Shadowfox Null 10
#10 of Shadowfox
SHadowfox Null 10
10 Shadowfox -- Null
"Felicia's address book is on the cloud." Technofox's glasses glowed in the reflection of the screen; her voice was detached. "I'm looking at it now."
"Is that legal?" Firefox stepped around behind her.
"No. Any objections?" Technofox didn't look up.
"Of course not. Just wondering if I can share the fruit." Firefox was going to be talking to law enforcement in the near future, and she needed stuff she could share. She was already probably going over arguments and counter-arguments in her own head.
Technofox nodded. "Silver, your entry in Felicia's address book has an email string I don't recognize. Did you give Felicia a special email address without telling me?"
"No," Silverfox shook her head. "Of course not."
Technofox grimaced. "That's it, then. Someone hacked her address book and added this email to your contact. That way, when they sent her email, her software matched it to you. When she hit reply, of course the message was sent back to the same address." The little fox looked thoughtful. "That might be why Little Felicia's emails didn't get to you either. They might ... yes, Little Felicia and Tall Felicia synced their contact info."
Shadowfox was looking at the emails "Silverfox" had sent Little Felicia. They had done a poor job of emulating Silverfox -- this "Silverfox" was evasive, promising answers and forgetting to respond, and finally promising a call on Saturday. The real Silverfox was so direct she verged on the psychopathic.
But for all her own criticism of technique, Shadowfox couldn't deny one important fact: the phony Silverfox had bought five days for the bad guys. Shadowfox had the sick feeling that was all they needed.
Fine, but how to turn that into an action?
"Little Felicia needs to keep this conversation going," Shadowfox said. "We don't want them to know we know."
"Agreed." Firefox patted Tech's shoulder, and the little fox added a line to a list.
Silverfox nodded, looking sick. "Why didn't Felicia call me?"
"Why should she call you?" Technofox looked up, puzzled.
Silverfox was about to snap out an answer and she shook her head in disgust. Tech was right. If there was nothing in the emails that raised Tall Felicia's suspicion, the tiger wouldn't bother to call by voice.
Technofox looked at the screen again. "Your direct line ends with three-seven, right?"
"Right."
"Then the phone number's been changed too." The edge of Technofox's mouth twitched, just a bit, as though in homage to a professional job. "It's a shame Little Felicia didn't call you. Voice is hard to fake in real time."
"Who does Tall Felicia have listed as emergency contacts?" Firefox asked.
"Little Felicia, Felicia Who Smells Like Apples, and some guy named Duncan Stratford. Work address in Boston, no home address. Job title is 'Shyster.' No love there. Silver, you ever hear of this guy?"
Silverfox looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Duncan Stratford. ...No," she said finally.
Firefox scratched her chin. "If she were seriously pissed off at him, she'd never make him an emergency contact."
"That's likely," Shadowfox agreed. That was the problem with over-analyzing things. A casual joke in an address book turned into something ominous when the owner was kidnapped.
"We already know her address book was hacked," Technofox observed. "This might be faked."
"Faked," Shadowfox raised her eyebrow. "With a job title of 'Shyster.'"
"Maybe it's brilliant?" Technofox suggested.
"Oh. Maybe..."
Firefox's ears twitched. "Did anyone ever chat with Felicia about legal stuff? Anyone know her lawyer's name?"
"A bit," Shadowfox raised her finger. "Mostly about her work as a dominatrix. But she never mentioned having a lawyer. We were in a group though, and maybe she felt that would be showing off." Felicia had inherited a two-bedroom condo in Boston and she had some rich clients. She wasn't independently wealthy but she was doing well.
"She's a legal human, right?" Silverfox asked urgently.
"I've checked the registry," Technofox tapped her monitor. "Tall Felicia's a legally human self-owning citizen of Massachusetts. But if they took her here..."
"Yes, Florida's a slave state," Firefox said. "But she's still her own owner. You can't just drag a chimera into a slave state, say she's yours, and have it stick."
"There's a lien on her," Technofox added. "Filed in Virginia, and Duncan's the secured party."
A chimera who owned their own title might lose it if they went bust in a big way and their assets went to a jurisdiction where they weren't legally human. It was a common practice to sign a lien on themselves to someone they trusted; then title would go to them. Usually, the secured party in such an arrangement was a human who helped out a chimera whenever needed. They were called proxies, and were typically close friends or lawyers.
"Then we need to get in touch with Duncan," Firefox said.
"This UCC filing was only made last week. So it could be forged," Technofox finished, unnecessarily.
"Oh, great," Firefox grumbled. If Tall Felicia trusted Duncan enough to make him a proxy, he needed to be brought on board. Felicia might have confided in him, told him about clients that worried her, or things in her background that made her a target. If he were an imposter inserted by the kidnappers, he could send the investigation down one cul-de-sac after another.
"There's a lien, which has no legal force unless Tall Felicia files for bankruptcy," Firefox said. "She hasn't, which means the FBI has to consider her a citizen of Massachusetts. Wasn't Little Felicia going to report this?"
"Yes," Technofox nodded. "She's spoken with Boston police, and she's going to see a detective in the morning."
"In the morning?" Firefox echoed suspiciously. "Sounds like the cops don't take it seriously."
"They probably don't," Technofox said, frowning. "Missing sex worker. I'd guess it's a cool-down period. They're hoping Little Felicia's going to back out. They probably think Tall Felicia's running because of some bad debt."
"Nitwits," Silverfox muttered.
"We don't know how persuasive Little Felicia was," Technofox reminded them.
"Is that possible?" Silverfox asked. "That maybe she's just on the run? Maybe she's involved in something we don't know about?" Her voice was hopeful. On the run was better than kidnapped.
Shadowfox shook her head. "Silver, she'd go to you if she were in trouble."
"Yeah," Silverfox admitted.
"Did you know Felicia had a prostitution license?" Technofox asked.
"Just to cover herself legally. She didn't go all the way with her clients. Not that the cops are going to buy that." Shadowfox wished Felicia's nursing certificate was active. "Kidnapped nurse" was more likely to get a reaction from the police than "missing licensed prostitute."
"Tall Felicia's legal," Technofox said. "So is Little Felicia. But Felicia Who Smells Like Apples isn't." Felicia Who Smells Like Apples had snuck across the country hiding in a shipment of fruit. She was the only one of the three who had an owner and a bounty on her head.
Firefox rolled her eyes. "Federal agents don't do slave hunts. The FBI isn't going to send Apple Felicia back to Nevada because her roommate got kidnapped."
"No, but Apple Felicia might be anxious. We need to keep her out of this."
"Yes, yes," Silverfox agreed impatiently. "Fine. We keep the police away from her. But we need to talk to her at least."
It was 0300 and Jerry came out of the kitchen with a carafe of espresso and five sake cups. Shadowfox took them with a nod and a smile and started to pour.
Firefox took the second cup. "Now we've got this Duncan guy, who might or might not be her lawyer. If he really is her lawyer, there's going to be something associating the two of them in the past. She's filed as legally human -- look for signs Duncan touched her paperwork. And maybe she's been involved in some other court cases."
Technofox nodded.
"The cops are going to throw this on the missing hooker slush pile," Silverfox said.
"Possibly," Firefox agreed.
"Possibly?" Silverfox echoed. "You're just saying that because we know she's clean."
"All right," Firefox looked at her. "Do you have a solution?"
"I think we need to report this to the FBI," Silverfox insisted. "Maybe we can call in a favor or two. Show them this was a planned operation with faked emails."
Firefox nodded. "You're right. Tech, you know the drill -- report it, don't mention Apples."
Tech touched two buttons and nodded. Two buttons to report a kidnapping? She must have set it up beforehand.
"Now, why would anyone kidnap Tall Felicia?" Firefox asked rhetorically. "She can't pay a significant ransom."
"I see three scenarios," Technofox said. "It has something to do with Felicia. Or it has something to do with us. Or it's random. Her heirs are Little Felicia and Apple Felicia."
