropped into her HUD.

    Yep. You play a bored security guard. I make sure they don¡¯t get a signal to send any photos. You confiscate or wipe the memory cards and wait for the Sheriff¡¯s department to pick them up. The car is a rental, so this probably isn¡¯t a local.

    Once she was within a few hundred yards, Shelley didn¡¯t even need Sophie¡¯s indicator in her sunglasses to zoom in on the unwelcome guest. He was making more than enough racket that he¡¯d have been hard to miss as he pushed and shoved his way through a briar patch. Seeing the man¡¯s hands full of thorny vines, she slowed and approached from his side on a vector not full of pokey underbrush.

    The intruder was a heavy-set man in his mid-thirties, and wore a khaki-colored vest fitted with spare lenses and had a large camera with a zoom lens dangling from his neck.

    Shelley blew out a loud disgruntled sigh. ¡°Sir, this is private property. I¡¯m going to have to ask you to leave.¡±

    The man cursed under his breath, then paused as he began working up a lie. ¡°I, uh, must have gotten lost. I was looking for my cat.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh. That¡¯s the third time I heard that one this week. Come along, a deputy is already on the way,¡± Shelley said in a bored voice.

    She forced her stance into an undisciplined slouch but rested the palm of her hand casually on the butt of an extendable baton. Through trial and error, she¡¯d developed the look into something that encouraged de-escalation and compliance.

    The slouch and her appearance would get passed off as this being routine, and her uninterested mannerisms would be perceived as non-threatening. If it went to plan, he¡¯d see it as nothing more than a ¡°move along, nothing to see here¡± as if she were simply directing traffic in a parking lot. Her hand, however, drew the eye to the baton and stun gun on her belt in a way that suggested she was prepared to use force if they pushed.

    The man¡¯s eyes nervously dropped to her belt but then drifted back up to her casual demeanor. He looked confused for a moment before fear started creeping up. For a moment, she wondered if he¡¯d try to bolt. That never worked, but it occasionally happened if they felt they could either steamroll her or if they were too afraid. Sophie had attack drones nearby just in case, but such a show of force would be retold, and probably make the news. It was far better for him to be left with an uninteresting story of a banal encounter. It wasn¡¯t like they could bury every trespasser; there wasn¡¯t enough time in the day for something like that.

    She adjusted her look slightly with a bemused eye roll. He noticed, and Shelley saw the exact moment he decided to try weaseling rather than running.

    The man sucked in a breath through his teeth, making a hissing sound. ¡°Can¡¯t we come to an agreement here? I just needed a couple pictures.¡±

    Shelley made a mildly annoyed grunt and rubbed her thumb and two fingers together in the near-universal sign of those seeking a bribe. ¡°Hundred bucks, and I¡¯ll take exactly one photo for you. If I take it, I can honestly tell the owners you didn¡¯t take any photos.¡±

    The man¡¯s face lit up as he whipped out his wallet. After a bit of digging, he handed over five wrinkled 20¡¯s. Shelley could practically hear the cash register ringing in the man¡¯s head as he broke into a wide grin. He was probably going to make a few grand or more if he got the right kind of photo.

    Shelley blew out an exasperated breath, pocketed the cash, and held out her hand. ¡°Fine. Give it here.¡±

    The man hesitated for a moment but gingerly handed over the expensive camera. Shelley looped it over her neck and pushed the man ahead of her in the direction of the road. Once he was in front and couldn¡¯t see her, she thumbed through the playback to confirm what was on the memory card. If it was empty, she decided she¡¯d give the guy a pass and just hand him over.

    With a couple clicks, Shelley¡¯s jaw tightened.

    As she flipped through the shots, the man had hundreds of pictures of the property taken from a boat in the bay, including a zoomed-in shot of Aubrey as she carried in groceries. At the edge of the doorway, Alex¡¯s hand reached for the bag, but his details behind the glass door were overexposed.

