Phoenix Phire

"Still worried about the list?" Dex pushed back the chair to its fully reclined position, thankful to have enough legroom to stretch his legs.

Darsi spent the first half of the three flight trip staring out the window into the clouds. She hadn't said more than three or four words at a time, thankful that her partner knew when to leave her alone. "I contacted a few of my friends before we left, just to let them know that we may require their services."

"May I get you something to drink?" A flight attendant interrupted their conversation with a polite smile; when both of them shook their heads, she moved to the passengers behind them.

Instead of the commercial variety that most people used, the jet they were traveling in was a charter jet. It had twin engines and could seat up to twenty-five passengers; VR jumpers and a bar near the plane's rear were among the amenities.

Dex checked to make sure the attendant was gone before inquiring further. "What sort of friends?"

"The kind that lends you a hand when the shit hits the fan. Our Yuli job is straightforward, but this whole business with Gladis gives me a bad feeling." The blond squeezed his hand, suddenly realizing that she'd been holding it for the past few hours.

[0900 Local time, Geneva, Switzerland]

After arriving at noon on the day before, Darsi and Dex checked into the Hotel Spriztier before strolling casually through the Charmilles-Châtelaine-Servette district, near the H & F Bank. The streets were crowded with locals and tourists, seemingly unconcerned with the constant jostling and bumping associated with dense foot traffic.

Slipping on his glasses, Dex followed his partner into the front door of the H & F building.

[Gadget: We are in position and ready to back you up. Mongoose will handle everything in the appointment office while I mirror your positions.]

[Mongoose: Let's hope those glasses of yours don't trip security.]

Darsi glanced at her partner. He appeared to be wearing wire-framed glasses, a bit stylish but with no electronic parts. "Looking sharp, Dex. Let's try and sell our product." She spoke to quiet any further speaking, well aware that they were already being monitored.

Dex waved her ahead, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, a gesture that turned on its ultrasonic pulse emission.

[Gadget: Dextron turned on the device, I am not reading anything yet. "Data feed is inactive... Is your shit broken?"]

Two offices away, Mongoose found their destination, a corner office with two mean seated behind an oversized desk. The older man was using a leather office chair while the younger perched on the room's open window ledge.

[Mongoose: This room has an active scanner running.]

Dex didn't comment; he followed a step behind his partner while she talked casually with the secretary escorting them. Ultrasonics wouldn't come up on an electronic scan because they registered as soundwaves when dialed down to the lowest level. Any active sensors would ignore it as standard ambient noise.

[Gadget: Nevermind! Everything is coming through at once, scrubbing our current building schematic to reflect new data.]

Darsi couldn't see Gadget mirroring their movements, but he would follow them until he reached Mongoose according to their plan.

Dex caught up to his partner with a long stride. "We should hurry; our second appointment is right after this one."

Darsi nodded in reply. This was Dex's reminder that his glasses would go dead in 10 minutes. Until then, it would burst ultrasonic echoes that would map object movements in real-time, the drawback with its one-meter range.

[Gadget: We're at the door, you're up Mongoose.]

Mongoose hovered upside-side within view of the desk's HUD. His priority was the access card and the day's code.

"Mr. Heltier, may I present Will Tyler and his associate, Gina Nixon." The middle-aged secretary gestured toward Darsi and Dex.

The older man stood up from behind the desk and moved around it before extending his hand. "Call me Jacob. This is my nephew Edward."

The man on the window ledge didn't stand up but offered the two guests a polite nod.

Dex removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes with the back of the same hand before sitting them on the corner of the desk.

"Edward Heltier? I'm an admirer of your work." Darsi's pretty face wore a wide smile.

The younger man, referred to as Ed, decided to stand. "My work?"

Darsi nodded before continuing. "Your dissertation regarding Electronic Banking and a common world currency."

[Mongoose: That bullshit? He wants to create a 'World Dollar. Don't these idiots remember the Euro?]

Ed returned her smile, a flicker of interest igniting in his dark brown eyes. "Thank you, Miss Nixon."

Darsi accepted his handshake. "Just call me Gina."