The dismal truth was that like humans, most chimerae who vanished were either leaving a bad situation, or disappeared by someone who knew them.
"Okay, one or both gets rid of Tall Felicia. And then they do this elaborate shit with email when they can say 'Felicia told me before she left...' When they know the goddess of SMTP is on the case." Firefox patted Tech's head fondly.
"Yeah," Technofox slumped.
Shadowfox glanced at Silverfox. "One of her customers, maybe."
"I'd imagine that would be a hazard of the profession," Jerry agreed.
Shadowfox remembered David saying he hated vice cases because people who wouldn't kill themselves over money would kill themselves over love -- and generally take someone with them. The sex industry played with very dangerous emotions and sometimes customers were unbalanced. She glanced over at Silverfox. She didn't want to say that out loud.
"Or maybe the ransom's going to be collected from one of her customers," Jerry said, with the uncertain air of someone who wasn't sure he should be talking at all.
"Not bad." Shadowfox looked at him. That was probably the best case scenario -- a professional kidnapper who wanted a ransom and a minimum of fuss.
"Let's hope so." Firefox nodded.
"I don't buy it," Silverfox said slowly. "They grab Felicia, presumably contact the client for ransom. Of course, they warn him not to contact the police. But wouldn't he or they tell the roommates to keep it quiet too?"
"Unless they hoped it would all blow over quickly. If Little Felicia had let it slide there'd still be no problem. Maybe not for a couple of weeks." Firefox pressed a hand to her forehead, clenched her fist and thumped the table. "All right, Tech's got Felicia's address book, so she can start running dossiers on her clients."
"I'm not sure about that," Technofox mused. "I hit the ICON databases. If we start running dossiers on ten or more Boston businessmen ICON's going to want to know why."
"Okay, we're involved in this," Silverfox said. "We've done pro bono before. But what about Clayton and ICON?" She held up a hand and rubbed two fingers together. "They're about the bottom line."
"I want to hire you." Jerry said.
They blinked and looked at him. Like most people who worked for a living, none of them could afford their own services.
"You do know," Silverfox said slowly, "that's going to be a lot more than the Korth you bought me."
He frowned. "Felicia's important to you and I like her too." His eyes widened. "Those clients of hers might kick in. If only because it'll look less suspicious."
"If it could be done with discretion," Firefox mused. "And if we can keep from looking like we're threatening them."
"You can't, but I can. Keep it too low to be blackmail. Heck, I'll imply I'm a client of hers too."
Jerry has a taste for intrigue, Shadowfox thought.
Firefox cracked a smile. "Everyone willing to do this one for free?"
Shadowfox put her teeth on edge. She ran through her mental list of wants and wondered which she'd need to cut out. She regretted her new bikini and the ghosts of Ramen Yet to Come danced in her head. She hated herself for thinking that, but she couldn't help it.
"I don't think that's going to be necessary," Jerry said firmly.
Firefox walked over to Jerry and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks," she said.
"There's a personal involvement issue since we know her," Technofox said. "But I don't think that's a show-stopper. We'll need to be careful that we don't go over the line, Silverfox." The little fox said pointedly. "The lawyers will have us for lunch."
"What did I do?" the gray fox frowned.
"Okay then," Jerry nodded and yawned. "I'm too tired to talk business with a machine intelligence, so I'll send an RFQ and schedule a call for the morning." He glanced at Technofox. "That should be enough for you to run dossiers."
"I can make sure you negotiate a good price," Technofox looked up. "Just don't let Clayton know I said that."
"Don't worry. I can see why they might object." Jerry looked at the mattresses on the floor, and the four of them, each with a computer. "There's still a bed made up in the second bedroom -- I'll use that so you guys can work. See you in the morning."
"See you then," Firefox nodded. "And thanks. I don't think there's any way we can pay you back."
"Don't worry about it." Jerry turned toward the second bedroom.
"Want me to tuck you in?" Shadowfox smiled and wagged her tail.
The moment she said it, she knew it was a mistake. Firefox glanced over but didn't say anything.
Jerry pressed his lips together, smiled brightly, and shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm really tired."
When he was gone, Silverfox frowned at her. "Why did you do that? He knows you're working."
Because he is a mark although you guys think he's my friend. Shadowfox sighed. "I'm sorry. I was a jerk with him earlier and he's being nice."
"Whatever," Firefox said sourly. "All right. We know this was carefully planned by someone who knew--" she hesitated. "Who knew that Silver and Felicia were seeing one another."
"Somebody we know," Silverfox said quietly.
"Not necessarily," Technofox interjected immediately. "You burned through a lot of phone minutes with her. Signals intelligence."
Silverfox looked away guiltily, as though berating herself. This wasn't going to be easy for her; whoever had taken Felicia had taken advantage of Silverfox's own actions, and her own unknowing part in this would leave a mark.
Wait a moment.
Shadowfox looked back at the emails on her screen. She put her brain in a specific mode, and... suddenly it all fell together.
"No, they don't know Felicia," Shadowfox announced.
Snouts and ears pointed in her direction. Shadowfox put her screen up on the big monitor.
"Little Felicia's pissed off because she figures Silverfox is toying with Tall Felicia. That's because she knows Silverfox really thinks of everyone as a fuck buddy."
"Smart girl," Silverfox nodded.
"And these emails they sent to Little Felicia." Shadowfox touched phrases with her cursor. "Here -- 'She needs a little time.' 'You've got every right to be upset.' 'Nobody planned this.' They're not to Tall Felicia's concerned friend -- they're to Felicia's jilted lover."
The other three stared and finally, Silverfox spoke. "So these emails were written by someone who thought Little Felicia and Tall Felicia were an item."
"Not an unreasonable guess given they live together," Firefox agreed.
"But Little Felicia's so straight she won't eat fresh peaches in front of me because she thinks I might take it wrong," Silverfox finished.
"Which means the bad guys know us -- not Felicia," Shadowfox finished.
"...Probably," Firefox agreed. "But I don't want to commit to that. Tech, have you found Felicia's trail?"
"I've got her cell locations," Technofox said without enthusiasm. "It looks like she turned her phone off on the plane and back on when they landed at Orlando International. The phone dropped off the network twenty-seven minutes later. She didn't even get switched to another tower."
"Dropped off?" Firefox's ears shifted.
Technofox smiled, just a little, because Firefox had caught it. "Right. Her phone didn't log out of the network, not the way it does when you turn it off. It was being blocked."
"That's probably when she was kidnapped," Firefox drummed her fingers. "A jammer?"
"I wouldn't use an active cell phone jammer at an airport," Technofox said. "Airport security scans for those. Maybe a Faraday cage."
"Nobody carried a Faraday cage into an airport and forced her inside," Firefox muttered.
"She was met by a car," Silverfox said. "The car's a Faraday cage. Or maybe the back seat, if it's a town car--"
Town car. Orlando International. "Bill!" Shadowfox shouted. "He's involved."
"That's a big jump," Firefox said gently.
"No, hear me out. Let's say it's Blue and Fischer. Bill was driving a limo around Orlando International. I thought he might be going straight, but what if he wasn't?"
"That makes sense," Silverfox muttered. "Fischer sells stolen chimerae. He's lost his boat, so he's going to come up with some other way to acquire them."
"Why Felicia?" Firefox asked. Technofox looked at them, silently and skeptically.
"Opportunity," Shadowfox said. "Tawny tipped him off about us -- we know that. So he's monitoring us, even after Tawny's dead, and the opportunity to grab Felicia appears. Why wouldn't he take it?"
"And after I killed his buddies, selling my girlfriend to Blue probably appeals to him." Silverfox's voice was dry. She banged the table. "The assholes who did this used my voice. They're monitoring us. Whatever's happening to her right now is because she's our friend."
Some of Fischer's prizes went to Blue Diamond. Now perhaps they went to Blue Jade. Others were hunted in the Canadian wilderness. Who else would buy a stolen chimera, and what for? Selling her to Blue was probably the best case scenario.