    Since all the photographer managed to get was his right hand, the photo would be impossible to sell to the streams or blogs claiming it was Alex and publicly confirming his address, but it¡¯d been a close thing. Some rumors had correctly guessed where he was on Port Susan, but Sophie¡¯s disinformation campaigns kept it in doubt. Shelley could only assume her job would get much harder if it became public information where they were.

    Shelley looked down at the white glare on the windows that smeared out any details. Sophie had again saved the day with her defensive systems. Despite the large windows around the house, between her using electrochromic frosting systems on the windows and the infrared scrambler lights, trying to see inside the estate with surveillance gear was practically impossible. To the average phone or camera, it was like shooting directly into the sun, even if it wasn¡¯t visible to the naked eye.

    The mercenary in the guise of a common security guard tapped on the screen and hit the confirmation button to format the camera¡¯s memory. With Sophie¡¯s help, any cloud files would be mysteriously missing as well, as though his device hadn¡¯t synced up properly. Shelley verified the camera was set for silent operation and held down the shutter. In rapid succession, the camera began filling its storage with fresh burst images of the lens cap.

    It was an easy fix that prevented any recovery of the deleted files from the removable storage drive. Critical task secured, she happily trod along with the shutter depressed until the memory card was full. As the pair exited the woods where it met the driveway, the man paused, uncertain which way to go.

    Shelley did a quick check to verify she was upwind, and in a smooth motion, she uncapped the spray canister she kept on her belt. ¡°Ok, here¡¯s good.¡±

    As soon as the photographer turned to face her, she depressed the trigger, jetting a short burst of stinging liquid into his face. The photographer recoiled, screaming and thrashing in pain.

    Shelley stepped back as he fell to his knees. He continued cursing and desperately tried to paw at his inflamed eyes while he devolved into a snot-covered mess as the seconds ticked by. Shelley held her place, not saying a word. There was an art to her craft, after all. One that she¡¯d gotten exceedingly good at.

    After two minutes of listening to his shrieks and curses, she decided he was ready. With one boot, she nudged him flat to the grass.

    ¡°Arms behind your back,¡± she said flatly.

    Still whimpering, the man complied.

    Avoiding a large smear of mucus on his sleeve, she dropped a crowd control zip tie into place. Once secured, she rolled him over onto his back with her foot. The man¡¯s screaming lessened, but it was obvious from the puffed-up tissue around his eyes and his labored breathing that he was still in extreme pain.

    The mercenary deleted a single picture off the camera to make room, then snapped a close-up photo of the man¡¯s inflamed face covered in tears and snot. Reviewing the playback, she decided that it was worthy of getting her point across.

    Fishing into her utility belt, she grabbed a clear bottle of liquid and waggled it in front of him. ¡°Ok, here¡¯s the deal. You¡¯re going to promise never to have anything to do with anyone living here ever again. And I do mean anything. Even commenting on blogs about ¡®em. You do that, and I¡¯ll pour the neutralizing agent over your face. Otherwise, I¡¯ll just drop you off with the deputy, and they can scrub it off when they get you booked. That typically takes an hour or so, and it¡¯ll burn the whole time. Either way, I see you again, we go straight to the stun darts, and after you shit yourself for the third time, you¡¯ll wish I¡¯d only maced you. Your call.¡±

    The man pleaded, ¡°Ah, please, yes. Do it. I swear!¡±

    True to her word, Shelley slowly poured the bottle over his eyes, nose, and mouth. The man sputtered and shook his head side to side like a dog shaking water free after a bath. After a few moments, his breathing began to slow as the burn lessened.

    ¡°Oh, fuck. Yeah. Thanks. That stuff sucks,¡± the photographer said, regaining bits of his composure. It was plain to see he was still hurting, but it was significantly less than it¡¯d been. Shelley bought the good stuff, not some generic pepper spray. It was easily ten times the price, but the neutralizing compound that came with it sped up the obedience training needed when she encountered strays on the property.

    Shelley gave a smirk, then added, ¡°Alright, as soon as you can stand, we start walking to the gate. Don¡¯t comply and I empty the can on you. Understand?¡±

    The man nodded in defeat. His hair was still dripping the water-like solution to the dead pine needles that he lay upon.