Mongoose watched as the meeting started. Darsi did most of the talking while Dex answered technical questions regarding Armageddon. When Ed produced his security access card, the Bottom Feeder immediately cloned it.

[Mongoose: Candy from a baby. God the card and today's access code. Time to swap places, Gadget!]

Gadget moved away from the data port he had chosen for access and headed toward the office where Darsi and Dex were. He spotted Mongoose floating through the wall, utterly invisible to the dozens of people in the lobby.

[Gadget: Use the port I marked. I'll notify you the moment he pulls the card.]

A few minutes later, Ed Heltier was explaining how they would test Armageddon's viability. First, Heltier would use a mock-up of their system to test whether or not Armageddon could meet their needs. The hackers employed by H & F would then bombard the virtual bank while tech experts monitored the security software's performance. The test would probably last a week or two.

[Gadget: He's reaching for the card... It's pulled!]

In the next room, Mongoose accessed the data port using the cloned card. Immediately he began seeding the path for Armageddon.

[Mongoose: Downloading, sixty seconds, and we're gone.]

****************

A few hours later, Darsi stepped out of the bathroom. She wore the hotel's white bathrobe and held a black brush in one hand. The two of them were to stay in Geneva until the test ended. Dex was seated on a sinfully soft couch, trying to look casual. His partner had only booked them one room.

"Hey, Dex... Want to meet some friends of mine?"

Dex was barely able to nod before his HUD dinged with a membership to Vasai Virtual. "You set this up for me?"

Darsi nodded. "Let me get changed, and we'll use the room's jumpers."

A short while later, Dex accepted an invite to a private retreat in Vasai Virtual. The two of them appeared on a three-tiered deck, leading them to a rustic-looking lake home. "This is nice! Where we at?"

"Michigan's Upper Pennisula." Darsi pulled him toward a set of sliding glass doors; the sounds of yelling and laughter rose significantly when she opened the door.

"Darsi is here!" Nix spotted the Inferno Sniper and quickly set down his shot glass. Since the last Haven Fair, which none of the Inferno members would dare miss, he hadn't seen much of her.

Darsi accepted a warm hug from the Inferno Leader, noting over his shoulder that both Pon, Semmi, and Hara were also present. From the looks of things, it was turning into a party. "Dex! These four are part of my Inferno family. From left to right, we have Nix, Pon, Hara, and Semmi."

Dex smiled and shook the hand of a very familiar man. He had short blond hair, blue eyes and wore a white tank-top that said 'Prey Waits.' "Nice to meet you."

The redhead hugged Darsi, favoring her with a smile. "Is this your plus one?"

Dex shook hands with a slightly inebriated Texan before Semmi wrapped him up in a hug. He stole a glance at Darsi, her usually serious demeanor completely faded in the presence of this group. "Nix, Semmi, and Pon? Inferno family? Wait a second! You guys are the actual NPCs?"

Darsi nodded and threw an arm around the shoulder of the stunningly attractive redhead. "In the single-player version you played, this wonderful lady would be Shae."

Dex pursed his lips slightly, trying to recall the names. "I met someone named Hyai and maybe a few others..."

Two hours later, the party was still moving, albeit somewhat slowly and with a bit of slurred speech. Dex and Nix shared notes on his virtual daughter Sigh, who was much younger in the multi-player version of Colonial.

Nix pointed a finger at Dex, pausing long enough to toss down a whiskey shooter. "Tembai Academy... I should have burned that place to the ground."

Pon twisted the cap off another bottle of Virtual Jack. "You did!"

Nix dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. "It was only a few buildings; that doesn't really count."

Pon shrugged slightly and peeked over his shoulder before lowering his voice. "You coming to the wedding?"

"Wedding?" Dex glanced at the trio of women; they'd taken their conversation outside to the deck. "I don't know anything about that."

Pon cackled loudly before leaning closer. "My boy Nix is getting married! I'm the best man!"

Dex found himself returning the man's wide grin. Pon's Texas accent became more pronounced as the drinking commenced; so did his volume. "Doesn't he already have a half dozen wives?"

Pon nodded sagely. "Right? Talk some sense into him! This one isn't a virtual wedding; Nix and Hara are tying the knot."

Nix didn't comment other than to nod in agreement.

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