Firefox looked at Silverfox quietly for a moment, reluctant to say more. "I think you're probably right. That's scenario one. We don't ignore evidence to the contrary going forward. Clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," Silverfox nodded.
"How do we investigate Blue?" Shadowfox asked.
"We have to do it fast," Silverfox said. "We know what's happening to her."
Firefox didn't answer. Instead, she looked up, at the wall and pressed her lips together. She had a plan, and she was looking for the right words.
"Tech's running dossiers and it's after three. I don't want us confusing activity and work. I want us in bed and asleep until working hours. Take the pill if you need it. Silverfox, you need it."
Shadow and Silver glanced at one another uncertainly. They had expected an overall plan of attack. No details, not this soon -- but not that.
Silverfox stiffened, and then nodded. "Who has them?"
"In the bathroom, where they always are." Firefox poured a cup of water and handed it to her. Silverfox took it and vanished in the direction of the master bathroom. The other three stripped for bed, Firefox taking Tech in her arms and smiling an invitation for Shadow. Shadowfox slipped next to them.
Silverfox put the empty cup down next to the water cooler. "See you guys in the morning." She headed off to the second bedroom.
"Good night," Technofox called after her.
Shadowfox watched her go, wanting to say something but unable to. Silverfox was upset, and she was going to Jerry, and the other two didn't see anything wrong with that. Shadowfox got up.
"Where are you going?" Tech asked.
"I think I need to get a pill."
"Thanks very much, Doctor," Jerry said to his laptop. "I appreciate your help."
"Thank you, Mister Shayler," Doctor Clayton's voice came from the laptop. "Foxforce is a dedicated and highly professional team, but I believe it is unreasonable to expect them to stand by and do nothing if a friend is in difficulty. I would not be surprised if they were sitting quietly out of the range of your webcam. They were probably going to look into this anyway."
Foxforce was sitting beyond Jerry's laptop and webcam. They stirred uncomfortably. Each had a tablet computer for silent notes. Jerry didn't look up from the screen.
Doc Clayton has our number, Silverfox texted. She grinned.
Shadowfox almost responded with Are you surprised? Instead she just nodded.
"Thanks to your generous support, they will have access to the resources of ICON. And of course, most of the fee will go to them."
Translation: this way ICON will be getting a piece of the pie, Shadowfox thought. Well, that was unfair of her. ICON was a business and Clayton was telling the truth when he said their own salary was the biggest item on the budget.
"And Mister Shayler? It's an honor to do business with you."
That threw in a wrinkle that made Shadowfox pause. Jerry had developed a machine logic algorithm in college; he was living off the patent. No one person had 'invented' machine intelligences, but Jerry was one of the many who had contributed. Was Clayton grateful?
There was one point that made Shadowfox uncomfortable: Clayton had referred to Jerry's 'generous support.' That made it sound like Clayton believed Jerry was only doing this because he was close to Foxforce, which was something Clayton wanted to avoid.
Or maybe she was just being paranoid. Clayton didn't want Jerry busting up the team. As long as he was generous to Foxforce and not Silverfox, there shouldn't be any problem.
Jerry broke contact. "Well, I guess I've hired you. Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes," Firefox answered immediately. "I think we need to stay in Orlando. Can we use this bungalow?"
"For six weeks. I'll take it off the rental market." Obviously, Jerry had anticipated this. "If it's awkward for me to stay here I can get a room somewhere."
"I don't think you'll get in the way, but thank you for the offer." Firefox turned to face the gray fox. "Silver, you've got a round-trip to Boston."
Silverfox nodded. "Tech sent me the itinerary. You want me to bring back the toy box?"
Firefox flashed a grin. "Got it in one. Ladies, if you want anything else, send Silver a list. Shadow, we've rented a car for a month -- that place by the theater. You mind picking it up? And then you can drive Silver to Orlando International."
"Right," Shadowfox nodded and headed for the door.
The car was a boxy four-seater with plenty of room in the trunk. It was popular in Florida because old folk could handle the doors easily. When she came back to the bungalow, Silverfox and Jerry were waiting outside. Silverfox wore a pouch that probably held a netbook computer. To Shadow's irritation, they piled into the back seat.
"So I'm the chauffeur?" Shadow frowned into the rear-view.
"Do you want to get off here?" Jerry asked. "I can drive her in."
"No, I want a chauffeur," Silverfox answered. She lay down with her head in Jerry's lap. "Let's go, Kato!"
Shadowfox thought about the two of them being alone together and decided that was worth preventing. "'Kato,' yet," Shadowfox mimicked back. She hit the accelerator a little hard.
Silverfox sat upright within a minute. "Hey, I was kidding."
It was, Shadowfox realized, a silly gesture on her own part. Her coming along as a third wheel wasn't going to drive them apart.
"Don't worry, Miss Silver." Shadowfox pulled onto the highway. "That makes this Black Beauty, doesn't it?"
"I wish it had machine guns," Silverfox muttered.
"Have we ever had a problem that would be solved by arming a car with machine guns?" Shadowfox asked.
"Machine guns on a car are their own justification," Silverfox argued.
"You're right. I'd like a car with machine guns," Jerry mused.
"Can I drive it?"
"I won't argue the point." Shadowfox shifted her voice to all-business. "Did I miss anything important?" She was still wondering what Firefox wasn't talking about.
"Tech confirmed that Duncan's a lawyer," Silverfox answered. "Felicia's owner was one of his clients. That seems legitimate."
Silverfox was in the back seat, and Shadowfox couldn't gauge her body language. Still, she didn't get the impression that Silver was concealing anything. That meant Fire hadn't explained her plan, probably.
"Felicia's owner? I thought she was self-owning," Jerry said.
It was a reasonable question but Shadowfox felt annoyed by it. Silverfox answered. "Her owner freed her in his will and left her the condominium. Little Felicia and Felicia Who Smells Like Apples are there to help pay the tax."
"So Duncan handled the will and Felicia probably still takes her business to him," Jerry said.
"That makes sense," Shadowfox agreed. "And if Duncan and Felicia don't hang out socially then there's no reason her roommates -- or we -- would know about him. I'm a bit suspicious of the timing of that lien filing, though."
"Is it possible that what happened to Tawny made Felicia want to cover herself?" Jerry asked. "I remember at the funeral Cheshire was talking about checking her own paperwork."
You're probably right, Shadowfox thought, but she didn't say.
"And UCC filings expire after a while," Silverfox said. "It might be a coincidence."
"Could be," Shadowfox agreed. "But he's still a suspect as far as I'm concerned."
"And Fire's thinking of getting David involved," Silver added.
Shadowfox glanced in the rear-view. "What for?" David thought he was her boyfriend, so the bungalow arrangements would need adjusting.
Send David into Blue Jade as a client, to see if he could find Tall Felicia? It had worked for Andrew. But that meant they would have to wait until Tall Felicia was tamed and seeing clients. How long would it take? The thought of delay, any delay, was painful.
Or, he could be sent in as a client looking for an untamed girl. And then, if he were lucky, he would have to rape Felicia to maintain his cover and hers. Shadowfox felt her stomach clench. Would David agree to that? She couldn't imagine it. She didn't want him to.
Chill out, sillyhead. Shadowfox didn't know Firefox had made a plan like that. It was more likely that it had occurred to the big fox, and like Shadowfox, she had rejected it. That would explain why she didn't want to share it. Well, maybe.
That left the basic problem unsolved: how to get into Blue Jade and find Felicia.
"Interface with the law." Silverfox explained to Jerry. "Florida recognizes Massachusetts citizenship and legal status, so in theory we're people with equal rights under the law and all that."
Shadowfox didn't believe that, but apparently Silver did.
"You think I'd take you to Florida without looking into that?" Jerry asked.
"Of course not, because you're my sweetie." She pecked him on the cheek. "But even so, there's a chance a human might interact better with local law enforcement. David's our human face."