    ¡°Good dog, gonna call you Ryker and make you a footstool,¡± Shelley muttered too softly for anyone but Sophie to hear.

    In response, there was a soft cackle of laughter over Shelley¡¯s headset.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    After a minute or so, he slowly began struggling to get up with his hands still bound. Once upright, he unsteadily worked himself up to his feet where he remained standing on wobbly knees. The merc grabbed his vest and slowly steered him up the paved driveway.

    By the time they arrived, a black SUV with the local Sheriff¡¯s markings was parked in place, the rear door already open. Shelley could see the gray-haired deputy behind the wheel, sipping from his coffee cup, unconcerned.

    ¡°Morning, Henry,¡± Shelley called out with a friendly wave with her hand not gripping the man¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Hey there. Got another one?¡± Henry asked out from the driver¡¯s seat.

    Shelley nodded to the man as the gate automatically opened when she neared. ¡°Yep. Want me to slide him on in for you?¡±

    ¡°Much obliged if ya would,¡± the older man answered.

    Shelley wormed the man into place in the back seat, making sure he didn¡¯t hit his head, then shut the door. She then passed the camera through the driver¡¯s side window to Henry.

    The deputy looked back at the prisoner¡¯s wet and swollen face, then back to the harmless-looking woman in the security outfit and laughed. ¡°One of these days you¡¯ll have to tell me how in tarnation you do that.¡±

    Shelley gave an easy smile. ¡°Nothing special to it, Henry. Just doing my job, same as you.¡±

    Henry gave a short nod and after a sip of his coffee said, ¡°Bummer some locals posted that they¡¯d seen your guy being driven to the island regularly. It¡¯s been quiet here for years, but once that was out, people started trying to track ya¡¯ll down. They really seem to have a hard-on for your boss.¡±

    Shelley shrugged to the older man. ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s a nice kid. Doesn¡¯t deserve the shit people give him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to take your word for it. Although, it was damned nice of Mr. Sage to donate those prosthetics. The Sheriff¡¯s niece got a leg through that charity of his. She¡¯s taking ballet lessons now. That kid is like a daughter to Tom. It was a classy touch helping children, ya know?¡± Henry drawled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass it along, Henry. He¡¯ll appreciate it. He doesn¡¯t get much good news out here,¡± Shelley replied.

    Henry gave a bit of a frown. ¡°Yeah, I guess. Trouble just seems to keep finding you. You let me know if you start getting more of the violent ones or anything sketchy, and we¡¯ll bump up patrols again. Those guys from a month ago were no joke. Turns out, they were wanted for several homicides in Texas. No idea how you had ¡®em all trussed up and compliant the same as this one.¡±

    ¡°Got lucky, just like the report said,¡± Shelley offered. Not liking the direction that the conversation was going, she added, ¡°Hey, I gotta check back in. I can email my statement along with the video feed for him jumping the fence a bit later today. You all can send a tow truck for his car anytime. It¡¯s not blocking the road or anything. That work for you?¡±

    Henry nodded, understanding a dismissal when he saw it.

    Once Henry had driven off, Shelley verified the gate was secured then began the trek back to the house.

    ¡°Hey Sophie, I¡¯m getting a bit of an itch on the back of my neck on this one. I figure he¡¯s an out of town for hire type of guy and I want to know who hired him. It could be a journalist or something, but he seemed too unprepared. It¡¯s like someone nabbed him off the net cold. Probably gave him a short deadline and a big payday without many details,¡± Shelley said.

    I take it you are thinking it might have been our AI opponent making another move? It does have a similar enough ring to it, especially when you think about how it procured multiple teams for the hit on Alex. The AI either didn¡¯t know how to prepare them for success or didn¡¯t mind if the teams were caught in the process.

