Silverfox 13
#13 of Silverfox
Silverfox 13
Thompson had never been this close to a chimera before. He was trying to think of her as a patient, but he couldn't get his brain to stop thinking she was about to lunge at him. The helicopter could carry two stretcher patients; not a lot of space. Nowhere to run. He had grown up around here and she was pressing every button he had about not getting close to animals he didn't know. She just might decide to tear his face off.
He looked up at the monitor. Her heart seemed to be running low... or was that normal for a fox chimera? He vaguely remembered something about how canid chimerae had enlarged hearts to pump thicker blood. A dog could run forever because their spleens released red blood cells when they were doing a marathon. Or something. Christ; Every month they had another mandatory web-based training program about "non-human citizens" and "sympathy and outreach to the non-human community" and in his whole career there was like half a day of training on how to care for chimerae and everything in his head was a jumble of chimera types ... one code was allergic to penicillin, this code to that, and none of it was coming back, and he wasn't sure she wasn't dying.
"She's breathing on her own," Thompson said. "And her bleeding's under control." Did she need a transfusion? She had lost a lot of blood, but she had more than a human to start with. Could chimerae use human blood? Her blood pressure was low.
"What about her signs?" Feinman asked.
Thompson shrugged angrily. "What's normal?" he asked. "I've never worked on one of these before. And the expert system wants me to input a model number. We've got to get her to a hospital. Can we get the Ursus in here and go?"
"You got a forklift?" Feinman asked.
Thompson chuckled. "If we're not waiting on the Ursus, let's get out of here."
"Yeah. Besides, the cops will want to see him where he fell." Feinman hesitated. She eyed Silverfox suspiciously. Did people really screw these things? "I know she looks like a theme park mascot, but remember she shot an Ursus who was trying to get out of a burning cabin."
"And then she runs up to firefighters, identifies herself as a private cop, delivers a report on the tactical situation, asks for a ride..." Thompson said skeptically.
"Yeah," Feinman admitted, doubt in her voice. "Even so, we don't know what's going on so we'll assume the worst. Anyone can claim they're a cop."
Well, that was a good point. Thompson had to remind himself that this wasn't the usual accident. "What do you think happened here?" he asked.
Feinman grimaced. "Who knows what's going through their heads?" she asked. She grinned. "Aside from the bullet, of course."
Thompson grinned.
Feinman put her hand on her earphone, and frowned. Central dispatch was interrupting. "Is the ID code stamped somewhere?" she asked. She rolled her eyes. "You don't know? We don't have an RFID reader with us. We're here to put out a fire."
"Ask him if we can get a chimera specialist on the line," Thompson said. "Jeeze, I can't even tell if she has a fever or not."
"You're trying to find a chimera specialist?" Feinman asked the guy she was connected with. "Good. Thompson needs baselines for her vitals." She hesitated. "Thompson, they want us to stay here until the police can fly a team out. Half an hour?"
"Out of the question," Thompson said firmly. "I think she's got two bullets in her. We should be in the air already."
"Sir, we can do first aid, but this thing's been shot twice," Feinman said. "We need to get her to a hospital now." There was a pause. "No, the Ursus is dead. We've got one dead fur job and we're going to have two unless we can get it to a hospital."
Back at the ranger station, the dispatcher rubbed his face. He reached out to his controls and turned the recorder off. If the second fur died on them, Feinman's choice of pronouns would look very bad indeed. He could come up with an equipment malfunction later.
Of course, having the helicopter sit around for half an hour would also look bad if the fur didn't make it. "Okay," he decided. "Bring it in. But listen -- assume she's dangerous. Use plastic ties and strap her to the stretcher."
"Roger," Feinman said. She gave Thompson a thumbs-up. "We're going to check the clearing and see if there's anyone else. Take some plastic ties and strap her down. We treat her like a violent criminal until someone figures out what happened." She left the cabin and shouted to the pilot.
Thompson nodded and reluctantly and started threading plastic ties together to secure the fox to her stretcher. Like most people, when something violent happened between a man and a woman, he gave the woman a benefit of the doubt. And she was supposed to be a person, right?
The chimera's right hand was caked with dried blood, and balled into a fist. It was hard to reach her right hand, impossible if it was strapped down, so he attached it at the elbow. Was the blood hers? It didn't look fresh. He started working her finger free.
He heard something; a very soft growl. Her ears had flattened.
...Okay, maybe the blood was sticking her fur together and pulling on it hurt. Fine. Could he soak her fist in water? Maybe wrap it in a wet towel?
The blades were kicking up. "You set?" came the pilot's voice in his ear.
"Ready," Thompson said, grabbing onto a strap in the ceiling.
The helicopter lifted smoothly and started to turn.
About ten minutes into the flight, the dispatcher called. "Central to Thompson," he said.
"Thompson here."
"She gave her name as 'Silverfox,' right?" Central asked.
"I think that was it," Thompson agreed. "Is that her name?"
"Well, maybe," Central said. "It turns out that Silverfox is a missing American rent-a-cop working with the RCMP, a gray-furred female fox."
"She's really a detective?" Thompson asked. Did detectives usually gun down suspects?
"If it's her. I've got Silverfox's doctor on the line. Let me throw him on."
"Good evening, Ranger Thompson," came a voice that was just a little too perfect. The tones were flat and there were no pauses or 'uhms', as though the lines were rehearsed. Machine intelligence? Artificial voice? "I am Doctor Clayton and I will be assisting you." There was a pause. "Can you give me the URL of your diagnostic equipment so I can access her vitals?"
Thompson hesitated. Was his equipment even networked? "No idea," Thompson said.
"Hmm," Doctor Clayton said. Thompson had the awful feeling that an intellect vast and cool and unsympathetic was sending a note: "Canada, your EMTs have an unacceptable level of computer literacy."
"Can you point your device to a connection on my end?" Clayton asked.
"Sorry," Thompson said. "I can read you the numbers," he offered hopefully.
"Very well," Clayton said in tones that somehow suggested he actually wanted to say, "I regret the necessity of involving meatware in my data loop." "Before you try," Clayton said, as though there was some doubt Thompson could read numbers correctly, "there is a five-character code tattooed on her gum, on the right side of her upper mandible. It should start either with the letter B for Bravo or N for Nebraska. Could you please read that for me?"
At the same time, Clayton was speaking to the pilot, Mark Pak.
"My company has chartered a MediJet, which is being diverted to South Cariboo Regional Airport," Clayton explained. "Your dispatcher will be modifying your flight plan shortly."
Pak blinked. "A jet?" he asked. "I can fly her directly to a hospital." He put a map in his head. They were flying southwest. South Cariboo and 100 Mile Hospital were not that far apart. Yeah, the airport was a bit closer, but --
"We are taking her to the chimera wing of Boston General Hospital, where certain specialized care will be available," Clayton explained.
"Specialized care?" the pilot asked. "She's been shot. Isn't that a priority?"
"The MediJet is carrying remotely operated surgical equipment," Clayton explained. "Surgery to stabilize her will be carried out before takeoff."
"Somebody really doesn't like Interior Health," the pilot laughed.
"I have no concerns about the quality of service provided by 100 Mile Hospital," Clayton said politely. "However, I am her doctor, and obviously we are anxious she be placed under my care as quickly as possible."
The pilot started to feel a bit guilty. "Yes, of course," he replied. "Sorry -- I didn't mean to second guess you."
"Not at all," the mild voice assured him. "I am happy to address any issues which might be of concern to you."