"Oh, gotcha. I don't think I've met him."
"Yes, you did. In Victoria? He's the guy we met at--"
"--At the arboretum, right. I remember now."
Shadowfox tapped the steering wheel, irritated. Who cared if David and Jerry met? Immediately, she forced herself to stop. She was anxious and getting twitchy about stupid things.
"I wonder if Vixen Lover might be useful," Shadowfox said. "He works security in Orlando International."
"Access to security footage? Couldn't hurt," Silverfox nodded. "Of course, the FBI will probably be getting the video from them anyway."
"Whoever met her knew he'd be on video," Shadowfox tapped the steering wheel. "And he knew she'd be missed, and that the video would be examined. So he probably wore a disguise, or a low-brimmed hat."
"Right," Silverfox said, depressed. She looked out the window. "Right now I'd bet six centimeters of my tail that she was picked up by Bill. And I've give ten to be wrong."
For the rest of the drive, they bounced ideas back and forth and got nowhere. Shadowfox wished Tech or Fire would call to report that one of them had come up with something brilliant. But the phone was silent, and they dropped Silverfox off at the terminal. Jerry transferred to the shotgun seat and they drove off.
"Are you in a rush to get back?" Jerry asked. "I haven't had breakfast yet. My treat."
Shadowfox glanced at him. "Let me give them a call."
"Of course. Tell them we can run errands."
Tech and Fire didn't have any fetch quests. In fact, they didn't even pick up the phone: Technofox texted Shadow in response, telling her that they were talking to Mark Thompson, the FBI agent they had worked with before. They didn't need anything from Orlando, and they hoped Shadow and Jerry had a nice breakfast.
Shadowfox pulled into a café, where they were given a table near another mixed couple, a small tabby-striped grey catgirl and an Asian male. He was looking at a tablet computer and writing up a to-do list for her; she was nodding and occasionally assuring him that she understood everything he was saying. They might be co-workers, but Shadowfox doubted it. It made her feel depressed, even though she had other things on her mind.
"So this David," Jerry said. "I don't want to embarrass you guys in front of a colleague. If he comes over to the bungalow, we can't have the mattresses in the living room. You guys can take the second bedroom, he can have the master, and I'll use a cot in the living room or atrium if it's not raining. That's an apparently celibate arrangement."
Shadowfox blinked. "Wow, that's very generous. I like working for you."
Jerry shrugged. "I've spent a lot of money to sleep on cots."
"Fortunately, we don't need the appearance of celibacy. He knows Fire and Tech are together. It wouldn't blow his mind if he found out you and Silver were a couple." She considered. "There's a privacy curtain between the twins, isn't there? I'd suggest you and Silver in one twin, Fire and Tech in the other, and he and I can share the master."
A frown flicked across his features and she saw her mistake. "I guess that's a little self-serving of me to volunteer myself for the nicer bedroom. Maybe you two could take it, but then you'd be split off from Tech and Fire." She took a bite of her waffle. It was light, and warm from the iron.
"Now hold on a moment," he said. "You're sleeping with him?
Shadowfox couldn't resist laughing. "What? Did you think you were the first?"
He frowned again. "Of course not. But you're sleeping with someone who doesn't know you sleep with other people?"
That caught her slightly by surprise. "It's... a little complicated. He knows that I -- he knows what I do. But he knows that's just professional."
"Okay..." Jerry said uncertainly. "How do you feel about him? Is he someone who actually cares about you?"
"They all--" she started.
Shadowfox cut herself off. They all care about the woman they think I am. She felt shaken. She had come within a razor's width of telling a mark the truth.
"So what is David to you?"
If she said David was a mark, then Jerry might be a bit put off around him. If she said David was a lover, then Jerry would realize he was the mark. It was obvious what she should say.
He's just a mark. "It's just something that smoothes things over. I'm really not at liberty to discuss it." That should work -- imply there were wheels within wheels.
"Are you smoothing things over with me?"
"Of course not, Jerry." I'm a little offended by the suggestion. "I'm sleeping with you because I like sleeping with you."
He didn't look convinced.
"You know I'm with the other girls," she said. "Silverfox has always spoken highly of you, and not just as a friend." We talk about your sweet cock all the time. She smiled. "And she's right, you know. You're good in bed and out of bed and I like how you treat Technofox."
"I hear this --" he cut himself off.
There was a pause. "Go on."
"Nothing." He forced a grin. "I'm tired. I'm upset, and it was a stupid thought anyway. Did you notice how good this orange juice is?"
"I won't hold it against you. In fact, I think I know what you were going to say. Should I tell you?" I'm very hurt right now, but I see your side of it.
"Don't put words in my mouth."
"I have to say it if we're going to stay friends." And I want to stay friends. This was a bit of a risk. He didn't want to hear it, but the only way to convince him she was sincere was to do something he didn't want her to do.
He looked at her and pressed his lips together, not nodding or shaking his head.
I'm angry, Shadowfox thought. I'm trying my best to stay your friend and you won't let me.
"Excuse me," said the Asian man with the chimera. "Is she giving you trouble?"
Shadowfox froze in surprise. Who would jump into a private conversation like that?
A busybody? Someone trying to start a conversation with a stranger?
A salesman who sold solutions?
The chimera with him flattened her ears, and seemed to get even smaller. She lifted the tablet computer and caught Shadowfox's eye. The tablet was in a fake leather case, and embossed on the back was a logo for Blue Jade.
Shadowfox felt dizzy for a moment. Her impulse was to get up and run. Even though logically, she knew that he couldn't just drag Shadowfox off or order her to be punished, she needed to get away from him.
Fischer had kidnapped Silverfox and Silverfox had felt this same terror for hours or days. Shadowfox had to stay on her seat, keep her leg from shaking, hold on to flatware in hands suddenly moist with sweat.
Blue Jade means nothing to me, she thought desperately. I do not know Tigre.
She was looking at another chimera, who probably did.
With the first panic over, Shadowfox wanted to grab her and run for the door. The only thing that stopped her was the realization she didn't know what the cat would do. If she were out in public, it was because Blue was confident she was loyal, which to Blue meant she was afraid of him.
As afraid as Shadowfox.
And Shadowfox realized this was an opportunity.
All that thought took less than a second.
Jerry looked up at him sharply, about to explode. The man at the other table's mouth opened in shock.
Shadowfox nudged Jerry's leg under the table. He looked at her, puzzled. She caught Jerry's eye, and nodded, just once, desperately. Say yes, she begged him with her thoughts. Please say yes. Be nice to him. Like you were to Tawny. Be who he thinks you are. Be a rich, chimera-owning asshole.
Doubt flickered over Jerry's face. He couldn't control that yet. He had problems shifting gears from Jerry to Rich chimera-owning asshole. Jerry was too big a presence in Jerry's mind; Jerry wasn't a shadow that vanished in a flashlight beam.
"Yes, sometimes she does." Jerry gave Shadowfox a glare, as though she were the intended recipient of his ire. Then he smiled warmly, turning on his charm. "Excuse me. My name's Jerry."
"Kwan-jin Kim." He put out a hand and Jerry shook it. "I understand. Sometimes it can be difficult to admit you might need outside help with your chimera."
Oh, that was straight from the sales material. It had to be.
"Yes, exactly," Jerry laughed a laugh of manly pride besmirched.
How should Shadowfox react to this? If she objected, loudly, then there was a chance Jerry would think he had misread her. She took her cue from the catgirl. Silent, afraid, hoping to escape notice.
Kim smiled a salesman's smile of false sympathy. Just a guy who likes to see humans and chimerae getting along the way they were supposed to. "But the fact is that chimerae can be difficult to handle. You wouldn't be ashamed to take a misbehaving dog to obedience classes -- and a chimera's much brighter than any dog."
Jerry put a hand over his mouth and nodded mutely.
Shadowfox could almost smell his suppressed rage. She knew Jerry wanted to do nothing more than take his drink and throw it in Kim's face.