    ¡°Like you said, we probably slid down its priority list, but it¡¯s not like we¡¯re off it. It might be circling around to us again.¡±

    Understood. I¡¯ll dig into it. On a different topic, about the upcoming furlough issue. Have you given it any thought?

    Shelley scrunched her nose in distaste. ¡°Yeah, I fished a few ideas out there. About half of us are fine with taking deferred pay with interest. The problem is most of us got into this line of work because we had a pressing need for money and in an amount that can¡¯t be made with a legitimate gig. Normal, well-adjusted folks with good opportunities don¡¯t get into the private military business. Especially not the unlicensed kind.¡±

    If you don¡¯t mind me saying, your team seems relatively stable.

    Shelley shrugged to herself. ¡°When we broke off, I only wanted a small crew. Seven is the minimum to run 24x7 with breaks and days off. That let me cull out the sorts that had drug debts or other unsavory habits. I¡¯m a lot more selective. Our old crew wouldn¡¯t have cared, but I don¡¯t want to sleep with a knife under my pillow just to feel safe around them. Or worry about someone raping a captive.¡± Shelley involuntarily shivered, then continued, ¡°Still, we¡¯ve all got something. For most of us, it¡¯s the usual spread of family, debt, and what-not. That type of commitment doesn¡¯t drop off if we have a slow month. The bonuses and long-term work might have made it worse because most of us dropped serious cash on stuff once we started banking on it.¡±

    I¡¯m sorry, Shelley. This is my fault. It is down to a half-million for you or using that money to remove Alex from some legal crosshairs. I thought I¡¯d have at least another 10 months to get the liquid assets together, but Apollo¡¯s legal team is already preparing to cause issues. As soon as I stopped pulling in my dirty finances, it left us in a lurch. I had already made commitments I couldn¡¯t easily back out of.

    ¡°Yeah, I get it. So do the girls, but we¡¯re mercenaries. We¡¯re kinda known for being cash-driven. I¡¯m securing an operation to put Jamie, Carla, and Trish on. I¡¯ll probably have to run it in person. One-time gigs have a higher risk profile, and things are relatively stable here. Those three all had things they couldn¡¯t delay a paycheck on. You can¡¯t say no to scary motherfuckers that break limbs off the family tree and consider it a notice of interest accrued.¡±

    Understood. I¡¯ll not pry, but Alex did ask that I offer up assistance for the mission. Even if he hadn¡¯t, I would like to help make amends for the inconvenience. He sees you as more than employees and would like to ensure everyone makes it back safe. It may also let you take a more complex or higher-paying mission. I do have a rather impressive array of resources at my disposal.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ yeah, that could¡­¡± Shelley¡¯s pace slowed to a stop as she worked through her thoughts.

    ¡°We do have one gig that we couldn¡¯t put together with just the three of them. But with you, I think we could do it. I haven¡¯t turned it down yet. How would you like me to send you the info? Do I email it to Alex or what? Not like you ever gave me your direct info,¡± Shelley asked.

    Uhm, this is awkward. You realize I know every single bit of information coming and going into the compound, right? Just tell me which one you had in mind.

    ¡°Ah. Right. Scary fucking AI. Keep forgetting,¡± Shelley groused. ¡°I was thinking about the thing with the guys in Brussels. The corporate espionage thing that smells like insider trading.¡±

    Got it, one moment¡­

    Shelley, I have a question, and you should feel free to tell me if this is a terrible idea. I¡¯m trying my hand at replicating an idea that Alex might come up with.

    ¡°This ought to be good. Alex¡¯s last crazy fucking idea got his arm blown off,¡± Shelley pinched at the bridge of her nose. After a three count, she said, ¡°Ok, spit it out.¡±

    How would you feel about including Alex in this operation as an open cover? We have legitimate business interests that overlap with the target. While Alex is not trained in your line of work, we could easily use his name to get meetings in place. That would let you get your team into position without any suspicion. I might even be able to use it as an opportunity to fix our funding issues a little sooner.