Silverfox woke up in a curved tube. She panicked for a moment, but soon recognized the inside of a big private plane, the whine of its engines. They were in flight. It was late; the windows were dark. She was in a hospital gown, and her gun was gone.
"Where's my stuff?" she asked, immediately, if not clearly. "What's going on?"
A guy in scrubs looked down at her and nodded. He was squat and wore glasses with a built in HUD. He spoke carefully. "It's all right. You are on a MediJet charted by ICON. You are being flown to the chimera wing of Boston General Hospital. We thought you might need specialized care. My name's Doctor Alpone."
Silverfox looked up at the folded spider-like arms of a remote surgery device. She knew what it was because a similar piece of hardware had figured prominently in a film she had seen recently. _Cyber-Sadist_ was the title. She closed her eyes and wished desperately she hadn't dragged Jerry to that one.
"I need specialized care?" Silverfox asked, suddenly afraid. She had tubes in her arms, and she could see bandages on her left arm and hand; neater than what she had managed in the forest.
"We thought you might, but we don't think so any more. In my opinion, no," he said. "We removed the bullets before taking off. They didn't break up. Very clean."
"Can I have them?" she asked.
He grinned. He was an army medic and he had expected this. "After the Canadians say you can," he said. "They're evidence." The lights glinted off his glasses. He had been in surgical garb, she noticed. You could tell he hadn't combed his hair since wearing the sterile cap. He looked at her blood test and shook his head again. "You've been boosting a lot," he said.
"I felt it was necessary," Silverfox replied, resenting the implication.
"Oh, I understand that," he said in a rush. "But you have to be aware that you've been badly abused at the cellular level. We've cleaned it out of your bloodstream, but--"
"I understand that," Silverfox said.
"Amphetamines are very nasty stuff," he said. "Even if your body produces them, they're one of the most addictive--"
"I know," Silverfox snapped. She held her breath, and went on, softly. "Thank you. Your heart's in the right place, but I'm not some kid who just downed a bottle of uppers at a party. Boosting's something they designed into me to give me an edge when I need it."
He looked unconvinced.
She sighed. "You're going to be taking blood samples every day for the next week. To make sure I don't start boosting subconsciously. Right?"
He nodded reluctantly.
"Fine," Silverfox said. "No offense but I've heard this all before. Yes, boosting feels good. Yes, it'll save your life if you're injured in combat. Yes, it will eventually kill me." She smiled brightly and patted his hand. "Message received."
"Okay," he said. "You understand that if we find you're boosting when you're not at risk, you'll be asked to volunteer for therapy?"
"Yes, I understand that," she said, feeling more irritated.
He nodded. "You broke your left thumb. Trauma drugs aren't much good with bone damage."
She looked at her left hand glumly. "Nuts. Will I be able to play the piano?" she asked, waving her new cast.
"You're going to be fine," he said, refusing to give the straight line. Bedside manner went only so far. He looked over his shoulder at a monitor. "I am not a chimera specialist but Doctor Clayton's been using remote sensing."
Silverfox nodded. Clayton?
"He's installed an update to the firmware in your brain implant," he said.
Silverfox called a Help / About and looked at the patch date and time. She frowned -- the timestamp was in the future. No, of course not -- it was in UTC. Which meant it was only a few hours old.
"You're looking at some bed rest," he said, "but we think you can go straight home from the airport. Your friends found a nurse for you."
"Tall Felicia?" Silverfox guessed.
"Who?" Alpone asked. He looked at the clipboard. "Sorry. Here it says she's Felicia Brandon Biotech Tango Fox Charlie -- "
"Her friends call her 'Tall Felicia,'" Silverfox explained. She wondered why the others wouldn't be meeting her. Did Tall Felicia have keys to their apartment? Duh -- Technofox had her biometrics and could grant her temporary access remotely.
He waved at her hinder. "Your tail looks stable to me, but a specialist will be looking at it tomorrow."
"That's good," she said, relieved. "And my stuff?
"Your belongings were impounded by the British Columbia Provincial Police as evidence," he said apologetically. "Do you need a personal care kit?"
"Not if I'm going home." The RCMP had her vest, which meant the RCMP would get first crack at Fischer's hard drive. She wondered if Technofox would get to look at that data. Oh well. Nothing she could do about it now. Should she have cached it?
He put a coiled cord on a little table next to her. "Except that. You had it in your hand and you wouldn't let go."
It was a P-38 can opener, a boot lace strung through it.
"Damn right I won't," she said. "That's my new talisman." She reached for it, but didn't quite get it in her hand. Alpone smiled and lifted her head so he could put it around her neck. It had been cleaned, she noticed. That was a little sloppy of the police, but she figured they had probably taken swabs. Or they thought all the blood on it was hers. She wondered if she should explain what she had used it for. Then they'd take it from her until the courts were happy. Oh, hell -- it wasn't a big part of the case. "Am I getting trauma drugs?"
"No," Alpone said. "We give trauma drugs if the injury is localized and the patient can't have bed rest. So in your case, it's not indicated." He cracked a smile. "You have some calls waiting for you. Do you want some pudding first?"
"Phone first. Then tapioca," she said. "Thanks."
A netbook was placed on the little table. The phone app was up, with two calls waiting for her to answer. That would be Foxforce and McKinnon, she thought. Jerry might not have heard she was okay yet, depending on the time zone he was in. She wondered if she should send him a message after she took the live calls. She recognized one of the numbers, and selected it.
"Hi, Fire," she said. "Guys."
Firefox was in the center. Technofox and Shadowfox flanked her, each trying to squeeze in closer for a better view.
Silverfox closed her eyes for a moment, relief from stress she didn't know she had flooding her system. Shadowfox was okay too.
They were all sitting, crammed together around a table. Technofox was crying, Shadowfox was grinning and bouncing, and Silver wasn't sure which expressed more joy. The background was a bar -- were they at a table in a bar? Maybe a restaurant. Suddenly, Silverfox wanted fish. Salmon.
"Good to see you," Firefox said.
"Oh, man," Silverfox said, and shook her head. She grinned. "I can't tell you how glad I am to see you."
"Likewise," Firefox said. She coughed and looked away for a moment. "I hear you're looking at a week of bed rest."
Right now, that sounded great. "As long as you're with me," Silverfox said, and blew a kiss. The doctor lifted an eyebrow and pretended not to hear. Well, fine -- the mental image was her tip to him.
Technofox grinned. "She's okay," she gushed.
Shadowfox beamed and Firefox laughed and rolled her eyes. "First draft report, tomorrow," she said, trying to be serious. "You can dictate it and have it transcribed by Doctor Clayton."
That was a hint. They'd talk about the details later. Silverfox was wondering if Fischer had used 4094, and if so, how. But she didn't dare bring it up now.
Shadowfox hesitated. "Something funny happened to me," she said. "We started filming _Tetris_, but I can't remember anything that happened that day. We've got testimony from other people involved and we've got the recordings you made, but I can't remember any of it."
"Neither can I. So filming started?" Silverfox asked, trying to sound more confused than she was. "I remember the night before and waking up in the woods. But you say there was a day of filming?" Okay, so the bad guys used 4094 ... but how?
"Not only that," Shadowfox said. "Fischer paid me in cash, in advance, for the whole movie." She smiled wryly. "But we can't find the envelope."