Something clicked in her head. Some stranger was talking about how to control chimerae, and it was getting Jerry angry. Jerry wasn't just saying whatever would get fur girls to spread for him. And his notions about programming? Right or wrong, he was sincere.
"I work for Blue Jade. Sa-rang" -- Kim pointed at the catgirl across from him -- "was misbehaving too, but Blue Jade offers a special service -- developed from years of experience dealing with chimerae. One week, and now she's like a new girl. Aren't you, Sa-rang?"
"Ne, maseuteo," the catgirl whispered.
Kim patted the side of her face gently, possessively. Her tongue darted out, a pink flash touching his wrist. He pinched her cheek. "Why don't you tell him what you learned, in English."
Sa-rang swallowed and took in her breath. "I fell into some bad habits. I started misbehaving and I'm truly sorry. I'm grateful Master Kim cared enough for me to give me the training I needed to get back on the right path. Blue Jade taught me to appreciate how well off I am with Master Kim."
Jewel said that, Shadowfox thought. The appropriate response for Shadowfox was fear, anxiety as though Jerry actually would send her there. She didn't have to look deep inside herself for an emotional memory. Her mouth was bone dry and she tasted metal.
"Well, at this point I'll try almost anything," Jerry answered. "My phone's not working -- do you have a business card? A physical one?"
Jerry had just gotten contact information without giving an email address or phone number. In that moment, Shadowfox decided she would never think of him as a wannabe gentleman adventurer.
Sa-rang caught Shadowfox's glance. The cat just barely shook her head. You don't want to go there. Do anything you have to.
Go to Blue Jade? In a hearse, maybe. Nothing was further from that in her mind.
"Thanks very much," Jerry nodded affably. He put the card in his wallet, extracted his credit card and ran it through the reader on the table. He nodded curtly at Shadowfox. "Finish up. We're leaving now."
One quarter of her waffle was left; Shadowfox devoured it in two bites as Jerry got to his feet. "You're not going to--" she started.
"I haven't decided." He turned his back on her and she followed meekly. Heel, girl!
Once they were safely out of the restaurant, he glanced at her and lowered his voice. "How did I do?"
"If you want a job with ICON I'll recommend you," she whispered sincerely. "I mean it. With some training you'd make an operative."
He chuckled, clearly not believing her. "Thanks. What was all that about?"
"Just gathering data." Was I?
"I feel like driving," he said.
"Sure. I'll unlock the car for you."
"Silver sent the code to my phone." He reached for it.
"Don't use your phone," she said, barely moving her lips. "You just told Mister Kim your phone was broken."
He nodded. No backtalk, no do you really think he's watching us? Mister Kim probably wasn't, but why risk it? She used her implant to unlock the car. Should she sit next to him? Yes; back seat made him the chauffer.
"You're not thinking of going to Blue Jade for attitude correction, are you?" Jerry asked.
"Of course not." She didn't blame him for thinking she'd do something that ridiculous. He didn't -- couldn't understand what Blue Diamond meant when it sank into your bones and those closest to you had nightmares about tigers, when "worst moment of your life" wasn't a divorce or being fired, but tied naked when Tigre had a whip.
"Well, good. That would be crazy." He buckled up.
He was right, of course. There was no way she was going to Blue Jade. Not for Felicia.
Would Kuchi'Inu do it for his friend? Of course he would. He's a fictional character. The thought was logical, but it left a strange aftertaste.
"Jerry, there's something I need to say."
He grimaced and pulled into traffic. "Can it wait until I'm not driving? Every time a beautiful woman says that to me I wake up with a hangover."
It was risky to bring this up, but he was a captive audience, and the drive back to the bungalow would give her time to recover from any missteps. "You mentioned that a woman tried to pull the Sick Parent hoax on you. It turns my stomach when people take advantage of someone's generosity."
He frowned in annoyance. He had joked about it, but it was obviously a painful memory. "So?"
"And I'll bet that sort of thing's happened more than once. People pretending to be your friend and using you."
"Uh huh." He seemed to be paying more attention to his rear-view mirror than her.
"And you think I might be one of them because it's what I do professionally. I don't blame you."
He didn't answer.
She took a deep breath. "Jerry, you're not under investigation from ICON. I'm not after your money. There's nothing I can say or do that will prove this, but I want to be your friend. I trust you and I hope someday you can trust me."
I trust you. Did she, really? Jerry knew about Silverfox and Felicia; he might be behind the kidnapping. And hiring them might be a way to keep tabs on the investigation. No, she didn't believe it. Still, there was something about Jerry that bothered her. She wondered if she should pencil him in as a suspect.
"And you're not interested in my money?" he pulled onto the highway and put his foot down. Maybe he was just curious to see how the car would respond. There was an amused twinkle in his eye so she decided to run with it.
"Of course I am. I'm a working girl and I'm interested in money. Money's fungible, and every night I lull myself to sleep, thinking of sweet, sweet, money. I didn't say I wasn't interested in your money; I said I wasn't after it."
If Felicia was being tamed, might she come in contact with slaves brought in for "attitude readjustment?" Shadowfox hadn't, not when she was in Blue Diamond. But that didn't prove it couldn't happen.
He laughed, tension that must have been gnawing at him for a while finding release. She wasn't sure if he really believed her, but that was all right. She was never going to make a play for his money, so as long as he could relax around her there was no problem.
If Jerry had done something to Felicia, jealousy was the most likely motive. Was Jerry jealous? She didn't think so. It was hard to imagine a jealous person staying with Silverfox for any length of time. He had hired a girl when he thought Silverfox was gone, but that meant nothing: the same person who played around could be the most jealous. A guy who shared his girl with a Canadian diver might have many personality flaws, but "jealous" would hardly be one of them.
"You know, you're only the second guy we've all slept with." She looked over at him to see how he responded.
"At once?" He didn't take his eyes off the road and his voice was nonchalant.
"At once and ever," she said firmly. "We don't usually share boyfriends. But my point is that the other guy doesn't have a lot of money."
"That's Andrew, right?" Jerry asked.
"Yes. Have you met him?" She didn't think Andrew or Jerry were the type to brag.
I learned to appreciate what I have, she said. Blue Jade's retraining program involved showing chimerae how bad it could be. Mistresses were shown what it was like to be a whore. Whores were shown Tigre at work.
Can I watch Tigre work on Felicia? Yes, if it would help get Felicia out of there.
"No. Silver talks about him once in a while. From that, I got that he's slept with Fire and Silver. She's asked me to contact him if I needed a photographer. You said you don't usually share boyfriends, and that the other guy didn't have money."
"Good thinking," she said slowly. That was what bothered Shadowfox about Jerry. He wasn't an operative but sometimes he thought like one. Helping to investigate Tawny, falling into the part of chimera-owning asshole... he could lie, convincingly, at the drop of a hat. He concatenated information from different sources and came to conclusions. Where did that come from?
"Andrew got the four of you out of Blue Diamond, didn't he?"
Had Silver told her, or did he work that out? He invented search agents. Had he run dossiers on Foxforce?
"...That's right. I'm a little surprised Silver told you about him."
Blue Diamond. She hated talking about it or thinking about it. Felicia might be at Blue Jade. What was happening to her right now? Please, Felicia, please co-operate...
Someone had to do something to get her out. Now.
"Kind of hard to avoid." Jerry frowned at a truck in his rear-view. "I might bump into him at your place and Silver didn't want me to start talking about guns."
That wasn't an answer. Silverfox had shared a lot with Jerry. Or had she?
"I'm glad she did that."
"I can see why you're grateful to him. How did I rate the same honor?"
Shadowfox smiled to herself. As though Foxforce went through a list of candidates and debated who was deserving of an All Access Pass or something. Boys.
"Because we all like you."
"And that's it?"
"That's not enough?" She snorted. "You're spending tens of thousands of dollars so we can look for our friend. And I like what you're doing for Tech. They were rough on her in Blue Diamond and you're being very sweet to her."
