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Alex smiled as he worked. As much as having Tristan love him was a dream come true, knowing he was still his monster sooth him. He had changed in some ways, but not in the ways that mattered. Jacoby didn't appreciate what that meant, but it wasn't like he mattered.

He looked over the code, listened to it, something was off. He knew how internal systems sounded, and this one was missing something.

"We have a problem," he said, once he worked out what it was. He wasn't worried about it. Problems just meant the plan had to be adjusted. He felt Tristan behind him looking over his shoulder.

"What am I looking at?" Tristan placed a hand on his shoulder and Alex flinched. The hand vanished and returned a moment later to rest in place.

Alex hated himself for his reaction. He wanted to turn and apologize, but he had a question to answer. "You won't see it here. It's in the depth of the code, in its voice."

"Voice?" Jacoby asked.

Alex glared at him for interrupting. "Yes, voice. Systems have voices. Read up on it." He settled down. "Corporate systems are spread over every part of the corporation, universe-wide. It gives the code a depth that you can't see on the screen."

"Does it make the voice richer?" Tristan asked, "Or just gives it an echo?"

Alex considered the question, trying to work out how he knew. "An echo, but it isn't perceptible. It's more of a subconscious thing. I had to search through the code to work out what felt wrong about it. The corporation on Samalia is isolated from everywhere else."

"Cut from the net?"

"No, and it isn't cut from the rest of the corporation, just not in constant contact with it. They set up a dedicated communication network and only activate twice a day to do a data exchange."

"That doesn't feel efficient."

Alex nodded. "It isn't, but it gives them a layer of protection against coercionists, or from SpaceGov finding out what they're going here."

"Okay, so what does that mean for the job?" Jacoby asked.

"It means that any coercion I do happens only here."

"Can't you do your thing to establish communication with the rest?"

Alex indicated the card he'd slotted in. "That needs to be inserted into the communication array for the exchange to happen."

"So the job's a bust, then. We go--"

"No! I am not letting them get away with this. If I have to go to each and every office I am going to dismantle them."

Tristan squeezed his shoulder. Not hard, just a reminder he wasn't alone in this. "What is needed to open the communication?"

"Go to the array." With a few keystrokes he brought up a map. "Eighty-fourth floor. The Chief enters the card here, as well as her personal password, a technician goes there," he indicated the opposite side of the large room, "and opens the communication. He has five seconds from the moment the Chief does her thing to have inputted the entire command."

"So a two-person job."

"Yeah, and they both need to remain in place, the tech to make sure no malicious code slips in, her to continue acknowledging her presence the moment she stops, everything shuts down."

"Doesn't that mean there's going to be someone on the other end of the comm checking things?"

"We're going to be establishing the link out of schedule," Tristan said. "There won't be expecting it."

"Doesn't that mean you can't establish the link?"

"It's unrealistic for them to only communicate on the set schedule. If there's an emergency, the system needs to be updated. Most likely it's a one-way system to keep this planet from being investigated. As Alex said, they don't want SpaceGov to know what they're doing."

"And even if there's someone watching, they won't see what I did. I'm not going to put in malicious programs. I'm going to turn this system to my side and let it do the work."

Tristan leaned in and moved the code, reading it quickly. "You can take convince the security system to ignore us from here, can you do your thing to the AI?"

"Not from here. Not if I want it to be permanent."

"So you can't do it from the array terminal either."

"No. Something this deep, I have to do it from the heart of the database. Where the AI resides. I'm looking to do something permanent, something that if it isn't caught before the link is made, will be unstoppable. I'm going to turn the corporation AI against itself."

Tristan brought up the map to both floors. With more keystroke overlaid routes. Alex studied them.

"Patrols?"

"Yes. The Database stack isn't too bad. There's one guard at the entrance, we can put Jacoby in their place, inside there are only technicians. We can deal with--"

"What do you mean? Put me in the guard's place?"

"We can't leave the door unguarded," Alex said, trying, and failing to keep his annoyance from his voice. "It's going to attract attention."

"Look, I'm not getting sidelined again. I'm part of this job. It's bad enough you had me sit in the ship while you rescued Tech, I'm not sitting this job out."

Alex opened his mouth to correct The name, but Tristan squeezed his shoulder.

"Jacoby," Tristan said. "This isn't sidelining you. Maintaining the illusion that everything is fine is probably the most important part of this job. It's only the three of us, if the security forces become aware of us, we don't stand a chance."