"I think Fischer paid you in advance and then stole the money back," Technofox said. "He was hoping the police would think you grabbed it and ran. Fischer probably took the cash from the hotel room when they came to pick you up. It would be hard to argue against that without compromising Shadow's cover."
"Doctor Clayton said they found traces of gas in Shadowfox's lungs," Firefox said. "And that sometimes that mix can make your memory go funny." Firefox let that sink in. "In your report, try to focus on what you can remember and keep the speculation to a minimum."
"Yes ma'am," Silverfox said, formally.
Firefox looked at her. "The Pack is coming up to give the RCMP a hand sweeping the crime scene," she said. "How many were there?"
"Four," Silverfox replied. "Three human and Avalanche. They tried to kill me. I was afraid for my life. Three are dead. I don't know about Fischer." That was boilerplate out of the ICON playbook. Never say anything over a cell connection you didn't want to hear in court. And you never want a jury to hear something like "The bastards deserved it." Juries often didn't realize that some bastards did indeed deserve it.
Silverfox yawned suddenly and blinked. She regretted it immediately -- Firefox would probably be afraid she was dozing off.
"Fischer was there?" Firefox lifted an eyebrow and Technofox took a note.
"Not a big surprise," Technofox said.
"I last saw Avalanche and Fischer near the cabin," Silverfox said. "I engaged the other two in the forest, on a slope." Firewolf would want to know when to stop looking for bodies. There was more Silverfox had to say, but she was having trouble thinking. She couldn't remember the other names she had heard. "By some trees," she said.
"In the forest, by some trees?" Firefox blinked, as though Silverfox had said something odd. Technofox looked at Firefox uncertainly. "Do you remember hearing anything that might imply there were more people in the forest?" Firefox asked.
"No. Fischer of men," Silverfox said. She thought it would be a joke, but after she said it, she didn't get it.
"Okay. We'll let you get some rest," Firefox said.
"Uhm," Shadowfox said, as though she had something to say.
Firefox looked squarely at the black vixen. "The rest can wait," the big fox said curtly. Then, back to the monitor. "Silver honey, we won't be in Boston for another --" Firefox looked at the wall.
"Nineteen and a half," Technofox said.
"Nineteen and a half hours," Firefox said. "Tall Felicia's meeting you at the airport. She'll be taking care of you for a bit."
"When will I be landing?" Silverfox asked. "I mean, what time?"
"Oh-three hundred local," Technofox said. "In one hundred forty minutes."
"Thanks... I don't have the flight information," Silverfox said, suddenly baffled by that. This was the first time she could remember flying without a schedule in her brain. Why didn't she have that? It was creepy. "Tall Felicia, not Cheshire?" she asked. It seemed natural their housekeeper would do this.
"Felicia's a nurse," Technofox said.
"Oh, right," Silverfox said. "I forgot."
"And Cheshire's busy," Firefox said.
"Busy?" Silverfox asked.
"It's Modesty," Technofox said.
"What's wrong with Modesty?" Silverfox snapped, her fur fluffing up, suddenly worried.
"Nothing," Firefox said hastily. She grinned to reassure her. "It's not a big deal. That guy she was supposed to meet in Invermere, the one who was going to take her to the lodge that hired her? He was a no show, and his cell phone's turned off." Firefox shrugged. "Modesty's waiting a day or two, but if she does that she doesn't have enough cash to make it back to Boston."
"So Cheshire's picking her up in British Columbia?" Silverfox asked, baffled. "Why not just send her money?"
"Uhm --" Firefox started, looking confused for a moment. She had to have a lot on her mind.
Technofox cut in. "We can't send Modesty money across state lines, because the Feds would route it to her owner. So Cheshire's taking a bus up to Montreal. Once she's there, she'll send Modesty the money for a ticket." Technofox looked thoughtful. "We need a friend in Canada."
"Thanks," Firefox said. "I knew it made sense somehow..."
"And the funny thing is that we're going to be in Canada in a few hours anyway..." Shadowfox said.
"That's it," Silverfox said. "You're in that oyster bar in Sea-Tac airport." They had good shrimp cocktails. She wanted a shrimp cocktail. Maybe they could pick one up for her? Would it keep for twenty hours?
"Yes, that's right. The Canadians want to debrief us before they'll let us go home," Shadowfox said.
"I'm hoping they keep us active," Technofox said. "I think it would be worthwhile to investigate the people who invested in Fischer's films. Some were probably getting money laundered."
"Why would someone blow Modesty off like that?" Silverfox asked. "After she went across the damn continent. What a dick."
"It's taken care of," Firefox said patiently. "Let Cheshire carry it. Go to sleep."
"Beats me," Technofox said with an impatient shrug. "I should get a search agent looking for that guy..." she looked at a note in her implant. "Michael Carter. Guess Modesty just ran out of luck."
"...I don't know about that," Silverfox said, quietly.
Silverfox had to shake her head before going to the next call.
"Hi," Jerry said to her. He looked like hell. Something more than "woke up early," she thought. More like "recovering from bender."
"...Hi, Jerry," she said, a little surprised. Why wasn't he McKinnon? This was weird. Not unwelcome, but odd. How did Jerry find out? The others must have called him. But why hadn't they called McKinnon?
"Were you expecting someone else?" he asked. He grinned.
Well, yes. "No... Where are you?" she asked. Maybe McKinnon didn't want to look too worried about her? Why didn't McKinnon call her? Maybe he was asleep.
"I'm not exactly sure," he mused. "Chicago or Colorado. Something ending with 'o'."
"Denver," came a woman's voice from off camera.
"Colorado, then," he said. "Thanks," he said, talking to his left. "Tech called me with the news. I'm just glad I was too drunk to turn my phone off last night."
Silverfox pursed her lips. "Have you been drinking and whoring?"
"Could be," he admitted, rubbing his nose.
"I glare at you with mock disapproval," Silverfox glared with mock disapproval.
There was a feminine giggle from off camera. "Uhm, sorry," whoever-it-was said. "I should have kept quiet."
Silverfox sighed. "It's okay, honey. In his shoes I'd do the same. I don't think I could afford going all the way to Denver, though."
"Are you okay?" Jerry asked.
"I'll be in bed for a bit, but I'll get better," Silverfox said.
"Where are you now?" Jerry asked.
"They're flying me back to Boston," she said. "To the apartment."
"I'll be in Boston tomorrow," Jerry said.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you," Silverfox said.
He forced a grin and bit his lip. "I'm ... glad you're okay."
She reached out, ran a claw down his face on the monitor. "You don't look well. You need to take better care of yourself," Silverfox said.
He blinked and shrugged. "You don't get to say that from a hospital bed," he grinned.
She swallowed. "Yes I do. I love you, you know."
"Do you?" he asked, genuinely curious.
An "awwww" came from stage left.
"Yes," she said. She swallowed. "I'm showing it as much as I can. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It's hard for me to say that," she said. She looked at him. "Jerry, I'll tell you why tomorrow."
"Hey, is that a synthetic?" asked stage left.
"Yes," Jerry said icily to his right. He turned back to the camera. "Okay." He took a breath. "Who did you think I'd be?" he asked.
He knew her too well. Her eyes narrowed. Well, how much right did he have to get upset? "McKinnon," she said. Was Shadowfox right about McKinnon? He wasn't calling because he didn't want his friends to know about her? Asshole.
No, that didn't make sense. McKinnon had been working closely with her. Nobody would assume they were sleeping together if he called a partner in a hospital.