Rough on her in Blue Diamond. Shadowfox had already taken the worst Blue Diamond had to offer. What was the "attitude readjustment" like? Could an owner specify that he wanted his girl scared, but not beaten and violated? Oh, it wouldn't be a vacation, but...
"Thanks," he said. "I was afraid I'd be taking advantage of her. I just hope she's not succumbing to peer pressure."
And suppose that a slave on the training course did meet up with slaves owned by Blue. Felicia wouldn't take them into her confidence. No, she would have to know whoever they sent...
"Besides, you give good head."
And how long did the courses last? A week, according to Mister Kim. Could she go through a week of being yelled at if it meant Felicia would be found and freed? Did she have a right not to?
They were almost back.
"Thanks," He pulled into the parking lot, reached over and patted her thigh. "I appreciate it."
Jerry parked badly, and the charging probe couldn't reach the port on its own: Shadowfox took it off the mount and plugged it in manually. She didn't think Jerry noticed.
Firefox and Technofox were sitting in front of the widescreen TV. Technofox had a computer on her lap and occasionally touched a key.
"Hey, guys." Firefox looked up at Shadowfox. "Shadowfox, can you take a look at this?"
"I'll be in the second bedroom, out of your way," Jerry turned to head off.
"Thanks, Jerry," Firefox said, distracted. Then, obviously to soften it, she smiled. "Oh, Jerry, about noon we'll be ordering something in from the chicken place, so think of what you'd like. And could you pick up Silverfox in the evening?"
"I'll be glad to help out any way I can," he nodded. "I'd like to take a nap if it's okay."
"Not a problem. Thanks!" Firefox turned back to the image on the screen. It was a black and white of a baggage claim area, probably somewhere in Orlando Airport. A man about the same size and build as Bill was holding a printed sign that said FELICIA - BOSTON. He had blond hair, and a thick mustache and sideburns.
"Could be Bill, I think," Shadowfox said.
Firefox nodded in agreement. "Not good enough to stand up in court."
"Good enough for an APB," Technofox looked up. "We need to tell the FBI."
Shadowfox nodded. "I agree."
Firefox sighed. "I hate to burn him, but yes, it's time. Best if he doesn't know we did it, though. Tech, send a note to Silver. This is a big step and I want it to be unanimous."
"If he's arrested Fischer will know we're involved."
"He knows that already," Firefox said shortly. "That's how Felicia got nabbed."
Technofox typed into an open messenger window and hit enter. Her laptop encrypted it and sent it on its way. It reached Silverfox's plane. Silver's laptop decrypted the message and she typed her assent. It returned within one minute.
Shadowfox wondered how many computers it had touched in its passage, how many computers had carried Silver's voice to Felicia, which one had betrayed her. And if it was betraying them now. If she said that out loud, Technofox would doubtless explain that a long voice exchange in the clear was entirely different from two short strings of encrypted text. And of course, the little fox was right.
"Guys," Shadowfox said slowly, "doesn't it bother you that Jerry thinks like an agent?"
Technofox blinked and looked up at Shadowfox. "Didn't you know?"
"Know what?"
"The Army put Jerry through college," Firefox told her. "He was at Fort George Meade with the 700th Military Intelligence Brigade."
"Seven hundred fourth," Technofox corrected. "Finished his commitment and left as soon as he could."
"If I had ten million in my bank account I'd do the same," Firefox observed.
"I'd add some significant digits to that, but I'm probably on thin ice already," Technofox finished.
"I think I know how to get into Blue Jade," Shadowfox said.
"You?" Technofox asked. "No."
"As Ebony?" Firefox asked. "They have live performances there."
"A visiting performer isn't going to meet slave girls being tamed," Shadowfox shook her head. "Blue Jade offers classes. Sort of an obedience school."
"Are you out of your mind?" Technofox stood up.
"Firefox," Shadowfox folded her arms. "We need to investigate Blue Jade, because Silver's right. They're the most likely culprits."
"Yes, probably," Firefox agreed. "Tech? What do you think?"
"Yes, but-- we can't send her in."
I am calm and rational and Technofox is being emotional. Shadowfox crossed her arms. "I see two ways to get into Blue Jade. We can send a client, or we can send a slave. And a client isn't going to meet up with a fresh, untamed slave. There's no other way, Fire."
"Firefox, say no," Technofox insisted. "It's too dangerous."
Firefox kept her eyes on Shadow's. "Let's look into this."
"Then run your own damn research," Technofox said quietly. "I'm not doing this."
"Thank you for being honest, Tech," Firefox answered. "Felicia's with Tigre. Right now."
"I don't need to hear this." Technofox shifted uncomfortably.
"And every night, she's spending another night with Tigre."
"Don't throw that in my face." Technofox turned away.
"I'm not throwing it, Tech." Firefox looked back at the video screen. "The bad guys are."
"I'm in on one condition," the little fox sulked.
"Condition," Firefox echoed, her expression turning grim.
"Send me." She glared at Firefox. "I mean, if you think this can be done safely."
Shadowfox felt the wind leave her lungs. Her instinct was to back out entirely. Firefox opened her mouth, and Shadowfox knew she was going to drop the idea.
"You think you can do this better than me?" Shadowfox asked incredulously.
Technofox swallowed. "You know that's not it."
"I know," Love ya, you silly fox. Shadowfox opened her wallet and took out Kim's business card. "We ran into someone who worked for Blue Jade this morning."
Firefox blinked and Technofox flinched.
"Jerry pretended to be having trouble with me, and he got this." Shadow handed the card to Firefox.
"We'll have to set up a false identity," Firefox said. "Someone who owns Shadowfox."
"Jerry?" Technofox suggested.
"David," Firefox answered. "David's a trained agent." She handed Tech the card.
Who thinks I'm his girlfriend. Shadowfox wasn't sure he'd be up for this. But Fire's support was paper-thin, and she might take any excuse to shut down the mission entirely. Shadow decided not to push it.
Technofox took the card reluctantly. "Isn't there another way?" she asked.
"Probably," Firefox hesitated, and pretended to laugh. "Maybe this will be incentive to come up with it."
"What about 4094?" Silverfox asked.
"I'm using Tech's scheme to disable it," Shadowfox said.
"I better switch you back," Technofox said. "If Bill had a 4094 device in the headrest, it wouldn't work. Then you could take him out. But you can't do that in Blue Jade. If they try it on you and it doesn't work, they'll know you have a countermeasure."
She was right. Shadowfox tried to keep from twitching.
"Well, crap," Silverfox frowned.
"I'll try to take notes," Shadowfox said.
Tech was starting to think about this seriously, and Shadow knew Firefox would come around. And part of her was wishing they wouldn't.
"Classes start next week," Firefox finished. "On Wednesday."
The dining room had been converted into an operations room, five monitors on the table. Jerry wasn't there; he was the client, not an op. David looked paler than usual.
He glanced at Shadowfox. I am confident of success and unconcerned, she thought.
"It seems ... very risky," he said.
Silverfox laughed, more like a bark. "Captain Understatement here."
He gave her an annoyed look. Firefox flashed a grin and sobered. "That's why we want you involved. You're going to be her first line of defense."
The vote of confidence hit home. Most virtual investigators wanted to try field work, and David was not an exception. And he had to know that Firefox wouldn't send one of her own back to Blue Diamond if there were any other way to pull off the mission. Still, he looked dubious.
"Tall Felicia's a friend," Shadowfox reminded him. "The stakes are high." She touched his arm. "Please?"
"You sure about this?" he asked.
I am confident of success and confident in my teammates. "Absolutely."
"Okay then." He nodded, still uncomfortable.
The following Wednesday David was "Fredrick Dreyfus," owner of a misbehaving slave named "Tiffany", and he was taking her to Blue Jade.
The lobby was expensive and beautifully appointed, in rich wood that gave it the feeling of an old governor's house, built on the wealth of sugar cane cut by human slaves. Some people might have found that charming.