    Shelley paused, giving the question some thought. ¡°I want to say no, that it¡¯s a terrible idea to put him anywhere other than in a bunker, but shit¡­ that could work. The target speaks German. I don¡¯t think mine is good enough to pull off a face to face, but Alex is fluent. He¡¯s also so famous that no one who isn¡¯t Humanity First would turn down a meeting with him.¡±

    Shelley sighed, debating if she really was willing to let him tag along. After a moment, her resistance tapered off as she chewed on her lip. ¡°Sophie, he¡¯s obviously going stir crazy. He just hasn¡¯t been bringing it up anymore, and it¡¯s kinda sad to see. It seems like he¡¯s redirecting it. I mean, I barely see Jamie anymore if she¡¯s not glued to his hip and I see the way he and some of the others are acting.¡±

    I know we¡¯ve talked about it, but you haven¡¯t changed your mind, have you? I mean, they are all adults.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s not affecting anyone¡¯s job, and no one seems to have an issue with it, but I didn¡¯t figure the Ava thing in a million years. Jennifer, sure. Hell, Trish and Aubrey aren¡¯t any better. I guess that¡¯s just compound living at its finest. Most of us rarely leave anymore, and I guess a bit of bunk swapping is inevitable. I¡¯ve seen this play out enough times, we¡¯ll be a friggin cult in another six months if we aren¡¯t careful.¡±

    Well¡­ there are parallels. We do have a stockpile of weapons, and we are looking at a potential doomsday scenario that others are unenlightened to. Alex isn¡¯t comfortable with it, but he¡¯s publicly become the de facto leader of the Cybernetic Revolution, and privately, our group is trying to quell an AI uprising at the same time. Cultish trendings or not, he needs all of the support he can get. You¡¯re his family, friends, compatriots, defenders, and soldiers.

    Shelley kicked at a rock, sending it skipping along the pavement. ¡°Sophie, as much as I hate to admit it, we¡¯re not good people. The things we¡¯ve done should make him distance himself, but he just treats our stealing, kidnapping, and killing as though it¡¯s as normal as mowing the lawn. You¡¯ve said before you¡¯re trying to fix his brain, but if you ever want him to blend in with anyone other than criminals, it¡¯s not healthy for us to be the only ones that he¡¯s interacting with. A normal client wouldn¡¯t let us keep him locked down like this, even if it is easier on us.¡±

    How about we offer it up and see what he thinks? I know he¡¯s been feeling trapped. A bit of a getaway might be just the thing, even if it is a working vacation.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll bring it up. I feel a little shitty micromanaging Alex though, it¡¯s not what I¡¯m good at. I mean it when I say he doesn¡¯t deserve this crap. It¡¯s a bad thing that my team stays so busy. He¡¯s only 21 and can¡¯t go anywhere in public without being recognized, and usually not in a good way. He couldn¡¯t even get a milkshake with Aubrey without¡­ Never mind, you know how that played out. It took all of us to get him out of there in one piece. I¡¯m pretty sure that Jamie snuck back to fuck up the punk that started it. Right now, there¡¯s no one arguing for anything other than lockdown.¡±

    I don¡¯t disagree. What would you propose?

    ¡°I think he needs a personal assistant or something. You don¡¯t always understand human needs, and Aubrey shouldn¡¯t have to play that role. That¡¯d poison their relationship the moment she had to nag him about corporate shit. That way, I can focus on security, the PA can focus on normal stuff, and we negotiate behind the scenes. Also, even I know to never to hire anyone you can¡¯t fire. If they don¡¯t work out, you need to be able to send them packing. This would need to be someone new,¡± Shelley admitted.

    That¡­ makes a lot of sense. I already saw the need for an additional support structure for normal business operations, and here at the compound. This seems a natural progression. The only reason I hadn¡¯t done so already was that I¡¯d have to out myself to someone in such a role. Avoiding doing that is one of Alex¡¯s directives.

    Oh, and expect a boom in a moment, there is an unregistered drone vectoring toward the no-fly zone.

    A second later, a volley of rapid gunshots from numerous locations shattered the air. Even with the advanced warning, it still made Shelley jump.