Jerry looked sick for a moment, and Silverfox put her hand to her mouth. Dick move, she thought. First tell him you love him, then mention another lover to him. And he proposed to you... she would have given anything to take that back.
Well, she had expected McKinnon to be on the phone for her. But not because he felt more about her -- because he'd know before Jerry would, not because he cared more for her -- would Jerry believe that? She opened her mouth to explain.
"Honey, he's dead," Jerry said.
Her mouth closed and her ears perked to face the loudspeakers. "...What?" Silverfox asked, numbly.
"I wish I didn't have to tell you." Jerry sighed. "I just know what your friends told me. He tried to stop them from carrying you off. He was shot in the parking lot. I'm sorry."
"He's dead?" Silverfox asked. McKinnon couldn't be dead. She had to be tired, misunderstanding what Jerry was telling her.
"I'm sorry. He must have been a hell of a guy," Jerry said. "I wish I had known him."
The tears started coming then. "I have to go to his funeral," she said.
"I think it's over," Jerry told her.
"I have to do something," she said. McKinnon had a son. Wasn't his birthday coming up? Oh, for God's sake -- would the kid ever celebrate his birthday again without thinking about how his father died?
"Of course," Jerry said.
"What should I do?" Silverfox asked helplessly. What did people do if they couldn't go to the funeral?
"We'll think of something," Jerry assured her. "We can visit his grave when you're feeling better."
Why hadn't the others told her? Maybe they were just too happy to see she was okay? Because she didn't look well enough to take the news?
The scariest part was being lowered out of the plane on a hoist. It vibrated, and she was convinced the wheelchair was going to roll off, and it looked a long way down. Tall Felicia was standing on the runway in a business suit, signing forms for an airport attendant.
Silverfox touched a joystick on the arm of her chair, smiled as it started gliding across the runway. "Signing for me?" she asked. The chair was kind of cool. She did a figure eight around some guy with a hard hat and Tall Felicia.
"For the wheelchair," Tall Felicia said. She got behind Silverfox and started to push. "I can go faster," she explained.
"I don't really need the chair at all," Silverfox said. "I can walk."
"I got a call at 2200 last night asking me to pick you up at 0300," Tall Felicia said. "Don't give me a hard time."
Silverfox grinned. "You're a class act, Felicia," she said. "Hope you weren't busy."
"Eh," Tall Felicia said with a chuckle. "Not that busy. I was up anyway. Besides, I used to be a nurse. If this works out I might try getting a certificate for Massachusetts."
Silverfox was wearing a disposable white coat with the MEDIJET logo and a blanket on her legs. The can opener was around her neck, under the coat. It was obviously not her coat. She wondered what people were thinking as they went past them.
"How are you feeling?" Felicia asked.
"Not bad, considering," Silverfox said. "I'm not in pain or anything. As long as I don't use the arm. The others are being debriefed. Feel sorry for them."
"Heh. Good point."
"By Canadians," Silverfox said to drive her point home. "So they're being asked 'aboot' things."
"Well, at least you seem to be coherent," Tall Felicia said. "Or as coherent as ever."
"Did you know Carl's dead?" Silverfox asked abruptly.
"Carl?" Felicia asked. "The Mountie who was shot?"
"Yes," Silverfox said.
"I heard about that," the tiger said sympathetically. "Were you close?"
"Yes," Silverfox nodded. Her throat closed up. She had a weird feeling of dissonance. Tall Felicia sounded so much like Tigre that just hearing her speak was frightening. She found herself analyzing everything the tiger said for some hidden meaning. But Tigre had never done sympathy, not even mock sympathy. It touched Silverfox in a way she couldn't really explain.
"I'm sorry," Felicia said, in the tones you used when you didn't know the deceased but a friend did.
"Thanks," Silverfox nodded.
Tall Felicia pushed her into the garage and helped her into the passenger seat of Foxforce's car. Silverfox strapped herself in as Felicia watched, probably gauging her coordination. Then she folded the chair and put it into the back seat.
"Do you want to talk about him?" Tall Felicia asked.
"I don't know," Silverfox said. "It's just..." she shrugged and trailed off. "I can't really believe it. It's like one moment I'll wonder why he hasn't called, and then I'll remember."
"Yeah, that happens when you lose someone. Technofox has turned the climate control on in your place," Tall Felicia said, backing out of the parking space. "I don't know what's in your pantry, but I can pick up something for breakfast once I get you there."
Silverfox felt a moment of panic. Tall Felicia wasn't going to leave her alone, was she? "That's okay," Silverfox said immediately. "I'm inconveniencing you enough."
Tall Felicia glanced at her for just a moment before looking back into the mirror. "Okay," she agreed easily. Silverfox looked away. Had the tiger heard the fear in her voice? Her throat closed.
The airport wasn't far from the apartment. Tall Felicia had an overnight bag with her; Silverfox carried it in her lap.
"You go left here," Silverfox said, as they steered right.
"Not if you want to take the ramp," Tall Felicia said.
"Oh, yeah," Silverfox agreed, embarrassed.
"The world is different when you have wheels," Tall Felicia intoned. "Luckily, that's not something you'll need to learn."
"Yeah," Silverfox agreed as Tall Felicia pushed her into the elevator.
They couldn't maneuver the wheelchair into her bedroom, so Tall Felicia helped her the last few feet to her bed. Tall Felicia went for some water, while Silverfox stripped and got under the covers. Silverfox heard Tall Felicia on the phone, assuring Firefox that Silverfox was in bed, and that she was fine.
Silverfox looked at her gun safe. She wanted to feel her weapons in her hand. She didn't want to mention that out loud, because it would sound too weird. Unconsciously, she stroked the can opener. That was enough.
Silverfox was feeling her second wind. And maybe it was because she was naked in bed, but her brain made the not entirely unheard-of segue from weapons to sex. Tall Felicia walked in, and Silverfox was struck by how lovely she was. Maybe it was because she hadn't had a good lay for a while, at least not one she could remember. Silverfox looked at her bust and then in her eyes.
"Is there anything you'd like?" Tall Felicia asked as she put a glass of water on Silverfox's night stand.
"Anything at all?" Silverfox asked with a roguish grin.
Tall Felicia cocked her head at Silverfox and smiled back. "Well, they call it the Hero's Reward, don't they?"
Silverfox froze. She hadn't expected that. Tigers took what they wanted. "Uh... you called my bluff."
"I wasn't bluffing back," she said.
"Uhm," Silverfox said.
Tall Felicia smiled and pulled Silverfox's chair over to the bed. She sat down.
"I know about Tigre," she said.
Silverfox looked away.
"And it's okay if you don't want to," Tall Felicia said. "I just want you to know I'd like to." she trailed off and shrugged.
"It's not you," Silverfox said. "I know you're not her. But she--"
Silverfox cut herself off. Her voice was shaking.
"I know what she did in Blue Diamond," Tall Felicia said. "And I know you were there."
"I'm over that," Silverfox said.
Tall Felicia was quiet for a moment.
"Can I touch you? I'm asking," the tiger said.
Silverfox nodded, reluctantly.
Tall Felicia reached out and stroked Silverfox's head. Her touch was gentle, and she left her hand on Silverfox's shoulder. "Do you like that?"
"Yes," Silverfox said. "She didn't feel like that." She looked at her.
"Okay," Tall Felicia said with a smile. She turned serious. "This is a gift from me to you. What if I do exactly what you tell me to do?"
"I don't know," Silverfox said. She laughed nervously.