Jacoby looked dubious

"I'd take the guard's place, if I could, but I haven't seen any Samalians in a guard's uniform. Alex can't do it since he needs to do the coercing, that leaves you. Without you, we probably can't do this job."

Alex watched as Jacoby went from angry, to unconvinced, to nodding his head in agreement. It never ceased to amaze him the ease with which Tristan could convince someone to do something, anything, even when that was standing around not doing anything.

He also realized that this could be a problem because now all he wanted to do was shove Tristan against the wall and kiss him. Instead he focused on the computer. He left the map up, but began convincing it that the three of them weren't worth paying attention too.

* * * * *

Alex watched his datapad's screen while Jacoby changed in the security guard's armor. Finding one his size had been easy, convincing him to follow Alex in the stairwell easier, having the security system ignore them while Tristan snapped the man's neck easiest of all. Jacoby had looked unsettled at the ease Tristan had done it, but he hadn't balked.

"I'm good," Jacoby said, adjusting the vest.

"Remember, once me and Tristan leave you to go inside the mainframe room, you're going to be visible to the system, so don't go anywhere. If anyone happens to look at the feed and you're not there, we're going to have to fight our way out."

"I know. I'm not a rookie. I know my job and I'm going to do it. You do yours so we can get out of here."

Alex didn't comment. He didn't trust Jacoby. He was too set on leaving. He wouldn't be surprised the man would do something to cause them to have to leave sooner. He glanced at Tristan who was watching Jacoby. Whatever he was thinking wasn't showing, and that comforted Alex more than if he'd confirmed his worry.

"Well?" Jacoby asked.

"Waiting for a gap in the traffic. The system might not see Tristan, but everyone else does, and there's nothing we can say to justify his presence on this floor." The feeds on his datapad showed him the route from the stairwell to the mainframe door as well as the hallway beyond it. When they were all empty of people, he opened the door.

They hurried, Jacoby taking the lead. When the guard came into sight, she didn't react, looking at the wall ahead like a good little soldier. Jacoby called to her, picking up his pace. When she turned he waved. Her gaze went from him to Tristan, and she reached for her gun as surprise registered, but Jacoby was already close enough to punch her, and she went down.

Jacoby took her place as Alex told the door to open. Tristan threw the woman over his shoulder and they went in. Once the door was closed, Alex opened his mouth, but Tristan shook his head. He angled Alex's datapad to look at it and motioned for them to move. Once they made a turn, he indicated a door and Alex opened it.

It was a large storage closet with shelves of computer parts.

Tristan dropped the woman and broke her neck. "That door isn't made to block sound. Now isn't the time to throw in Jacoby's face the stupidity of leaving a guard alive."

"You say that like it might be worth educating him."

Tristan smiled, his ears canting to the side. The sight was sweet and slightly unnerving.

"Let's see if he survives this job first. Then, who knows? Ready?"

"Not quite." Alex Pulled Tristan to him and kissed him.

"Alex," Tristan said, his breathing heavier. "We're working."

"I know," Alex whispered, "but if I don't do this now, I might just lose control when we're busy and--"

"Alex," this time the tone was harsher.

"I'm joking. I swear, but I want to let you know I'm not afraid of you. That flinch, it wasn't because of--"

Tristan placed a finger on Alex's lips. "I know. I told you. I don't expect you to forget what I did to you, in time you'll learn to trust my touch. Now, we have a job to do."

"I'm good, but before we go, I want you to know that watching you twist Jacoby around like that was probably the hottest thing I've seen you do short of that massacre on Aleron."

Tristan smiled at him. "Good to know." He opened the door. "The feed in here?"

"All controlled, the program is creating a normal day."

"Good, then let's go remove obstructions so you can work in peace."

* * * * *

Alex grinned broadly as he stepped over the body to reach the terminal. It hadn't been much of a fight, but it had felt good to fight with Tristan as his side. To watch the efficiency with which he dispatched people. Barely anyone had had time to raise their voices before the fifteen of them were dead.

"Okay," he told the system as he began typing, "Talk to me. And please, do me a favor and resist as hard as you can. I want to hear you scream."

* * * * *

Alex placed a hand on each side of the keyboard and caught his breath, his face hurt from the grin he was still wearing. It had fought as hard as he'd hoped, but it hadn't helped. He'd twisted it to his will, just like Tristan had done to Jacoby.

He took a breath and smiled at Tristan. "It's done. Just need to remove any traces I've been there and we can--"

Tristan took his hand to keep him from getting back to typing. "There's something I need you to do before you exit."