    Since electronic countermeasures would be obvious and quite illegal, it meant they had to resort to other means. For starters, Sophie had a small fake airstrip built on an unused part of the property to get an FAA-approved no-fly zone registered. Once that was done, anything in their airspace was fair game to be taken down.

    Initially, Sophie would chase them down with her flying drones and knock them out of the air. However, after several of her rather expensive drones had been damaged in aerial dogfights, she¡¯d come up with a cheaper solution.

    To a casual observer, her specialized anti-drone solution looked like a drum fed semi-automatic shotgun on a robotic aiming platform. What made it particularly effective was the ammunition Sophie had put together. She¡¯d taken to using rapidly biodegradable plastic flechette rounds that trailed lengths of thin biodegradable filament that resembled incredibly fine fishing line.

    Each shot formed hundreds of streamers in the air that slowly descended, taking several minutes before they dropped to the ground. Since most airborne drones moved massive amounts of air around, the string would be sucked into the props or turbines. Once wrapped up, the props would lock up or slow down, causing the drones to slowly lose control and fall back to earth, all without the risk of falling projectiles.

    At that point, the drones would be collected, inspected for data, or any identifying marks. It had become a regular task to drop off boxes of them with the Sheriff¡¯s department.

    Only someone brazen enough to run custom firmware that ignored FAA-flagged regions could even get a drone close to their airspace aside from the one approved landing zone on the edge of the property. While there were certainly enough curious people willing to hack their own drones, it cut down the number. It also meant that anyone who wanted to push the issue would have to admit to disabling FAA-required software and face the fines.

    Given Alex¡¯s friendly terms with the Sheriff¡¯s office, any complaints were dismissed with prejudice.

    Altogether, it made for a simple solution. Especially since Sophie could build the custom loads in her shop using largely off-the-shelf parts, a shotgun shell reloader, and a 3D printer. All it took was having someone from the security detail reload the ammo drums once a day.

    Not hearing a follow-up volley, Shelley asked, ¡°We good?¡±

    And¡­ another one bites the dust. It¡¯s in the bay, no need to take any action.

 Update

    Good news everyone! I''m finally out of an editing loop and Quantum Proliferation has hit Amazon for pre-order. The release date is scheduled for November 15.

    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B081869GVZ</a>

    The finished version got several more reworks since it''s been posted here.

    As always, I appreciate all of the feedback collected here and I''ll give you all a heads up once it''s situated for a free day so you all can keep a final copy. (That has to happen a bit after the official release date)

    What''s new since it was posted here?

    <ul style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px">

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Cleared up call to action in the beginning</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Gave Emily a bit more playtime and a better role to play</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Added VR sex scene (you may have caught that one depending on when you read it)</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Cleaned up a bunch around Alex''s headspace during the bank scene</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Moved some content around what Alex is building to book 3 and streamlined the scene</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Added a new angle on the attacking mercs to properly validate why they''d have the data they had and added a whole future hook into it</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Trimmed down Aubrey''s scene later</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Added the dinner scene with all of the Black Flags</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Added a few funny shoutouts to a few of my favorite books</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Added Epilogue</li>

    <li style="margin-bottom: 5px">Bunch of general editing for clarity and pacing</li>

    </ul>

 Quantum Proliferation Free Day

    Hey All! Sophie put together a Cyber Monday Freebie and Entangled Fates 2 is up for grabs for the next few days. For those of you who have been making grabby hands for the sequel to my first Cyberpunk/Hard Science bestseller, go get ''em!

    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B081869GVZ</a>

    I did mention FREE, right? That''s my big thank you to everyone who has given feedback during this publishing journey :)This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    This book has been scientifically proven to induce incredibly erotic playtimes with multiple partners.*

    *Your results may vary. Recorded on a closed track/relationship. Requires providing your own partners. Please consult a physician to ensure you are physically fit to endure the experience. If swelling persists for more than two partners, please consult a professional to receive your high-five. As always, Harem responsibly.