"Please?" Tall Felicia asked. "Would you feel more in control if I were on a leash? That's okay."
Silverfox shook her head. "What's the point of lying about it? You can smell me."
"That doesn't matter," Felicia said. "It doesn't matter how excited you get. Say no, and I'll stop."
"I don't know if I can," Silverfox said.
"You've been hurt. I'm not asking anything from you," Tall Felicia said. "It's okay if you go to sleep." She shrugged. "Probably better than a sleeping pill."
"I'd like ... to see you," Silverfox said, finally.
Tall Felicia smiled and stood up. She took off her jacket and rested it on her chair. Next came her shoes, and then her skirt. Her blouse was long. She turned away from Silverfox.
The blouse slid off her shoulders, exposed her back, dropped down off her arms. Her back was orange, a black stripe running down her spine and stripes running out, like a fishbone, her bra and panties seeming to blend in with her stripes. She turned back, her breasts filling her bra, her hands on the clip that fastened them.
Silverfox forced herself to meet her eyes. They stayed that way for a while. Tell Felicia's eyes were warm, with nothing in them that made Silverfox think of a predator calculating how to hurt her.
"You can look," Tall Felicia said with a smirk.
Silverfox looked as Tall Felicia opened her bra. Her breasts were large and so firm they barely bounced.
"You're beautiful," Silverfox said.
"Thank you," Tall Felicia said. She held her breasts, cupped them, ran her fingers along them and pinched her nipples. She closed her eyes, enjoying that.
"May I touch them?" Silverfox asked.
"They're yours," Tall Felicia replied. She shifted forward, arched her back.
Silverfox reached out from under the covers and felt the weight, lifted her breast, ran a thumb over the nipple. She heard Tall Felicia gasp. Something felt wrong.
This wasn't the opposite of what happened in Blue Diamond. This wasn't a game she really wanted to play.
"Come here," Silverfox whispered, and pulled Tall Felicia towards her. Tall Felicia went on all fours, careful not to rest any of her weight on Shadowfox. She moved herself up to the head of the bed, her breasts over Silverfox's mouth.
Silverfox put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her down gently. "I want to see your pretty face," she said.
Tall Felicia looked surprised for a moment, and then nodded.
Silverfox kissed her, first on the forehead, then on the mouth, and then they opened their mouths and pressed them together. Silverfox felt the tiger's rough tongue against hers, tasted her for the first time.
Tall Felicia was on all fours, her weight off Silverfox. Silverfox tried to pull her down, but the tiger broke off and shook her head with a laugh. Yeah, she was pretty big, and Silverfox was starting to feel where Avalanche had thrown her around.
The tiger kissed her a few times, quickly, and then moved her mouth and tongue down Silverfox's muzzle, to the ruff around her neck. Her rough tongue ran over the fur, with the lay, gently putting it back in order. Those massive teeth and jaws moved close to Silverfox's throat, and Silverfox felt the heightened awareness that comes from a touch of anxiety. Tall Felicia moved the comforter away, exposing the vixen.
"Did I mention I was a nurse?" Tall Felicia asked softly. Silverfox nodded quickly.
Tall Felicia moved up, moved the swell of her breasts up above Silverfox's face. The vixen licked tenderly around her aureole, felt the nipple already stiff under her tongue. She reached up, took the side of her breast in her hand, guided it to her mouth. Her lips closed over the nipple and she started suckling.
"Is that what my little vixen likes?" Tall Felicia whispered. "She can have all she wants."
Tall Felicia gasped and faltered, almost falling on Silverfox. Silverfox used her teeth, and heard only pleasure in the tiger's yelp. She bit again harder.
"Oh, God," Tall Felicia whispered. "That's good."
Silverfox switched to the other nipple, teased the first with her thumb. Her hands moved down, her thumbs hooked in the panties the tiger wore. She pushed them down a little, rested a hand between her legs. Tall Felicia was wet already.
"I want you to come first," Tall Felicia said.
The tiger moved to the left, and pushed the blankets off Silverfox. She kissed her throat, her collarbone, and then one hand was on her breast and the other between her legs. She kneaded Silverfox's breast, took the other nipple into her mouth. Her teeth were sharper than Silverfox's, but she used them carefully. Silverfox took her into her arms and licked her head as she worked at her, squeezing the tiger weakly.
Tall Felicia's touch was gentle, but persistent. It didn't take Silverfox long; after she came, Tall Felicia moved up and kissed her mouth.
Silverfox felt exhausted, every bit of strength flowing out of her. This was bad. Silverfox prided herself on being a generous lover, able to give at least as good as she got.
"It's okay," Tall Felicia said softly. "Get some rest."
"No," Silverfox said, fighting to stay awake. "You haven't--"
"We'll have plenty of time in the morning," Tall Felicia said. She kissed her. "Go to sleep, little puppy."
"Kit," Silverfox corrected drowsily. She went easily to sleep.
She slept solidly for ten hours. When she woke up, she was alone in bed. But it was okay, because she had told off Master and tigers didn't scare her any more.
Epilog 1
"You're sure you'll be okay?" Felicia asked, worried.
The tiger held a blood sample tube in one hand, and was tipping it back and forth. Silverfox watched her blood slide from one end of the tube to the other. She was probably mixing it with some reagent already in the tube.
"Sure," Silverfox said. "Can I see that?"
Tall Felicia shook her head. "Nobody touches this but me," she said firmly. She slipped it into another tube, and sealed it.
"What does that remind me of?" Silverfox asked.
Tall Felicia chuckled and put the sealed tube into an inside pocket. "I have to bring this over to the hospital. Will you guys be okay for half an hour?"
"I'll keep her in line," Shadowfox said as she stepped in. She took Silverfox's office chair and sat in it. She then leaned forward and glowered at Silverfox, as though daring her to misbehave.
Tall Felicia grinned and rolled her eyes as she walked out of the room.
"Tell me about Carl," Silverfox said the moment the outside door closed.
"...Yes," Shadowfox said sadly. "He called in for backup, reporting you were being kidnapped by two Caucasian males and a big chimera."
"Hard to nail down," Silverfox said.
"Very," Shadowfox agreed.
"Do they know who did it?" Silverfox asked. "I mean, specifically?"
"No. The big chimera might have been Avalanche."
"Probably."
"He was shot with a 9mm pistol. Does that sound familiar?"
"No," Silverfox said. She looked away. "In the forest, nobody used a nine millimeter. Did he get anyone?"
"They didn't find any evidence of that," Shadowfox said. "McKinnon fired four rounds. They found three of the bullets in a car door. Maybe he hit with the fourth, or he fired high and they haven't found the slug. Did you go shooting with him?"
"Yes. He wasn't much of a shot," Silverfox said. She looked at Shadowfox. "You still think he had problems with chimerae?"
Shadowfox met her gaze, unflinching. "He didn't introduce you to his friends," she said. "That's a warning sign." She shrugged. "But the only thing I know for sure is that he died for us. That's all that really matters now."
Silverfox swallowed and Shadowfox patted her hand.
"Backup didn't get there in time," Shadowfox said. "The US Coast Guard got the _Flying Saucer_ on the ocean. But they couldn't force the issue because they were in Canadian water, and they had to wait for the Vancouver police..."
"And _Flying Saucer_ launched their boats," Silverfox finished.
"Probably," Shadowfox said. "Anyway, there weren't any docked to _Flying Saucer_ once the Canadians boarded them."