"Okay, what?"

"I need you to erase them from the mainframe."

"Them?"

"The townsfolk. The town itself."

"It's destroyed, there isn't anything to remove."

"I want... Alex, I need you to erase any records of there having been a town there."

Alex turned in his seat to study Tristan's face. "Why?"

"Because even with what you're doing, there's a chance the corporation will rebuild, or that another one will come back and recover enough data to pick up where they left."

"And?" Alex pushed the chair away from Tristan, not liking where this was going.

"It can't happen again. They won't survive another attack without us there to protect them."

"Is that what you were talking about with them? Before we left? Did they hired you to do this?"

Tristan shook his head.

Alex was on his feet. "Are you telling me you care about them?"

"Alex."

"They don't matter, they aren't--"

"Alex, please. I can't explain it. I thought that telling them to disperse in the forest would be enough, that it would assuage what I felt, this gratitude for having taken us in, but when you talked about taking down the corporation, I could see what would happen to them if they still existed. The House is still standing, they are going to come back to it. They can't help themselves."

Alex wanted to scream. He wanted to run away. What he did was step closer to his monster. He took his hands in his. "Tristan, explain this to me. It doesn't make sense. You don't care about people."

Tristan smiled. "I care about you." He squeezed Alex's hands. "But it doesn't stop there. I can't just let one set of feeling loose and not the others. I don't expect I'm going to start crying when I see a sunrise, but if I want to continue caring about you, I have to allow the rest through as well.

"So you care about them."

"Enough that I don't want them to die."

Alex nodded. "Why didn't you tell me that was part of the plan?"

"You were freaking out when I smiled at you. I didn't think you'd be able to handle this."

"And afterward?"

"I was afraid. You backed away from me. I was afraid that you wouldn't come back. I wanted to enjoy us as long as I could if I was going to lose you."

Alex tightened his hands on Tristan's "You are not losing me. Ever." He pulled the chair back and sat. "How are we doing for time?"

"It's three hours before shift change."

"This will only be a few minutes." He began typing.

* * * * *

"There." Alex stood and stretched. "There's nothing left about them. I've erased every record, every plan. I even redistributed the planned revenue to other projects. If anything survives what's coming, they'll be able to work out something was done, but not what."

Tristan took his head in his hands and kissed me. "Thank you. Thank you for understanding."

Alex smiled. "I have you. I can share you with a town."

Tristan nodded and headed back. "How long will this be hidden?"

"The program is going to keep running as long as there's a system to support it. It's only going to start eating itself once we've established the link. Wouldn't do for it to be half gone when its job is to take everything down with it."

"So the only concern is the coming shift change. We'll be gone by then." Tristan paused. "Alex, I--I don't think I'm going with Jacoby."

"I expected as much. That place isn't secure anymore."

"That isn't what I mean." He lowered his voice and sounded unsure as he continued. "I think I am going to stay here. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I need to take some time and figure out what this place, what Samalia, means to me. I know it isn't what you expected but--"

Alex stopped and grabbed Tristan's arms. "We stay. It's that simple. I don't need to go anywhere. All I want is for us to be together. Here is as fine as anywhere else." He watched Tristan's eyes as relief filled them

"Thank you." Tristan smiled. "You're too good to me."

"You mean everything to me."

Alex turned and headed for the door, holding Tristan's hand. He was happy. He had everything ever wanted. His monster cared for him. He didn't have to worry about being apart ever again.

On the third step, the door opened, and Jacoby stormed toward them, livid. "You bastard!" The punch caught Alex by surprise, sending him reeling against the wall, holding his jaw. "Stay here? You fucking bastard! The deal was we go home!"

Alex had a knife in his hand before Jacoby could swing again. He blocked with his other and slashed at the man. The knife cut the fabric, but not the armor Jacoby wore. Jacoby was screaming, but Alex didn't hear. He didn't care what he said, what he was bitching about this time. All he cared about was that he would get between him and Tristan. Alex wouldn't stand for that.

He punched and slashed, forcing Jacoby back, giving himself more maneuvering space. His knife couldn't get through the armor, but Jacoby didn't wear it everywhere. All he had to do was bide his time, force the man to leave himself open. It came faster than he'd expected, Jacoby reached back, readying himself for another swing, but this time leaving his neck open.

Alex struck, only to find his hand caught in a furry hand.

"Alex, stop."