Phoenix Phire

Dex didn't wave at the Russian guard when he exited the elevator, but Darsi did. She followed her partner into the parking warehouse and waited while he started up his Vulcan. Then, without speaking, he motioned for her to get on the back.

"Dex?" Darsi leaned in front of him until he was forced to look at her. "What's going on?"

"Time to ride." Dex shook his head, refusing to say anything further.

After a few seconds, she slung a leg over the bike and leaned against his back. "Let's ride then."

The Vulcan left the warehouse, but instead of heading to the main road, it headed toward one of the biking trails that the other members of the Hive sometimes used. This particular trail was called Truman's End, which led oddly enough to Lake Truman.

If you didn't know the Lake existed, then you'd probably miss it since it was obstructed by the dense conifers that sprouted up in the fertile soil of the valley.

Dex tapped the break once and then fishtailed around a hairpin turn that caused Darsi to grip him tighter. He glanced over his shoulder to apologize but didn't bother when he noticed her wide grin.

A few minutes later, they arrived on the sandy bank of Lake Truman. Dex shut the bike off and waited until she got off before he put down the kickstand and dismounted.

Darsi waited patiently; her partner obviously had something to get off his chest. Then, unexpectedly, instead of speaking, he unzipped his jacket and tossed it on the ground.

"Hmm... Dex?" Darsi was going to speak further but stopped when her partner removed his shirt next.

Next came his boots and pants; when he finally arrived at his boxers, Darsi was sure the show was over.

"Damn, Dex." Darsi was speechless as Dex got rid of his undergarments and walked buck-naked into the cool water of Lake Truman.

He walked until the water was waist-deep and then submerged himself fully.

"The fuck do I do now?" Darsi understood her partner reasonably well; his natural awkwardness was something she liked about him. "It's only skin..."

Since he politely remained with his back to the shore, she undressed quickly and joined him. By the time she waded in, Dex had already moved into the deeper water. Since he was quite tall, it meant that Darsi could maintain a sense of modesty.

He turned to face her when she moved near, holding a finger to his lips to silence any speaking before displaying his thumb.

Darsi frowned at the thumb ring; it was something Dex used to test his other devices. Her partner never said who built it, but it could weed out even the most minute electronic signatures. He was looking for something.

Darsi nodded and moved closer, watching with interest as his hand moved toward her head. Immediately the ring chirped, causing her to jump slightly.

Within a minute, he removed one of her earrings and a hairclip. Then, Dex sent them flying into the depths of the Lake with a flick of his finger.

"Clear?" Darsi wanted to cuss. She wanted to scream, rage, and kick ass. Someone had got to her and then used her for information.

"Maybe." Dex ran his fingers through her hair; a recent tech used tiny nanite particles to create rudimentary electronic components, but they became worthless when exposed to water. "Dip, please."

Darsi nodded and submerged herself long enough to cool down. She slicked back her blond hair and forward until her breasts pushed against his chest. "Good?"

For once, Dex didn't look awkward. "Think so."

Without speaking further, she leaned forward until their lips touched. "Sometimes, you're cool as fuck Dex."

An hour later, Dex was getting dressed next to his bike. He should have felt cold after spending so much time in the water, but he didn't.

On the drive back, Darsi felt her excellent mood slowly starting to sour as she remembered the bugs found on her. She waited while he parked the bike, and the two of them walked hand in hand to the elevator.

Darsi brought up her HUD and contacted all of the Bottom Feeders at once. Before they could speak, she muted them and said, "Elliot Ness."

"See ya soon." Dex held the elevator door when she exited before the lowest level.

Darsi finally found a semblance of a smile and offered it to him. "I won't be long."

Unexpectedly, she found that the round door leading to her objective was unlocked. "Hackers are so stupid." Darsi entered the room, quickly scanning for the personal jumper. Had she entered the room virtually, there would probably have been all kinds of safeguards in place.