"Did they find Fischer?" Silverfox asked. "In the woods, I mean."
Shadowfox shook her head. "No."
"Shit."
Tech and Fire crowded into Silverfox's room; they wheeled in the office chairs from everyone's rooms and sat down attentively. Silverfox felt vaguely incongruous, as though she were a dying rabbi surrounded by weeping acolytes, all waiting for a last word of wisdom.
"Why did Fischer try to kidnap Shadowfox?" Silverfox asked.
"We're working on that," Technofox said.
"Fischer was with Baker. Baker knew I was ICON," Silverfox said.
"Right," Technofox agreed. "But as far as we can tell, he didn't connect you and Ebony."
"Maybe he didn't know Ebony was ICON," Firefox said. "Did he have some other reason to kidnap Ebony?"
"Maybe," Silverfox said. "What if he was planning to sell Ebony to Blue?"
"I don't think so," Technofox said. "In that case, he'd wait until after Ebony finished the movie. Why be in such a rush to kidnap her?" She looked back at her laptop, with a sour expression, as though she expected to see something there but didn't. "His film wasn't insured. If he knew Ebony was Shadowfox and Shadowfox was ICON, it would add some urgency."
"He probably knew that," Silverfox said. "He knew I was ICON."
"Before or after you were kidnapped?" Firefox asked. She shook her head. "I could imagine they wanted to kidnap Ebony, but they got you by mistake, and Baker recognized you."
"But Baker was in Canada," Technofox said. "Probably."
"To sum up," Firefox said, "Fischer might have been trying to kidnap Ebony, or he might have been trying to kidnap an ICON agent. If he were after Ebony, then we need to explain why he didn't wait until shooting was over. If he were after Shadowfox, then we need to explain how he knew Shadowfox was ICON."
"I concur," Technofox nodded.
"Leaving that aside, they found me on the fire escape," Shadowfox said. "Maybe we knew what was happening and tried to get to McKinnon in the parking lot. I can't imagine they put me there and there's no way I was chilling on the fire escape."
"Opening the window set off the fire alarm," Technofox said. "So you didn't leave the apartment because you thought there was a fire. I think we're safe assuming that you knew what was happening. But why didn't you send us an alert?"
"Maybe there wasn't time," Shadowfox suggested.
"And maybe you got out the window a little faster than me," Silverfox said, nodding. "If I were out there, they might have missed us both."
"We know Fischer and Blue worked together." Shadowfox said. "Blue probably knows the four of us are ICON."
"Yes," Technofox said. "But I don't think Blue knew Shadowfox was Ebony. I find it a lot easier to believe someone told them --"
"Change the subject," Firefox interrupted. Cheshire was coming in with Shadowfox's desk chair. Silverfox did a double take. If there was a leak, Cheshire was a suspect...
Technofox was typing at a red laptop computer. That in itself was weird, because Technofox preferred black, or possibly white if she were in a kicky mood. Silverfox had never seen Tech using a red computer before. It looked new, and Silverfox suspected it was a new purchase.
The computer sat on a TV tray, and next to it were two 4094 devices. One was Cheshire's, the other the one they had gotten from the bottom of the ocean.
"How is your tail?" Cheshire asked Silverfox.
That brought her back. "Fine," she said. "I saw a specialist today, but he's mostly concerned with my pelt. Scar tissue can make the fur grow out weird, but he thinks he can keep mine even. There's no permanent bone damage in the tail."
When she said that, she regretted it. Cheshire smiled happily though. "That's good. Believe me -- bone damage is a bitch." She thumped her cane unconsciously.
"Yeah," Silverfox agreed, uncomfortable. "How's Modesty?"
"Fine. The money got to her and she's coming back in a couple of days." Cheshire hesitated. "We didn't tell her about the guy she was meeting yet."
"It's not something you send in an email," Shadowfox said.
"Is that safe?" Technofox asked. "Suppose Mike's buddies try to contact her again?"
"Yes," Firefox said. "She'll contact us if there's a change in her plans."
"Okay. Maybe it was some other Michael Carter," Silverfox suggested.
Cheshire shrugged. And that might be all they'd ever know about that.
Technofox cleared her throat. "Before I start, I'd like to introduce you to Big Red." She patted her laptop.
"I thought that was new," Silverfox said. "Why did you buy it?" It was a lot of money given that they were saving for Fire's new M110.
"Because ICON doesn't know about it," Technofox said. She picked up the two 4094 devices. One had a label reading "#1"; Cheshire's was "#2."
"Cheshire's 4094 device is older than the one we found," Technofox said. "Despite that, these two devices are more or less identical. The big difference is the ISID chips inside them. They return different signals. Now watch."
Before anyone could stop her, she held Cheshire's gizmo over her own head and held down the switch. After a few moments, she took it away triumphantly. "See? It doesn't work on me. The newer one will. Hope you'll take that for granted." She grinned.
"But mine worked on Modesty," Cheshire said, troubled.
"Yes, a couple of months ago," Technofox said. "Since then, the firmware in my brain implant has been updated, to work with the new RFID key in the one from the boat."
"So someone is updating the protocol used by 4094 gizmos," Shadowfox said.
"Right," Technofox said. "Not that it's a surprise, really. The RFID chip is a key. Between the fall of Blue Diamond and April, they changed the keys."
"Who did?" Cheshire asked, frowning.
"There's some body out there responsible for maintaining 4094," Technofox said. "That's obvious. Let's call them Bureau 4094 just so they have a name."
"Okay," Firefox nodded. "What can we guess about Bureau 4094?"
"Not a lot," Technofox said. "There's a list of individual chimerae with associated individual keys on a chip inside the 4094 gizmos. That list includes chimerae produced by every American, British, and Japanese company that grows chimerae, but doesn't include any from France.
"Bureau 4094 is therefore intercorporate, and international, but it excludes the Nazis." She tapped her head. "Our implants use Japanese electronics and American programmers. Since 4094 is maintained by software upgrades, obviously Gates Medical Software is involved."
"And Bureau 4094 needs to have an intelligence organization," Firefox said. "Otherwise, they wouldn't know about these 4094 devices being found."
"So you're saying Bureau 4094 works with some sort of network of operatives," Shadowfox mused, pretending to be mysterious.
"Some sort of intercorporate network of operatives," Silverfox said. She furrowed her brow.
Technofox chuckled. "We know ICON is involved in some way, because Doctor Clayton has lied to us to conceal the existence of 4094. Probably other law enforcement is involved, at least to the point where they know who to call if a 4094 device is found." She picked one up. "To a cop or a Federal agent, this is probably just a weird remote control box. But these weren't publicized when the FBI found them. So there must be some formal government involvement as well."
"That's logical," Firefox agreed. She glanced at Cheshire. "I don't need to tell you this needs to be kept secret, do I?"
"No," Cheshire replied. "I've got more motive to keep it quiet than any of you."
"All right then," Firefox nodded.
"Anyway," Technofox said. "Blue Diamond fell. A few months later, Cheshire used her 4094 gizmo on Modesty. It worked. Do we know if Modesty was getting security updates to her implant?"
"Yes," Cheshire said. "Part of my job was insuring that the chimerae in Best Condo had the most recent patches. Give or take a few days."
"Good enough," Technofox said. "So you can see what happened. Blue Diamond went down. Somehow, Bureau 4094 found out about 4094 gizmos used by Blue Diamond. Clayton updated our firmware to make Blue Diamond's 4094 key obsolete. That whole cycle took a few months." Technofox put the 4094 gizmo down.