A small mouse girl stood where David couldn't help but stare down into her cleavage. She was short but busty, with a top that showed how close her nipples were to poking out. She had a smile for him, a good-humored look that promised she would enjoy what was coming. She wore a black collar, a bikini top that pressed her breasts together, and a skirt in what might pass as a "colorful native" pattern.
The brown Ursus was a good two hundred fifteen centimeters tall. He was in a security uniform and had a smile that made him look like a cuddly teddy bear. In front of him stood a slight man in a Blue Jade blazer. He held a tablet computer.
Of course, the human spoke first. "Welcome to Blue Jade, Mister Dreyfus. Sandra here will show you to your room."
"Pleased to meet you, Sandra." David shook her hand.
"Likewise, sir." She didn't take her eyes off him, fascinated.
"Kim explained the situation to you?" David asked.
"Don't worry, Mister Dreyfus," the human said with a kindly twinkle in his eye. "We'll take good care of your Tiffany."
David smiled and nodded. He was on the edge, visibly sweating. It was good thing he was supposed to be from the Midwest -- he might be uncomfortably warm, not frightened and sick.
Shadowfox had planned to beg for him to change his mind; she dropped the notion when she realized David might well cancel the whole thing.
Shadowfox had a messenger bag slung over her back, underwear and toothbrush and soap and a mobile hotspot disguised as an audio player. Concealed in her hairbrush was a lockpick set. David had more of her equipment, but she doubted she'd be able to get to it.
"Come along, girl," the Ursus said in a friendly rumble. He took her upper arm and squeezed.
The pain surprised and disoriented her. When their backs were turned to David, the Ursus leaned over slightly and spoke in a low, menacing hiss: "Don't give me any trouble."
No, sir.
He took her behind the registration desk and through the office. A security door opened in front of them, and she knew that past that door was Blue Jade. It closed behind them and multiple bolts slammed home.
It was a locker room. There was a shower stall with no curtain, stacked interlocking baskets filled with clothes, and a backscatter X-ray machine. She was glad she wasn't carrying anything on her.
The bear took a small device out of his pocket and held it over her head. There was a click and an indicator flashed up stating the Redtooth connection in her implant had been disabled until 2400 hours the next day. Her implant was special and she could override that, but then she'd emit radiation which could be detected. Better to leave it off.
He pushed her towards a wall of lockers.
"Put everything you've got in two zero five," he ordered. "Clothes, electronics, any presents from your owner, anything you want back. And you'll be cavity searched."
She walked towards the lockers, slowing down as she approached them. By the time she reached the locker, it was obvious he wasn't going to leave.
"There's no lock," she said as she opened 205.
He laughed. "What, you think you'll be allowed to open it? Your shit's sealed until you leave." The bear opened a locked cabinet, took out a basket, and put it on a counter next to him. There were clothes in it.
Shadowfox put her messenger bag into the locker. He was watching her with an expectant smile. She kept her back turned to him, took a deep breath, and took off her shirt. She thought about delaying but she knew that he was looking for an excuse to scare her, so she took off her clothes without delay. When she was done, she closed the door and turned to face him.
I don't want to make any trouble, sir.
He grinned and looked her over slowly, eyes never going above her neck. She would rather be in a crowded club with bouncers to deal with anyone who got grabby than alone with him. She made up her mind to submit if he demanded it, prayed he wouldn't. She felt vulnerable and she knew she was.
"Over here." He opened a drawer and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. He let one snap on his wrist and smirked.
Tell me what to do and I'll do it. The important thing, she decided, was to make sure she wasn't singled out, that she didn't give off angry vibes that would be beaten down. She nodded and walked towards him.
"Bend over," he said. He took a chrome tool in one hand and a flashlight in the other. He pretended to consider. "No, you've been a good girl, so pussy first."
She didn't believe for one second that Blue Jade would let him do it the other way around -- it was a threat to make her feel uncomfortable and off balance and wonder if they actually would...
"Want to finger yourself to get wet?" He sat on a bench that was too small for him, bringing her crotch closer.
If I don't, he'll make sure it hurts. On the other hand, it would encourage him to screw her. The first seemed a more realistic fear. She dropped her eyes and put her index and ring finger on her vulva and stimulated herself with her middle finger. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was somewhere else.
He watched for a little while. "Okay, hands off." He lifted the speculum and flashlight.
She flinched as it went in. Damn, it was cold. It stopped just short of being painful. She wondered if it had been refrigerated. No, there wasn't any condensation on it.
Somewhat to her surprise, he did a quick, professional job; thorough and without any leering. He told her to turn around and he repeated the procedure, with a second speculum. Hygienic, but the second was as cold as the first and she actually winced.
"Put that on," he left the basket on a bench and continued to the locker. As he passed her, his hand slapped her rump, hard and fast. She gasped. It almost sent her over. An instant after the impact, she felt the stinging pain of it, the anger building in her.
Without turning, she knew he was grinning, watching her, daring her to react.
Anger wasn't the right emotion to project. I'm afraid, she thought, I'm alone with him. He could do anything. She knew she could work herself into it, but at the same time she knew it would burst like a flood from a dam. She was a method actress, but she didn't dare revisit that emotional memory.
Shadowfox forced herself to walk to the bench, although she wanted to run. The clothes were some iridescent green fabric, with dark blue piping. They looked like something a cheerleader would wear. There was a sports bra with the number 05 front and back, and a skirt. She rummaged through, hoping to find underwear. There was none, but under the skirt there was a red leather collar, D-ring for a leash.
She was a step ahead of them. If she didn't put it on, she'd be disobedient and he'd have an excuse.
She pulled on the skirt first and reached for the bra. He stirred, just slightly. Thinking better of it, she chose the collar. Buckle in back, ring in front. It fit her neck perfectly. The buckle slid together with a click and locked. The sensation was familiar. It wasn't tight enough to be uncomfortable, but she felt her fur ruffling. Her hackles were going up, and she wasn't able to stop them.
"You like it?" he asked. "I think it suits you."
Fuck you. No, that was dangerous. He'd laugh and take it at face value. She put the bra on before she remembered she had been asked a question.
"I'm not fond of it. Not particularly, sir." She kept her voice polite.
"Boss," he corrected. "Sir's for humans."
She nodded and watched his fists. He made no move to hit her.
"You're not here to enjoy yourself."
"No, Boss."
"It'll grow on you," he promised her. "Now come along."
She walked up to him and he took her upper arm in his hand. She thought he was going to guide her to another room, but instead he pushed her against the wall. His hands went under her bra and he squeezed her breasts. He lowered his head to her, but he was so much taller he couldn't reach her mouth with his, so she was spared having to let his tongue inside her for the moment. It would come, she realized, before another violation that she knew was coming.
Shadowfox wished it didn't feel good.
"Ever have an Ursus before?" He breathed into her face. "Bigger than what you're used to, I'm sure. We've got a few minutes. Be a good girl and get on my good side. What do you say?"
They had spent a lot of time coming up with a story. It had to be something that would get a girl sent to Blue Jade, but nothing suggesting that she was violent and needed close supervision. Technofox had hit on one so perfect that Shadow kissed her.
"Boss, my owner doesn't want to share me."
Tiffany had a boyfriend and Mister Dreyfus wanted her to himself. Forcing her to have sex would ruin the whole point. Did Boss know?
Boss gave her breast one last squeeze before taking his hands out of her bra.
"And you couldn't resist sharing that ass?" he laughed, and withdrew to a non-molesting distance. "Stand over there, hands away from your body. And don't move."
Had she just passed a test?
Obediently, she stood in the backscatter x-ray.
"We get a lot of bored mistresses here," he said. "Just one cock to keep happy and they blow it. The whores here pull five to ten clients a day. There isn't one in the building who wouldn't trade places with you. Time to meet the other dumb bitches, you dumb bitch."
"Yes, Boss."