Her objective was an older model pod mounted on a short length of wall between the dining and living room. She pulled an electronic cutting tool from her belt and swung open the jumper's hatch.

"You've got this coming!" Darsi flicked on the tool and slashed through the cables leading to the pod's neural net. At the same time, she grabbed the rider's collar and slammed her knee into the jumper's abdomen.

The hacker was face down on the floor within seconds with both arms and legs securely zip-tied. Darsi pulled a black hood over her target's head and then stepped away to activate her hud. She grinned at Dex's face when it popped up in front of her. He was already in V-Earth. "The cats in the bag."

"Damn, you're fast. Give me two minutes." Dex closed the comm with a wave of his hand, leaving Darsi staring into space.

Darsi nodded to herself before glancing down at the struggling hacker. "You fucked up..." She glanced over her shoulder at the entrance before kicking out with her foot. "Mind if I vent a bit?"

Meanwhile, Dex was standing on the navigation platform, scanning the data logs of Armageddon. Not only was it installed to operate as the Hive's security software, but he spent hours integrating it into Syntax's v-Earth.

"I knew you would understand, Dextron. You are extraordinarily perceptive." Syntax appeared next to him on the platform; once again, its form had changed slightly. Her body seemed slim and graceful; there was a hint of feminine curves.

"Is that a new Avatar?" Dex nodded in approval. "Looks good."

The swirling code that acted as Syntax's skin still marked her as alien, but the form was sleek and clearly defined.

"This is a combination of Thumper, Quicksilver, and Stiletto," Syntax's digital voice still hadn't grasped the nuances of expression and emphasis.

Dex didn't comment. Those three were all female. Was Syntax defining a gender for itself? "I count 17 unauthorized incursions as well as four separate data packets sent to an outside source."

Syntax nodded awkwardly as if it was the first time it had tried non-verbal communication. "Yes. I have been able to keep my presence hidden so far."

Dex frowned and brought up the data packets that Syntax cloned. Immediately, his expression became grim. "Our spy suspects we are hiding an Advanced Virtual Intelligence. I assume you stopped this from going through."

"No, it went through, but not until I altered the content to reflect that nothing has been found. The coded message indicated that a digital response would verify both the sending and receiving of this packet."

"Impressive work." Dex doubted if anything other than Syntax could have accomplished it. It had decrypted the packets, altered them, and then forwarded everything in time to receive a digital receipt. "Who received the reports?"

"Titan CE."

Dex didn't know the company details, but he had heard of the name. "Any relation to the Gladis Corporation?"

"No. They specialize in robotics and cybernetics."

"We need more information." Dex released the lock he placed on v-Earth; a moment later, Thumper, Gadget, Mongoose, and Stiletto joined him on the platform.

Gadget noticed Sytax's presence right away. Despite several inquires by the Bottom Feeders, it hasn't shown its presence in a few days. The 'Elliot Ness' term meant that Hive secrets were being threatened; when Darsi gave them the green light, they had cut off all access to the outside. "What's going on, Dex?"

Dex brought up his hud and played the rotating kaleidoscope image that Syntax had sent him while in the guise of Enigma. "Syntax sent me this as a warning while I was in Geneva."

Stiletto leaned closer, her duo-colored eyes focusing on the changing image. "It's a kaleidoscope? Like the one I had when I was a kid?"

Dex nodded. "Anything come to mind when you stare at it?"

One by one, the Bottom Feeders shook their heads until only Stiletto remained.

"I suppose..." Stiletto pursed her lips and tilted her head. "An exploding star?"

Dex smiled encouragement and nodded his head. "Which is?"

"A super-nova," Gadget stated. "Shit... Nova?"

Dex nodded, his expression turning sour. "Darsi is holding her on the fifth level."

Thumper frowned at the statement. "If Darsi is watching her, we need to get over there now."

Stiletto nodded in agreement. "Darsi is a bit more hands-on than the rest of us. And.... she doesn't really like Nova."

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