"This is the device we got from the smuggler boat," Technofox said. "This one will work on me. The RFID tag matches the value stored in my implant." She pointed at Silverfox. "Doctor Clayton installed a new patch on Silverfox in the MediJet."
"I think that proves chimera designers and Bureau 4094 are made up of men," Silverfox said. "The security update I want is vagina dentada."
There was a short pause. "Is that an option?" Technofox asked hesitantly.
"No," Silverfox said. "Thereby proving my point."
"Yes, of course," Firefox said thoughtfully.
Technofox waited until the conversation was over. "I don't think this device will work on you," she told Silverfox. "May I try?"
Silverfox flinched. "S-sure," she said, trying to sound more brave than she felt.
Technofox held it out in her right hand, putting her left behind her. She held it over Silverfox.
The words flashed up on Silverfox's visual cortex:
>Communication with Device A3FGH89 has been initiated
Silverfox closed her eyes, waiting to lose consciousness.
>Device A3FGH89 has been denied access
"It didn't work," Cheshire said, surprised despite Technofox's prediction.
Technofox nodded, satisfied. "All right," she said. "So it's pretty obvious what happens. The code on the ISID chip gets leaked, somehow."
"Doctor Walton," Cheshire guessed.
Technofox shrugged. "Very likely, yes. Once Bureau 4094 finds out about it, they change the key, and release a security patch for our implants which updates the lock." She paused. "This has happened at least twice. Once a few months after Blue Diamond, and once a few weeks after Bureau 4094 found out about the smuggling boat and the 4094 gizmos aboard."
"It sounds like Bureau 4094's getting better," Silverfox said. "The turnaround time's going down."
Technofox nodded slowly. "Exactly. They've improved the process. Clayton's already asked the three of us to come in so he can apply a security update. The same one that's already loaded on Silver."
"Let me see if I understand this," Cheshire said. "Doesn't that mean that a 4094 device won't work on me unless I get the security update? Since I still have the old key installed."
"Maybe," Technofox said. "Here's the problem. We don't have a 4094 gizmo issued by Bureau 4094." She waved #1 around. "This is something very important. Blue Diamond and Bureau 4094 are not in cahoots. They are on opposing sides. Otherwise, why update the RFID chips?"
"Possibly, to keep chimerae from blocking 4094," Shadowfox suggested.
Firefox shook her head. "Doctor Clayton co-operated with us to take down Blue Diamond. If there were collusion between Clayton and Blue Diamond, we'd still be in Blue Diamond, or we would never have gone there."
"That assumes Clayton is part of Bureau 4094," Shadowfox said.
"If he isn't, he's tightly bound with them," Firefox said. "His actions support them." The black vixen looked thoughtful. "So Bureau 4094 maintains the code, and Blue Diamond makes illegitimate use of it."
"Right," Technofox said. "These are pirate devices. Something from Bureau 4094 might have several RFID tags inside it, going back several generations of keys. It would still have the key that works on your implant. At least it would if I were designing it." She grinned. "In fact, if I were Bureau 4094 I'd include a set of dummy keys in a 4094 device. Then people like me would have to guess which key fits the lock."
"Great," Cheshire muttered.
"Okay, so we can be safe against a pirate 4094 device if we get the security patch updates," Shadowfox said.
"Until Bureau 4094's code is leaked again," Technofox said. "Which has happened at least twice..."
"But can you ... break these things completely?" Shadowfox asked. "So even Bureau 4094's devices won't work?"
Technofox blinked, her eyes a little blank. "Not yet," the little fox said, as though it should be obvious. "But it shouldn't be hard to do, theoretically. The protocol is not that difficult to block." She looked guilty. "Well... we can. Cheshire can't."
"Crap," Cheshire muttered.
"Not yet, anyway." Technofox said. She looked at Cheshire apologetically. "I'm telling you this because you have a right to know, and so you see I'm making progress."
Firefox looked dark for a moment, and nodded reluctantly.
Technofox held up her left hand. "Cheshire has a secure ICR chip in her left hand," she said. "But the four of us can reprogram ours. The one in my hand is now set to match the RFID chip in the new gizmo."
She held the one from the boat over her own head and pressed the button. Again, it failed to work.
"Wow. How did you do that?" Cheshire asked.
Technofox nodded, obviously pleased with herself. "Remember, our implants calculate the range to the 4094 gizmo. With two targets, my implant gets an ambiguous signal, so it rejects the connection."
"Then all I need is an RFID tag in my shoe or something," Cheshire said.
"That would work," Technofox agreed. "But there's a risk involved." She held up her left hand. "I can change the code on this tag at will. I can conceal my immunity. With a tag in your pocket, you can't."
Cheshire made a non-committal sound and folded her arms.
"And more seriously, we need to know the key our implant is looking for," Technofox said. She held up the newer 4094 gizmo. "The RFID key in this one is already deprecated. When we get the security patch, it's out of date."
"Except," Cheshire said, "for us runaways who don't get security patches."
"Right," Technofox agreed. She held up Cheshire's 4094 gizmo. "The implant in your head is looking for the key inside this device. If it finds two of them, it won't work."
"I see," Cheshire said politely.
Shadowfox drummed her fingers. "But this isn't a solution," she said. "Bureau 4094 has already changed the key. We don't know what that new key is. We know it will fit the new lock in Silver's head. And Clayton's going to update our implants next time we see him."
"And if we turn down a security update, we'll look suspicious," Firefox said.
"Exactly," Technofox agreed, head bobbing. "We can't block the key because we don't know what it is. But we have a great opportunity to gather new information." She inhaled. "We know that Dr. Clayton is going to update the lock on our implants. If I take an image of the software on our implants before and after the update takes place, then I'll know which files get updated."
"And one of those files," Firefox said, "has the new key in it somewhere."
"Somewhere, right. Probably encrypted." Technofox said. "Once I know exactly where it is, I can change the lock in our heads ---"
"And nobody will be able to run 4094 on us," Cheshire interrupted. "Ever."
"Outstanding," Silverfox said.
"I don't think you heard the part where I said I'd have to take a hex editor to your brain," Technofox said. "I might break it."
There was a pause. "That's risky," Firefox said. "But I'm good with that. Technofox might fuck up, but she's not out to get me."
"You're sure?" Technofox asked, worried. "Clayton wants us in in the next couple of days. In that time I need to write the software, debug it on Big Red, install it on an implant and monitor it for failure."
"You're saying there's a chance of a software failure causing medical issues," Firefox said.
"Yes," Technofox said reluctantly.
"That's me then," Silverfox said.
"No," Firefox contradicted her. "You've already had the upgrade patch installed." Firefox looked at Technofox. "There's a chunk of my life missing. I'll take some risk to keep it from happening again."
"Would you risk Shadowfox?" Technofox asked flatly.
Firefox blinked, and sighed as she figured it out. "Right," she said. "She's the one with the special implant --"
"It's not your decision," Shadowfox interrupted. "I'm willing."
Silverfox heard Cheshire breathe out slowly, probably in relief that she wasn't going to be asked. For an instant, Silverfox hated her, but only for an instant.
"Shadow, I won't hold you to that," Firefox said sternly. She looked at the two and pursed her lips. "Tech, I don't need to tell you to be careful. Shadowfox, if you have the slightest concern over this, I want you to pull out."
"Of course," Shadowfox agreed placidly.