As the door opened, she heard someone scramble to her feet. There were four chimerae there, dressed the same as she was, with numbers going from 01 to 04. They were all standing, and Shadowfox guessed they had been told not to sit on the floor.
There were no desks, and the only chair was at the podium. There were nine poles set up some distance apart. Are we supposed to dance on those? Then she looked further up and saw the chains. At the end of each was a carabiner, chrome steel.
The chains made her feel weak, and for an instant she thought she was going to be sick. She turned to look at her classmates. She opened her mouth to speak, and caught a clip on the back of her head.
"No noise, no sitting," Boss ordered sharply. "Stand and wait."
#03 was a Conil, a rabbit model from occupied France. The Ursus walked towards her. She looked at him fearfully, and visibly relaxed as he walked past to the front of the room. He opened a box on the podium, and pulled out a pair of leather wrist shackles.
"Some bitches can't stand up when they're told," he said. "So you all get a pair. Line up! By your number!"
Shadowfox looked appraisingly at the others. Taking their words away would make them hard to judge. But their body language would say something.
#01 was a mouse girl, a little Ashita model, barely 125 centimeters tall. She had blonde hair and a flat chest and Shadowfox didn't want to think what her owner was into. If Boss was frightening to Shadowfox, he had to be terrifying to someone that small, and yet she seemed to be bearing up well, quietly taking instructions and carrying them out.
#02 was a black haired Siamese cat. She was a bit shorter than Shadowfox, but her breasts were bigger, probably augmented. She muttered softly, without moving her lips.
Boss looked at her. "There's muzzles in here for bitches who can't keep their mouths shut. Eyes front!"
The Siamese looked at him for a moment, broke eye contact, and stood next to the mouse. She glanced down at the smaller chimera, smirked, and stood, sarcastically, in parade rest. Boss looked at her thoughtfully.
#03, The Conil, glanced furtively at the other girls, as though she expected to be hit. You poor damn fool, Shadowfox thought. Someone would be getting a beating, just to show the others what sort of place they were. Didn't the Conil know what Blue Diamond had been?
#04 did. She was a caramel colored canid with floppy ears and a slim build, just a bit taller than Shadowfox, a spaniel variant of the Argus model. She was nicely muscled, like an athlete. She didn't look at anyone. Her gaze was fixed on the front wall. Her face looked like she expected to wake up at any moment.
The Ursus went down the line, binding their wrists in front of them, squeezing a breast each time as though daring the women to react. The Conil looked surprised, the dog winced, but didn't pull away. Shadowfox could feel the Spaniel tremble as he put the shackles on her.
Shadowfox was looking ahead, straight ahead. She didn't move the eyes in her head. I'm a good girl. I'm obedient and respectful. I'm not standing out at all.
Shadowfox put her hands out, wrists close, trying not to move as he copped a feel. She heard him rumble with pleasure, deep in his chest. He looked down at her with a smile, broadcasting his intention to fuck her. Her ears went flat as the shackles went on, and were tightened.
"Come on," he said brusquely. He reached past Shadowfox and grabbed the Conil's ear. The rabbit girl moved quickly, defensively, to keep him from jerking her ear. They went towards the back of the room and out of Shadow's vision.
"You son of a bitch! Let go of me!" Damnit. Boss was going to muzzle them all. She heard a slap and the Conil was shocked into silence.
Shadowfox couldn't see what was happening. Her eyes were front, like a good girl. The Siamese turned her head and Shadowfox thought she saw a smile. Nerves, or was she actually amused? Sounds of metal on metal. The Conil gasped, cut herself off. "You're going to get it, you fuck," the Conil raged.
Shadowfox would never have believed there was a chimera woman on the planet who would do that. Well, she knew who the example would be. The Ursus came back to the front of the room.
"No sitting. No talking." he ordered, walking to the back of the room. When the door closed, the ones left behind relaxed, audibly.
The Ashita lifted seven fingers, caught Shadowfox's eye, and grinned ruefully. Seven days to go, Shadowfox guessed. Shadowfox smiled back and sighed.
The Argus next to her looked in the back of the room and gritted her teeth. Instinctively, Shadowfox turned to see what she was looking at.
The Conil was standing on tiptoes, facing a pole, hands over her head, shackles attached to the pole. She pulled at them, and Shadowfox suspected she had never worn them before.
The Siamese walked up and hit her across the face.
The Conil looked at her in shock, more in disbelief than anything else. The Siamese drew her hands back for another blow.
The Ashita coughed and shook her head.
Don't do it. They're going to pit us against one another--
The Siamese paused and looked over at the Ashita. Over and down, emphasizing her height.
Shadowfox put up her hands, lifted her middle finger, and waggled it at the Siamese in a come-hither gesture.
Damn it. Why did I do that?
The Siamese looked at Shadow and at the Ashita and grimaced. She returned the middle finger to Shadowfox and stepped away from the Conil.
The door started to open, and they all tried to look innocent.
The Ursus was standing behind a human male, tall, muscular, with red hair. Shadowfox had to clench her mouth closed to keep her teeth from chattering.
The machine intelligence named Blue had used identical clones in Blue Diamond. Meat puppets, bodies remote-controlled by Blue. Tiffany had no way of knowing that; Shadowfox had to pretend that it was a human --
"I'm glad you're here, sir--" the Conil started.
"I am your owner for now," he interrupted. "You will address me as 'Master.' You will call Bruno here 'Boss.'"
He looked at each of them in turn, contemptuously. "I don't have time to learn the names of a new bunch of cunts every week." He pointed at each in turn. "For the class, you're Loli, you're Tits, you in back with the mouth, you're Buns, you're Doggie-Style, and --" he looked directly at Shadowfox "-- Cocksucker."
Shadowfox felt a flash of panic. Had she been recognized?
"To prevent confusion, you'll use those names for one another." Master took Doggie-Style's chin in his hand and lifted her eyes, forced her to look directly at him. When she started to cry, he let her go. She lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Some tears soaked the fur of her snout.
He walked back to the Conil. She looked away from him. "You're overdressed," he said.
"What are you doing--" she started. Oh, she was going to get it now. Boss shook his head, amused.
Master grabbed her top and pushed it up over her head, onto her arms. She jumped and turned her back on him.
Shadowfox's mouth went dry. She knew what was coming, but the Conil didn't.
Master twisted the Conil's top around her wrists. "You're all here because you've failed to please your owners. And there is a Blue Jade girl who wants to trade places with you. You're in Blue Jade, and some of you will be staying here."
That mouse in the lobby, Shadowfox thought. She wondered if David would sleep with the mouse, and what Blue might infer if he didn't.
Doggie-Style gasped, cut herself off.
"Buns, you were told not to sit on the floor. But you did anyway." He patted her shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" she yelled at him.
"Heh," he laughed. "Every slave cunt needs at least one good flogging."
"You -- you can't be serious," she swallowed.
Shadowfox was dizzy, and her throat dry and sore. Master turned his back on the Conil and took a few steps toward the door. The Conil relaxed, thinking that it was over, and all she had to worry about was being tied and topless.
The door opened and the women turned to look.
She was tall and muscular, a white tiger in black leather. Her collar was black with chrome studs. She looked at the bound rabbit and smiled.
"Tigre will now demonstrate how a Blue Jade girl shows respect," Master explained.
There was a hook and loop between the cups of the tiger's top. She undid it and parted her vest to show her breasts. "Master," she said in reverent tones. She went gracefully to her knees, touched her ample breasts to the floor, and her tongue flicked over his shoe. She raised herself to her knees, and waited respectfully. Master touched her ear; she stood. Tigre took the whip off her hip and let it uncoil to the floor.
Her eyes were on the Conil, eyes bright and happy and a mouth that was parted in a smile. She took two steps forward and the whip moved and Shadowfox barely registered the Conil's first scream as Tigre taught her the lesson she had given Shadowfox.
It was Felicia. Her orange fur was dyed white, but it was Felicia.