Cheshire cleared her throat. "I'd like to help if I can," she said.
"I'm glad you said that," Technofox said.
"...Oh," the jaguar said, regretting it.
The little vixen smiled reassuringly. "I want to make an image of your implant. I won't be writing anything to it -- it's all read only." she said. She looked around. "Between the five of us, we have three different sets of security patches installed. By comparing them, I might be able to get some clues about what changes."
"All right," Cheshire said, relieved.
Epilog 2
"Did he just fire ten rounds from an M1911?" Jerry asked.
The others had left to give Jerry and her some privacy. They probably had not suspected they'd use it to watch a movie. She had barely been paying attention. She thought zombies were involved.
"I didn't notice," she said.
Jerry tapped pause on the remote. "Obviously you're not enjoying the film."
"Sure I am," she lied.
"It's okay," he said. "We can watch it any time. If there's something else on your mind, or if you're just not feeling well..."
"Thanks," Silverfox said with a laugh. She lay against him. He put his arm around her and stroked her lightly. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "The truth is that I could use some quiet time."
He kissed her head. "That's fine. We can do what you want. I'm just glad you're going to be okay."
She grinned a little. "Are you?"
"Of course I'm glad," Jerry said. "How could I not be glad?"
"What I said last night," she said. "It wasn't something from a drug-induced semi-conscious state. I think I've felt that way for some time."
He gave her hand a squeeze. "Why did it take you so long to tell me?"
"Jerry," Silverfox said, "I was in Blue Diamond."
"...Oh," he said.
He squeezed her. She held his hand.
"And at a place like that, you say things you don't mean," she said. "And after a while, in your head, the words don't mean the same thing they used to. They're just something you say."
"I think I understand."
"I tried to avoid that," she said. "I just sort of... threw myself into it, pretended it was my idea. Treated it like a party. It wasn't bad if you tried to think of it as something you'd do anyway. I think ... seeing what it was doing to the others was worse than what happened to me." She swallowed. "It's funny, but if it hadn't happened, I don't know if I would have hooked up with you." She looked at him. "And ... it's confusing. If something good comes out of bad shit, what do you base your decisions on? It's like Canada."
"What about Canada?" he asked, obviously puzzled.
"Canada's a nice place to live if you're a chimera," she said. "But you go there, and you find out there aren't too many native chimerae. We can't have kids. If we're trying to make the States more like Canada, isn't that like trying to make ourselves extinct?"
"Once you pay off your mortgage," he said, "maybe you could buy another chimera."
"That's expensive," Silverfox said.
"So's having a kid." He shrugged.
"Huh," she said. She squeezed his hand. "I do love you. It's hard for me to say that. But it's not because you're you... it's hard for me to say because I've lied to a lot of men and I don't like lying."
He kissed the side of her snout. "Want me to show you something cool?"
She smiled. "Here?"
"No, in town."
Firefox would have a conniption if she left the apartment, she thought. Well ...
"Okay," she said. "But don't let the others find out."
"Are you getting tired?" Jerry asked for the fifth time.
She was getting tired of hearing him ask if she were tired. She almost said that, but instead she shook her head. She closed her eyes. She was getting cranky. Maybe she was tired.
"We're near the art museum, aren't we?" she asked.
"And no fewer than three colleges," Jerry agreed. "Let's go for the guilty privileged college students."
"Good idea," Silverfox said, nodding. She sat down heavily in the wheelchair.
Jerry got out of the driver's seat, stood behind her and started to push. "Besides, this is Boston. You can't pee out an airplane without splashing a grad student." He paused. "Don't worry. Grad students are used to that."
"Fair enough," Silverfox agreed.
"Here we are," he said. "Across the street."
It was bigger than she imagined it. The sign was being hoisted up, one standing letter at a time; the "S" in "MCKINNON'S" was sitting under the "M."
"We'll be able to fit in twenty booths to start with," he said. "If it turns a reasonable profit, we can expand to take over the lots next to it. And then, we extend our pseudopods to cover the nation like some loathsome amoeba."
"I love it when you talk dirty," Silverfox said.
"Of course, the business model hinges on an easily exploitable population of runaway chimerae and guilty humans," Jerry said.
"Did you get permission to use his name?" Silverfox asked. "Or are you saying it's named for some other McKinnon? I really don't know how that works."
Jerry nodded. "Of course. Arranged it with his ex-wife. Annual fee and a percentage of the net going to a college trust fund for his kid." He laughed, a short bark. "Those fools! It'll never make a profit."
"Then I guess you're putting one over on them," Silverfox said.
"I guess so," Jerry said.
Silverfox paused for a moment, not sure how she was going to ask this. "I notice that the 'S' is sitting under the 'M'," she said.
"Mmm," Jerry agreed.
"Were you going to call it something that started with 'S'?" she asked.
Jerry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, but Shadowfox wanted too much money."
Silverfox chuckled. She took his hand off the handle on her wheelchair and kissed it. She froze for a moment, remembering they were in public, but he didn't pull away.
An expensive-looking motorcycle turned a corner and came to a stop in front of McKinnon's. The rider got off, her tawny tail swinging over the bike.
Silverfox froze.
Tawny took off her helmet, and shook her hair free.
"Oh, that's --" Jerry started.
"Shh," Silverfox hissed.
Tawny tucked her helmet under one arm, waved at a construction worker, and walked into the building. There was a good chance she hadn't seen Silverfox or Jerry.
"What's wrong?" Jerry said in a low voice.
You don't know for sure, Silverfox thought to herself.
"Did you give her the motorcycle?" Silverfox asked.
"No. I've only known Ambush a few days. Is something wrong?" he repeated.
"Ambush," Silverfox said. "Is that the name she gave you?"
"Yes," he said. "And obviously something is wrong."
"I'm not sure," Silverfox said, shaking her head. "It's not my decision."
"Ah," Jerry nodded, hesitantly. "So you're going to tell the others about Ambush? Even though that means letting them know you snuck out of the apartment?"
"Yes," Silverfox said. "Honey, can you take me home? I'll explain on the way."
Epilog 3
Silverfox knelt in the brush by the side of the road. The moon was bright, and behind her. The road ran along a hill. She was on the high side; on the far side of the road, the earth dropped away.
"Anyone have dinner plans?" Technofox asked over the cell phone.
"I dunno," Shadowfox said over the conference line. "What do you want to eat?"
Shadowfox was parked some distance away, on her own motorcycle. Strapped to the rear seat was the transponder from their car. She would cover for them, making it look like their car was somewhere it wasn't.
There was a delay of a few seconds. "Pizza," Technofox said.
Technofox was also at the side of the road, a kilometer away, with powerful binoculars and a handheld computer. "Pizza" was a code word. The motorcycle was the right motorcycle, and the driver was the right driver. Technofox would make sure the right target was in the right place.
"I'm good with pizza," Silverfox replied, confirming she was go.
The Korth Shooting Star was loaded with a .223 round, the bullet made of hard resin. It would shatter on the side of a motorcycle helmet, but it would deliver an amazing impact. Enough to knock someone off a motorcycle.
"Then let's have pizza," Firefox said, making the decision for them all. She was in the car that would take them home.
Silverfox lifted the weapon and readied it. Silverfox half pulled the trigger, and the sight became her eye.
She could see the target. She tracked it, and the sight offset the crosshairs to compensate for the target's motion.
The pistol was a beautiful thing. Within a certain margin of error, it would put a bullet exactly where it was told to. Like any good weapon.